Teachers should consider the identity of each student in the classroom and support their personal awareness and understanding of identity. A teacher's own identity and behavior can affect the classroom climate and how students perceive them. Students may have different identities inside and outside the classroom, such as speaking different languages at home versus school, or being quiet in one class but outgoing in another. Teachers can help promote student identity by discussing their differences and similarities.

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About Identity in the Classroom
By Andrea Helaine, eHow Contributor
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Teachers should consider
the identity of each student in the classroom.
The search for identity focuses on the questions that arise about oneself, such as who we are and
what it means to be human. Teachers should support students' personal awareness and help them
understand their identity. Teachers may adapt strategies in the classroom to stay true to their own
identity and affirm the students' identities.
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2. 1. Teacher Identity
o The instructor's identity and behavior affect interactions in the classroom and the
classroom climate. Students perceive the instructor's identity by observing her
behavior and beliefs in the classroom. Depending on the school, teacher-student
interactions may extend beyond the classroom. For instance, a teacher may coach
a sport or lead a human rights organization. Students, therefore, observe the
teacher's identity both in and outside the classroom and begin to form opinions
about the teacher's identity, including what she believes in and how she behaves.
Student Identity
o Some students have different identities inside and outside the classroom. For
instance, a student may speak one language at home and another at school,
especially if his parents are not bilingual. Other students may be quiet in one
classroom and outgoing in another. A teacher can help promote student identity
by discussing students' differences and similarities. Students often have different
customs, beliefs, ways of dressing, religion or language, but common threads
often exist, such as interest in a sport or common friends, that can help promote
inclusion while supporting individual identity.
Read more: About Identity in the Classroom | eHow.com
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