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I recently attended a discussion about interviewing for math jobs, and apparently a question that is coming up frequently is something like this:

"We have a culturally diverse student body. How does having a diverse classroom affect your teaching?"

The advice was not to say, "It doesn't affect me," but instead offer some positive anecdote about diversity and multiculturalism or something. However, this is how I truly feel. I am a teaching assistant at a diverse school, and I feel that mathematical thought is universal and cultural differences should not affect the content of my teaching in any way. It seems that this is not viewed as a PC opinion.

So the question is, what is the appropriate answer to this question, and why?

Of course I want what you think is really the right answer about pedagogy, not just what you think people want to hear in a job interview.

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    For example, you *could* inform yourself on things like stereotype threat and then answer truthfully that you are aware of these problems and take care not to evoke them. Or take an Implicit Association Test and then tell them truthfully that you know that one can have unconscious biases and has to monitor oneself. I don't think that it is appropriate or practical to answer that you are aware of stereotype threats, if, in fact, you are not aware. Yes, it *shouldn't* affect your teaching in some sense, but what makes you think it doesn't?2011-12-10
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    Even if I have hidden biases, I am always courteous to students and try my best to answer their questions until they say they understand. The interaction with a particular student on a particular problem is the place where the teaching gets tailored, but it is not based on culture or race, it is based on that individual's questions and approach. It seems that biases are mostly washed out in the process, overwhelmed by a flow of data. When you teach in a diverse place, you see most common stereotypes disproved anyway. As for grading, one can have very objective standards for math work.2011-12-10
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    Is the end goal to migrate these questions to https://matheducators.stackexchange.com/?2018-06-16

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