After countless hours of pondering and debating on my first blog idea, the subject of diversity in the classroom came to me after an intriguing classroom discussion.
The topic of diversity in the classroom is a subject that I am truly passionate about. I have had the opportunity to take various courses in my last year of university, which focused on diversity and multiculturalism within the classroom.
The classrooms that are occupied today by teachers and students are very different from such classrooms of decades ago. Today we see teachers residing in classrooms of unparalleled diversity. Students differ in terms of ability, knowledge, intelligence, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and various others.
When I began reflecting on the topic of diversity in the classroom I immediately felt overwhelmed and unprepared. I thought to myself, how am I ever going to satisfy the needs of each student so that they can prosper, and achieve academic success. It was then that I realized I am AWARE of the various diversities existing in our present and future classrooms. I feel being aware of the unparallel diversity is the first and most important step to managing student diversity and creating an inclusive classroom.
The discussion surrounding diversity in the classroom has allowed me to begin creating my personal philosophy surrounding education. I view classrooms much like a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces of the puzzle are different yet they are unique and without all the pieces to the puzzle, the puzzle is not complete. It is vital that teachers appreciate the diversity they have within their classroom walls. All students are to feel welcomed, understood, and treated equally and with respect.
What a great first post, Lauren! You're right: as teachers, we need to appreciate the diversity that is most certainly a part of our classroom. Your post reminded me of a conversation I had with some colleagues a couple of years ago about how to teach "equity" to students. The concern was that this was too abstract a concept to teach to young primary students. I was teaching Grade 1 at the time and I had a student in my class with autism. I remember teaching my students about "equity," as they began to realize that sometimes things were different for this student. We went through all of the different things that each student in the class needed (from the need to create extensions on activities to the need to reduce the number of questions on a page). Students started to realize that all of them receive what they need to be successful! I think that this is so important in a classroom. To me, whether discussing equity of diversity, we're talking about being accepting of differences and creating a real classroom community of trust. I can tell that you're doing this already!
ReplyDeleteAviva
Wow...I would agree with Aviva... You've explored some really difficult topics and throughyour reflections, it seems that you are already creating a classroom community of trust. Just by talking about this issue really helps us stay aware of the vast diverse learners that we have. Thanks so much Lauren for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteZoe
Lauren - your thoughts and reflections are very insightful and your video clip is amazing! Definitely very thought-provoking! Thanks for sharing this!
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