Diversity for Classroom

 

Diversity for Classroom

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

We see complex classrooms because students come from diverse cultural backgrounds who are often neglected and face barriers to education (Larrivee, 2000). The teachers in the schools should be well aware of exclusion and its negative effects so that the social gap is filled with positive measures (Ruggs and Hebl, 2012). Students who experience exclusion will experience difficulty in managing their behavior, being with their peers, and paying attention in class due to factors like gender bias, racial/ethnicity discrimination, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic status that would deprive students of having positive well-being, weak emotional strengths and supportive networks among peers (Freud, n.d.).  It is important for any teachers or schools to know the benefits of inclusive education through diversity and cultural awareness so that they can experience positive outcomes of education and students are saved from any difficulties (Study.com, 2012). Thus, incorporating culturally responsive teaching to promote cultural diversity in the classroom is crucial for the wholesome development of the students because incorporating diversity and inclusiveness will boost the self-confidence of the students to attain better positive learning outcomes (Ruggs and Hebl, 2012). 

Recognizing it across the curriculum

I, as a literature teacher, get ample opportunities to create awareness of diversity and embrace it in my classroom because literature has a lot of knowledge on gender, race/ethnicity, discrimination, religion, etc. Mostly, my students are engaged in studying it and finally draw the text-to-real-life connections in deriving values useful at this time in the context of my country and the world as a whole. For instance, the play “The Merchant of Venice” deals with religious conflict, social status, gender, discrimination, etc. and they are handled carefully through the discussion on its negative impact on society and self, and the discussions are prompted in discovering the values and individual roles in addressing them for the peaceful society. During the course, we also discuss the importance of our own culture and values individually in the class so that we can establish trust among ourselves for better bonding, openness, and values (DUSE, n.d.)

Moreover, every individual teacher in my school mandatorily maintains individual students’ logs with their backstories so that students are taken care of instantly and extensively so that they don’t become the victims of exclusion in the school. Quite often, problematic students are called to teacher-student conferences so that they are rectified before issues get worse. It agrees with Ruggs and Hebl (2012) whereby the discussion on racial and cultural diversity is conducted both in the classroom and in the informal settings to have a positive impact on students so that they think actively and get motivated through intellectual engagement. I believe that increasing diversity in the school means preparing students for lifelong learning so that they become productive citizens of the country and at the same time achieve positive learning outcomes.

Is there an area of diversity, inclusion, or cultural awareness that I feel is neglected in any part of your teaching approach?

Personally, I have never excluded any students so far in my class because I believe in equality and diversity. However, I feel that I neglected the situation that went around in my classroom. For instance, some students in my classroom, especially those from the south, were found to have difficulty adjusting to the other students in the classroom. They were found hesitant to participate in any activities mixed with others most of the time in the classroom. When they were called for a teacher-student conference, it was learned that they were teased, bullied, and often criticized during my absence because their culture is different and they belong to the South. They said that they don’t feel motivated to stay in the class with them. From that point, I realized that something went wrong on my side because I failed to identify and address their problem on time. I realized that I should have become more sensitive to identifying and addressing such barriers and started with inclusive teaching styles and content to raise awareness of the cultural diversity among them through the lesson.  Upon reflecting on how bad we feel when excluded by our peers which makes us feel pain and often demotivated to do things (Kawamoto, 2017), I started infusing gender bias, racial/ethnicity discrimination, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic status into my lesson to avoid issues and teach students with greater diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness in the classroom for the lifelong learning (Ruggs and Hebl, 2012). 

Why might this omission exist? Is it a function of time constraints, discomfort, or perhaps a lack of resources to improve the situation? How can this issue be helped or at least minimized?

I believe that this omission may be due to time constraints as we are over-burdened with syllabus and workload due to which we find less time to give personal attention to the children. I teach twenty-five periods a week out of thirty periods and I must also spend time on lesson planning, notebook corrections, and other co-curricular activities in the school. The other reason could be that I might have ignored the problem unknowingly. Due to this course, now I am confident that I must look into the areas for the learning and development of my students without missing anything in hand and if I ignore any forms of the issue of diversity in my classroom, then I am not doing my job (Pordigy, 2020). 

To help with this issue, I must have the advocacy lesson in my classroom at the beginning of the year itself so that all become aware of the ill effects of cultural diversity.  Alternatively, I must promote more team collaboration and discussion so that they learn to respect each other’s views (GRC Solutions, 2020). Moreover, maintaining communication consistently to check their progress so that they improve their experience (Drexel University, 2000). Finally, I need to practice cultural sensitivity by infusing diversity both in the classroom and in the lesson plan for effective cultural awareness (Drexel University, 2000).

In conclusion, I should teachers should be always sensitive to diversity and should practice culturally responsive instruction in their classrooms. It eradicates the conflict and failure of students to understand one another during their learning process. Moreover, The teacher should create a bias-free classroom at all times.

 

References

Drexel University. (2000). The Importance of Diversity & Cultural Awareness in the Classroom. https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/

DUSE. (n.d.). Importance of Diversity and Cultural Awareness in the Classroom: https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/

Freud, A. (n.d.). School Exclusion. https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/risks-and-protective-factors/school-based-risk-factors/school-exclusion/#:~:text=Children%20and%20young%20people%20who,and%20skills%20and%20support%20networks.

GRC Solutions. (2020). GRC’s Top 5 Tips to Overcome Diversity Challenges. https://www.grcsolutions.com.au/articles/grcs-top-5-tips-to-overcome-diversity-challenges

Kawamoto, T. (2017). What Happens in Your Mind and Brain When You Are Excluded from a Social Activity? https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2017.00046

Larrivee, B. (2000). Transforming teaching practice: Becoming the critically reflective teacher. Reflective Practice, 1(2), 293-306. http://ed253jcu.pbworks.com/f/Larrivee_B_2000CriticallyReflectiveTeacher.pdf

Pordigy, 2020). 7 Ways to Support Diversity in the Classroom. https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/diversity-in-the-classroom/

Ruggs, E. & Hebl, M. (2012). Literature overview: Diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness for classroom and outreach education. In B, Bogue., & E, Cady (Eds.). Apply research to practice. http://teach.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ARP_DiversityInclusionCulturalAwareness_Overview.pdf

Study.com. (2012). Developing Management Skills. https://www.studymode.com/essays/Developing-Management-Skills-917711.html