A lack of diversity and inclusiveness in the classroom can lead to students feeling isolated, can lead to increased stress levels for minority or otherwise marginalized students, and cause them to be victims of bullying at higher rates. Minority students, LGBTQ students, and students who engage in behavior that deviates from accepted gender norms are considered at higher risk of being bullied , which can lead to problems with academic performance, decreases in mood, and even suicide attempts.
Intentionally creating learning environments in which students are empowered to acknowledge and celebrate differences is paramount to their safe education and protection. Educators agree that teachers who are culturally responsive and proficient , and perhaps diverse themselves, can help address racial disparities in student achievement. By encouraging and celebrating diversity in your classrooms, you can empower students to feel safe, build healthy relationships, and make meaningful impact on others.
Safe learning spaces are diverse learning spaces. Below are more specific reasons that diversity should be taught in the classroom. It begins with the individual. Students whose differences are accepted in a culture of inclusion can build the confidence to accept themselves. Acceptance goes beyond the self and into the community around us.
Students who learn to be accepting and inclusive can develop empathy for others. When adults teach empathy, through diversity-driven lessons and through modeling empathetic behavior, children can develop socially with less prejudicial attitudes. Children will inevitably interact with others around the world from different backgrounds, interests, and perspectives.
Their future professions might take them into the global economy. They might even travel at some point in their young or adult lives. Having an understanding and respect for other cultures is an important aspect to being a responsible citizen of the world. When students are able to respect and celebrate the differences between people, they are better equipped to manage real-world scenarios in which varying perspectives and compromise come into play.
Diverse classrooms have social and cognitive benefits, according to research. Students in integrated schools are more likely to have higher test scores and to enroll in college. The racial achievement gap is also smaller at these schools. We want to provide our students with the safest educational environments and experiences that we can.
It is a duty as much as a desire, and it includes teaching diversity in the classroom. It requires not only creating spaces that are physically safe and secure, but that also protect and promote the emotional health of students, making them feel validated, nurtured, and included.
As educators, we can practice equality and diversity in teaching and how to promote inclusion among students. We can all strive to create culturally diverse safe spaces that encourage, welcome, and celebrate our differences through:. Finding out as much as possible about your students and their families will start you off on the right track toward creating a culturally inclusive classroom.
Start the school year off by inviting families to fill out questionnaires sharing important family information, such as cultural backgrounds and traditions, parent professions, and household composition. Being aware that a student comes from a military family, is in foster care, is homeless, or has a sick parent or sibling at home will allow you to partner with students and families to support them in the best ways and overcome any challenges that arise.
Culturally diverse classrooms should incorporate a variety of photos, posters, books, music, flags, and media that showcase and tell stories of many ethnic, racial, and gender backgrounds, as well as reject rigid gender roles. Include media that is LGBTQ-inclusive and showcases a variety of family structures, including same-sex parent, single-parent , adoptive, and multi-generational households.
Role-playing activities help students gain cultural awareness. With younger students, this can include introducing culturally significant attire and foods into dramatic play and playing with dolls that represent different races and cultures. With older students, you can design more involved activities, such as giving students specific scenarios to act out over a week that embodies specific cultural experiences.
Ex : Have students role-play a student in foster care moving around constantly, a single parent balancing a budget to support three children, or a man who is a dancer or stay-at-home dad. Introduce a mixture of languages into your classroom.
Children go to school to be prepared for the workforce, so teaching must effectively address and embrace the realities that come with living and working in a diverse school, community and country. Not only that, but there are other research-backed reasons for promoting diversity in the classroom:.
The same article goes on to point out that even the appearance of diversity and with it, the suggestion that different opinions exist makes us change how we approach issues. Students are no exception to this rule. Diversity in the classroom helps students develop social awareness which helps them appreciate different perspectives and draw stronger conclusions. It improves critical thinking skills and encourages academic confidence. According to a case study from The Century Foundation , students who attended a magnet school in Hartford, Connecticut that was required to meet racial integration standards through a lottery system outperformed students at suburban school that had a higher percentage of affluent, white students on standardized test scores.
The same report also found that effectively integrated schools had less misbehavior, lower dropout levels and noticed that students were more likely to want to pursue post-secondary education. When schools take inclusive and responsive approaches to diversity, students are more likely to see their identity represented in classroom materials or other students.
A study from the University of California, Los Angeles looked at diverse classrooms to assess the emotional gains of students, and found encouraging results. According to the study, students in the most diverse classrooms were more likely to feel safer, less lonely and less bullied at school. So diversity is important to cultivate in your classroom because of the academic and social benefits.
And how can you promote it in your school? That is, whose stories do you tell? Especially in the humanities and social sciences, teaching materials can often be limited to Western, white, male and middle-class narratives. If possible, teach literature from authors of color. Examine historical narratives to see which voices are missing — for example, a discussion about the civil rights movement can examine how it intersects with gender equality, immigration and the stories of Latino, Hispanic and Native American peoples.
This is exactly what Citizens of the World Charter Schools in California is doing through a focus on a project-based, culturally-responsive and data-driven learning model. All the students in your school are unique individuals, so use that fact to build a diverse and inclusive school culture. Take the time to learn about your students: Where do they come from? What kind of socio-economic situation do they live in, broadly speaking?
Are they meeting academic achievement standards, or are they struggling? Do they get along with their peers? Part of supporting diversity in the classroom is creating a safe space for students and educators to talk about how issues of discrimination affect them on a personal, classroom- and school-wide level. The more diversity is a topic of discussion in your school, the less students and teachers will hesitate to address it.
Fair does not equal the same — fair means making sure that every student has what he or she needs to succeed both personally and academically. When you lead the conversation and follow through with action, you signal that discrimination will not be tolerated in your school.
Communicate your goals for diversity in the classroom to families. Ask if they have any questions or concerns, and then listen. Invite them to identify areas in the curriculum or in the school culture that they feel could benefit from more of a focus on diversity. Reach out to leaders in the community that can offer different perspectives, either as experts in their field, professionals, community workers or activists. Consider asking teachers to develop service learning projects that connect classroom learning with community initiatives.
When your students meet members of their community, they get to see examples of people from different backgrounds succeeding in their field and might be inspired to think differently about their own future. Some suggestions for making sure the classroom stays accessible and equitable:.
The vast majority of teachers in the United States are white and female. According to federal data , As a contrast, 47 percent of students are white, while 16 percent are black.
Some graduates may return to their home country after graduating, where they end up starting a wildly successful business or use their degree in some other amazing way. This will raise the profile of your institution in that country as people will want to know where they studied in higher education. If you want your institution to forge relationships with newer emerging markets , then consider PR campaigns to recruit students from countries farther afield. These advantages of diverse classrooms give institutions good reason to target PR campaigns at international markets.
In fact, a common purpose for employing PR is to increase the cultural diversity of an institution or course. For example, in the past a client has asked us to help increase applications from India. We have even delivered press coverage in Mongolia after a student visited the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. This resulted in our client university gaining their first application from a Mongolian student.
These are great examples of why cultural diversity is an asset in the classroom. When targeting a specific country, it is important to ensure that the stories are relevant to the region, whether that involves students or faculty from that country or research connected to the country.
If you would like advice on how to increase the cultural diversity of your institution, then contact BlueSky PR today. Author: Kyle Grizzell. The personal information you provide will help us to deliver, develop and promote our products and services. Submitting your details indicates that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and cookie policy.
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