The Importance Of Diversity In Education

The United States population is filled with diverse individuals. It is important for educators to understand that diversity in classrooms is not just based on race but ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, economic status, learning disabilities, and etc. It may not affect your student directly but it can be a part of their family background. Educators may assume that students have the same social or educational status of each other which in some cases is not true. If they assume that every student is on the same academic level, the students may suffer educationally or emotionally. Teachers need to understand that all students grow and progress at different times and it is up to an educator to help start their growth in the right direction and to make each child feel accepted. Yale University () discussed how it can affect teachers if they do not understand how to assess diversity, “teachers may themselves feel out of place based on their own ascriptive traits (i.e. differences based on class, privilege, etc.).” Diversity in classrooms is becoming more frequent and educators need to understand how to properly assess their student’s based on their educational needs and how to teach other students how each of them are different individually. There is no right choice to teach diversity but it is something that needs to implemented in classrooms.

In this paper I will show my research on how theories of education have changed thought the years and how teachers and students adapt to these changes. With the changes in multicultural classrooms and how students with disabilities have rights in public education.

Poverty is a serious issue which our society and children faces every day. It is a constant struggle that shouldn’t be ignored. UNICEF states “The study of OECD countries in 2007, over fourteen percent of Australian children under the age of eighteen are currently living in households who are defined as poor or with incomes less than half of the median national income”. The increase in the number and percentage of children living in poverty within our society has contributed to making today's classrooms more diverse than ever it has been. This highlights and makes both teaching and learning more challenging. Diversity exists in the students who are living in poverty and the education assistant and teachers must provide the concept of diversity

Students have their own best way in effectively learning the lesson. With the diversity of students, the problem is each student has a preferred learning style. It becomes undeniably one of the reasons that make it difficult to achieve the best expected outcome out of teachers’ effort. However, teachers try to incorporate various teaching techniques to make every learning opportunity become productive, meaningful, and relevant for the learners.

Author Tara Isabella Burton writer of “Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'” challenging the assumption that universities should seek out leadership qualities in students. “The implicit message behind the rhetoric of the leadership is that learning for learning’s sake is not enough” she says. Than questions the readers: “What’s the wrong with being a follower? Or a lone wolf?”

According to the 2014 Public School Review Diversity Report, the state of Maryland is rated the third most diverse public school system in the nation, with 43% White students, 37% African American students, 11% Hispanic students, 6% Asian students, and 3% Unknown. With a significantly higher population of African American students compared to the state average, the Baltimore City School District is a far less diverse agency than the state school system as a whole. Collectively, the Baltimore City Public School District is comprised of 85% African American students, 8% White students, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian/Pacific Islander, and less than 1% American Indian, Multiracial, Native Hawiian/other (Baltimore City Public Schools, 2013a). Considering

Educationalists have suggested that students’ understanding of their community and appreciation of diversity can be endorsed through opportunities to share values and challenge prejudices across the curriculum (DCSF 2007). School X recognises the role students play in the sustenance of a cohesive community. Due to the extremely diverse demographic of the community of Borough M, the council encourages the sustenance of a cohesive community in which all cultures are given equal importance (Gilligan, 2012). School X resonates this agenda, by promoting and celebrating diversity, and as an all-girls’ school, it recognises the importance of empowering young girls to facilitate their ownership of learning and progression. The school has been involved

Jonathan Kozol, a Harvard University scholar, witnessed the travesty of racial segregation within the inner city public educational system. After many years of teaching and exposure to substandard classrooms with dilapidated furniture, a shortage of materials to engage a pupil’s mind and a disproportionate diversity ratio, he could no longer tolerate the conditions in which he was surrounded. Kozol’s frustration compelled him to become a staunch advocate for disadvantaged children so that they might receive equal rights to a quality education.

Diversity has been a main theme within Education 100, and throughout the past eight weeks I have learned about the many ways that diversity applies to education. The first assignment we were given was to complete the Diversity Module, and that helped explain many terms and concepts about diversity, specifically in context to a college campus. Though with the topics we talked about throughout the eight weeks, each one can be applied to diversity in a different way.

Diversity in the classroom is having a diverse group of students simply means recognizing that all the people are unique in their own way .Their differences could consist of their reading level, athletic ability, cultural background, personality, religious beliefs, and the list goes on.

The world is filled different cultures, races and ethnicities, and it is crucial that our higher education institutions reflect this diversity. Representation matters. We are a country filled with diverse cultures all of which whom need to be represented. The purpose of this literature review is to explain why and how diversity in a higher education setting is important. Students learn better in such an environment and are better prepared to become active participants in our pluralistic, democratic society once they leave school Diversity is not only important among the student population but also within college curriculum. It is an important issue regardless of the setting. However, when it is applied it to a place where people come to learn,

Like it or not, there has always been diversity among students in the classroom. It is the fact that each and every student is unique. From every circumstance, students bring a varying set of values, perspectives, and beliefs to the learning environment. Understanding the character of students is important in order to become a competent teacher. In fact, teachers should be aware and recognize students, as unique individuals, all acquire information differently than others. Some of these differences are due to developmental variations in cognitive, physical, intellectual, moral, emotional, and social changes caused by maturation and experience. And this reality of classroom conditions makes instruction much more challenging for teachers and

Within the core of many educational institutions, diversity is a commercial tacit. While every institution cannot offer the same kind of diversity, the endorsement of such exists through various definitions. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges define diversity through the various classes: race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and age (“Statement on Diversity”)

As of July 1, 2011, there are 36, 708, 083 people in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2017a). 1.2% higher than the population last year, which was 36, 264, 604 people of all ages and both sexes (Statistics Canada, 2017b). The growth of population in Canada, which in this case powered largely by immigration, increases not only the human capital, but the diversity in every province as well. Hence, as diversity expands, there is also a rampant growth in religion. In 2011, there are 108 religions observed in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2011) - Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu – to name a few. These demographics have connotations on how diversity in school is also evident.

The inclusive notion has been attributed closely with the educational reform. Through the lens of inclusive education, there is an underlying concept to ponder upon one’s assumption, attitude and practice. The old view of inclusion apparently, however, depicted a misconception that only associates inclusive education with specialist education (Liasidou, 2015). In the article, Ainscow & Sandill (2010) described that inclusive education as an approach to support and welcome diversity among all learners. Thus, the perspective becomes broader, as it also informs practitioners to re-conceptualizing their practices. It means that schools in general, and teachers, in particular, need to reflect on how their current practice in providing education for the students. Among other considerations, schools and educators need to address the certain pedagogical practice.