Meaning and the Concept of Diversity and Inclusion in Education

Diversity refers to a combination of different social backgrounds, races, cultures, ethnicity, gender, religion, and different languages. Diversity is seen in the classroom too. Diversity in the classroom may even be related to the varying intellectual abilities and social skills of the students. Having diversity in the classroom helps students understand each other’s culture, language, ethnicity, religion, etc. Through diversity, a new perspective will be brought into the classroom.

Here are some ways in which teachers and schools can incorporate inclusion in education.

Get to know your students

Cultural awareness can be bought in the classroom only when the teacher understands each student. Every student is unique and the teacher should try to understand each student’s cultural background. This will help students learn about each other’s culture and have compassion for it.

Respect every student

The teacher should treat all the students equally. There should be no prejudice inside the classroom. A kid may feel that because of his/her cultural background, the teacher treats him/her differently from others. Looking at the teacher, many students may follow the same behavior with the kid. Hence, a teacher also must treat every student equally without any discrimination.

Assignments related to their cultural background should be given to the students to present in the classroom. Students will do proper research on it and share their cultural knowledge with their classmates. This way every student will have an understanding of their classmates’ culture. The students themselves will also have a better understanding of their own culture.

Examine your teaching materials

As a teacher, try to expand your cultural knowledge and share the information acquired with your students. This is a very effective way of making students understand the importance of cultural diversity. It helps in giving students a deeper understanding of diversity. This will not only be helpful for the students but the teacher too in broadening the knowledge of cultural differences.

Observe the holidays of every culture

Celebrate the holidays of every culture so that students feel a sense of belonging in the classroom and school. This way the students will understand the holiday traditions of each culture and why it is celebrated. Encourage all students to celebrate the different cultures represented in the classroom.

These are some of the ways that foster inclusion in education. Every student is different and a diverse classroom should be encouraged to live in peace, harmony, and mutual respect.

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