Written by Admin
Equality and inclusion in the classroom
Equality and diversity is the notion of promoting and accepting the differences between various individuals. In other words, equality indicates individuals are treated equally, irrespective of their cultural background. Diversity is about recognizing and respecting the differences to establish an all-inclusive environment.
Encouraging equality and diversity is vital for teachers as well as students. The objective is to develop a classroom environment wherein students can flourish in a collaborative environment and comprehend that specific characteristics make people distinct.
Self-awareness
Promoting equality and diversity in a classroom commences with self-awareness. Teachers must understand how the combination of race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic well-being impacts society.
Teaching methods
Teachers must pay attention to the requirements of students from diverse groups. Incorporating an equality analysis/impact assessment procedure in classroom sessions is an effective way of considering inclusivity and accessibility.
Teachers must identify opportunities for students to collaborate in different groups. Developing creative and effective ways of using the diverse experiences of students to enhance the learning experience for all would be appropriate.
Effective resources management
Teachers selecting a book, poster, or activity for their students must ensure that the books include personalities from various backgrounds to demonstrate that differences are normal.
Cultural celebrations
Celebrating events, festivals of specific groups would also encourage diversity.
Raising current news
Promoting discussions by escalating current issues and assessing students' understanding of the circumstances would be appropriate.
Quizzes
Teachers can conduct quizzes to determine students' knowledge of various cultures, religions, etc. Students can also be provided the opportunity to develop the quiz to ensure they are involved in research work.
Multicultural cuisine
Teachers must encourage students to taste multicultural cuisine. By sampling food eaten in other cultures, students get an insight into a specific culture's norms.
List things that come from abroad
Teachers can conduct an activity at the beginning of a lesson to incorporate the theme of multiculturalism. By supporting students to develop a list of materials that they received from outside of India and reviewing responses as a class would be useful.
Gender equality
Teachers must be able to identify stereotypes – provide students with a list of roles and ask them to decide if it is for men or women. By going through their answers, teachers would be able to identify stereotypes.
Learn languages
Students must be encouraged to learn new languages to improve their awareness of language barriers globally. Learning new languages would enable students to develop cultural sensitivity.
