Musings on Topic 1 - Diversity & Inclusion

Musings on Topic 1 — Diversity & Inclusion

What do you understand about Diversity?

Diversity relates to the differences between our students and ourselves.  Diversity could be the difference of our cultural background, the languages we speak, whether we can see or hear, whether we are in a wheelchair or use crutches and whether we can read and understand mathematics.  Diversity is a great thing in both the classroom and communities.  Children need to be exposed to a diverse range of people in order to understand the world better.  While it may be a challenge to teach children who are diverse it should be treated as a learning opportunity for everyone in the classroom.

What do you understand about Disability?

There are four categories of disability:  physical, sensory, cognitive and social-emotional.  A physical disability may be cerebral palsy or epilepsy. Sensory disabilities could be a student being deaf or blind.  Cognitive disabilities could be Down syndrome or dyslexia.  Social-emotional disabilities may be Autism Spectrum Disorder or depression.  Some disabilities are present from birth whereas some develop over time.  Likewise, some disabilities are visible whereas others are hidden.  That does not mean they are less or more important but should always be taken into account.  Especially where it impacts on the students' learning.

Write about your own personal experiences related to diversity in the classroom and disability during your school years.

What is inclusion and why is it important?

Inclusion refers to schools providing for the needs of all their students regardless of their ability/disability/needs or diversity.  If necessary, barriers to students being able to participate should be removed to allow for equity of participation and education.

What is differentiation?

Differentiation can refer to many things.  Differentiation can refer to specialisation of services adapted to meet needs of individuals or groups.  Differentiation can provide individualisation in planning, it is centred on the learner, meets the needs of all learners, maximises quality outcomes and allows for needs of all students to be considered.