Diversity And Differences In Education Essay

Diversity and difference are represented within all classrooms and are made up by the contribution of multiple external factors. The educator who understands issues of diversity and difference will enact the Australian Curriculum within it’s eight parameters of learning (Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2014) to incorporate opportunities for their students whom may have otherwise had their identities and aspirations supressed due to gender stereotypes, cultural expectation, and family socio-economic status. An educator’s acceptance of these factors will nurture the uniqueness and individuality of each child. Furthermore, the educator who builds strong relationships with their students will have a better understanding

It is an area of diversity and difference with minimal awareness and often is deeply ingrained within the way educators treat girls and boys and too what they expect from them. Often unbeknown, educators assign tasks to their students according to their gender, for example, boys being asked to carry heavy sports equipment and girls being asked to tidy the chairs (National Union of Teachers, 2013, p. 6). In conjunction to this often-unintended stereotypical behaviour, educators also can habitually speak to girls and boys differently by altering their dialogue and the tone of the language (National Union of Teachers, 2013, p. 6). These behaviours can unknowingly contribute to the segregation of genders and negatively reinforce gender expectations. The educator who actively promotes gender equality demonstrates an understanding of diversity and difference. These educators will break down and challenge their students’ assumptions and objections of gender expectations. On top of this, educators should adopt a language code that does not discriminate nor highlight differences between genders. Ultimately, an educator with an understanding of diversity and difference will take the views of sex-role socialisation theory and post-structuralist feminists which both accept and view each child’s’ behaviour as individual (MacNaughton,

Lawrence, Brooker and Goodnow (2012, p. 75) cite that 44% of Australians were born in other countries or are children of parents from other countries. This signifies the diversity and scope of different cultures within Australian classrooms. For all children to have a sense of belonging and feel that they are an inclusive part of their school community, all cultures must be acknowledged, accepted, understood and supported by educators. The educator who enacts the incorporation of these four aspects of cultural inclusion within the curriculum will provide an active voice for cultural acceptance and equality. Further, the educator who understands diversity and difference within cultures is observed by her students to be role modelling a positive stance on and embracing all cultures and setting an example of cultural acceptance and equality. This practice puts her students in good stead to hold an unbiased and just view of cultural diversity within society. On the contrary, the educator who places less of an importance on cultural diversity perhaps may place this issue in the null curriculum (Blaise and Nuttall, 2011, p. 92), which in turn is a disservice to our multicultural