Every child should get a high-quality and affordable education in the modern world regardless of their social, ethical, and economic backgrounds. Gender difference, skin color, nationality, and status in society should not interfere with education since studying at school guarantees children obtain the necessary knowledge to become competent professionals in their field. Acknowledging variety in the classroom and encouraging students to work cooperatively without discriminating against any child with diverse needs indicates a successful teaching style. Defining diversity in the classroom is a critical obligation of each teacher because he can influence the students’ attitudes towards each other. For example, children have varied social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds reflected in their cultural ideas and religious beliefs (Understanding Learner Diversity, 1968). There are students with specialized academic needs and learning disabilities who struggle with educational skills deficits, also requiring a unique approach (Paakkari et al., 2014). Such differences among students create marginalization represented through the different attitudes of peers and teachers. To address the variety in the classroom, Australian teachers use Professional Standards for Teachers, the public statement with professional knowledge and practice. The focus area is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples facing generations of systemic prejudice and racial discrimination (Understanding Learner Diversity, 1968). 61.6 percent of Indigenous people in the class do not achieve core skills because education does not meet the context-specific needs of students, paying more attention to individual competition and alienating different students (Understanding Learner Diversity, 1968, p.53). Therefore, Professional Standards ensure teaching strategies responsive to discriminated students’ cultural settings, linguistic backgrounds, and histories. Doing so motivates marginalized groups by forcing other students to recognize and respect them. A deficit mindset labels some students as different, prejudicing their behavior as unacceptable. When teachers disregard diversity, students get frustrated with academic performance (Paakkari et al., 2014). Inability to receive knowledge results in future unemployment and a lack of skilled professionals among discriminated people. Moreover, it disadvantages students because they feel insecure, anxious, and unconfident in the school environment, forcing them to speak less and interfering with education. For example, one of the excluded groups at Australian schools, the LGBTQI population, experiences higher rates of depression and self-harm due to deficit views of diversity (Understanding Learner Diversity, 1968). Paakkari et al. (2019) believe that when teachers mark out differences of some groups, they reinforce social inequality and exacerbate existing division among underrepresented populations. Ignoring their differences or providing biased opinions erodes students’ vulnerable identities causing intolerance of representatives of other cultures, values, and nations in the worst case. Teachers in the classroom with varied backgrounds serve as a model to treat the students equally. The reason is that they teach students to criticize right and wrong things around them, being the first educators in students’ lives (Smidt, 2014). Inclusive education forces teachers to maintain high levels of academic attainment for children with special needs and from diverse backgrounds. It concentrates on the diverse people, worldviews, and epistemologies. Instead of facilitating assimilation, it reconstructs the schooling methods to meet the learning needs of varied students. There are various types of inclusive education: exclusion, segregation, and integration. Exclusion from schooling is a severe indicator of inequality. Sometimes students are denied access to education, which signals the extreme need to reconstruct the whole education system in the environment (Horsthemke, 2021). In contrast, segregation is also disadvantageous for students who are separated from their peers because of special needs. This isolation leads to further consequences: inability to interact with different people, self-hatred, or poor academic performance. Meanwhile, integration forces particular populations to study at existing mainstream institutions. However, it slows down the system’s transformation as it undermines the cooperative learning of students. It is essential to support individuals in the context of everybody to diminish intolerance and infringement of diverse populations. Especially, new teachers are trained to acknowledge students’ differences and provide suitable learning methods (Spratt & Florian, 2015). However, teachers should stop encouraging separate provisions for students with special needs because it exacerbates divisions and undermines their self-worth. If educator allows children to demonstrate their uniqueness without socializing them into their status quo, all other students will get used to the lovely diversity. Moreover, Spratt and Florian (2015) suggest cooperative learning, involving joint exploration of the task for all students simultaneously instead of individual work. An interesting suggestion regarding the students with special physical needs is illustrated through the teacher who used visual components for a student with a cochlear implant. At the same time, his peers benefited from making learning more multisensory. This way, teachers recognize the similarities of students without undermining their uniqueness. To conclude, the diversity of learners can be a source of both challenge and opportunity for teachers. Nevertheless, educators are responsible for positive interactions with students and creating a friendly environment conducive to learning. By gently and efficiently catering to the diversity in the classroom, they facilitate quick adaptation of vulnerable, underrepresented, and marginalized populations. Teachers should support students with varied needs because it helps them develop their self-regulatory behaviors and academic achievements.
References
Understanding Learner Diversity. (1968). Western Sydney University.
Horsthemke, K. (2021). Diversity and epistemic marginalisation: The case of inclusive education. Studies in Philosophy & Education, 40(6), 549–565.
Paakkari, L., Tynj, P., Torppa, M., Villberg, J., & Kannas, L. (2014). The development and alignment of pedagogical conceptions of health education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 49(2), 11-21.
Smidt, S. (2014). What kind of teaching and learning do we want. In Introducing Freire : A Guide for Students, Teachers and Practitioners (pp. 77-88). Taylor & Francis Group. Web.
Spratt, J. & Florian, L. (2015). Inclusive pedagogy: From learning to action. Supporting each individual in the context of ‘everybody’. Teaching and Teacher Education, 49(2), 89-96.