Why Diversity Matters for Learning

This post was inspired by the recent #edchatNZ on diversity. It is such an incredible experience to be able to share ideas, debate with respect and honesty, and illuminate new possibilities during the fast-paced chats. Ngā mihi ki a koutou, #edchatNZ PLN.

Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere

Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao. 

The bird that partakes of the miro berry reigns in the forest 

The bird that partakes of education reigns in the world.

Diversity comes in so many hues and shapes: gender, cultural, sexual orientation, physical and learning ability or challenges, age, sporting or intellectual pursuits. It is the human kaleidoscope in all its myriad of expressions.

In New Zealand, cultural diversity is a subject fraught with a cultural narrative of historical Māori repression and dispossession, hence not an easy conversation to have. For any colonised country this is not an easy subject to come to terms with. In fact, by all accounts New Zealand has been a trailblazer in terms of attempting to develop a true partnership between Māori and the crown in comparison to other colonised countries.

Personally, standing from the perspective of a migrant, I would say we are still a long way off from being truly bicultural but we've made a start. As an educator, I'd like to see more Māori success being celebrated in a variety of ways so that all children in Aotearoa see the strengths in Te Ao Māori as part of their world and celebrate them as well.

(Dr Ocean Mercier, source http://www.listener.co.nz/current-affairs/science/maori-influence-in-science/ )

Diversity needs to be visible and we need to be active about making it so

Diversity IS all about the role models we see in our environment. Gender bias, for example, is a cultural imprint. We need to actively find gender bias in our practice and dismantle it because the harrowing fact is that 1 in 3 girls we teach will suffer some type of abuse as our society still perpetuates an acceptance of female subjugation covertly and overtly.

A few years ago, while training my preteen class for athletics, I noticed the girls barely attempted to throw a vortex when training. Worse, one of the boys said to another boy "You throw like a girl!" I pulled everyone together and mentioned that this was quite a high compliment. They looked at me completely perplexed (I knew it wasn't- but oh, how I love it when cognitive dissonance leads to change!) and one said:"No, it means to throw badly." I said, "Well, you know Valerie Adams?" Nods were followed by a discussion of her achievements. "Well," I said, "She throws like a girl!" More perplexed faces. "She IS a girl. So if you say to someone 'you throw like a girl' what you're saying is that they throw like Valerie Adams!" Cue smiles and nods. That session we all said "Throw like girl!" to mean what it does: throw as hard as you can, and the girls threw as hard as they could. Later on, I made this poster to put up on our wall, and I made a point to eliminate all gender bias from my room such as reorganising all our books alphabetically instead of boys here and girls there.

Children see and hear what we model, and with this, they form their ideas about the world. To see strong and positive parts of themselves included in images of strength is so empowering. It says "I'm OK, I'm good enough and I have potential." If they see other people that they identify with as successful and included in our narrative of greatness then they can relate to that. More than ever children need to have powerful role models so that their self-esteem grows enough to nurture their talents and help them to navigate the turbulence of teenage years and beyond.

As teachers, we are in a unique position to add value to the diversity of our learners and affirm it strongly. I remember the day during a group reading session when we were reading about elephants. The term 'matriarchal herd' came up and we discovered it meant a family of elephants where only the females bring up the babies. I saw one of my student's face light up and I said, "Yes, like your family." She said, "Yes, I have two mums! It's like my family!" She positively glowed with this realisation and since all the other children already knew, it affirmed the fact that families come in all types.

Another time I arranged a student struggling with (and rebelling against) the rigours of managing Type 1 diabetes to visit a teacher with the same condition to swap struggles and stories. Or the time a dyslexic student attended a lecture by the amazing Matt Strawbridge and saw himself as having potential despite the frustrations he often faced in class.

Acknowledging diversity and sharing it makes learners who don't fit the 'norm' feel validated and included. It dismantles the notion that there is a single 'normal' anyway.

 This is another wonderful example of how visible diversity can empower children:

How many children know that one of the most incredible intellects in the world, Stephen Hawking, has a physical disability and that this has never stopped him from making amazing scientific discoveries.

Promoting diversity leads to student empowerment, 

and empowerment leads to student engagement.

Affirming diversity empowers diverse learners and all learners, and it's empowerment that leads to engagement. Why would a child engage in a world that is foreign and disconnected from his or her reality? A world that says unless you fit 'this' idea of success you fail? There is so much talk of underachievement and 'fixing' it with growth mindsets, but if we don't take a hard look at how we either perpetuate stereotypes or fail to promote diversity in all its shapes and forms in our classrooms, then education is guilty of promoting the mindsets that have set up inequality in the first place.  Promoting diversity is about empowering learners to succeed.  Challenging practices that disadvantage students empowers learners and engagement follows.

As educators, we need to promote and affirm the world of our learners and at the same time gently expose the hidden pitfalls of accepting a singular or monocultural view of the world so that not only they find their place of strength, but more importantly, support others who are different from them to do the same.

"Be the change you want to see in the world."