Diversity in the Classroom

Delores Harris
November,2013

“To keep the Golden Rule we must put ourselves in other

people’s places. If we had the imagination to do that. . .fewer
bitter judgments would pass our lips, fewer racial, national, and
class prejudices would stain our lives.”
---Harry Emerson Fosdick
 Student teachers should:
 Identify at least four (4) diversities in the Jamaican
society.
 Define the term diversity .
 Identify five (5) diversities in the Jamaican classroom .
 Develop an understanding of attitudes towards
diversity.
 Evaluate how beliefs about these issues impact on
behavior impact on the Jamaican classroom .
 Reflect on and share experiences, memories of diversity
in the classroom.
 Examine strategies for managing diversity in the
classroom.
Definition of Diversity
• The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance
and respect.

• It means understanding that each individual is

unique and recognizing our individual differences.
 Diversity.…

We respect individual rights to self- • We acknowledge that categories

identification, and we recognize that of difference are not always fixed
no one culture is intrinsically superior but also can be fluid
to another.

• It includes knowing how to relate to those qualities and conditions that are
different from our own and outside the groups to which we belong yet are
present in other individuals and groups..
 It is the exploration of these difference in a
safe and nurturing environment.

It is about understanding each other and


moving beyond simple tolerance to
embracing and celebrating the rich dimension
of diversity contained within each individual
 Diversity in Jamaican Society

 Gender
 Social class/socio-
economic factors
 Religions
 Geographical location
 (Access, Equality,
Equity)
 Diversity in Jamaica resulted from slavery:-
the coming of Africans to work on sugar
plantations

 Emancipation- the coming of the east

Indians to work in the Caribbean

 Result –an island with many races, cultures,

beliefs, values and interests
Races/ Ethnic Groups Religious groups Social groups

Africans Christians Upper

Chinese Buddhism Middle

Indians Hindus Low

Jews Judaism

Syrians Muslims

Lebanese Rastafarians
 Poverty, often results in crime

 Different family types e.g. simple-parent

households often headed by a female

 Teenage mothers and fathers

 Abused children
 Racial/ social/color class
 Cultural
 Sexual
 Gender role/Socialization
 Exceptionalities (gifted
 Students, at-risk students)
 Festivals and celebrations
 Dress
 Cuisine
 Rites of passages e.g. birth , death and the
coming of age rituals
 Language
 music
 Equity
Fairness: actions, treatment of others, or a general condition
characterized by justice, fairness, and impartiality.

Access
 entry or approach: a means of entering or approaching a place.
 opportunity for use: the opportunity or right to experience or make
use of something.
 right to meet somebody: the opportunity to meet somebody.

Equality
State of being equal: rights, treatment, quantity, or value equal to all
others in a specific group.
the right or privilege to approach, reach, enter, or make use of
something.
 Behaviors and attitudes related to
diversity in the classroom
 Prejudices/biases
 Opinion formed beforehand: a preformed
opinion, usually an unfavorable one, based
on insufficient knowledge, irrational
feelings, or inaccurate stereotypes

 Irrational dislike of somebody: an

unfounded hatred, fear, or mistrust of
a person or group, especially one of a
particular religion, ethnicity,
nationality, sexual preference, or social
status
 Stereotyping

 Reduce somebody to oversimplified category: to

categorize individuals or groups according to an
oversimplified standardized image or idea.

 Gender stereotypes are broad categories that

reflect impressions and beliefs about behaviour for
females and males

 Labels and the effect they have on students self

esteem and self concept
 Career orientation and subject selection
 Socially sensitive issues
 Professional counseling
 Peer counseling
Managing diversity in the classroom
 Identify your own attitudes
toward diversity .
 Establish an environment where
everyone feels comfortable (non-
threatening) .
 Get to know your student
 Don’t make assumptions
 Value all children in your care and
talk to them all in the same tone of
vice and use the same kind of
words.
 Avoid stereotypes-all jobs in the
classroom should be done by
both classes.
 Use group work and cooperative
learning- that works to improve
relations and create friendships
between the to (2) sexes.
 Treat everyone equally-give
equal time re your attention,
questioning and participation in
class activities
“Aggressive fighting for the right is
the greatest sport in the world.”
---Theodore Roosevelt