EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION DIMENSIONS

EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY DIMENSIONS

LET'S CLARIFY THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS FIRST

Equity

Diversity

Inclusion

Equality

Click on each bubble to know more

INCLUSION is the practice of ensuring that everyone has access to existing opportunities and resources. Making sure that all individuals are included in all developments, activities, events, etc. Ensuring that all members of a community are equally heard and respected.

Equity is about ensuring that everyone can benefit from the same opportunities if provided with the necessary access to them. It means addressing individual needs to ensure access to existing opportunities.

DIVERSITY is what makes us human and unique. It is the recognition of the existence of different races, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, different social and cultural backgrounds and statuses, political beliefs, physical attributes, and languages among other aspects that makes us all different from one another.

Equality, by definition, means making sure everyone has access to the same opportunities and benefits.

Although the next video was produced for a business environment, it greatly illustrates all the concepts being addressed in this strand of Digi-Science. Considering the school as a whole, accepting that the principles here presented should be embraced by and for everyone is very relevant to the school community as a whole.Learning is not only about students; it is also about all individuals that make the process possible, equitable, diverse, and inclusive.Facilitators also deserve to be embraced by the same principles.

Now you are ready to dive into the different topics

INCLUSION

EQUITY

DIVERSITY

I made sure everyone had the same treatment and access to the same resources and instruments. It is not my fault that some students won't use it well!!!

EQUITY

REMEMBER: It is not about giving the same tools and resources to all (equality), it is giving the necessary support so everyone can have the same opportunities (equity).

Figure 1: Equality vs equity. Source: ‘What is EDI?’ by Darla Benton Kearney. Used under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

EQUITY

Ok, how about watching this video to better understand the difference? I will watch it with you!!!

EQUITY

In order to get to know the individual needs of your students and to put equity in place, there are a few things you need to take into account:

EQUITY

Personal Characteristics and Skills

Dos , Dont's, Tips and Tricks

Social and Cultural Background

EQUITY

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EQUITY

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EQUITY

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Click on each one to know more

Make sure your target audience (students, colleagues, parents, and other school community stakeholders) is aware of existing opportunities.

Make a diagnostic at the very beginning of your interactions with the new students to see where they stand in terms of their content knowledge and competence profile. This will help you assess the progress of your students at an individual level and not compare it with the progress of others.

Consider adopting a project-based learning methodology. It greatly helps to promote differentiation and personalization in the students' learning experience. It also allows you to deliver curriculum content in a completely different way.

Ask your students about their preferences in terms of style and topics they would like to explore more. This will help you foster motivation on their learning path.

Don’t contribute to the marginalization of students who might enter your classroom with a weak background. We only learn when we have the opportunity to do so.

Don’t assume that the lack of competencies in certain areas is synonymous with the inability to learn. Take, for instance, a lack of digital skills. It might only mean that the student didn’t have the opportunity to be exposed to technology.

Ensure learners are also promoting an equitable environment among themselves and that they understand its importance.

Disadvantaged communities don't need pity or patronizing actions. Everyone needs respect and understanding of their unique strengths and weaknesses, and support to develop further.

Create in your classrooms an environment where everyone feels safe to speak freely. Easier said than done, but hey... practice makes perfect.

Make sure everyone presents themselves in a meaningful way. Start with your presentation to give them a good example. Present your preferences and things you don’t like. List your strengths and weaknesses. Tell them something funny that happened to you, but also something that was unforgettably beautiful. Show them your human values.

when you hear the wordINCLUSION ?

INCLUSION

That is probably what you thinkwhen you hear the word inclusion, right?

In schools, it means involving all students, their families, and the whole teaching and non-teaching staff of the school in the learning process of each learner. INCLUSION means no one is left out. It means equity in all aspects of the student's academic life.

INCLUSION

INCLUSION MEANS EVERYONEAll people regardless of their origin, race, gender, social status or cultural background. It means providing EVERY INDIVIDUALwith the necessary support to benefit from existing opportunities.

Inclusion is a state of mind. It is being open to the fact that someone is being excluded. It is the capability of recognizing it and taking the necessary measures to address the issue.

HERE WE WILL EXPLORE VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF INCLUSION:

INCLUSION

STEREOTYPES

INCLUSION IN GENERAL

GENDER

INCLUSION

This video will make the concept more clear to you

INCLUSION

Inclusive Classrooms

Inclusive Schools

Embraces the differences of every individual accepting and reinforcing their cultural and social differences.

Respects each student's personal characteristics.

Don’t treat students differently because they behave outside what is considered the norm. If they have for instance a disability, a neurodivergent behaviour or an unusual gender identification, etc.

Make sure everyone feels different, as in fact all humans are, but at the same time, belonging to the classroom environment. Everyone should move forward with the same goal: being the best person they can be, embracing their dreams, and becoming ready to face their life's challenges.

Prepares every student to adopt an inclusive attitude towards the whole school community.

Involves the school community and local community in the daily lives of classrooms. Learners will benefit from their expertise, and might even support existing needs.

Engages parents in the co-creation of an inclusive environment. They might be part of the problem of students' non-inclusive attitudes, but also the solution for a new perception of the power and importance of inclusion.

Trains teaching and non-teaching staff for a non-discriminative, non-prejudice inclusive learning facilitation process. This will greatly improve the students' experience, set an example for them, and speed up the process of promoting equity and diversity in the classroom.

INCLUSION

Inclusive Curriculum

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Promotes an inclusive learning experience that requires an inclusive curriculum, textbooks, and assessment practices.

Adopts a flexible curriculum that can greatly address the student's specific needs and, as such, acts as a strong inclusive element. As much as possible, the curriculum should be tailored to the local realities of schools and students.

Avoids telling ”One Single Story” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg).

Avoiding portraying realities that are far from the student's reality.

Adopts a strong formative assessment, avoiding as much as possible the standardized tests, using those only as a diagnostics instrument.

UNESCO. 2020. Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and education: All means all. Paris, UNESCO.

INCLUSION

Let's talk about gender

INCLUSION

SEX AND GENDER ARE NOT THE SAME THING !!!

Here is a nice article about this topic. Open our mind to new ideas: https://genderspectrum.org/articles/understanding-gender

INCLUSION

SEX

What’s the difference between sex and gender? Sex and gender are often seen as the same thing but in reality, sex and gender are distinct.

DEFINITIONS

SEX

GENDER

SEX can refer to a person's anatomy and physiology, which can include phenotype, internal and external genitalia, gonads, hormone levels, chromosomes, epigenetics, etc… Maybe people believe sex is binary (either male or female) but in reality, sex is a non-binary construct where 1 in 1500 people are born intersex.

Gender refers to the social norms, emotions, and behaviors that are associated with being female, male, androgynous, or others. Gender traits can vary greatly depending on the time period and cultural context. It's important to remember that gender is not an inherently natural thing, but rather a social construct that varies from society to society.

INCLUSION

MORE DEFINITIONS

Let’s define a few terms. Cisgender means a person’s gender identity matches the sex designated on their original birth certificate.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gender-fluidity-what-it-means-and-why-support-matters-2020120321544

Gender fluidity refers to change over time in a person’s gender expression or gender identity, or both. That change might be in expression, but not identity, or in identity, but not expression. Or both expression and identity might change together.

INCLUSION

SEX

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Make sure students feel confident and in a safe environment to fully embrace their inner selves. There is no wrong or right.

Try as much as possible to use gender-friendly language.

Present role models in various fields portraying gender diversity and highlighting that everyone has in common the strong will to succeed.

Always take a minute to analyse your judgement about someone (we all judge, it is normal). We are all biased, so whenever you find yourself in one of these moments take a minute to think about it.

Rethink your bias when it comes to students choosing what they want to explore, who they want to play with or which toys they prefer. There are not rules.

Ensure your lessons and orientation portrait inclusive environment. Avoiding stereotypes, promoting diversity, be careful with gender bias, etc.

Don’t group students according to their gender. This might make students that don’t identify with any gender feel uncomfortable.

Instead try to cluster them according to their competence profile. for instance, mix them ou cluster them around the same proficiency level, or do the opposite cluster them ensuring different levels in different skills are represented in the group so they can help each other.

Avoid using text, images, vídeos, books etc. that don’t foster gender equity.

Promote discussions in the classroom about the role of humans and society.

Highlight the importance of gender equality and try to debunk misconceptions or preconceived interpretations of the role of women in society.

Highlight the characteristics of a person that allowed achieving success. Present stories from various cultures and societies and discuss how gender bias can impact the future of girls and boys.

Suggest books that portray girls and boys in different important roles.

INCLUSION

Have you ever wondered about how many Stereotypes appear in movies, books and even text books you use in with your students?

©vector portal

Check these typical examples. Man working and women in household activities.

INCLUSION

Gender Stereotyping can greatly impair the future of young minds.

INCLUSION

But it is not only steretypes related to gender. There are numerous stereotypes we carry with us without even being aware of that . Let’s get to think a bit about stereotypes and how this can impair our capability of being inclusive. Start by watching this very nice activity, that you can in fact adopt and use with your students to help them get to know each other and respect and understand more their colleagues. Use to help everyone discover their diferences and similarities.

INCLUSION

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Text books can be full of stereotypes related to gender, professions, races, migrants, minorities, etc.

Be aware of your own misconceptions, prejudices and stereotypes. These can greatly affect the way you interact with your students.

Parents can greatly affect their children perception due to their inconcious biases and preconceved stereotypes.

INCLUSION

Any image is ok if you ensure a balance between gender, race, etc.

INCLUSION

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Identify the preferred communication channels to reach out to relevant members of your school and the local community.

Make sure everyone in the community, regardless of their cultural and social backgrounds, understands that classroom activities are for EVERYONE. The same applies to outreach activities.

Identify multiple ways to engage your students and communicate with their families.

Ask your students for suggestions on what and how you can improve their learning experience.

Don't forget to apply the Universal Design for Learning. It will greatly help you achieve the desired inclusive environment.

Don’t assume that parents who don’t come to school are not interested in what you have to say to them. Maybe they can't communicate in your language. Try to find out why they are not reacting to your invitations and perhaps design alternative actions to make sure you can reach out to them. Maybe they can use your support to address their needs, discomfort, or fears.

Don’t make assumptions about the undesirable behaviour of your students without better understanding their individual characteristics and perhaps investigating a bit their social and cultural backgrounds.

A friendly environment will greatly benefit all students. Create opportunities for all individuals in your classroom to get to know each other.

Engage them in ice-breaking and other fun activities. They also might greatly benefit from breaking down their misconceptions about people whose personal, cultural, and social characteristics are different from the norm.

Inclusion doesn’t happen only in the classroom. Encourage discussions and debates with your colleagues, both teaching and non-teaching staff. A culture of inclusion towards the community the school serves should be visible not only within the school, but also outside its walls.

D I V E R S I T Y

DIVERSITY

Let's talk about diversity. Shall we?

DIVERSITY is the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, religions, etc.

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

DIVERSITY

This video is very helpful to understand the full dimension of Diversity and its importance. Just migrate the ideas presented here to your school (everyone, teaching and non-teaching staff, learners, parents and other stakeholders in the local community).

DIVERSITY

Make sure the material and examples you present to your students portray diverse audiences. Include people from different races or countries, promote a gender balance, and avoid stereotypes.

Ask your students for suggestions when you are planning the curriculum; they might see the various topics from a different perspective.

Find ways to discover your students' past experiences and their attitudes towards diversity.

Contextualizing students' learning experiences with the diversity of their lives is the best way to put diversity into practice, exposing all your students to the beauty and challenges of the diverse realities represented in your classroom.

Transform students into change agents.

Don’t assume that the background of a student will dictate their attitude and content knowledge. For example, if they come from a developing country, that doesn’t mean they didn’t have a proper education.

Make sure that diversity becomes part of your student's experience and that it is not mixed with charity or patronizing actions. Diversity is not synonymous with disabilities, minorities, or poor conditions. Billionaires are also a minority ;-).

Diversity comes from recognizing the value of different races, cultures, and social realities.

Create a library in your school with books that present the existence of other countries and cultures.

Promote diversity days in your school where students bring artifacts from different regions, or share typical food from various places on the planet. Make your lessons meaningful to your students' cultural and societal realities.

If you have students from various parts of the world and you are a geography teacher, for example, make sure you present materials and ideas featuring relevant places and models.

DIVERSITY

You have finished your journey on Equity, Inclusion and Diversity. Of course, this is just the start of this journey, nothing like embracing the road to make sure you provide the best opportunities to the humans walking the road with you

EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION DIMENSIONS

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