Different Understandings of Diversity
Diversity can be understood in various ways. Teachers must be able to reflect on what it means, and what it entails for interactions with students.
Topics
- Identity, Diversity and Belonging
Diversity can be understood in various ways. Teachers must be able to reflect on what it means, the different ways to understand diversity, and what it entails for interactions with students.
A narrow understanding of diversity starts with cultural differences, while a broad understanding encompasses all forms of differences.
Diversity - an ambiguous term
Teachers are currently obligated to promote and facilitate diversity in schools . Teachers are to ensure an inclusive learning environment based on democratic principles, contribute to each student's identity formation, and encourage active citizenship
The term "" has been the subject of much discussion. Westrheim and Hagatun , for instance, have questioned the use of the term in educational policy documents. They argue that it is unclear what values and theoretical foundations underlie the concept of diversity (22). Furthermore, the term has been criticized for being impervious, ambiguous, and a cliché
“Diversity is an ambiguous term.
In other words, it may seem like a challenging task for professionals in education to implement the use of the term in a meaningful way. Here, we present two understandings of diversity and show some implications these different approaches to diversity have in an educational context.
Diversity is an ambiguous term . The term has both a descriptive and a normative character. The descriptive character means that the term can describe forms of variation. The normative character means that the term is linked to values considered democratic
Narrow understanding of diversity
A narrow understanding of diversity starts with cultural differences, where culture is linked to ethnic, national, and religious divides. With such an understanding of diversity, one would be concerned with different cultures and diversity. Acknowledging the importance of such categories is crucial to ensure a school where all students have equal opportunities for success.
“Culturally sensitive pedagogy involves designing teaching practices that adapt to students' cultural backgrounds.
In this sense, a narrow understanding of diversity can contribute to emphasizing the importance of different cultures and, through this, lead to "culturally sensitive pedagogy." This means designing teaching practices where content and methods are adapted to students' cultural backgrounds , teaching about, for, and through culture. This can involve the use of teaching materials, such as books and films used in instruction. It can also involve the cultural references that the teacher uses in teaching. A narrow understanding of diversity can shed light on culture and cultural differences, making evident how culture and cultural background are relevant to students' education.
However, a narrow understanding of diversity has some limitations. Primarily, this relates to the idea of culture as an explanatory model for the various achievements expressed in school Focusing on culture can be problematic, among other things, because it can have essentializing effects: students can be perceived as representatives of their presumed culture, and diversity within ethnic or religious groups can be overlooked.
“Culturally sensitive pedagogy alone may not address all forms of social inequality.
Moreover, culturally sensitive pedagogy alone may not address all forms of social inequality. Through an approach that places culture at the center, one might risk not recognizing power structures and dominance relationships existing in society . This means that a understanding of diversity that focuses only on culture may neglect material and structural inequality. Thus, with such an understanding, there is a risk of obscuring material inequality or the importance of socially constructed dividing lines such as race, gender, class, and orientation This is crucial to systematically address if the goal is to create an inclusive school. In other words, a narrow understanding of diversity may fall short if we want to challenge mechanisms that create inequality and marginalization in schools.
Broad understanding of diversity
A broad understanding of diversity is characterized by the fact that diversity encompasses all forms of differences. This means that diversity is not reduced to ethnic and religious diversity but includes a wide range of variations. In an educational context, this can involve gender, identity, class, and sexual orientation, among other things. A broad understanding of diversity can help highlight multiple aspects of diversity.
“When diversity is not reduced to ethnic and religious diversity, professionals are prompted to address all forms of othering in schools.
When diversity is not reduced to ethnic and religious diversity, professionals are prompted to address all forms of othering in schools. A broad approach to diversity makes it possible to challenge ideas that create in-groups and out-groups, notions that construct lines between "us" and the others, and invites scrutiny of what is considered "normal."
In practice, this means attempting to create a critical awareness of established ideas and generalizations This can include what it means to be "Norwegian," ideas about sexuality and sexual orientation, gender norms, prejudices, and stereotypical representations of groups or identities. With a broad understanding of diversity, the significance of different contexts can also become apparent. This means that the same person can belong to the majority or minority in different situations and contexts. Through a broad understanding of diversity and intersectional thinking , teachers can uncover how various socially constructed categories are relevant in different situations. For teachers and students, this can contribute to a better understanding of how othering and oppression have multiple facets, are fluid, and complex.
The challenge with a broad understanding of diversity is that the term can become impervious (Borchgrevink & Brochmann, 2008). One consequence of this is that the term does not contribute to systematic work on inclusion and changing oppressive processes in schools. Therefore, it is crucial for teachers and school leaders to develop an awareness related to diversity so that the term does not become impervious and difficult to apply
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