| 1: A Framework for Diversity
The Centrality of Diversity
We all use shorthand in our everyday work. It is a bit of a mouthful to say, for example, “Pupils for whom English is an additional language”. So this becomes: “The EAL kids”. A danger with this is that so-called minority ethnic pupils and their needs are seen as somehow separate from the main business of the education of the majority. A central concern is to try to get trainees to see that, without neglecting the specific needs of particular individuals or groups, a concern with diversity is at the heart of the education of all pupils.
For all teachers, recognition of the varied experiences, histories, backgrounds, abilities, disabilities, inclinations and disinclinations which young people bring with them to their learning is essential. My focus here is on cultural and linguistic diversity but this has to be seen in the context of a broader concern with diversity in general, which all teachers share. Pupils are not clones of each other. No two classes, even within the same school, let alone in Hackney and Surrey, will be exactly alike. Teachers have a professional obligation to ensure coverage of the statutory curriculum; it is no less a professional obligation that we adapt our teaching to suit our individual pupils, in all their particularity. For me therefore, difference and diversity are at the heart of the curriculum.
For definitions of, and commentaries on, terms such as bilingualism, multilingualism, race, refugee etc. click on the ‘glossary’ button on the excellent Multiverse site. http://www.multiverse.ac.uk/
 
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