Empowerment Chamber

Canada has evolved into a multicultural country that has diverse groups and unique individuals. As teachers, it is important for us to consider the diverse and unique individuals that we will have as students in our schools. This includes understanding what “equity” and “diversity” mean in order to instruct and assist the variety of students one can expect to encounter.

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Diversity: Diversity refers to the concept of “acceptance and respect” (Queensborough). It is recognizing and respecting the individual differences of those around us. This includes understanding the different dimensions of diversity, such as: “race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies” (Queensborough).

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Equity: More or less, equity is a “concept of social justice. It represents a belief that there are some things which people should have, that there are basic needs that should be fulfilled, that burdens and rewards should not be spread too divergently across the community, and that policy should be directed with impartiality, fairness and justice towards these ends” (Types of Equity).

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These terms, while simple enough to follow, are important to take into account as we work with students with a wide of range of diverse backgrounds. Today, teachers are working with multicultural classrooms that require high standards of instruction in order for students to academically succeed (Sammons, 1995).

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There are different levels of diversity that teachers need to be aware of and take into consideration. Some of the biggest factors are based on a student’s gender, race and socio-economic status (Sammons, 1995). It has been evident that students that diverse in these areas are at risk of not receiving the necessary education, as well as the important skills, to attain well-paying jobs and therefore unable to become contributing members of society. The issues that can hamper their progress can come from a result of racism/discrimination and poor economic standing (Sammons, 1995).

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Of course, there are also other levels of diversity that teachers should be aware of. Sexual minority groups (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) are diverse groups that could suffer in their educational experience because of their sexual preference (Robinson & Espelage, 2011). Students that come from this background are among the top victims of bullying, violence and other levels of discrimination; as is the case with homophobia (Hillard, Love, Franks, Laris & Coyle, 2014). Despite youth movements, which have been supported by schools, it is important for teachers to ensure that LGBTQ students feel safe in a positive learning environment; otherwise they will be subjected to negativity that would psychologically affect both their school experience and personal lives (Robinson & Espelage, 2011).

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Even the difference in language is something teachers have to address. Students that learn English as a secondary challenge can faces several issues in school. This includes discrimination from students (and even teachers), as well as not receiving the support required to both successfully understand English and succeed in school (Erdmann, 2015).

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While diversity is vast, with these just being a few examples, it is something that teachers need to be aware of in order to ensure that all students receive a positive educational experience. To reach this end, utilizing equity as a means of supporting and promoting diverse students is essential. By utilizing social justice and providing the opportunity for prosperity for all, each student, regardless of their background, should have the chance to participate and succeed in school (Taylor and Francis, 2009).