Diversity and Elementary School Learners
Liberty University
Xerdeodra Brown
EDUC 675
What is the meaning of diversity? Diversity is defined understanding that each individual
is unique and recognizing our individual differences. Diversity can consist of dimensions of race,
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious
beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. I realized that no one is alike, and every family has
a way of doing things differently. For example, I work at an early head start school. We have so
many different kinds of children who attend our school. In my classroom, I have one student who
is from Africa. His family are on a strict diet. They do not eat meat, so they provide lunch for
him every day. He does not dress like we do; he dresses up in kente clothing. My co teacher and I
had to a home visit and when we enter the house, we had to take off our shoes. It shows a sign of
respect when you enter their house. They offered us dinner which was another sign of respect.
We kindly declined because we just ate lunch. This paper is about different kind of diversity in
the elementary school setting.
Race and ethnicity are a very important parts of diversity in an elementary school setting.
The race is defined as grouping of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into
categories generally viewed as distinct by society. The term was first used to refer to speakers of
a common language and then to denote national affiliations. “Genetic studies in the late 20th
century refuted the existence of biogenetically distinct races, and scholars now argue that “races”
are cultural interventions reflecting specific attitudes and beliefs that were imposed on different
populations in the wake of western European conquests beginning in the 15th century.”
(Takezawa, Y. 2020) Ethnicity is defined as a social group that shares a common and distinctive
culture, religion and language. There are many different types of ethnicity in an elementary
school classroom. “American Indian or Alaska Native are person having origins in any of the
original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains
tribal affiliation or community attachment. Asian are person having origins in any of the original
peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example,
Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and
Vietnam. Black or African American having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
Terms such as "Haitian" or "Negro" can be used in addition to "Black or African American.
“Hispanic or Latino. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or
other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term, "Spanish origin," can be used in
addition to "Hispanic or Latino. “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander are person having
origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. White
person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North
Africa.” (Evan, L. 2015) I love the fact that we can mix different ethnicities into the same
classroom setting. Back in the day children had to go to school with children of their race. Black
children were not allowed in school white children. Vice versa white children were not allowed
to attend school with black children. In 1849, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that
segregated schools were allowed under the Constitution of Massachusetts (Roberts v. City of
Boston). Ever since then all race of children was able to attend the same schools at the same
times “Research has shown that racial/ethnic diversity in elementary schools and classrooms
benefits children’s academic achievement and feelings of safety and belonging. The current study
aimed to expand on existing research by examining associations between classroom racial/ethnic
composition and upper elementary children’s social-emotional development and whether these
associations differed based on overall quality of classroom interactions.” (Christina L.
Rucinski,Essie Sutton, Richmond Carlton, Jason Downer &Joshua L. Brown 2019) I am glad
this happened because children get to see how other children live their lives.
Diversity in an elementary school setting also could consist of a different style of
learning. “Understanding these different types of learning styles can drastically impact the way
teachers handle their students, set up group projects and adapt individual learning. Without
understanding and acknowledging these different ways of learning, teachers might end up with a
handful of students lagging behind their classmate in part because their unique learning styles
has not be activeated.” (Malvik 2020) There four types of learning styles: Visual, auditory,
kinesthetic and reading or writing learners. A visual learner is someone who learns with a
preference for visual learning is partial to seeing and observing things, including pictures,
diagrams, written directions and more. A auditory learner is someone who learn from the subject
matter is reinforced by sound. A kinesthetic is someone who learn through experiencing or doing
things. Finally, reading and writing learner learns through reading and writing. Inclusion now
exist in schools all over the world in today’s society. “Humans have a tendency to fall into
patterns of behavior. For teachers, that means that if we’re not careful, we begin to teach things
the same way every year. This is comfortable for us, but it can result in a rigid curriculum that
may not work for all students—and traditional classrooms are curriculum-centered already, not
easily adapted to the differing needs of individual students. Instead, students are required to
adapt to the curriculum.” (Parrish 2019) The fact that we have inclusion in classroom setting
means that you will children who will need some type of assistance in a classroom setting. “As a
special education teacher, part of my job was helping students who had a diagnosed learning
disability access the general education curriculum, so I frequently found myself co-teaching with
a math or English teacher. When students with learning differences are placed in the general
education classroom, they often receive accommodations and services.” (Parrish 2019) For
example, my son is autistic, and he is in a general classroom. Even though he is in a general
classroom setting he still needs assistance sometimes. A special education teacher comes into his
classroom to help him with his work if he needs it. Some students do not need assistance in a
general classroom setting because they do not have a learning disability. Then again, a classroom
might have a classroom with a child who is blind. A blind student would need braille to learn.
Braille is writing system used by people who are visually impaired. It is traditionally written with
embossed paper.
In classroom setting teachers have to use instructional strategies in a diverse classroom.
“In general, the term represents one who differs from the majority of students in some way when
it comes to their education. The law protects many of the groups mentioned above when it comes
to the type of education they should receive. According to the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA), meeting the needs of diverse learners is a responsibility, not a bonus.
Many teachers have committed to making sure that all students receive an equal and adequate
education. But it’s figuring out how to provide this that’s the tricky part.” (Dean, M. 2019)
One strategy that teachers could use in a classroom setting is group work. Group work give
children an opportunity to learn and connect with their peers. Another strategy teacher should use
is to make sure students are active in the lesson. Having children actively involved in the lesson
helps students learn. If a teacher feels that the students are not involved, then the teacher should
encourage the student to learn. Another strategy I would use in my classroom setting is learning
stations. Learning station will keep children engage and they will be willing to learn. I would
also use music in my classroom setting because children love music. Music grasps the children
attention. When I was in the eighth grade my social studies teacher taught us the 50 states and
their capital in a song form. He did that so it could help us remember them during a test. I still
remember the song to this day. The song is very educational and will not leave my memory. I
think that it is an excellent way for teacher to learn and memorized materials. “Universal Design
for Learning allows instruction to become student-centered by creating a more welcoming and
flexible classroom environment and a curriculum that is more accessible to all students. Flexible
instruction should lead the student to be more personally accountable for their learning: Instead
of the teacher expecting all students to learn in one way, the student sets their own goals for how
they will learn the required material” (Parrish 2019)
We have talked a lot about diversity in the classroom setting but we also need to discuss
the physical diversity in the classroom setting. The physical diversity in a classroom setting is
device used to teach students. As I stated earlier, blind students have to use braille in under to
learn. A child with a hearing disability will using a hearing aid to help them hears so they can
learn in a classroom setting. Some children learn best from devices, like computers or iPad.
Technology is the go-to things now days for learning. With the COVID 19 taking over the use a
lot of cities and states schools are virtual. My son school is not virtual, but they did have the
option of going in a traditional classroom or going virtually. I have heard many parents complain
about the virtual lessons being too complicated for children in kindergarten and first grade.
Learning from technology could be easy to children who learn better from devices.
In conclusion, no matter what school you teach at schools will have diversity in it.
Children families comes all from around the world. I think that it is important for children to
experience their peers’ culture and routines. Some families do not have a routine but I feel like
everybody should have a routine so they can know what to expect next. Working in a diverse
classroom could be complicated because you have different children with different personalities.
I feel like children learn best from their peers and classmates. We all need to realize that we all
are human and human beings are not perfect. I think that group work is the most important
strategy to teaching. Small group work is important in classroom setting. It is important that we
have group work in a classroom setting. Group work give children the opportunity to bond and
discuss their way of thinking with each other. Everybody student should have opinion because I
feel like everybody opinions matters. I thank God that he has brought all these different children
together to be able to play and learn together.
Reference
Takezawa, Y.I. (2020 July 28) Breaking the Silence: Redress and Japanese American Ethnicity.
Evans, L. (2015 April 8) Racial and Ethnic Categories and Definitions for NIH Diversity
Programs and for Other Reporting Purposes
Malvik, C. (2020 August 17) 4 Types of Learning Styles: How to Accommodate a Diverse Group
of Students
Dean, Mary (2019 October 31) 7 creative ways to teach diverse learners
Parrish, N. (2019 May 15) Ensuring That Instruction Is Inclusive for Diverse Learners
Christina L. Rucinski,Essie Sutton, Richmond Carlton, Jason Downer &Joshua L. Brown (2019
May 4) Classroom racial/ethnic diversity and upper elementary children’s social emotional
development
