The Importance of Teaching for Diversity and Inclusion
Carly Lorntsen
University of Northern British Columbia
As time has suddenly passed in the first semester of the Bachelor of Education Program, I feel that there has been an incredibly large variety of important topics discussed throughout each Education course required thus far. With the timeline approaching to complete the third cross curricular reflexive writing piece, I believe that I could write up to twenty pages or even more on what has been deemed essential and compelling to me at this point in the program. While keeping this writing shorter, one topic that we have learned about that stood out to me was the discussion of teaching for diversity and inclusion. Since I am one of the younger students in this program, I recognize that I have less experience in the classroom than some of my fellow students that have been substitute teachers in the school district for several years. Therefore, I did not have the opportunity to see this overwhelmingly large number of diverse learners until I stepped foot in my practicum gaining some more experience in observing in the classrooms. Gaining this experience has helped me in recognizing many things in the educational system and has also provided me with ways to brain storm and critically think about different solutions that I can try in helping diverse learners learn to the best of their ability with my help when I venture into my career.
I strongly believe that each year before entering the classroom, it is highly important for the teacher to acknowledge that every student will be diverse in how they are as an individual and how they learn and that it must be addressed at the beginning for these students that this is okay, and diversity is a beautiful thing that should be embraced. One solution in providing this assurance to students could be for the teacher to share their own strengths and weaknesses in their own learning and as an individual. This may be something I could do in my future elementary school classroom to raise that comfort level in the young students. Recognizing that the teacher also learns in different ways and has a diverse identity will demonstrate that every individual in the world is unique. As discussed in Education 394 Theory in Context about the idea of multiple intelligences, Armstrong (2009) stated that “the founding of Harvard Project Zero served as the institutional midwife for the theory of multiple intelligences where Howard Gardner had been thinking about the notion of many kinds of minds since at least the mid-1970s” (p. 1). Armstrong (2009) also added that “since that time, awareness among educators about the theory of multiple intelligences has continued to grow steadily” (p. 2). I believe that this theory of multiple intelligences is brilliant as it recognizes each different intelligence that there is in the world including visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, musical-rhythm, logical-mathematical, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. This is highly important for educators to recognize because this is the huge variety of learners we will see in the classroom. The responsibility of educators is to always make every individual student feel accepted and safe while also ensuring that students will always be included in every aspect of the classroom. According to Sokal and Katz (2015), “Learning environments have powerful effects on students’ responses, including their engagement, satisfaction, achievement, and their likelihood to graduate” (p. 65). I believe that having exposure to these positive learning environments in the earliest elementary years is crucial because it will increase motivation in students from a younger age and will continue as they eventually emerge into adolescence and adulthood.
With the recognition of multiple intelligences and diverse learners, the concepts of differentiated instruction and the universal design for learning was also introduced. According to Griful-Freixenet, Struyven, Vantieghem, and Gheyssens (2020), “A lot of confusion between UDL and DI exists, especially on how they exactly relate to each other” (p. 1). This quote is interesting about the two pedagogical strategies for incorporating teaching for diversity and inclusion into the classroom. When these concepts were first introduced in the course Education 394 Theory in Context, I was also confused on how to differentiate the two concepts because to me, they seemed quite similar. From my understanding as of now, both concepts are student driven and are based on the unique learning needs of students. Differentiated instruction is modifying lessons for individuals with various learning needs and students can choose their preferred type of learning style that best suits them. Whereas the universal design for learning stems from cognitive and neuroscience-based theories to incorporate flexibility and equity into the classroom while targeting different types of the brain which is where the multiple intelligence theory comes in. I feel that in order to achieve having a great classroom community that could incorporate the principles of differentiated instruction and the universal design for learning, some ideas could include providing both oral and written directions in small, simplified steps for each required task that students need to complete, when giving directions to the students, the teacher could pause after each step so that students can fully process each step in their mind, balance individual work and group work for those that work better individually and those that work better in groups, use the think-pair-share strategy, and possibly relate the curriculum to personal connections where students can relate topics that they learn to their own lived experiences to build stronger understanding of the material. The idea of relating the curriculum to personal connections came from a task that we Bachelor of Education students were asked to do in the course Education 446 which was life-writing and I benefited from it in many ways. We were asked to relate an experience in our life to the First Peoples Principles of Learning derived from the scholarly works of Kirkness and Barnhardt (1991) and placed into foundational classroom content (Fraser, 2021). According to Pollock and Bono (2013), “All too often, academic writers remove the human elements from their storytelling in an effort to sound scholarly” (p. 629). If educators allow students to journal and write about their lived experiences instead of facts and knowledge of a specific topic, they can express themselves better and gain a stronger concrete understanding of the material when relating it to their own lives which will allow them to retain this new information better.
In conclusion, teaching for diversity and inclusion is essential for everyone. It is a way for students to learn from their peers and an opportunity for teachers to learn from their students. In other words, teachers become students of their students and I think that is a way to change the world and make it a better place. Teaching for diversity and inclusion can create a new generation of people that will always see the value in equality, cultural differences, compassion for others, how to learn in all kinds of ways, and how to be yourself.
Carly Lorntsen
Education 336 – Inclusive Education: Success for All
University of Northern British Columbia
A Reflection of the Evolution of Inclusion
Throughout the week’s readings and viewings of multiple sources, I strongly believe that I have learned an ample amount of new knowledge and teachings of information about the evolution of inclusion, inclusive education policies, practices, realities, and the concept of ableism. While beginning this course, I recognized that I had some familiarity with the concept of ableism, and its impact it has on individuals with disabilities and society. For myself, this concept of ableism makes me think of my mother with Multiple Sclerosis. According to Nario-Redmond (2019), “In its place, we all want a socially just society that respects and fosters the well-being of all its members” (p. 11). I indeed loved reading this quote simply because it perfectly placed my thoughts into beautiful spoken words. I learned through the readings and my own experiences that ableism can take many forms. I discussed this topic with my mother and asked her if she ever felt stereotyped or discriminated against with her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, and she disclosed that others who are unaware of her disease view her as lazy or unmotivated to work. Therefore, this indicates that ableism is still evident today, and individuals in society should never judge someone before knowing one’s story.
Throughout the readings and viewings, I looked further and recognized how valuable the TED Talk “Purposeful Steps Away from Ableism” presented by Alyson Seale is. Alyson had shared a personal experience that she endured with a former student that included her speaking about “Debbie, who was one of my students with a developmental disability, and she was speaking to me in my office one day, while she noticed the book that I had on my shelf called Resume for Dummies, and she said, “do you think I am a dummy? They used to call me that in school” and her peers taunted and bullied her where she felt she did not belong”. This story spoke to me, and I felt an overwhelming amount of sorrow and sympathy for this young woman as it must have been incredibly traumatizing and something that she will never forget. This story connects with my mother’s feelings of stereotyping and discrimination in many ways as words stick in the minds of people indefinitely. Therefore, I ponder about what we, as future educators and society members can do to recognize and eliminate ableism. With the readings and viewings this week, I can brainstorm a few solutions that could help including talking about disability with our students and young children, incorporate accessibility and inclusive strategies into lesson planning, and to always offer an ear to listen.
With the concepts of inclusion, inclusive education policies, practices, realities, and the concept of ableism, these ideas also have me reflecting about my older brother, and his variety of learning disabilities. According to the BC Ministry of Education (2016), “Learning disabilities are life-long and the way in which they are expressed may vary over an individual’s lifetime, depending on the interaction between the demands of the environment and the individual’s strengths and needs” (p. 47). Unfortunately, I believe that the learning disabilities he has endured have truly hindered him throughout his entire life and I do not believe that he received the appropriate amount of support in special education programs, and services at school that he deserved. Therefore, I strongly believe that inclusion courses such as this one should be implemented in every education program in university studies, and we should never have a shortage of special education teachers and specialists as they are extremely essential. Interestingly, the BCTF (2020) states that “over the past ten years, the landscape of inclusive education in British Columbia, Canada, has shifted in complex and often contradictory ways with many changes such as revisions to the Ministry’s Special Education Manual, including ongoing challenges in restoring Collective Agreement provisions related to class size and composition and acute shortages of both teachers and educational assistants” (p. 1). It is comforting to recognize that some changes are being made to help students with disabilities since my brother was in school approximately fifteen years ago, but I do believe that we must see additional changes to create the desired inclusive school environments that we wish to see. Our children and students are our future, and they deserve to have the richest education possible to prepare them for their promising futures.
Having the opportunity to read some of Shelley Moore’s work has been incredibly interesting and powerful for myself. As this course expands my knowledge on the evolution of inclusion, inclusive education policies, practices, realities, and the concept of ableism, I really admire the words and teachings that she has for society and especially, future teachers such as myself. According to Moore (2016), “If we look at inclusion as a concept of teaching to the diversity of all, rather than just a special-education initiative, we can bridge this gap” (p. 5). In addition to this, Moore (2016) also stated that “the difference in teaching diversity, however, is that we do not start with our deficits; we start with our strengths (p. 6). I strongly believe that these quotes are evident in that there is a very large and powerful shift in the world of education. Instead of first looking at what one struggles with, we should begin with examining their strengths simply because often, our strengths outweigh our weaknesses. In my opinion, our strengths are what can help us overcome our weaknesses. For example, with myself, I often struggled with speaking in front of a grouping of people for a long period of time but recognizing my strengths in writing and my academics while being reassured by other individuals that these are my strong points, I gained the confidence and strength to battle my weakness of giving presentations in front of a group of people, for example. I have gained the confidence and mind set that my words are worthy and should be spoken. Therefore, as a future educator, I will always embrace each of my students and have them feel valuable, accepted, and loved, inside and outside of the classroom.
Exploring Vital Information About Intellectual Disabilities
Carly Lorntsen
Education 336 – Inclusive Education: Success for All
University of Northern British Columbia
During this week’s readings, listening, and viewings of a variety of valuable resources, I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge on intellectual disabilities and disorders that included Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Down Syndrome. For myself, I already had some pre-exposure to information relating to autism spectrum disorder due to personal experience and loved ones that live as individuals with these disorders each day.
Approximately sixteen years ago, I was blessed with a cousin who is nine years younger than I am. I reminisce about my eagerness, excitement, and utter joy to meet him. When he was approximately one years old, my uncle and his common-law wife noticed a unique characteristic in my cousin Kemp’s personality. They had noticed that he would in fact, never make eye contact with anyone, which can be viewed as a common sign of autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, they decided to see a specialist and he was indeed diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Throughout his childhood and today currently, Kemp is nonverbal but expresses his language by other means such as guiding his older cousin downstairs to jump on the bed with him or showing his love for McDonald’s French fries by excitedly pointing at the television screen when a McDonald’s commercial is displayed. As I explored the various resources this week, many of these resources reminded me of my cousin Kemp. According to the Provincial Outreach for Autism Related Disorders (2022), “There is no cure for autism, and in fact, we would not want to cure autism because it is a unique way of being human” (p. 2). This quote spoke to me simply because I would never want to change my cousin Kemp in any form. Additionally, I can observe through his laughter, smiles, and communication styles through writing on his iPad how he loves his mom, that he is incredibly happy with himself and his beautiful uniqueness. Just like every human being on planet Earth, we are all unique in our own ways which makes life so rich and compelling. In fact, I strongly believe that autism spectrum disorder does not define Kemp. His intelligence, kindness, humor, resilience, and strength define who Kemp is. As I mentioned that we are all unique in our own ways, the short video “Amazing Things Happen!” (2017) noted that “some differences are easy to see such as height, hairstyle, and eye color while other differences cannot be seen including our favourite foods, fears, or special skills”. The engaging video “Amazing Things Happen!” (2017) also mentioned that “the way we all see the world is also different”. This is pure evidence in that each human being is unique, and the way each of us learn or communicate should never define who we are. In our regional cohort for example, there are a variety of differences with each of us students. Some love sports and hiking, while others admire writing or reading books from the library. Therefore, diversity is incredible because it helps us learn about one another’s differences which is always a fantastic learning tool to teach the future generation.
           While examining multiple resources about Down Syndrome this week, I was incredibly intrigued. These resources reminded me of real-life experiences and examples that included a friend of mine that I had in high school, who has a younger sister with Down Syndrome. The two sisters were inseparable, and it was an amazing bond that I always loved to see. As years have passed since high school graduation in the year of 2014 for me, the two sisters moved away to Kelowna, British Columbia. The older sister in fact, shared a dorm room with her younger sister at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus, and they both earned degrees. According to the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (2022), “No matter which type of Down syndrome your child has, the effects of the genetic material will be unique to them, and they will have their own strengths, likes, dislikes, talents, personality, and temperament while Down syndrome is just part of who they are” (p. 1). Therefore, there is pure evidence to prove this statement as I witnessed my high school friend and her younger sister with Down Syndrome chase her dreams and goals by attending her dream university, playing college sports, and living her life to the fullest. After this week’s readings, listening, and viewings of excellent resources, I find a strong connection between all intellectual disabilities and disorders as they do not sketch an individual’s entire identity. In fact, they teach us that there are a great amount of ways to learn which makes our world so prosperous in diversity.
Examining Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Education 336 – Inclusive Education: Success for All
During this week’s readings, listening, and viewings of various resources, I had the opportunity to examine different neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, Conduct Disorder, Depression and Anxiety Disorders, and brain injuries. Prior to reading and engaging with these resources, I already had some pre-exposure to certain knowledge about these neurodevelopmental disorders as I took a large amount of psychology courses before being accepted into the Bachelor of Education program. I strongly believe that psychology is a subject area that holds a special space in all other areas of study. Mental health, disorders, and disabilities are extremely critical for every learner to learn and research about, and I believe that it is great that these topics are presented in predominantly many subjects. For example, I have witnessed seeing these topics in my education, science, kinesiology, sociology, criminology, and statistics courses many times. Therefore, this builds the research about these topics while raising awareness.
As I have mentioned in my writings many times before, my older brother has some learning disabilities that he has struggled with since he was a young boy. In fact, he was also diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder when he was in elementary school. During this time, my father was a very young father and wanted to help his son in every way possible but did not know where to begin. According to the ADHD Language Guide Infographic (2021), “ADHD medication is effective as it works by facilitating electrical signal transmission in the brain, improving cognitive function and reducing symptoms of ADHD” (p. 2). Along with this statement, the ADHD Language Guide Infographic (2021) adds that “there are also non-medication strategies and supports that are known to assist people with ADHD, including psychological therapies, occupational therapy, coaching, and other interventions” (p. 3). While the diagnosis of ADHD occurred in the 1990’s time frame for my brother, the principal at my brother’s elementary school suggested to my father that my brother should begin taking medication for his ADHD. At the time, my father felt that there was not enough research on this medication and did not feel comfortable having his son prescribed with it. Therefore, my father seeked medical advice and the doctor said it is acceptable to take other measures to help him that involve non-medication strategies. After this visit with the doctor, my father decided to eliminate sugar from my brother’s diet, and it seemed to help tremendously. Along with this, my brother began seeing multiple counsellors that shared many therapies with him. Real-life experiences and stories such as the one with my father and brother indicate to me that there is indeed large controversy relating to the topic of ADHD, medication for the diagnosis, and coping strategies. In my opinion, I believe that it is favorable that there are alternative measures to help with the diagnosis of ADHD for individuals and parents. As a future educator, I will inform parents that there are a variety of different measures and strategies whether that be through medication or non-medication plan of action as they both serve high benefits.
Reading and researching about Conduct disorder was highly intriguing. According to Morin (2022), “Conduct disorder is a serious condition that typically is not diagnosed until the teenage years, and signs include lying without feeling bad about it, threatening behaviour towards others, stealing and destroying things, and refusing to follow rules or laws” (p. 2). Morin (2022) also notes that “the biggest sign is that kids with CD have no respect or regard for other people’s rights or feelings, and this is different from oppositional defiant disorder and ADHD” (p. 2). As I research about these signs, I ponder about what the most effective strategies could be to help combat this disorder to assist these children in their present and futures. According to Kelty Mental Health (2022), “Ways to help your child or youth with depression at home is to take your child’s concerns seriously and find a regular time to listen to their feelings without interruption such as in car rides, an evening walk together, or making a meal together” (p. 2). I often wonder if Conduct disorder and depression correlate with one another, and these are the same types of strategies that could be effective for Conduct disorder at home. Although, as a future teacher, I contemplate what I could do to help a child with Conduct disorder if I am ever presented with one in my future classroom. As this profession centers itself on the building of relationships, I think about if I ensure relationship building with each of my students, those with these disorders such as Conduct disorder will feel highly comfortable to talk about their feelings with me, while feeling incredibly safe in their classroom. My goal is to address the needs of each of my students while finding that balance between academics and personal freedom and happiness.