Course | Diversity and Inclusion

Subject: Health and Wellness — Personal and Community Health, Safety and Injury Prevention • Social Emotional Learning — Resolves Conflict
Grade Level: PreK, Grades K-12, Professional Development
Resource Type: Activity
License: Attribution Non-commercial NoDerivative CC (BY-NC-ND)

About This Lesson

Minority populations, whether based on race, gender, sexuality or other status, face issues of acceptance and inclusion daily, and many of our students are exposed to this lack of inclusion either first- or secondhand.

Knowing our students’ exposure to issues around diversity and inclusion means educators need to be aware of the potential trauma that ensues, to help build resiliency and create a space that is safe for students to discuss these issues, share their personal experiences and grow as learners.

Essential Questions:
1. How can teachers effectively engage students from diverse backgrounds? It's a question many teachers face and, of course, there isn't one prescribed strategy that works. Luckily, there are many useful resources to help new and veteran educators explore the subject.

Objective/Purpose:

• An equitable, inclusive education system is one in which all students, parents and other members of the school community are welcomed and respected, and every student is supported and inspired to succeed in a culture of high expectations for learning.
• Equitable and inclusive education aims to understand, identify, address and eliminate the biases, barriers and power dynamics that limit students’ prospects for learning, growing and fully contributing to society. Barriers may be related to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnic origin, religion, socioeconomic background, physical or mental ability, or other factors. It is now recognized that several factors may intersect to create additional barriers for some students. These barriers and biases, whether overt or subtle, intentional or unintentional, need to be identified and addressed.

Learning Goals: During this module, educators will:

• Understand the relationship between trauma and diversity and inclusion.
• Ensure that students are prepared to work in a diverse classroom environment and collaborate with other who bring new perspectives and life experiences.
• Learn how to incorporate diverse perspectives into the classroom (including teaching students about cultural differences) to ensure the classroom is welcoming, respectful and safe.