As schools become more diverse, it is necessary for teachers to recognize and manage diversity issues, incorporate multicultural content into the classroom syllabus. Through this, teachers can instill learners with respect for other cultures, while teaching new and exciting content. A learning community that celebrates diversity has unique characteristics.
One feature of a learning community that celebrates diversity is when an instructor makes concerted efforts to incorporate all learners in the classroom. A teacher who celebrates diversity does not have to be politically correct because the educational system is meant for all students regardless of their cultural background. Therefore, a teacher who celebrates diversity uses differentiated instruction to create an inclusive learning environment ( Katz, 2012) . Teachers who celebrate diversity are not tolerant because tolerance means just accepting something. All students need to include in the classroom because it affects their academic performance. Therefore, a learning community that celebrates diversity creates a relaxing learning atmosphere, which aids student to learn more rapidly.
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The other feature of a learning community that celebrates diversity is one that integrates information from diverse cultures into the classroom curriculum. In most cases, such communities do not restrict their teaching materials to white, western, and middle-class narratives. Incorporating information from different cultures into classroom instruction creates a culturally responsive teaching (Curran & Petersen, 2017) . A culturally responsive teaching is one in which teachers uses the cultural traits, experiences, and viewpoints of culturally diverse students as channels for teaching. Such a learning community gains a deeper understanding of concepts because students can utilize their cultural experiences to relate to academic lessons. A learning community that celebrates diversity adds culturally diverse material into the curriculum, which has significant culture effect without detracting from efforts to prepare learners for assessments or satisfy standards.
A community that celebrates diversity does not integrate cultural knowledge into the curriculum as an add-on to regular lessons ( Curran & Petersen, 2017) . The integration of cultural information in such a community permeates the entire curriculum. They use readings by writers from different countries, teaching science lessons about scientists from different cultures to enlighten learners about innovations from all over the world, and create mathematics problems using examples from diverse names and contexts.
Teachers in a learning community that celebrate diversity go beyond the surface and take steps to learn and understand cultural information. Teachers in such communities take time to evaluate their cultural values to discover any prejudices that could impede teaching and learning (Katz, 2012) . Additionally, they familiarize themselves with the cultural backgrounds of their learners to enhance their understanding of how cultural values influence the learners’ educational attainment.
The other feature of a learning community that celebrates diversity is one in which teachers take time to know the students. Since all learners are unique individuals, teachers who celebrate diversity use this fact to create an inclusive school culture. Teachers in such a community attempt to understand the socio-economic situation of their learners, their cultural backgrounds, and relationships with their peers. Beyond the school environment, learners are taught values that mirror their cultures, and they bring these values to school. Cultural values such as the proper interactions between an adult and a child, styles of discourse, and prescribed gender roles play a significant role in shaping students’ interactions with peers and teachers. Teachers in a community that celebrates diversity are cognizant of these cultural dissimilarities and take steps to respect their learners’ diversity. Since their objective is to touch all students and have as many as possible attain high academic levels, such a community tries to understand where students come from, how they are reared at home, and the types of values and techniques to using language and learning that families adopt.
Teachers can implement certain strategies to create an educational environment that accepts all people and where learners can feel successful. One of these strategies is by understanding students. Taking time to understand the personality traits, socio-economic backgrounds, and learning styles of each students in the classroom creates an inclusive learning environment. When teachers implement this degree of involvement with their learners, it illustrates that they have a vested concern in their educational attainment. Since students learn differently, understanding each learner enables the teacher to customize instructions according to the student’s strengths and weaknesses, and needs.
The other strategy that can be used to create a diverse learning environment is the use of diverse learning materials. Teachers should attempt to incorporate teaching materials that reflect that diversity of the world wherever possible. For example, using teaching materials that represent different perspectives and viewpoints is effective. Teachers should choose teaching materials that touch on issues such as race, nationality, political opinions, diverse languages, backgrounds, sexualities, personalities, and socio-economic statuses. Incorporating diverse learning material is an effective way of fostering diversity in the classroom because it exposes students to different things and perspectives within a short period of time. It is the responsibility of the teacher to initiate diversity in the classroom and there is not beer way than using diverse learning materials.
Using different teaching styles is a strategy that lends itself to the acceptance of all people and makes learners feel successful. As noted, each student learns differently. Some learners may be more hands-on when it comes to learning, while others may be more visual. Using different teaching styles to put up with unique ways of learning ensures that each student gets the material effectively and widens learning capabilities (Curran & Petersen, 2017) . For example, exposing a student who learns efficiently in a particular way to different learning techniques may be inclined to adopt a different approach. Such a strategy helps them to move out of their comfort zones and push their bounds, which may help improve their educational attainment.
Teachers can also foster diversity in the classroom by encouraging different viewpoints. The classroom provides students with opportunities to collaborate to solve problems. Teachers can use these opportunities to promote diversity in the classroom by encouraging learners to develop different solutions to the problems. Encouraging students to come up with different solutions to a problem allows them to collaborate and create multiple solutions. Furthermore, encouraging different viewpoints teaches learners that there is no single way of doing things. Not only does such as strategy promote collaboration and teamwork in the classroom, but it also creates the feeling that everyone’s input is useful. Students in such a learning environment will continually challenge themselves to develop new solutions.
Celebrating diversity is also a strategy that helps teachers create an educational environment that accepts all people. Student diversity is something that needs to be discussed and celebrated. Therefore, an effective approach for fostering diversity is through recognition and celebration. Since students come from diverse backgrounds, teachers should encourage them to discuss their diversity with peers ( Katz, 2012) . Such a strategy enable students to experience other ways of life that they would have never heard or known. Teachers can also celebrate diversity by holding cultural fairs that allows learners to showcase their culture and learn about others represented by their peers. During these cultural fairs, students can be allowed to play games from different countries, bring cultural food, and dress in traditional attire.
One strategy used by my cooperating teacher to celebrate diversity and incorporate multiculturalism in the classroom was the use of a bulletin board chosen for multicultural books that she included in class in the past and which the entire school read. Using teaching materials from different cultures helps foster diversity because it exposes learners to different perspectives and cultures. The humanities and social sciences provide teachers with opportunities to use materials from other cultures and avoid using materials restricted to western and middle-class narratives. I once observed my cooperating teacher read the book "Name Jar" by Yangsook Choi. This book is multicultural because it is a picture book about Unhei, a new girl who has just moved from Korea to the United States. Her American classmates experience challenges pronouncing the name and fails to introduce herself at school (Choi, 2001). She instead requests name suggestions to be placed in the “name jar.” However, she decides to choose her Korean name on the day she was to select an American one and helps her classmates pronounce it correctly. This book promotes multiculturalism and celebrates diversity because it is by an author from a different country and introduces students to Korean names and meanings.
References
Choi, Y. (2001). The Name Jar . Knopf.
Curran, C. M., & Petersen, A. J. (2017). Handbook of research on classroom diversity and inclusive education practice . Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
Katz, J. (2012). Teaching to diversity: The three-block model of universal design for learning . Winnipeg, MB, Canada: Portage & Main Press.
