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diversity & personalized learning


diverse educator backgrounds, interests, and identities help ensure that every student’s needs and interests are met.

  • educators who share their students’ backgrounds, interests, and identities can better meet the needs of their students and help their colleagues do the same.
  • student ownership of learning is tied to self-actualization. students are better able to self-actualize when they see a part of themselves reflected in their teachers.
  • educators who personalize learning must unpack their biases if they are to truly honor all of their students.

 
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educators who share their students' backgrounds, interests, and identities can better meet the needs of their students and help their colleagues do the same.

lessons that personalize learning give students the opportunity to explore their interests. this can mean having choice in the topics students research, the books they read, and the form in which they demonstrate mastery. in order to truly leverage those interests, teachers need to deeply understand their students and their own connection to a student’s identity and background. it is impossible for every teacher to share the backgrounds, interests, and identities of every student. however, a school that has teachers with diverse backgrounds and identities, who have differing interests, can collectively share ideas and advice with one another. the diversity of the group better positions individual teachers to support all students.

consider a student who loves being in the school’s marching band. having a teacher who was also in a marching band creates an opportunity to further develop that student’s interests. that teacher can point them to resources and create learning experiences that are more meaningful than a teacher who has no background knowledge about marching bands. understanding that student’s background is critical if teachers are to appreciate why this interest exists. maybe the student loves the marching band because their sibling is also in a marching band at a historically black college or university (hbcu). if no teacher has ever heard of the term hbcu before, much less attended one, then the ability to truly personalize that student’s learning experience is limited.

discussion advice:

educators often feel compelled to be good at everything. recognizing that not everyone has the same set of strengths and opportunities to build connections with students can be difficult for some to process. consider the “hook” that will be most compelling for your audience. 

what are your backgrounds, interests, and identities?

the head:

share the research that shows the positive impact that teachers who share the race of their students can have (dee, 2004; institute of labor economics, 2017; wright, 2015; wright, gottfried, le, 2017)  

the heart:

ask people to share stories about the teachers they did and did not connect with. why did they connect with some more than others? what did they have in common with those teachers they connected with?

the ears & the eyes:

prior to the discussion, have participants talk to their students and ask them questions to better know them as unique individuals. let participants share their insights. what did they learn that they didn’t know before? what surprised them? what opportunities have they just begun to notice?

the group:

recognizing that shared backgrounds, identities, and interests present an opportunity for the team can be a powerful recognition. every teacher doesn’t need to connect with every student; but every student must connect with at least one teacher. how might teams of educators pursue this goal? 

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student ownership of learning is tied to self-actualization. students are better able to self-actualize when they see a part of themselves reflected in their teachers.

a critical piece of personalized learning is building each student’s ownership of their learning. in order to build ownership, students must have some understanding of themselves. students need to know who they are, what interests them, who they look up to, and what they stand for. some level of self-actualization is a prerequisite for owning the learning that further develops one's identity, and self-actualization is aided by role models. every student deserves to see a part of themselves reflected in their teachers. schools with a staff that reflects the diversity of the community they serve can ensure that every student has multiple role models they can look to as they seek to better understand themselves.

 

try this:

talk with your students: ask them who their role models are; the ones they know personally and the ones they know of. what do they admire most about these role models? this may help you understand the qualities, values, and accomplishments they seek to build in themselves.

 

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educators who personalize learning must unpack their biases if they are to truly honor all of their students.

when teachers personalize learning, they have a greater opportunity to honor the cultural capital of every student and create the space for individual self-actualization. however, the potential of this opportunity will never be fully realized if educators do not take the time to unpack their biases. we cannot personalize learning for students if we do not address the biases that impact the assumptions we make about their cultures, perspectives, and identities. 

bias is a part of being human. everyone develops biases that shape the way we view the world. unpacking and addressing our biases is a journey that takes time, support, and intentionality. this journey sheds light on the negative assumptions we unconsciously make and requires us to exist in spaces that are uncomfortable. and it is absolutely a journey worth taking.  

the teachers who leave the greatest lasting impact on their students are the ones who see them for who they are, often before the students even see themselves. these teachers uplift their students by developing their interests, celebrating their uniqueness, and challenging their assumptions about the world and themselves. it is not uncommon to hear a teacher say, “i see a part of myself in you.” until we unpack our biases, that full impact will only ever be felt by the small segment of students who are lucky to be similar enough to us to be seen.

 

helping people unpack their biases:

this is a necessarily challenging journey that can add incredible value to every classroom and school. harvard’s project implicit is a common resource people use to better understand their biases. it is also a resource that is most productive when used as a tool within a larger workshop. teaching tolerance has developed a powerful professional development article that pairs with the implicit association test. this can be used as a shared reading or the basis of a presentation. 

 

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equity

which best describes you?

i have some experience engaging work around equity.

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i am leading efforts around equity in personalized learning.

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inclusion

which best describes you?

i have some experience engaging work around inclusion.

start here

i am leading efforts around inclusion in personalized learning.

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the big picture

 

head to the finish line to see all the resources for learning more about personalized learning and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 

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learn more about 世界杯2022预测八强 .