tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/multiculturalism-in-schools-13448/articlesMulticulturalism in schools – The Conversation2020-07-20T20:00:49Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1404242020-07-20T20:00:49Z2020-07-20T20:00:49ZCelebrating diversity isn’t enough: Schools need anti-racist curriculum<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346979/original/file-20200712-46-kb80a.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=80%2C440%2C2914%2C1261&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Organizers sing at a demonstration to denounce racism and police violence, June 7, 2020, in front of the legislature in Québec City. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Recent protests about <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7034472/george-floyd-protests-canada/">racism and police violence point to the fact that racism</a> has <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/race-relations-study-racism-workplace-microaggressions-1.5389208">institutional and</a> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/systemic-racism-police-brutality-quebec-1.5594071">systemic roots and expressions</a>, reflecting <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/abuse-or-racism-toward-people-of-asian-descent-is-now-being-documented">non-inclusive societies</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7010714/montreal-george-floyd-protest-arrests/">Whether or not we admit</a> that <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-systemic-racism-lucki-trudeau-1.5607622">racism is systemic</a>, we must ask ourselves why it is still a concern in <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-402-x/2011000/chap/imm/imm-eng.htm">such a multiethnic country as Canada</a>. Isn’t it the role of schools to promote values of <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/equity.pdf">equity, living together</a>, <a href="http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/education/adaptation-scolaire-services-comp/PolitiqueMatiereIntegrationScolEducInterculturelle_UneEcoleAvenir_f.pdf">justice and democracy</a>? </p>
<p>In fact, the prevalence of racism across Canada, including the inadequacy of Canadian responses to demands for Indigenous justice, may be partly attributed to failures of our educational systems that reflect larger policy approaches to managing diversity.</p>
<h2>Approaches</h2>
<p>Despite the existence of formal and legal discussions <a href="https://mtltimes.ca/Montreal/social-life/canadian-philosopher-charles-taylor-on-diversity-in-modern-quebec/">about diversity</a>, our schools have not escaped <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canada-has-a-long-documented-history-of-racism-and-racial/">implicit racist assumptions</a> embedded in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008423917000051">cultural debates</a> related to identity and nationalism. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two female students, one of whom wears a hijab, sit in a classroom talking." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347780/original/file-20200715-31-1vheonq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347780/original/file-20200715-31-1vheonq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347780/original/file-20200715-31-1vheonq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347780/original/file-20200715-31-1vheonq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347780/original/file-20200715-31-1vheonq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347780/original/file-20200715-31-1vheonq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347780/original/file-20200715-31-1vheonq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Isn’t it the schools’ role to promote values of equity and living together?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>In <a href="http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/education/adaptation-scolaire-services-comp/PolitiqueMatiereIntegrationScolEducInterculturelle_UneEcoleAvenir_f.pdf">Québec</a> and other <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/equity.pdf">provinces</a> there are efforts to develop policies and plans to integrate immigrant students and support the well-being of all students.</p>
<p>But schools are not necessarily fulfilling their roles helping educate a public that understands <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ceGyDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP17&dq=Multicultural+Education:+Issues+and+Perspectives&ots=TsMy0HluvE&sig=kdlotbhjffaGbGNLhZD2QclcmKk#v=onepage&q=Multicultural%20Education%3A%20Issues%20and%20Perspectives&f=false">the advantages of diversity as a source of innovation, creativity and economic prosperity</a>.</p>
<p>Immigrants continue to contribute to the growth of Canada’s population: Between 1991 and 2006, the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-402-x/2011000/chap/imm/imm-eng.htm">proportion of foreign-born people in Canada’s population increased to 19.7 per cent from 16.1 per cent</a>, and with this immigration is also increasing racialized and religious diversity. </p>
<p>However, in western countries the question of immigrants’ integration and adherence to the values <a href="https://books.openedition.org/pum/8406?lang=en">of the host societies remains a dilemma</a>. </p>
<p>When it comes to diversity, different countries have different approaches. Whether in majority English-speaking provinces or in Québec, no one has succeeded in fixing the problems of inequity, social injustice, racism or discrimination.</p>
<h2>Multiculturalism</h2>
<p>The policy of multiculturalism, first <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2007-10203-001.pdf">developed in 1971</a> in response to <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/multiculturalism">rising francophone nationalism in Québec, as well as increasing cultural diversity across the country</a>, recognizes the possibility for all ethnic groups to conserve their cultural heritage. Multiculturalism was institutionalized federally <a href="https://lop.parl.ca/sites/PublicWebsite/default/en_CA/ResearchPublications/200920E">from 1982 onwards through both legal and policy developments</a>, and provinces followed suit with their own respective policies.</p>
<p>These policies don’t acknowledge that there is a dominant English-language culture or identity in Canada. They encourage respect for diverse cultures and dialogue among different groups.</p>
<p>The Canadian Multiculturalism Act acknowledges the expression and manifestation of different cultures in Canadian society and encourages <a href="https://lois-laws.justice.gc.ca/PDF/C-18.7.pdf">the social, cultural, economic and political institutions of Canada</a> to be both inclusive and respectful of multiculturalism, which has implications for schools, universities and public spaces. </p>
<h2>Inter-culturalism</h2>
<p>Québec has opted for inter-culturalism, which <a href="https://www.acfas.ca/publications/magazine/2013/02/l-interculturalisme-quebecois">considers that the major culture is the culture of the French-speaking majority in Québec</a>. The model aims to defend the province’s francophone heritage. It focuses on <a href="https://www.acfas.ca/publications/magazine/2013/02/l-interculturalisme-quebecois">finding a balance that emphasizes integration and interaction and promoting a common culture that respects rights and diversity</a>. </p>
<p>Thus, many laws and measures have been issued to <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bill-101">strengthen and make official the use of the French language in the province</a>. </p>
<p>Inter-culturalism is not yet defined in an official act in Québec. However, a statement of immigration and integration policy, “Let’s Build Québec Together,” issued in 1990, set out measures relating to the choice of a society whose common language in public life <a href="http://www.mifi.gouv.qc.ca/fr/publications/publications-administratives/politiques-plans/politiques.html">is French, inviting all individuals to integrate and contribute to social development</a>. </p>
<h2>Impact on education systems</h2>
<p>Schools that are uncritically operating in either multicultural or inter-cultural policy frameworks tend not to develop clear and <a href="https://www.pulaval.com/produit/les-approches-interculturelles-en-education-entre-theorie-et-pratique">fair systems that actively affirm the rights of immigrant, racialized</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.7202/017751ar">Black</a> and <a href="https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/education/506330/vers-la-reussite-educative-des-eleves-autochtones">Indigenous students</a>. </p>
<p>This means that such schools are not, in practice, valuing students’ languages, cultures or racialized identities. When it comes to language, imposing monolingualism at schools and <a href="https://docplayer.net/13094534-Bilingual-children-s-mother-tongue-why-is-it-important-for-education.html">depriving students of their mother tongue are considered phenomena of assimilation</a>.</p>
<p>In the same way, ignoring minority and immigrant students’ cultural values <a href="https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/qf/1984-n53-qf1216364/45981ac.pdf">in the curriculum and in daily practices of the classroom marginalizes them</a>. </p>
<p>While some teachers, schools or boards may undertake such efforts, if government policies and plans don’t also follow suit, <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/Critical_Multiculturalism.html?id=gSlzVeYMU2QC&redir_esc=y">structural inequalities across school systems</a> will continue.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A teacher stands outdoors and faces a line of schoolchildren of diverse racialized backgrounds." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347785/original/file-20200715-33-1k34q8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347785/original/file-20200715-33-1k34q8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347785/original/file-20200715-33-1k34q8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347785/original/file-20200715-33-1k34q8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347785/original/file-20200715-33-1k34q8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347785/original/file-20200715-33-1k34q8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347785/original/file-20200715-33-1k34q8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Research in Québec suggested many teachers are struggling to meet their immigrant students’ needs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Québec research</h2>
<p>In research I conducted in Québec <a href="https://www.pulaval.com/produit/enseigner-dans-un-milieu-multiethnique-pratiques-de-soutien-des-enseignants-aupres-d-eleves-immigrants">about how teachers can support immigrant students</a>, I found that that teachers indicate that their schools celebrate cultural diversity through activities throughout the school year, and that the administration and other teachers are engaged in efforts to recognize diversity. </p>
<p>Yet the same interviews revealed that teachers are often left with no choice but to deal with challenges particularly facing immigrant students such as language barriers, academic challenges, cultural shock or social integration without sufficient support or training. And many teachers are struggling to meet their immigrant students’ needs. </p>
<p>Although some teachers try to adjust their practices, I found that schools in general risk stressing more folkloric and superficial responses to social integration, because there is no real effort being made in the schools’ curriculum or through teachers’ knowledge or understanding of the real issues facing their students.</p>
<h2>Insufficient: Celebrating diversity</h2>
<p>Recognizing diversity in our society will be ineffective unless this diversity is considered an asset for schools as they reconsider their values and goals. It is insufficient for schools to celebrate diversity. </p>
<p>Instead, schools should examine how to create a <a href="https://doi.org/10.2304/pfie.2010.8.6.715">democratic environment for teaching and learning</a> and adapt their curriculum with a critical multicultural approach that embraces anti-racist curriculum aiming to improve students’ learning experiences. </p>
<p>This can be accomplished by discussing forms of racism, colonialism and other issues related to students concerns, by raising awareness, empowering students to think critically and speak up for their rights. This education will surely impact <a href="https://time.com/5846072/black-people-protesting-white-people-responsible-what-happens-next">white students who speak the dominant language of instruction by giving them responsibilities to break the silence and be engaged in a process of change</a>.</p>
<p>It would also mean different plans and goals for supporting students <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ceGyDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP17&dq=Multicultural+Education:+Issues+and+Perspectives&ots=TsMy0HluvE&sig=kdlotbhjffaGbGNLhZD2QclcmKk#v=onepage&q=Multicultural%20Education%3A%20Issues%20and%20Perspectives&f=false">so that students from Black, racialized, Indigenous and immigrant communities find equal opportunities for academic success</a> and their rights and identities would be affirmed. </p>
<p>In this way, all students would be better equipped to participate in and understand today’s diverse society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140424/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rola Koubeissy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Québec’s schools operate in a model of inter-culturalism, while schools across Canada are shaped by the vision of multiculturalism. Neither approach critically addresses racism.Rola Koubeissy, Stagiaire postdoctorale - postdoctoral fellow, Department of Education and Pedagogy, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/921642018-05-14T21:56:35Z2018-05-14T21:56:35ZThe secrets of immigrant student success<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218653/original/file-20180512-34027-1kxexm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=593%2C0%2C3812%2C1789&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Both first- and second-generation immigrants in British Columbia and Ontario outperformed their non-immigrant counterparts in science literacy, in the 2015 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Canada is consistently one of the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimatesgraphs.shtml?3g3">top 10 destination countries for international migrants</a>. </p>
<p>More than 7.5 million foreign-born Canadians entered the country through the immigration process, according to 2016 Census data — representing <a href="http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2017028-eng.htm">more than one in five Canadians</a> and <a href="https://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/371/PISA2015_FL_EN.pdf">more than one third of school-aged students</a>.</p>
<p>Canada was also the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy. There are provisions within its <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/how-rights-protected/guide-canadian-charter-rights-freedoms.html">Charter of Rights and Freedoms</a> that protect the rights of minority groups. </p>
<p>One might wonder — has <a href="http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-18.7/">Canada’s Multiculturalism Act</a> had the desired effect of promoting positive outcomes for immigrants, particularly immigrant student groups?</p>
<p>One study, a large-scale review published in 2015, suggested that out of a group of 38 industrialized nations, <a href="http://www.mipex.eu/canada">Canada ranked first in the world for anti-discrimination policies for migrants</a>. </p>
<p>The same report also suggested Canada has favourable education policies in four key areas: Access, targeted needs, new opportunities and intercultural education for all. </p>
<p>However, this report did not delve into education policies within specific provinces. Canada is rather unique in the Western world, in that it does not possess a federal department of education. Each province enacts its own education policy. </p>
<h2>Provincial approaches</h2>
<p>Are there tangible examples that demonstrate the expression of “multicultural friendly” education policies within provincial education systems? </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218497/original/file-20180510-34027-1aw19xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218497/original/file-20180510-34027-1aw19xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218497/original/file-20180510-34027-1aw19xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218497/original/file-20180510-34027-1aw19xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=783&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218497/original/file-20180510-34027-1aw19xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=984&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218497/original/file-20180510-34027-1aw19xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=984&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218497/original/file-20180510-34027-1aw19xf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=984&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Senator Paul Yuzyk is seen in a copied photo. Yuzyk was a Canadian historian and Senator remembered as the ‘father of multiculturalism.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Our own research, which has <a href="https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319740621">examined the relationship between provincial education policies and immigrant student achievement outcomes</a>, suggests that the answer to this question is a resounding yes.</p>
<p>Consider the largest province, Ontario, which <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/">provides policy guidelines to teachers</a> regarding “Culturally Responsive Pedagogy,” “Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity in School Boards” and “Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy.” </p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/ministries/education">consider British Columbia</a>, which developed a <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/support/diverse-student-needs/diversity_framework.pdf">“Diversity in B.C. Schools” framework</a> to safeguard against discrimination, harassment and violence. </p>
<p>Or Alberta, which provides a curriculum framework containing provisions for belonging and identity that <a href="https://education.alberta.ca/media/3575996/curriculum-development-guiding-framework.pdf">underscore its efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in its multicultural and pluralistic society</a>.</p>
<h2>Immigrant students outperform their peers</h2>
<p>In which provinces do immigrant students thrive?</p>
<p>Our research takes a longitudinal approach, which means we look at student achievement outcomes over multiple years and based on various achievement tests.</p>
<p>We have examined achievement results from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/">Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)</a> — which is regularly used as comparative measure of student achievement for 15-year-olds around the world in reading, mathematics and scientific literacy. </p>
<p>The most glaring results from PISA 2015 indicated that both first- and second-generation immigrants in British Columbia and Ontario outperformed their non-immigrant counterparts in science literacy — which was the major domain tested in the most recent survey. </p>
<p>The available data suggested that other provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick also displayed favourable results for first- or second-generation immigrant student groups when compared to their non-immigrant counterparts.</p>
<p>Collectively, Canadian findings are surprising — given that the vast majority of immigrant students around the world <a href="https://cje-rce.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/10/12.-2557-Volante-et-al.-Sept-18.pdf">possess a significant performance disadvantage</a>. Across OECD countries, <a href="https://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/371/PISA2015_FL_EN.pdf">this difference is approximately 33 points, which is equivalent to more than one year of formal schooling</a>.</p>
<p>It is worth noting that B.C. and Ontario have the highest proportion of first- and second-generation students within Canada, at 39.4 per cent and 37.1 per cent respectively — which suggests immigrant students can thrive in provinces with diverse student populations.</p>
<p>Of course, Canada’s strong performance may be partially attributed to its immigrant selection policies. For example, prospective immigrants receive points for job skills, education levels and proficiency in English or French — the two official languages. Overall, the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/become-candidate/criteria-comprehensive-ranking-system/grid.html">Comprehensive Ranking System</a> favours immigrants who are more likely to easily integrate into the Canadian economy. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, there are many instances around the world where immigrants who share the same cultural background and family characteristics do markedly better or worse in different national contexts. <a href="https://www.economist.com/news/international/21711316-immigrant-childrens-performance-varies-widely-where-immigrants-go-school-more">Research suggests that Canadian immigrants do particularly well</a> even after controlling for the pronounced influence of socio-economic status.</p>
<h2>In which schools do immigrants thrive?</h2>
<p>Our research suggests that immigrant student outcomes are influenced by a complex array of factors and school system characteristics. </p>
<p>For example, immigrants who are older than 12 tend to experience a <a href="https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319740621">“late arrival” penalty</a> due to their language difficulties — underscoring the need for intensive language supports. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218654/original/file-20180512-34015-3wiynd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/218654/original/file-20180512-34015-3wiynd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218654/original/file-20180512-34015-3wiynd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218654/original/file-20180512-34015-3wiynd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218654/original/file-20180512-34015-3wiynd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218654/original/file-20180512-34015-3wiynd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/218654/original/file-20180512-34015-3wiynd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Most provincial education systems take a culturally-sensitive integration approach, aiming to preserve the cultural identities of diverse populations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Immigrants also tend to be particularly at risk within schools with a concentration of socioeconomically disadvantaged students. </p>
<p>In fact, the OECD, which is responsible for the administration of PISA, argues: “It is not the concentration of immigrant students in a school but, rather, <a href="https://www.oecd.org/education/Helping-immigrant-students-to-succeed-at-school-and-beyond.pdf">the concentration of socioeconomic disadvantage in a school that hinders student achievement</a>.” </p>
<p>Lastly, immigrant students tend to perform well when they are provided appropriate school resources and accommodated, as much as possible, within mainstream educational settings — a result that underscores the importance of school inclusion practices.</p>
<h2>The “accommodation approach”</h2>
<p>Collectively, a broad scan of provincial education systems suggests a marked preference for culturally-sensitive integration approaches that preserve the cultural identities of diverse populations. </p>
<p>This is in direct contrast to the assimilationist approach to immigration that existed in Canada before the 1960s. </p>
<p>In many respects, education policies tend to underscore a preference for fairly broad accommodations within provincial school systems. This approach is also reinforced by teacher education institutions across the country, which emphasize the importance of teaching practises (or pedagogy) and curricula that respect ethnic and cultural diversity.</p>
<p>Canada is best characterized as a culturally pluralistic society, in that minority groups are able to maintain their unique cultural identities and values within the dominant culture of non-immigrant Anglophones and Francophones. </p>
<p>Although our non-immigrant population is fairly dispersed — particularly within Canadian urban centres — it would be naïve to suggest teachers’ pedagogical approaches are not geared towards this dominant group. </p>
<p>Indeed, the famous Russian cognitive psychologist Lev Vygotsky astutely noted almost 100 years ago that the practice of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2011.620699">pedagogy has always adopted a particular social pattern in accordance with the dominant social class guiding its interests</a>. </p>
<p>How teachers, school administrators and provincial education systems address the challenge of promoting culturally effective pedagogy, through the promotion of evidence-based policies and against the backdrop of international achievement standards — this remains a pressing challenge for our future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92164/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louis Volante received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for this research.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Don A. Klinger receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>lDr. Melissa Siegel works for Maastricht University and the United Nations University and regularly consults for international organization and country governments.</span></em></p>First and second-generation immigrants perform well in many Canadian provinces that take an “accommodation” approach.Louis Volante, Professor of Education, Brock UniversityDon A. Klinger, Dean of Te Kura Toi Tangata Faculty of Education; Professor of Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation, University of WaikatoMelissa Siegel, Professor of Migration Studies and Head of Migration Studies at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance and UNU-MERIT, Maastricht UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/787222017-06-25T23:33:04Z2017-06-25T23:33:04ZHow to woo French teachers to stay in Canada’s schools<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172974/original/file-20170608-32402-1axq9ol.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Can innovative professional learning communities help to support bilingualism? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Mimi Masson)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>French-English bilingualism is a star act on the stage of Canadian multiculturalism. <a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/amenagement/FLS.html">French language programs</a> in Canadian schools — which consist of core French, extended French and French immersion — are renowned throughout the world. </p>
<p>And yet the top performers are fleeing the circus. French as a Second Language (FSL) teachers are losing their classrooms to <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/peel-district-school-board-closing-classrooms-1.3758915">budget cuts</a>. Many express feelings of <a href="http://www.acpi.ca/documents/summary.pdf">disconnection</a>, isolation and <a href="http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/370/CASLT-Report-FSL-in-Canada-EN.pdf">exclusion in the workplace</a>. It is common to hear stories of teachers who speak French but adamantly refuse to teach French in their schools.</p>
<p>The show-stopping question is: can innovative professional learning communities reverse this trend?</p>
<p>As a doctoral student in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, I know that <a href="http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/best-practices-for-professional-learning-communities.shtml">professional learning communities</a> (PLCs) show <a href="https://learningforward.org/publications/canada-study">a lot of promise</a> in Canada. They help promote leadership, support and community among teaching professionals. A French and English language teacher myself, I have developed curriculum for new language programs and trained teachers to implement these programs in their classrooms. Now, I am investigating how PLCs can help mitigate what I call “FSL teacher flight.” </p>
<p>In the first study of its kind to explore the evolving professional practice of Canadian French teachers, I am analysing the participation of two FSL teachers in the innovative <a href="http://teacherprofessiona.wixsite.com/mysite">Virtual PLC project</a>. I am working with data collected over four years by <a href="http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/ctl/Faculty_Staff/Faculty_Profiles/1197/Mary_Kooy.html">Dr. Mary Kooy</a> from a group of 17 teachers working across different subject matters. This study captures the complexities of teachers’ daily life in hundreds of hours of recordings, blog posts, pictures, teacher resources, school visits and surveys. </p>
<p>The Virtual PLC project community was geared towards helping dissatisfied teachers. What is most interesting about it is that, over time, teachers who were thinking of leaving the profession have stayed — and <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=IYuoAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA80&dq=The+transformative+potential+of+teacher+and+student+voices:+Reframing+relationships+for+learning.&ots=hFSpjC-Z_N&sig=lX_39nxoMrW06oIkb8b--U_zkV4#v=onepage&q=The%20transformative%20potential%20of%20teacher%20and%20student%20voices%3A%20Reframing%20relationships%20for%20learning.&f=false">many have become leaders in their schools</a>. In my own study, I am interested in finding out how this played out for the teachers themselves and then applying these findings to FSL teacher professional learning in Canada. </p>
<h2>Teaching a la cart</h2>
<p>Up to <a href="https://www.omlta.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Teaching-and-Learning-2006.pdf">63 per cent</a> of French as a Second Language teachers are teaching “a la cart.” This term, coined by the teachers themselves, refers to the experience of running harried from classroom to classroom pushing a cart full of teaching materials (<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fslnomorecarts">#FSLNoMoreCarts</a>). </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"775846175740194816"}"></div></p>
<p>Things are so bad for FSL teachers that <a href="https://www.caslt.org/files/pd/resources/research/2006-teaching-fsl-in-canada-en.pdf">large numbers have considered or actually left the profession</a>. Many of them move out of teaching French and into English language classrooms as soon as possible. </p>
<p>This has become a real problem for schools in Canada desperate to find French teachers to teach a subject that <a href="http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02323-6_27-1">85 per cent of Canadian children study</a>. This year, one school board considered the situation so dire in Ontario, that it made a <a href="https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7106248-school-boards-say-more-french-teachers-needed/">formal request</a> to the Ministry of Education to look into this matter. </p>
<p>I’ve found that parents and children alike are keen to learn French. The story we share across the world of “Canada the Bilingual” has touched many of the new families who come to settle here and want to be a <a href="http://www.dx.doi.org/10.7202/019685ar">part of Canadian multiculturalism</a>.</p>
<p>Learning French is a way to assume that Canadian identity and legitimize any additional languages they bring with them. After all, if we accept French, we can surely accept Chinese, Italian, Urdu and other languages. Families who have been established in Canada for longer also feel that learning French can help their children have a <a href="http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1057/9780230596047">competitive edge in the global market</a>.</p>
<h2>Professional learning communities</h2>
<p>Teachers come together in professional learning communities to develop their practice with the aim of improving student learning. They meet and discuss issues that matter to them and their students and they develop solutions to try out in their classrooms. </p>
<p>PLCs are an important form of professional development because learning with peers is engaging. It stimulates creativity and camaraderie. Supportive learning networks also bring out the unique skills of everyone in the group and let them shine. </p>
<p>Teachers who feel good about themselves have <a href="http://www.dx.doi.org/10.3102/0034654315626801">less feelings of stress and alienation</a>. Imagine a room full of teachers honing their skills, sharing their knowledge and pushing each other to do their best. Not only does this make for happier teachers, but better schools and better learning for the students as well. </p>
<p>Collaborative and continued professional development for FSL teachers are the tent poles of successful bilingual schools in an education system where schools receive <a href="http://on.cpf.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/How-is-FSL-funded-in-Ontario_.pdf">provincial and federal funding</a> for French-language programs. </p>
<p>But so far, there is little research about how FSL teachers fare in these kinds of networks. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2015.1008644">Findings from the Virtual PLC project</a> suggest that opportunity, time, distributed membership, active learning, relationship development, trust, shared motivations and mutual decision-making are all essential to cultivating a successful teacher learning community. </p>
<p>Perhaps this approach to professional development could improve the outlook, performance and retention rate of FSL teachers across Canada?</p>
<h2>A new learning landscape for French teachers in Canada</h2>
<p>I hope to continue working with French as a Second Language teachers to develop a professional learning model in schools across Canada to help them take ownership of their learning and their status as bilinguals. I want to help them explore what it means to be bilingual representatives and advocates of French and English in Canadian schools by using the findings to create a musical podcast. </p>
<p>Using art and music to share the findings from the research would offer a way to (re)imagine the narrative about FSL teachers and transform the learning landscape in schools to include collaborative learning networks. I also want to think about the way we understand learning, to include collaborative and social aspects, and how to bring that to FSL teachers’ colleagues, administrators, parents and students. </p>
<p>My study challenges current French teacher professional learning models and working conditions by repositioning teachers as active, self-directed learners in their own professional learning. It offers potential to contribute to the advancement of the field of FSL teacher professional learning. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article is also available in French: <a href="https://theconversation.com/quand-les-enseignants-canadiens-de-francais-langue-seconde-innovent-pour-resister-80121">“Quand les enseignants canadiens de français langue seconde innovent pour résister”</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78722/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mimi Masson receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. She is affiliated with the University of Toronto, Canadian Parents for French and Ontario Multilingual Education.</span></em></p>As Canada’s French language teachers flee the profession, online Professional Learning Communities promise to reverse this trend, stimulating creativity, camaraderie and leadership.Mimi Masson, PhD student in Language and Literacies Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/690582016-11-30T14:40:02Z2016-11-30T14:40:02ZTraining can help Botswana’s teachers manage multiculturalism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/146557/original/image-20161118-19334-bf110e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children from all of Botswana's cultural groups, among them the San, must be made to feel comfortable at schools.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mario Micklisch/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On paper, Botswana is a multilingual state with at least 25 languages spoken within its cities, towns and villages. In reality, <a href="http://www.setswana.info/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page">Setswana</a> dominates. It is the national language, spoken by the vast majority of <a href="http://catalog.ihsn.org/index.php/catalog/4243/related_materials">the population</a> as either a mother tongue or second language.</p>
<p>Setswana is the <a href="http://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI9125729/">medium of instruction</a> during the first two years at primary school. It is offered as a compulsory school subject for the rest of primary school and throughout secondary school. English is the medium of instruction for all subjects at primary and secondary school levels except for Setswana as a subject. Minority languages do not feature. This focus on only two languages in the education system is seen by language activists as a barrier to the transmission of ethnic minority cultures and appreciation of diversity. </p>
<p>Botswana <a href="http://www.ishr.ch/news/botswana-struggles-achieve-gender-equality-and-ethnic-minority-rights">battles</a> with issues of ethnicity. Schools can find themselves on the front line of this tension if teachers aren’t equipped with the skills and knowledge that would enable them to embrace multiculturalism – whether linguistic, cultural or social – in their classrooms.</p>
<p>I set out to establish whether being trained specifically in how to deal with multiculturalism could empower teachers. The results suggest that the answer is, unequivocally, “yes”.</p>
<h2>Culture and power</h2>
<p>Primary school children who belong to ethnic minorities are especially vulnerable to dropping out of school early. <a href="http://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=Q00046540&DB=p">Research</a> <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books/about/Minorities_in_the_Millennium.html?id=4ohzAAAAMAAJ">has shown</a> that one of the driving factors here is the insensitivity of schools’ culture and curriculum to their culture and learning styles.</p>
<p>Culture and learning can’t be separated. Psychologist Jerome Bruner has <a href="https://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/people/staff/saf/share/great-missenden/reference-papers/brunerFolkPedagogy.pdf">pointed out</a> that</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… education does not stand alone, and it cannot be designed as if it did. It exists in a culture. And culture whatever else it is, is also about power, distinctions, and rewards.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The teachers who took part in my research were already working. They served at schools in remote areas and many of their students belonged to ethnic minorities. They enrolled for the University of Botswana’s B.Ed Secondary Programme, where they studied two of the courses I taught: Foundations of Multicultural Literacy Education and Literacy, Education and Culture.</p>
<p>These courses were only introduced at the university in the 2001/2002 academic year, so none of the research participants – who had been working for some years – were exposed to this kind of thinking when they first trained as teachers between a decade and 15 years earlier.</p>
<p>The participants were selected because they felt that these multicultural education courses had helped them to reflect on their own biases towards ethnic minority groups. The participants were monolingual: they came from the dominant mainstream Setswana speaking groups. All of them told me that their initial qualifications had really only prepared them to teach homogeneous classes comprised of students from common cultural backgrounds.</p>
<p>For their fourth year research project, the participants conducted research about how issues of multiculturalism were dealt with in their schools. Their work revealed an almost total disregard for minority cultures and languages.</p>
<h2>Language and exclusion</h2>
<p>One participant said she was disappointed by her colleagues’ lack of enthusiasm for teaching pupils about culture. She said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Many schools across the country have built traditional huts called cultural villages where traditional artefacts and resources are stored. These resources are meant to be used by teachers to enrich the teaching and learning of topics on culture yet people do not take the teaching of culture seriously. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Part of the problem seems to be that cultural topics don’t feature in final year examinations. Cultural issues also aren’t considered important in Botswana’s broader society.</p>
<p>Another participant researched the curriculum and found that it wasn’t inclusive of minority cultures. This was particularly true when it came to language. She wrote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Setswana lessons could be perceived as “prisons” where students are captives and deprived of expressing themselves in their mother tongue.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Other teachers I spoke to beyond the core research group concurred. They attributed San students’ high failure and drop out <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=lD69BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA230&dq=san+students+high+drop+out+rate+botswana&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=san%20students%20high%20drop%20out%20rate%20botswana&f=false">rates</a> to Botswana’s existing language in education policy.</p>
<h2>Seeking solutions</h2>
<p>My findings suggest that Botswana’s teachers definitely need more specialised training in multiculturalism. The country’s teacher education institutions must develop and offer such courses to both pre-service and in-service teachers. Refresher courses should also be offered to serving teachers who were never exposed to multicultural education during their initial training.</p>
<p>Formal training alone will not fix the problem. Individual teachers must engage in critical self-examination that explores their attitudes and perceptions concerning cultural diversity. They need to be aware of how these can effect their students’ achievements and educational opportunities.</p>
<p>Teachers should also go in search of accurate information about various culturally diverse groups’ histories, cultural styles and values. This will help them understand and engage with students from these groups. It will also enable them to share this knowledge with other students and so encourage multicultural understanding.</p>
<p>These multicultural perspectives should be infused into teaching materials and, ultimately, the country’s curriculum. In this way, schools can maximise their students’ academic, cognitive, social, psychological and cultural development.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69058/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Annah Anikie Molosiwa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Primary school children who belong to ethnic minorities are especially vulnerable to dropping out of school early. If teachers were better equipped to deal with multiculturalism, this could change.Annah Anikie Molosiwa, Senior Lecturer in language education, University of BotswanaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/387972015-03-13T16:39:40Z2015-03-13T16:39:40ZBanning faith schools is no quick fix to social segregation<p>Back in 2001, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1702799.stm">riots broke out</a> in northern cities in England sparked by ethnic tensions. The <a href="http://resources.cohesioninstitute.org.uk/Publications/Documents/Document/Default.aspx?recordId=96">Cantle Report</a> on the riots in Bradford, Oldham and Burnley claimed that ethnic communities there lived parallel and polarised lives: “These lives often do not seem to touch at any point, let alone overlap and promote any meaningful interchanges.” Ethnic segregation existed in schools, largely as a consequence of residential segregation or the admissions policy operated by some schools. This pattern was further exacerbated by government support at the time for single-faith schools. </p>
<p>Writing a few years later, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/sep/02/education.labour">Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee</a> described the growth of faith schools as: “among the most indelibly damaging of Tony Blair’s social legacies, his permanent bequest to his own beliefs”. Blair’s support for faith schools was largely based on <a href="https://theconversation.com/little-evidence-that-faith-schools-provide-a-better-education-27758">the claim</a> that they achieved higher performance outcomes for their pupils, but many worried that this opened the door to fundamentalist Christian influence. </p>
<h2>Schools in the spotlight</h2>
<p>Following the <a href="https://theconversation.com/operation-trojan-horse-examining-the-islamic-takeover-of-birmingham-schools-25764">Trojan Horse scandal in Birmingham</a> schools in 2014, Ofsted, the school inspectorate, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/386593/Tower_20Hamlets_20advice_20note.doc">expressed concern</a> that some private Muslim schools were failing to promote British values and protect their pupils. </p>
<p>In February, a <a href="http://example.com/">school principal was forced to deny</a> that three girls who <a href="https://theconversation.com/bethnal-green-girls-need-to-know-there-is-a-way-out-of-islamic-state-cult-38004">left Britain to go to Syria</a> were radicalised at school. In 2012, an <a href="http://dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk/dash.php?urn=137789">Ofsted report</a> on their school, the Bethnal Green Academy – which is not a faith school – found it to be outstanding on all measures, but noted that three quarters of its students did not have English as their first language and that the proportion of students from minority ethnic backgrounds was much higher than the national average. </p>
<h2>Cost of segregation</h2>
<p>Is it any wonder that many feel that faith schools should be banned altogether? This was the reaction <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11457650/No-new-faith-schools-unless-they-tackle-segregation-Commission.html">from some groups</a> at the publication of the latest report from the <a href="http://socialintegrationcommission.org.uk/images/sic_kingdomunited.pdf">Social Integration Commission</a>. It is the third report in a series that has examined the changing face of British society, looking particularly at the level of integration or segregation of people on the basis of age, ethnicity or social background. <a href="http://socialintegrationcommission.org.uk/index.php/publications">Previous reports</a> highlighted that Britain is becoming an increasingly diverse society, but the level of engagement between members of different communities is not keeping pace. They have pointed to powerful evidence that segregation entails negative consequences and additional financial cost.</p>
<p>The section of the latest report on schools rings familiar alarm bells: the highest level of integration is found amongst the 18-35 age group, who are either more mobile, or in further or higher education. By contrast, levels of ethnic segregation are high among school-age children. Social and religious segregation is rising, aided in part by the current government’s commitment to free schools – state-funded schools that are outside of local authority control. </p>
<p>England is not alone in trying to find solutions to these problems – and there is no blueprint solution. While the 2001 riots in English cities were taken by some as a failure of a multicultural commitment to celebrate diverse identities, riots in the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4413964.stm">suburbs of Paris in 2005</a> were cited <a href="http://riotsfrance.ssrc.org/">as evidence</a> of the failure of the French commitment to social integration through the unitary and secular tradition of civic republicanism.</p>
<h2>Public funding can be held to account</h2>
<p>But banning faith schools is unlikely to be successful at reducing social segregation. Under current education law it would not be possible for a government to ban faith schools entirely. The right to establish and direct separate schools is contained in the <a href="http://www.unicef.org/crc/">Convention of the Rights of the Child</a>, and the application of this in English law makes it permissible to establish independent schools, subject only to them meeting <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296368/uncrc_how_legislation_underpins_implementation_in_england_march_2010.pd">some basic educational standards</a>. Faith schools could, however, be denied access to public funding, but this may have unexpected and undesirable outcomes. </p>
<p>If the concern with faith schools is that they become narrowly insular, then pushing them into the private sector only makes that outcome more likely. As long as faith schools receive public funding then they can be held to account for their admissions policy, curriculum and wider practice.</p>
<p>In all these respects the recommendations of the Social Integration Commission seem to be spot-on. It recommends that faith schools should be encouraged to provide more opportunities for their pupils to interact with children from different ethnic communities and income backgrounds, through partnerships, shared facilities or the co-location of schools.</p>
<p>It also recommends that religious education in faith schools should cover a diversity of faith traditions, and not take the form of religious instruction. The admissions code of practice should encourage each faith school to admit a mix of pupils which reflects local diversity and demography. Nor should they be restricted only to members of the faith community. And the school buildings themselves should become spaces for local community engagement.</p>
<h2>A network of schools</h2>
<p>We should not be afraid of institutional diversity, as long as the diverse elements are well connected to ensure that all boundaries are porous and all schools are places where generations and communities have opportunities to meet and learn from one another. Faith schools should be embraced as part of a diverse education system, but obliged to engage with as many others as possible.</p>
<p>Despite adopting fundamentally divergent policy approaches, Britain and France risk ending up with silo societies where too many communities live their lives apart. Rather than focus on individual schools, we should think of the school system as a network. In this way, we should be promoting networked solutions in which schools collaborate to connect pupils, teachers, parents and communities to the greatest extent possible. In such a connected world, diversity among the elements of the network will not be a problem and indeed may even be an advantage.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/38797/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tony Gallagher has received funding in the past from the Economic and Social Research Council, Atlantic Philanthropies, the International Fund for Ireland, the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (NI) and the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council. He is a Board member of the Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation, a member of the Council of Europe CDPEE Ad Hoc Group on Higher Education, and a deputy board member of European Wergeland Centre, Oslo.</span></em></p>Including faith schools as part of a broader network is a surer way of bringing communities closer together.Tony Gallagher, Professor of Education and Pro Vice Chancellor, Queen's University BelfastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/338992014-11-20T19:24:32Z2014-11-20T19:24:32ZDiversity in the classroom means children develop differently<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/64105/original/2npk8nkc-1415598351.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">As Australia becomes increasingly multicultural it's important our schools are aware of the diversity of social and cultural norms children bring to school.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The first few years of school are tough for any child. Moving from the relatively unstructured activities of preschool to the formal requirements of school is a big step. Children require high levels of social and emotional support and understanding from the school environment. </p>
<p>This becomes even more complex when we consider the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24919842">increasing rates of multiculturalism and diversity</a> among children in Australian schools. At least half a million children attend school in Australia and almost 15% of this number are bilingual children from a diverse socio-cultural background. </p>
<p>Not only do schools have to be aware of the cultural and social variations in how children communicate with adults and peers, they also need to be prepared to understand the emotional and social challenges of children from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds.</p>
<h2>Cultural diversity and children’s socio-emotional development</h2>
<p><a href="http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/367/1599/2119.short">Research</a> shows children’s development is highly influenced by social and cultural practices. <a href="http://www.psy.uq.edu.au/research/ecdc/">My research</a> has focused on understanding culturally specific as well as universal aspects of children’s social and cognitive development. It has led to some intriguing findings.</p>
<p>It has shown that children from disparate cultural and social backgrounds perform differently in cognitive tasks – for instance, their understanding of how <a href="http://jcc.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/08/23/0022022114548484.abstract">knowledge</a> is gained. It also shows <a href="http://jcc.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/05/12/0022022114534772.abstract">parents</a> encourage children to communicate with others in different ways depending on their cultural background and social diversity. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65069/original/image-20141120-29238-5vv828.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65069/original/image-20141120-29238-5vv828.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65069/original/image-20141120-29238-5vv828.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65069/original/image-20141120-29238-5vv828.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65069/original/image-20141120-29238-5vv828.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65069/original/image-20141120-29238-5vv828.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65069/original/image-20141120-29238-5vv828.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65069/original/image-20141120-29238-5vv828.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Different cultures have different priorities, especially when it comes to learning.</span>
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<p>For example, in <a href="http://ccr.sagepub.com/content/27/3-4/155.short">Eastern</a> cultures parents often encourage their children to be silent unless they are directly spoken to, not to argue with adults and not to speak their minds. This is in contrast to most Western cultures where such attributes may often be regarded as exhibiting shyness and not so highly valued. Similarly, research on <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2010.00353.x/full">Aboriginal and Torres Islander</a> families shows that parental and social values significantly differ not only from Western families, but also within different Aboriginal communities.</p>
<p>Findings on developmental differences for children from different <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=n1tqi8Tux-kC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=theory+of+mind+and+culture&ots=WieCX2oeLl&sig=p5igIHy01nDq8vreMAHSUzRP3rg#v=onepage&q=theory%20of%20mind%20and%20culture&f=false">European countries</a>, such as the UK, France, Sweden and Italy, also show, for instance, that children gain social and cognitive knowledge within different timeframes depending on where they come from. Yet, in a multicultural country such as Australia, all of these children go to school together.</p>
<h2>So what can teachers do?</h2>
<p>These results are intriguing. They make us think, if we prepare our children with different cultural values and socialisation practices, what happens when they <a href="http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/uploads/006/743/Blair%20-%20AmPsych.pdf">enter school</a>, a time of rapid change in social expectations for children?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/1602361">Reports show that teachers</a> consider children’s ability to regulate their emotions effectively to be even more important than their skills using pen and pencil upon entry to school. Despite this, <a href="http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=4492208&fileId=S0954579400006519">teachers often say</a> that they do not feel <a href="http://jte.sagepub.com/content/61/1-2/143.short">well enough trained</a> to deal with children’s emotional needs. Most of their training has focused on particular school tasks that children must perform. </p>
<p>Teachers’ lack of confidence in dealing with children’s emotional needs can be even more dramatic when considering the cultural differences among children. If teachers and schools are unaware of and unprepared for accepting and understanding socio-cultural diversity, children’s behaviour can easily be misunderstood. Consequently, it can become an emotional and social burden.</p>
<p>A good example is the issue of “<a href="http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/closing-the-gap">closing the gap</a>” in Australia, which has been discussed for over 50 years now. Yet research still shows that children from Aboriginal and Torres Islander backgrounds feel <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00094056.2006.10521365">isolated, not understood and not valued at schools</a>. While education systems are trying hard to enrich the experience of schooling for all children, there is a long way to go.</p>
<p>It is important that policy makers, educators, teachers and parents pay more attention to the diversity in children’s social and emotional development. We need to more rigorously integrate research, specifically investigations of the development of socially and culturally diverse children (including Aboriginal and Torres islander children) in teachers’ pre-service education and in education policies in Australia.</p>
<p>In the meantime, it is important for teachers to acknowledge this lack of training and try to avoid making conclusions based on their knowledge or assumptions of how children <em>should</em> perform, especially children from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and during early years. It would be helpful to keep in mind that what we don’t value much in one culture might be crucial in another.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33899/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Amelia Shay does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The first few years of school are tough for any child. Moving from the relatively unstructured activities of preschool to the formal requirements of school is a big step. Children require high levels of…Dr Amelia Shay, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Early Childhood Education and Care, Charles Sturt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.