Introduction

Welcome to Unit 1: Introduction to Diversity

This unit is an introduction to the theme of diversity in the classroom. The dimensions of diversity
include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, culture, religion, mental and physical
ability, class, and immigration status. (NEA, n.d.)

In subsequent units in this course, you will have the opportunity to learn about physical and sensory
disabilities in the classroom; as well as cognitive and emotional differences; and racial/ethnic,
gender, cultural, socio-economic and linguistic variabilities. You will also examine and learn about
instructional adaptations and how and when to apply modifications.

Priorities in education have evolved over the years. In the early years of formal education, in the
twentieth century, segregation was commonplace. Students were often segregated and placed in
separate classrooms and even separate schools. Students were segregated by race/ethnicity,
gender, socio-economic levels and by intellectual performance. However, after copious research
proving that diversity in the classroom benefits all children, the pendulum has swung away from
segregation towards diversity in the classroom.

The idea of a diverse classroom is not new. In the nineteenth century before formal, compulsory
educational reform, one-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various
countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and small-town schools, all of the students
met in a single room. There, a single teacher taught academic basics to several grade levels of
elementary-age boys and girls. In the United States, at the turn of the century, the students in
these one-room schools were sons and daughters of immigrant parents, who came from different
countries, who were struggling financially and for whom English was a second language. This gave
the teacher a student population diverse in culture, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and language.

In this Unit, you will analyze the need for diversity in an increasingly complex and contested
environment and you will reflect on the many ways in which a traditional classroom differs from a
diverse classroom. You will also examine some of the difficulties that may exist in a diverse
classroom.

National Education Association (NEA) website, Diversity Toolkit:

http://www.nea.org/tools/diversity-toolkit-introduction.html