Monday, May 25, 2009

"What Is Diversity Pedagogy Theory?"

What is Diversity Pedagogy Theory?

Rosa Hernandez Sheets

Rachel Haller & Marisa McCormick


Upon reading this article, the initial reaction was to make connections to our own classrooms. However, after discussion, we both found that we have minimal cultural diversity interactions in our classrooms, but we have experienced many other forms of diversity. These are the primary aspects our blog response will cover.

As humans, we are diverse in our very nature. We bring this diversity (and our beliefs) into our classrooms whether it is fully realized and understood, or not. What is Diversity Pedagogy Theory? by Rosa Hernandez Sheets, challenges educators to analyze and react to their culturally-based teaching practices and analyze how these practices affect students ability to connect culture and cognition.

Marisa teaches in a district that has a population of primarily white, affluent, business families. However, because she teaches in Okemos’
first and only public Montessori school, she has found that it attracts families from surrounding districts. She is able to connect the ideas of Diversity Pedagogy Theory (DPT) to her classroom environment in terms of: a) socio-economic status, b) citizenship, c)family make-ups, d)world views and the obvious, e)race, ethnicity,
gender, age, ability, and national origin.


Rachel teaches in a district that exhibits almost zero diversity. The district is a suburb of Flint, is about 99% white, and the socioeconomic status is low. While cultural diversity is virtually nonexistent in her school, Rachel has had a great deal of experience with special education students.

In his article, Sheets states that teachers often overlook culture in the classroom. Both Marisa and Rachel feel that they are guilty of this. For example, Rachel has witnessed one of her special needs students discussing an assignment with another student. She responded by directing the two to end the conversation and reminding them that they needed to work on their own assignments. (Aren
’t we all guilty of this at one time or another, for the sake of keeping our classrooms quiet, orderly and disciplined?)

Until reading Sheets’ article, Rachel never realized the impact that her above choice had on that special needs student. She feels that Sheets did a great job of communicating the need to be aware of cultural diversity in the classroom. The author also provided the reader with explicit examples of how to become culturally aware, and culturally competent.


Since DPT
encourages teachers to develop teaching beliefs and pedagogical skills in the eight dimensions this blog will continue by listing these pedagogy dimensions. It needs to be understood that teacher pedagogical behaviors directly influence student cultural displays.

1) Diversity
à consciousness of difference

2) Identityà ethnic identity development
3) Social interaction
à interpersonal relationships
4) Culturally safe classroom context
à self-regulated learning
5) Language
à language learning
6) Culturally inclusive content
à knowledge acquisition
7) Instruction
à reasoning skills
8) Assessment
à self-evaluation

If a teacher’
s practices are culturally knowledgeable and sensitive (the 8 items on the left side of the arrows), students will have the ability to positively engage in the items on the right hand side of the arrows.

Marisa can speak to the first dimension of diversity in terms of socio-economic differences in her classroom environment. Many of her students are from Okemos and fit the generalized category of coming from white, affluent, two-parent households. However, due to the large number of school-of-choice applicants, many of her students come from homes that have less monetary means, parents who work two to three jobs and do not have a lot of extra time to support their child
’s school work at home. Nor are they able to buy their children the new toys and clothes that they see their classmates having. This diversity can go one of two ways in the classroom: a strong divide among the two different socio-economic classes can occur, or we might see a community that is conscious of the differences, yet they have a strong sense of sameness while responding to each other with sensitivity and empathy.

While Marisa was reading aloud the novel to her class,
How to Steal a Dog, by Barbara O’Connor, she was amazed with the lower socio-economic students’ verbalized connection with the main character and the interest of the higher socio-economic status students regarding how one might deal with such difficult situations. Due to Marisa’s (perceived) safe and risk-taking environment, her fourth and fifth graders were able and encouraged to discuss the complex issue of whether or not it was right to steal a dog in order to raise money for a family to move out of their car and into an apartment. The ability her 8-11 year old students displayed as they put themselves into the perspective of the mother (whom the daughter hated for their circumstance), the daughter (whom wanted to steal a dog to get them out of the situation) and the brother (whom was clueless) was an amazing and wonderful learning opportunity for all of her students regardless of who they were or where they came from.

Rachel can also speak to the first dimension of diversity. Although the primary focus of Sheets article was on cultural diversity, it is felt and understood that diversity has multiple meanings, and that some type of diversity is existent in every school. As previously mentioned, both Rachel and Marisa do not come from culturally diverse communities, but both have experienced diversity mainly in terms of special needs and socio-economic status.

After reading about teacher pedagogical behaviors and the student cultural displays of behavior, Rachel feels that these behaviors, on both the teacher and student behalf, are applicable to other forms of diversity. She often wonders how many times she’s exhibited the teacher pedagogical behaviors, both effectively and ineffectively, and how her choices have impacted her students.

Both Marisa and Rachel hope to become more culturally aware of their students and how their teaching practices and beliefs affect student socialization and learning. As Sheets states, observation is a critical role in beginning this awareness.

With choice and independence being a primary belief of the Montessori Philosophy, Marisa believes this is a great place to start in her journey to being a
culturally aware educator.

In conclusion, educators need develop and utilize strong observational skills, cultural sensitivity and responsive teaching practices in order to meet the cultural needs of their diverse student populations-in order for culture and cognition to take place. We can all start (or continue!) to do this by listening (versus talking) and offering our students real choices in their learning.

6 comments:

  1. “After reading about teacher pedagogical behaviors and the student cultural displays of behavior, Rachel feels that these behaviors, on both the teacher and student behalf, are applicable to other forms of diversity. She often wonders how many times she’s exhibited the teacher pedagogical behaviors, both effectively and ineffectively, and how her choices have impacted her students.”

    This paragraph of your reflection really resonated with me, after reading about Diversity Pedagogy Theory. I think sometimes that I am a bit of an idealist when it comes to my classroom community. I believe that my enthusiasm and respect will set the standard and my students will follow suit and treat each other with the same respect. As I’ve continued to teach, I’ve found that this is not always the case. My classroom community is forming and storming and evolving (for better or sometimes worse) every day. Creating and maintaining community is a constant, active, and consuming endeavor. Like Rachel, after reading about Diversity Pedagogy Theory, I wondered about the ways that I was effective and ineffective in creating a community that celebrates differences and diversity.

    I hope to create a community of respect and fairness; where my students acknowledge that they are different from one another, not just in background, but in learning style and pace. I want my kids to recognize that they are unique learners and to understand that they don’t have to learn or be assessed in the same way. We will strive more toward acceptance of differences and fairness in their learning than tolerance and “sameness.”

    Like Rachel too, I’ve found much of my student’s diversity to come more from their socio-economic backgrounds than from cultural or ethnic backgrounds. It surprises me how prevalent and deep stereotypes run about Holt “natives” versus perceived “school of choice” students; everything from drug use to MEAP scores. I think sometimes that the district could use a shot in the arm of Diversity theory and work more actively and purposefully on creating a community of culturally sensitive and supportive members who respect and accept differences and celebrate diversity rather then try to create one “right” mold in which all students must fit.

    Thank you both for your perceptive reflection, it gave me a lot to think about my teaching and how I hope to reach and honor all of my students.
    -Cate Baker

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  2. After reading Marisa and Rachel's analysis of Sheets' article on Diversity Pedagogy Theory (DPT), I feel like I have a stronger grasp of the concepts in this article. I was able to connect to this article previously, when I created my pedagogy visual, but I feel that the connections I was able to make with Marisa and Rachel's experiences helped me to see Sheets' ideas on a more meaningful level.

    I would specifially like to respond to Marisa's comments about the socioeconomic diversity she experiences at her school in Okemos. Like Marisa, I also teach at a school that has little racial diversity. However, as Marisa and Rachel also stated, there are many other kinds of diversity. Similar to Marisa's experiences, I have also been interested in seeing how socioeconomic differences impact student interaction and class community in my school. Marisa comments that these differences result in one of two things: either a strong divide between students of different socioeconomic classes or feelings of empathy and community despite these differences. I, too, have seen both of these models play out in the classes that I teach. However, when thinking about which model I seem to see more, I would say that it is the latter.

    Students I work with typically hang out with a diverse crowd, regardless of socioeconomic status. There is also usually a feeling of community and empathy for not only socioeconomic differences but also other differences - such as viewpoints, political affiliation - that could potentially cause conflict.

    To me, the Sheets article highlights the fact that, as teachers, we need to be on the lookout for all kinds of diversity - not just the most obvious kinds. Sheets' piece also calls teachers to teach appreciation of differences within the classroom. Some people believe that "sameness" is the key to getting rid of conflict due to differences. However, like Cate said in her comment, learning to honor and respect differences and diversity is what we really need to do - and we need to pass this onto our students.
    -Carrie Baas

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  3. As Rachel stated in her response, I too have experienced diversity in many forms in my own classroom. For the past four years, I have had many students who show diversity through their religious beliefs. As their teacher, I have learned how to adjust my instruction as well as my communication with those students and their parents so that it honors their beliefs along with the majority of the class. It gets to be a little tricky when planning classroom activities and celebrations because for example, I have students who do not celebrate holidays or birthdays. Therefore, I have had much experience coming up with alternate activities for those students to engage in while the rest of the class is doing the activity planned for the particular celebration. It is important to me that all of my students feel comfortable in my classroom no matter what type of diversity they bring with them.

    I have also learned that having open communication when teaching students who have different religious beliefs than the mainstream beliefs is very important. In order for me to grow in my own professionalism as a teacher and maintain a comfortable, successful learning environment for all of my students it is essential to communicate fully and openly with all parents to understand the backgrounds of my students.

    When reading Sheets' article, I also saw a parallel between it and the article that I read by Hooks. Sheets' states that "teachers who succeed with diverse children realize that they must develop cultural competence. These teachers assume responsibility for students learning. Their practice is characterized by a basic belief the children in their classrooms must be kept harmless and held blameless. These teachers teach for freedom!" I agree with these statements and like Hooks said, allowing students to assume responsibility for their choices is one of the joys of education as the practice of freedom.

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  4. After reading the articles about different pedagogies, I related most to Sheets’ ideas on Diversity Pedagogy Theory. For many of my students, they are experiencing school - peer relationships, student differences, risk taking - for the first time. As a kindergarten teacher, I believe it is important for me to begin to introduce acceptance, provide opportunities for social interactions, and promote identity development all within a safe classroom context. (Sheets, 5)

    Like my classmates, this article reminded me that diversity comes in many different forms and if we are conscious of the teacher pedagogical behaviors in the eight dimensions of the diversity pedagogy, we will come closer to creating a classroom that will help students be successful in many different ways. The eight dimensions of diversity pedagogy reminded me that I need to be thoughtful in my reactions to students and situations and that I need to consider the students’ cultural backgrounds when I am responding to their learning styles and behaviors.

    One of my favorite things about being a teacher of young children is watching the respect, kindness, and empathy they have for each other. Often, my students are aware of the differences within the class, whether it may be learning, cultural, or socio-economic diversity, but they are accepting and tolerant of it. I am always amazed with the kindergarten community- it is a unique, understanding world.

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  5. After reading Rachel and Marissa’s blog, along with the preceding comments, I feel that I have a greater understanding about Diversity Pedagogue Theory. My classroom makeup is similar to most of you because my classroom is not very diverse in terms of race either. However, I can relate to Marissa’s classroom socioeconomic diversity because my students also come from many different socioeconomic backgrounds. I know that my first grade students are conscious on some level about their peer’s socioeconomic status from visiting their peers’ homes and comparing them. Something I think that may be different about my school from the rest of you is that I work at a Catholic school and that my students are required to wear uniforms. I think that because everyone is wearing the exact same outfit everyday it sometimes makes it tougher to see who has money and who doesn’t from students’ outward appearances. I wonder if this is just my perception or if students are more aware than I think they are? I also feel like because we teach religion and social justice on a daily basis and that we are constantly working as a class and school to help the less fortunate in our community that my students tend to show a great amount of compassion towards their peers who have less or more than them. I am in no way trying to say that my school is in anyway more blind to socioeconomic status, I am instead trying to say that it is rarely ever outwardly acknowledged. As I am writing this, I am thinking that part of Diversity Pedagogue Theory is being “conscious of differences” and that perhaps as a teacher I should think about pointing out to my students that there are socioeconomic differences in our school. Perhaps this would make our efforts in donating food, clothing, and toys throughout the year more meaningful to them if they realized that part of their donations were going to school families.

    If I keep thinking about that I should model being “conscious of differences”, I am not convinced that I do a very good job of this in my classroom. I think that I have had this notion that I should model for my students that race is blind and that I see them equally and therefore I never point out racial differences. Reading this article made me realize that instead of ignoring racial differences in my classroom and in society that I should be acknowledging these differences in my teaching.

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  6. thank you so much for your honestly here.I go back to the Lions for Lambs conversation again, and whether we have the real ability to be critical of our own teaching and really make change in the way we see and work with students.

    I am really glad to see the digging into diversity. It is easy to think that diversity is located 'elsewhere' when you teach in a culturally homogeneous setting. What strikes me most here in this post, is not necessarily what you say, but what I imagine will now happen in your classroom in the future. Your honesty with yourselves about what we do to help or harm our students (with the best of intentions) and how you will go into your next classroom with a slightly different perspective and philosophy-that makes me really excited! I think that more than anything we can do in terms of schooling, the most important is the good role modeling of humanness.
    Just yesterday, I was working with my old teaching colleagues. We were enrolling local adolescents in a summer youth work program (very rural and small community). I had never met these students before and when I tried to work with them, they literally IGNORED me. it took me off guard and I felt a flash of anger rise up in me. It has been a long time since a student has ignored me in this way. So I walked away and reflected on what was going on there.
    1. it was 9am-they were tired and crabby
    2. they have never seen me before-no one introduced me to them and I didn't introduce myself
    3. they didn't know me and I didn't know them...
    and here is where it clicked for me-DUH-everything I preach to my students about how they have to interact with their students, etc. they are alternative ed students, I KNOW that many of them take weeks to chip away at the wall they have built around themselves in terms of interacting with school officials...which all of this might be or not be important in terms of what I witnessed as these four boys prepared to leave. They were goofing around and making fun of each other-calling each other 'ass, etc.' but then one of them said to another 'you fag.' i stopped with my mouth open, ready to say something, but decided I would instead watch what those who knew these boys would do...I am sure you can guess how this story ends. NOTHING happened. They snickered nervously and went about their business. They looked uncomfortably at me, who was looking I don't know what-alarmed, upset? (yeah, I'm the one who left and went to academia-I'm WAY to sensitive about this stuff ((imagine sarcastic tone here)) This not only taught me something about the school, setting and culture, but also something about the role models in this setting. Let alone what it taught those boys...

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