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Questions to use in conversation with parents/families. 

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Questions to use in conversation with parents/families. 

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1. How would you describe your child's personality ? including their interests, strength and any individual needs that you would like us to know ?

Parents are the only ones who knows their child better. this question allows parents to explain all the details related to the child which are necessary in creating an inclusive and supportive environment. By knowing a child personality helps us teachers to enhance personalised learning experiences and also helps in building a strong and positive relationship with the children. This question not only helps us to build relationship with children but also with the families. This question also helps us teachers to view children with different abilities or special rights as competent and treat them equally by using a realistic approach to the child (Burman, 2013)

2. Are there any cultural, traditional or any linguistic considerations that we should be aware of ?

This question allows us to know about the child's culture and language in order to promote a culturally responsive classroom environment. This question also makes children and families feel respected, and valued. By knowing their festivals and traditions and celebrating them in the classroom makes them feel belonged. Also as a teacher when I respect children and families culture and diversity, I am able to create a multicultural curriculum that supports children's right to practice their own culture, religion and traditions which in return makes children and families feel accepted, valued and respected (ACECQA, 2022).

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This article talks about the right of every child to be accepted and included in a general educational environment without any judgements and expectations. The article also talk about the myths such as children with different abilities attend a special school but no, the children can flourish in a general school setting with a genuine inclusive and a supportive approach. After Myths, the article then opens our mind on how to achieve an inclusive environment through a roadmap

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Questions to use in conversation with colleagues ?

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Questions to use in conversation with colleagues ?

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1. What does diversity and inclusion means to us as a team ?

This question allows colleagues to think about their values, and practices within the environment. By discussing the question as team, they can come up with different ideas and strategies which can be used as a team to implement together to promote inclusivity in their respective environments. Also this discussion provides opportunity to collaborate and to stay on the same page of enhancing inclusion and diversity within the educational setting.

2. What strategies you found was most effective in creating a supportive and inclusive environment ?

This question allows educators to share their practical experience to others. Sharing experiences thus helps each other to learn from each other's challenges and success and also helps to gain new ideas that can be implemented in a classroom setting that is accessible to every child (WisconsinDPI, 2018). This question also promotes professional development and also develop a sense of continuous improvement ensuring that all staff are equipped with necessary training and resources to promote inclusivity.

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This article helps educators with practical experiences to create an inclusive environment. It gives useful tips that educators can use to make sure that all children feel accepted, belonged and respected. The article also talks about a wide range of strategies and various teaching resources that can be implemented to promote safety and inclusion in a multicultural educational setting.

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The suggestions offered here range from simple to complex, and anyone can start to create the ripples that shift classroom and school culture.

Building Safety and Inclusion in Multicultural School Settings

1. Focus on how you might personally experience deep empathy. We all learn differently, so your empathy-building process might entail watching Ava DuVernay's documentary 13th, or Bryan Stevenson's TED Talk " We Need to Talk About an Injustice." Or you could look for curricula on race and racism. Since there's no shortage of resources, try to discover first-person experiences. Take a deep breath, imagine yourself in those shoes, and withhold judgement. Share and model your inquiry and learning with students.

2. Curate your newsfeed, engage, and listen. Stay up to date with a few influencers, like Dr. Joy DeGruy or Professor Christopher Emdin, and news sources that inspire and challenge you to honestly confront difficult conversations on race and bias, from NPR's Code Switch to The Root. But limit these, so you don't get overwhelmed and shut down. Follow key hashtags like #Educolor on Twitter, to be aware of social justice and equity conversations. Spend time learning and listening to the conversation before opining on it.

3. Build your social justice vocabulary. Learn the meaning as well as application of terms like false equivalency, microaggression, Jim Crow, culturally responsive, white privilege, and allyship, among other terms. Watch out for coded language and call out prejudicial talk. As Professor Howard Stevenson says, "By practicing racial literacy, we can learn to not be so fearful and learn to problem-solve together, rather than run away from conversations about race."

4. Value stories and perspectives. Encourage your students to articulate their narratives, starting with learning the stories of individuals in their community. The Out of Eden Walk can serve as a framework for noticing the stories around us and discovering our own. Ensure that your classroom book collection and curriculum include high-quality stories that represent all the students in your class. Practice noticing who's writing the articles and stories you read. If you don't know where to begin, consult your librarian or simply search "diverse books." The Global Education Toolkit includes an appendix with 326 multicultural book titles for grades pre-K through 6.

5. Display your class values prominently. Establish ground rules for active listening in class. Take the time to reflect on values so they don't feel like a laundry list. Students can respond to prompts like: "What do you stand for? How might we demonstrate that in our classroom or daily lives?" or "What might loving-kindness (or empathy, respect, generosity) in our classroom look like? How do we get there?" If there's enough safety among students, they can share their writing in pairs.

6. When welcoming new students, learn to correctly say their name. If possible, visit families in their homes at some point in the year to deepen your relationship. The start of each school year can come with special anxiety for kids whose names are perceived as different-I know this too well. Your small effort to pronounce the name correctly, and not look perplexed while taking attendance, can offer a great relief and be incredibly welcoming.

7. Practice visible learning routines. Try See, Think, Wonder and Think, Pair, Share. Engage groups of two to three students in discussing prompts like "I see _____" (about something they're observing), "I think _____" (about what they think might be going on), and "I wonder _____" (which allows students to engage their curiosity). Or reserve time for quiet thinking before pairing and sharing ideas, which builds critical reasoning and safety among learners of different temperaments, cultures, and capacities, and illuminates diverse perspectives through group work.

8. Build global competence. As long as we keep isolating global learning from diversity work in schools, these priorities will both be minimized. We can connect these efforts through many techniques, like the Global Competence framework, and by encouraging professional collaboration across interest areas.

9. Relax and focus. Use relaxation strategies centering in mindfulness prior to conducting difficult conversations on Monday morning-these discussions require their own, set-aside time-to start the week and help unify students.

There's no shortage of techniques that can build safety and inclusion, and your willingness to try any of them sends a strong signal to your students, that their learning, engagement, and voice really matter.

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Being open to talking about race helps foster safety and unity in a multicultural classroom. Here are nine tips to help you prepare.

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How to talk with kids and teens about diversity and inclusion ?

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How to talk with kids and teens about diversity and inclusion ?

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This article helps us with different tips on discussing about diversity and inclusion with children. It also touch bases about the history and recognises inequalities that were faced by people in early days. The article then discusses about utilising social emotional learning and psychological safety to promote an inclusive environment. The article also suggests age appropriate resources, different books and media to watch.

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I read the book Allyship in Action by Julie Kratz and so I asked her to do this guest blog post. Read below for my thoughts on this awesome book. Julie Kratz is a highly-acclaimed TEDx speaker and inclusive leadership trainer who led teams and produced results in corporate America. is a frequent keynote speaker, podcast host , and executive coach. She holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, is a Certified Master Coach, and is a certified unconscious bias trainer. Learn more about her at

If we are still having this tiring, boring conversation about the business case for diversity and why it matters, I will be gravely disappointed. My hope Is that this next generation doesn't have to have these conversations anymore. I hope that the next generation has tools to better understand differences and awareness about inequities and where they exist. They're not raised to be color blind but color brave, they see gender as a spectrum, and they want equality for all.

Talking to your children about diversity, equity, and inclusion is important because they see differences. Children are very quick to speak up about differences not with judgment, but curiosity. They notice someone in a wheelchair, they notice different skin colors, they see a child that has same-sex parents. What they don't know how to do is talk about the differences. They boldly ask direct questions that might feel offensive to adults. They, then in turn, learn negative behavior that's unhelpful to support diversity. They're shushed when they ask uncomfortable questions. They're met with disapproval when they look at someone different too long. This is a problem. If we don't teach our kids how to talk productively about differences they'll learn to ignore them, feel shame when noticing them, and worst of all contribute to further inequality.

History books and lessons over time reinforce white male supremacy. We briefly learn about slavery but don't learn about Jim Crow. We learn about civil rights but we don't learn about mass incarceration. We learn about women that were complicit with men and "good girls" but not about the revolutionary women that made real differences. It's time to teach your kids the real history. It's time to address the systems that we have in place including education and the flaws. History reinforces a white male majority and doesn't leave room for people of color, women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities to see themselves reflected in history. If you're a kid with a unique identity, studying primarily white male history is harmful. If you don't see yourself reflected in our history, how will you know where you belong?

Curious about diversity and inclusion but don't know where to start a conversation with your kids? You are not alone. I've spent over a year researching this with my friend Simone Morris on our podcast , and after interviewing dozens of experts on the topic we have come to learn these truths:

Use Social Emotional Learning to Foster Inclusive Behavior

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning ( ) defines Social Emotional Learning as, "The process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions."

Similar to emotional intelligence, it has the core competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. According to the National Library of Medicine , SEL has positive outcomes on academic performance, citing an 11 percentile point gain in achievement. However, SEL has become a controversial issue amongst many school systems and board meetings. Similar to misunderstandings about Critical Race Theory, SEL has been used as a propaganda campaign to scare parents.

Lack of awareness is one of the primary problems with DEI. For us to be able to have empathetic, vulnerable conversations about differences we must know how to process our emotions. This doesn't have to be complicated. While emotions might feel very complex, having a simple guide to describe your emotions with young people (all people for that matter) is helpful.

My book, , is a children's book designed to spark conversations with our children about diversity and inclusion. It's too late to start talking about diversity and inclusion when people have already grown up and entered the workforce. And it's not too early to start with children as young as five years old. Children need tools to help them express what they're seeing. They need parents, caregivers, and educators to talk with them about these candid issues. They need to learn it's okay to see differences, but it's not okay to treat people differently based on their differences. They need to know that racism and sexism exist and that they have the power with their voices to help end it as allies. Get your copy and free discussion guide at www.TheLittleAllies.com .

I loved by Julie Kratz. this practical and thought-provoking book. Kratz asks important questions for self-reflection, shares 10 practices for living inclusively, current research, and she gives you applicable and actionable steps and activities to take action as an ally. There are self-assessments at the end of each chapter covering topics like empathy, vulnerability, curiosity, emotions, courage, accountability, privilege, and more. I think this would be a great book study text for schools and workplaces. There is even a companion . I found the well-intentioned statements to avoid to be very helpful, as long as the reframes to show empathy.

I read the book Allyship in Action by Julie Kratz and so I asked her to do this guest blog post. Read below for my thoughts on this awesome book. Julie Kratz is a highly-acclaimed TEDx speaker and inclusive leadership trainer who led teams and produced results in corporate America. is a frequent keynote speaker, podcast host , and executive coach. She holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, is a Certified Master Coach, and is a certified unconscious bias trainer. Learn more about her at

If we are still having this tiring, boring conversation about the business case for diversity and why it matters, I will be gravely disappointed. My hope Is that this next generation doesn't have to have these conversations anymore. I hope that the next generation has tools to better understand differences and awareness about inequities and where they exist. They're not raised to be color blind but color brave, they see gender as a spectrum, and they want equality for all.

Talking to your children about diversity, equity, and inclusion is important because they see differences. Children are very quick to speak up about differences not with judgment, but curiosity. They notice someone in a wheelchair, they notice different skin colors, they see a child that has same-sex parents. What they don't know how to do is talk about the differences. They boldly ask direct questions that might feel offensive to adults. They, then in turn, learn negative behavior that's unhelpful to support diversity. They're shushed when they ask uncomfortable questions. They're met with disapproval when they look at someone different too long. This is a problem. If we don't teach our kids how to talk productively about differences they'll learn to ignore them, feel shame when noticing them, and worst of all contribute to further inequality.

History books and lessons over time reinforce white male supremacy. We briefly learn about slavery but don't learn about Jim Crow. We learn about civil rights but we don't learn about mass incarceration. We learn about women that were complicit with men and "good girls" but not about the revolutionary women that made real differences. It's time to teach your kids the real history. It's time to address the systems that we have in place including education and the flaws. History reinforces a white male majority and doesn't leave room for people of color, women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities to see themselves reflected in history. If you're a kid with a unique identity, studying primarily white male history is harmful. If you don't see yourself reflected in our history, how will you know where you belong?

Curious about diversity and inclusion but don't know where to start a conversation with your kids? You are not alone. I've spent over a year researching this with my friend Simone Morris on our podcast , and after interviewing dozens of experts on the topic we have come to learn these truths:

Use Social Emotional Learning to Foster Inclusive Behavior

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning ( ) defines Social Emotional Learning as, "The process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions."

Similar to emotional intelligence, it has the core competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. According to the National Library of Medicine , SEL has positive outcomes on academic performance, citing an 11 percentile point gain in achievement. However, SEL has become a controversial issue amongst many school systems and board meetings. Similar to misunderstandings about Critical Race Theory, SEL has been used as a propaganda campaign to scare parents.

Lack of awareness is one of the primary problems with DEI. For us to be able to have empathetic, vulnerable conversations about differences we must know how to process our emotions. This doesn't have to be complicated. While emotions might feel very complex, having a simple guide to describe your emotions with young people (all people for that matter) is helpful.

My book, , is a children's book designed to spark conversations with our children about diversity and inclusion. It's too late to start talking about diversity and inclusion when people have already grown up and entered the workforce. And it's not too early to start with children as young as five years old. Children need tools to help them express what they're seeing. They need parents, caregivers, and educators to talk with them about these candid issues. They need to learn it's okay to see differences, but it's not okay to treat people differently based on their differences. They need to know that racism and sexism exist and that they have the power with their voices to help end it as allies. Get your copy and free discussion guide at www.TheLittleAllies.com .

I loved by Julie Kratz. this practical and thought-provoking book. Kratz asks important questions for self-reflection, shares 10 practices for living inclusively, current research, and she gives you applicable and actionable steps and activities to take action as an ally. There are self-assessments at the end of each chapter covering topics like empathy, vulnerability, curiosity, emotions, courage, accountability, privilege, and more. I think this would be a great book study text for schools and workplaces. There is even a companion . I found the well-intentioned statements to avoid to be very helpful, as long as the reframes to show empathy.

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How to Talk with Kids About Diversity and Inclusion

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I read the book Allyship in Action by Julie Kratz and so I asked her to do this guest blog post. Read below for my thoughts on this awesome book. Julie Kratz is a highly-acclaimed TEDx speaker and inclusive leadership trainer who led teams and produced results in corporate America.

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This article highlight the definition and the importance of inclusion in an early childhood setting. The article also talk about the social, cognitive development and also the advantages of inclusion for young children. The article then outlines the importance of professional development for educators and family engagement to foster inclusion in and early childhood educational setting.

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Inclusion in early childhood, free resources and professional learning.

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Inclusion in early childhood, free resources and professional learning.

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This article talks about the importance of inclusion in providing quality early childhood education. The article also provides access to different professional development learning resources through e books, online courses, podcasts and animation videos. These resources aim to provide practical approaches to promote an inclusive and supportive environment for children with disabilities and also for children with diverse cultural and family backgrounds.

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Inclusion in early childhood - free resources and professional learning - Early Childhood Australia Learning Hub

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Access, participation and positive outcomes: Inclusion in early childhood is a free resource for educators at every stage of their career. The collection includes: collection of online self-paced professional learning courses series of short animations in accessible language 12-episode podcast series set of downloadable e-books with practical approaches to supporting children's development.

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Early Childhood Australia. (2016). Statement on the inclusion of every child in early childhood education and care. Retrieved from https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Statement-of-Inclusion-2016.pdf

UNICEF. (1989). United Nations convention on the rights of the child. Retrieved from UNICEF website: https://www.unicef.org.au/united-nations-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child

ACECQA. (2022). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (V2.0). Retrieved from https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Burman, L. (2013). Special needs or special rights. Retrieved from https://lisaburman.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/special-needs-or-rights.pdf

UNICEF Philippines. (2016, July 19). See what children with disabilities can do. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from YouTube website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=83&v=rkRyetRMrjQ&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fvucollaborate.vu.edu.au%2F&source_ve_path=MTM5MTE3LDM2ODQyLDEzOTExNywyODY2Ng

WisconsinDPI. (2018, March 1). Meaningful Inclusion in Early Childhood. Retrieved August 2, 2024, from YouTube website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=52&v=a2wJqDw9B68&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fvucollaborate.vu.edu.au%2F&source_ve_path=MzY4NDIsMjg2NjY

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Questions to use in conversation with children ?

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Questions to use in conversation with children ?

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1. Which corner of the classroom do you like the most and which corner of the room you do not like and why ?

This question allows children to express their opinions on what they like and don't like in the classroom. By expressing their opinions children get to know that their opinions are heard and valued. Also this question make children feel the sense of belonging and also makes them feel that their contribution is important in the decision making process. This information from the children not only allows be to understand their developmental needs but also helps me to understand their preferences, strengths, abilities, needs and change the set up of the room accordingly (UNICEF Philippines, 2016), thus promoting an inclusive environment

2. Why do we think we celebrate different festivals around the world ?

This question allows children to think why we celebrate different festivals, thus enhancing them to value and respect other cultures, their language and traditions. This promotes children to understand, respect and appreciate other cultures among children (ACECQA, 2022). Also, it promotes inclusivity in a classroom setting as we celebrate different festivals it created a multicultural classroom setting. This question also helps children to engage in conversations that develops their critical thinking and empathy towards other cultures and in turn will learn to value diversity.

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I believe in an inclusive teaching practice because as a teacher, its my duty to treat every child under my care to be treated equally irrespective of their abilities, family, cultural or socio economic background or learning styles and provide children with a positive and an enriching educational environment.

Inclusion refers to every child's right to a high quality education (UNICEF, 1989) and also their right to feel valued, respected, included as one in the community (Early Childhood Australia, 2016). I believe that all children are capable and competent (ACECQA, 2022), if they are given a right environment that understands them and looks after their specific needs by offering various equitable and participatory experiences that enhances children's learning and development

As a teacher, I believe that creating a sense of belonging is very important for the young children. This can be achieved by creating a positive classroom environment where I get to talk to the child, play with them, try to understand their needs and interests. Thus building positive relationships with children and also by promoting collaborative play among children.

Inclusion means embracing diversity. I believe in a culturally responsive classroom where every child is unique in their own abilities, strengths and interests. I also strongly believe that each and every child is unique and also they have unique interests, strengths and abilities to contribute to their surroundings. Every child need to be recognised and accepted irrespective of their race, cultural, linguistic, socio economic or family background (ACECQA, 2022). I aim to provide children with diverse experiences that makes everyone in the classroom feel connected, and also feel connected to the world around us.

I believe in building a strong and a positive relationships with children's family members and their community as parents are children's first teachers. They are the people who know better about their child and are viewed as the informed decision makers for their child's learning and development (Early Childhood Australia, 2016). So, working in collaboration with them allows us to know more about the child that will eventually impact in child's learning and development. Also building relationships with the local community helps us to create a supportive network that helps children with special needs feel included in the classroom. Building relationships with the community and other care professionals also helps me by providing a range of diverse perspectives and resources which eventually helps me with my professional development. (Early Childhood Australia, 2016)

I believe in reflective practice where I critically reflect on my practices and I am open to improve. Professional development as a teacher is very important as I get to remain updated about the ongoing training on inclusive practices, available support, resources and funding that are beneficial for children and for myself in order to promote a positive and inclusive environment in a classroom setting.

I strongly believe that every child is unique and they learn in different ways. As a teacher, I will have to use different strategies to meet the needs of diverse children. By saying different strategies, it includes utilising different learning styles and resources, hands on learning experiences, , use of visual aids and technology. Thus by implementing different ways of learning helps every child to engage in their learning and are able to achieve their full potential (Burman, 2013).

Thus my philosophy mainly emphasis on treating children equally with respect, make them feel valued, included and belonged. Also I aim to provide an inclusive and a holistic learning environment that helps children to achieve success in future.