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Seminar Focus: Recap and Review: Thinking through the approach of this unit and preparing for a placement in teaching for diversity

Draw a graphic/logo/emblem/motif to depict where are currently placed in relation to difference, diversity and being a teacher for diversity

Although drawing is not one of my strengths I have attempted to draw the world with people holding hands surround it. I have drawn the world and coloured it in using more than just the 'normal' colours which are green and blue. I have used the same colours I drew my people in to represent that there is no normality and that there is a place in the world for everyone. While my people may look 'normal' I wanted to represent that we do not know their cultures, their lives and their stories so there is no room for judgement, preconceptions and racism. I also wanted to represent that despite all our differences and uniqueness we are all humans at the end of the day. We live and breathe the same air and ultimately if we have started a life on Earth we will end our life on Earth too.

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Seminar Focus: Recap and Review: Thinking through the approach of this unit and preparing for a placement in teaching for diversity

Where did you start? Where are you now? in understanding 'difference' and teaching for diversity?
Where did I start? I walked into the first class of Teaching for Diversity with what was a very vague understanding of the word diversity. I would have liked to thought that I had an understanding what teaching meant as I have been studying it for the past three years and a half. Having had five seminars my definition and understanding for the word diversity has definitely broadened. Of course I understood that teachers had to cater for ALL students but it wasn't until this subject where my thinking has broadened. I didn't think about the different cultures teachers had to cater too, I had understood and experienced that some students had different learning needs, had learning disabilities and I was able to cater for that but learning the theory behind it and why we have to was explored. That is what diversity is. It is acceptable of EVERYONE and making sure that no student gets left behind or no student is disadvantaged because of who they are or where they may have come from.

What have I learned about 'difference' and teaching for diversity?
Difference is everywhere and everyone is different. Despite being in the same family and have the same parents my sister and I are completely different. If the two of us sharing the same blood are different it is only normal for everyone else to be just as unique. As teachers we must be able to acknowledge these differences because ultimately no one will be 'normal'. There is no way to define normal as everyone is unique and different. We must value these differences so students can look up to us and practice the same.

What difference has the dialogical nature of seminars made to this learning?
In seminars there were a lot of discussions and a lot of expressed feelings. The seminar I was in was a perfect depiction of what you could call a diverse classroom. Students were from all different background, all different religions, races, cultures and ultimately every one was just different and unique. As the seminars consisted of expressing our feelings on topics for the week it was interesting to listen and grasp what everyone had to say. Examples could include of what racism is and if it is even real or gender stereotypes that are evident in the world. Most of the students in the class had a lot of expressions they wanted to express, including myself, and honestly I don't and still don't know if I agreed with many of the students. When the topics of racism and stereotypes were discussed I was honestly quite offended but I tried not to take offence to it and acted like it didn't bother me. On the other hand some on the comments made by students made me question their train of thought but it was only a matter of time until I realised that these colleges would also be educators of the future too and may think that my train of though is incorrect. It wasn't until a couple weeks into this subject I realised that this classroom could be a clear depiction of my own classroom in the next couple of years. After realising this it made me realised that I was no one to think that they are wrong or they may be 'weird' but rather I must see where they are coming from and accept that; this is what this subject is teaching us, to accept and understand differences. Although I may not have the same opinions I must be able to provide an environment that is conducive to learning as if a student is uncomfortable, not respected or not safe their chances to perform well at school may be decreased. I think that the dialogical nature of these seminars were well set out as it allowed us to see our future classrooms.

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Seminar Focus: Taking on matters of 'normal' and 'ability': Identifying issues for teachers and students

Pre-service teachers need to be able to accept and value what their students perceive as normal. Examples can be explored as Muslims fast during the Ramadan month. While this is a 'normal' practice for Muslims students who are not Muslim may not be able to understand this religious practice thus as teachers we must be able to properly explain this.

Another example is the acceptance of same sex couples. It is becoming a normality to our world today, something that would have been forbidden 50 years ago. We, as teachers, must cater for all students despite them fitting our own description of normal'

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A 'normal' baby

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A 'normal' bed

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A 'normal' alphabet

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A 'normal' dog

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Seminar Focus: Taking on matters of 'normal' and 'ability': Identifying issues for teachers and students

I have completed the activity of looking for images that define what a 'normal' dog, bed, alphabet and baby look like to me.

What does normal even mean?

The images I have chosen to me are probably only 'normal' to me. How can we define what normal is to anyone apart from ourselves? The 'normal' dog is my own dog. Due to the fact that I have had this dog a couple of years now she now is the 'normal' dog I think of.

The 'normal' alphabet is a H because my name starts with H.

The 'normal' bed is the closest bed to what looks like mine. A double bed with two pillows on each side and simple sheets.

The 'normal' baby to me is that cartoon baby. One that looks fairly happy with a dummy in their mouth.

My normal will be different to people that may not have a dog, has a different name and have a different size bed. Being able to describe what normal is merely impossible. These images are my normality as I have grown up with these things and people who have had a different upbringing with describe their normal differently.

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Far Right Senator Pauline Hanson Wants Autistic Children Removed From Mainstream Classrooms  Full

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Far-Right Senator Pauline Hanson Wants Autistic Children Removed From Mainstream Classrooms (Full)

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Seminar Focus: Visions ad Versions of 'diversity' .....and their various effects
Pauline Hanson's recent public comment concerning the schooling of students with disabilities, particularly Autism (Linked above)
Children/Students who have Autism are all different. There is no doubt about this. The Autistic spectrum is very broad meaning that children who have this maybe at very different ends of line. Pauline Hanson, an Australian Politician, recently came out to say that children with Autism needs to be removed from mainstream classrooms.

Honestly this is an issue that I sit on the fence about.
The reason for this is, I am very close with two families that have children with Autism. While they have both been diagnosed with the same disability the two children are very different. The son of one of the family's attends a mainstream school and has a Teacher's AIDE assisting him. I am also able to sit with him and have a conversation with him with minimal understanding difficulties. On the other hand the other family's daughter would be sitting on the severe spectrum of Autism. She is unable to sit at a table without yelling, fidgeting or constantly touching something with her hand. I am also unable to have a conversation with her as her vocabulary is very minimal and consists of very basic words such as 'no more', 'yes' and stop.

Due to these contrasting differences I have stated that I am 50/50 with this debate. Yes, I agree that students who have a mild case of Autism should be in mainstream classrooms with the assistance of a Teacher's AIDE. While students who have a severe case and need more attention from teachers should attend a school with consists of smaller classrooms and more teachers. Having had a conversation with both families they have said that they are comfortable with the decision they have made in regards to their children's education. The mother of the daughter stated that she couldn't imagine the disruption her daughter and students like her daughter could make within a mainstream class.

Learning about the concepts of diversity, I am fully aware of and practicing to be a teacher who caters for diversity. This mean being able to cater for diverse cultures, religions and teaching disabilities and allowing all students to be welcomed.

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Seminar Focus - Interfacing Policy and Practice in Education

During our first class of this subject we watched a YouTube video on what 'stigma' means and what it is. If I was asked the same question my answer would be very simple as I am also not very aware of fond of the word.
First, I questioned why we were learning about this but as we explored over the two hours I understood why we needed to be educated.

stig ma
noun
A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person.

Examples include
- ALL Asians are smart
- ALL Muslims are terrorists
- People with mental illnesses are crazy
- Boys who dance are gay
- Girls who wear only wear pants are lesbians

As final year education students, it is essential that we know what the term means and how as an educator we can break these stigmas down in order to create a healthy environment for all our students. It is important that we are taught this in our diversity class as undoubtably we will encounter students who may be suffering with racial and social stigmas. For my students I plan to create a classroom environment where all students feel valued and equal. A classroom where there is no superiority over races, discriminations of genders and no preconceived biases.

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Unpacking the virtual school bag
Thomson (2002)

The weekly reading for this week was somewhat interesting as I was able to relate to Thanh in many ways. I was born and raised in Melbourne's Eastern suburbs and similarly my parents were immigrants from South Korea. My parents left their families and everything they had and moved down to what they expected to be a 'better opportunity at life'. Being immigrants meant that they were not able to speak English meaning that they had to start from rock bottom and build themselves to worth. Just like Thanh's parents they owned a little restaurant and they did not have much of an income which meant that whatever they earned was invested into my sister and myself. While our family wasn't granted and blessed with excessive amounts of money my parents supported us financially in every way so we wouldn't have to go through the hardship they did when they first came migrated.

When I met classmates like Vicki I was jealous that her family was educated, could speak English to her parents and ultimately might have has greater opportunities than myself throughout her educational life.

Growing up now and thinking that my parents fled their home country at my age I am so grateful and blessed and it is only something that I am realising now. It is incredible how much my parents and their generation would have given up for their children and for us to have a better life in Australia.

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Seminar Focus - Personalising Privilege

In Week 2's seminar the topic of privilege and how this can affect a student's education was discussed. While the discussion was mainly focused on the students, a heated debated of privilege was also discussed. While many of the Caucasian students in the class did not believe there was such thing a 'white privilege' many of the students with ethic backgrounds had contrasting opinions. Being of an Asian descent I argued that the students who were 'white' would not have any idea as to the racial discriminations ethic students and families would have encountered.

Thus, while the students argued that racism is not as evident in Australian than American my views were different. Caucasian students would not know any different as they live in a country that is known to be multicultural but ironically still  carries social and racial injustices.

A personal example is that people who have not met me personally or just see my name and my physical appearance always mistake me in being an international student. My parents did not give me a 'normal' name as they did not want to me lose their ethnicity but I wondered if they ever considered that I would always be stereotyped as a F.O.B. (Fresh Off the Boat)

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What does 'Teaching for Diversity' mean?
The word 'diverse' itself is 'diverse' making it harder to explain. Diversity can be defined as differences, distinct and various. These differences can be in countries, cultures, religions or simply just the differences of you and I.
Studying to be an educator, a mentor, and a role model to our students, we must show the acceptance of diversity in our own classrooms. This can be practiced through recognising all our students as individuals, as being unique and being able to cater for them. These differences can be seen through the way they learn, their reading ability, their learning ability or differences in the cultures, religions and genders. By making all students comfortable and accepted in your classroom I, as a teacher would be practicing and exemplifying that am I able to teach for diversity.
This Padlet invites you see the curated work over the 6 seminars and the topics, concepts and ideas I have developed.