Diversity is a range of different things exist around us. Everything/everybody is different from the rest because it has its own identity, characteristics and needs. It is what makes society be enriching because no every living is equal to other. Diversity can be explained in two different aspects, biodiversity and cultural diversity.
Biodiversity is the variety of life. It makes reference of nature where there is a diversity of varieties, species, habitats and ecosystems that exist around us. Scotland’s biodiversity is special because there are around 90.000 different species because of the variety of habitats and scenery. The causes of this may be explained by the weather, characterized by being a wet weather and a great range of geology and landforms, such as islands, mountains, plateaux, rivers… some symbols of Scottish culture are the eagle, deer, Scots Pine, red squirrel and more. Scotland is recognized by its clean air, clean water and wilderness areas, and for the biodiversity associated with these natural attributes. (Scottish Executive, 2004).
Biodiversity has an essential role in the world because it provides our food resources, medical discoveries and ecological services, because of this, every person must be taken care of it and collaborate to its conservation. It is important to explain that threats are caused mainly by human factors but they can be caused by natural factors as well, some of them are: residential and commercial development what affects natural spaces to promote tourism and create industrial areas; transport has a negative effects because of the construction of roads; biological resource use by collecting animals, gathering plants and harvesting tres; natural system modifications such as fire; pollution; climate change; geological events like volcanoes, tsunamis… Despite this, people may have an important role to promote its conservation. They can act in different ways to try to make disappear or at least reduce the biodiversity threats (Salafsky, N. et al., 2008) I think it is important to create awareness of this issue in schools to teach children that human being are not the only ones who live in the Earth, but there are more living beings and in fact they are crucial to our life and thus we have to conserve them as much as possible. It is essential to show children what is around them and the importance it has for us. It could be a good option to visit zoos with children to show them the different animals that exist, this is what teachers use to do, however, personally, it is not the best option. The best place to learn and understand what biodiversity is, is outdoors, in the forest or at the field, in this way children could make a connection between living beings and ecosystems and habitats. Outdoors, animals can be free, breathe fresh air and feed by themselves, what is known as the food chain, this is the most natural living process and what children should learn as biodiversity.
In relation to cultural diversity, is the whole of people who have different ethnic, race, skin colour, religion, sex, needs or sexual orientation. Different people, make an enrich society and everybody can learn from each other. Everybody has different characteristics, what makes people be different and unique in the world, however, sometimes society creates discrimination to them for being different from the rest. Racism is the discrimination to people who have different ethnic, race or skin colour, in spite of the fact a lot of years ago it existed in a higher level and nowadays the level of racism is lower, it still exists in society. The triracial system classifies traditional whites as the leaders, in the middle group of “honorary whites” and finally the “collective black” at the bottom. (Kim, Y. and Calzada, E. J., 2018). Nowadays, fortunately, my peers and young people understand in most of the cases that there’s no difference between races because all of us are people who have the same rights. For this, teachers haven’t to make difference between races, religions or skin colours because everybody is people who deserve respect and love. If an education promotes these values based on the respect, children won’t make exclusions in class or groups in the class according to the race, they will be nice with everybody and even they will feel proud of having a friend who is from a different country than his/hers. We have to remind that children will be what they learn in their education so it is essential to provide an education based on the respect above all.
The same occurs in terms of sexual orientation, people who have a different sexual orientation to heterosexual, such as bisexual and homosexual, suffer discrimination from society as well. It is the same problem as racism, years ago the homophobia was present every day, and nowadays although people started to accept it, there is still a lot of work to do to the complete acceptance. In the beginning, with the first homosexual rights movements in the late nineteenth century, there has been an effort to use scientific knowledge to emancipate homosexual men and women from legal punishment and medical treatment. (Minton, H. L., 2002) Despite this, I would like to highlight the evolution that society has made throughout years in relation to this issue because in early years punishment and treatments exist against this and now an open mind and acceptance from people exist. This is a poster that I found a couple weeks ago at the train, what promotes the respect for people who is homosexual and is an example of the evolution of society.
My peers, as the youngest people grew up being open minded because most of them know at least one person around them being homosexual and through their experience, they have realized any time how a person may feel if he/she is discriminated because of sexual orientation. They have lived this struggle in a closer way so they can empathize more with these people and understand them. Children will do as well if their parents participate in it. If teachers and parents teach children that love doesn’t have gender, they will understand it without any problem. They will understand love as a free feeling and even they will be able to feel and choose whatever the sexual orientation they want without any fear, unlike some years ago. They will learn that love is what really matters and not who you love.
According to generic skills, being analytical, critical thinker, collaborative and socially responsible is essential to achieve the aim of this issue. A teacher must analyse the situation in which society is to work on it, at the same time, critical thinking must be present in the class to develop thinking skills and learn from other thoughts as well, and finally, collaboration and responsibility are crucial to achieve the aim and improve what is not good enough yet. Children have to participate as a group team to reduce the problems still exist nowadays and learn that each action will have an effect. They will reflect on issues and what is around to have an analysis process.
In relation to the specific ones, the most important are:
2.1.1 Plan coherent, progressive teaching programmes which match their pupils’ needs and abilities, and justify what they teach.
2.1.2 Communicate effectively, using a variety of media, to stimulate pupils and achieve the objectives of lessons.
2.1.4 Set expectations and a pace of work which makes appropriate demands on all pupils.
2.1.5 Work effectively in co-operation with other professionals, staff and parents in order to promote learning
It essential to taking account the children needs and adapt the content for them, it is impossible to offer the same stuff for every child because they don’t have the same intellectual level either needs. On the contrary, children may feel undervalued and less skilled than others. Communication between teachers and pupils must be clear to have the main same message about what they have to work and learn, it is important using different resources to motivate them. The pace of work must be part of the learning process because this issue requires respect above all and responsibility to work. Children will feel that each participant is important and they are part of the working process. Finally, working with parents in a collaboratively way is essential to teach the values and skills must be provided in this issue. Work between parents and teachers must be related to each other to achieve the best results for the children. I am achieving these skills because a couple years ago I wasn’t aware of the importance the collaboration between teachers and parents, but throughout the last years, I have realized that is a crucial part of children education to achieve the best education as possible. Finally, these skills can be used in any other areas to have the best Maths or Language results if we collaborate with parents, use different media to motivate children and create a good atmosphere in class to make children work and help each other.
Scottish Executive. (2004) Scotland’s Biodiversity. It’s In Your Hands. [Moodle Resource] Available: Sustanaible Development. [Accessed 3 December 2018]
Salafsky, N. et al. (2008) A Standard Lexicon for Biodiversity Conservation: Unified Classifications of Threats and Actions. Conservation Biology. [Online] 22(4), 879-911. Available: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.00937.x [Accessed 3 December 2018]
Kim, Y. and Calzada, E. J. (2018) Skin Color and Academic Achievement in Young, Latino Children: Impacts Across Gender and Ethnic Group. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. [Online] Available: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=f529b7fb-fa80-4860-bafa-c23d5f731193%40sessionmgr4010 [Accessed 3 December 2018]
Minton, H. L. (2002) Departing from Deviance: A History of Homosexual Rights and Emancipatory Science in America. [Online] Available: http://chicago.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.7208/chicago/9780226304458.001.0001/upso-9780226530437
