Diversity within learning for sustainability refers to both biodiversity and cultural diversity. Considering cultural diversity in a primary school setting is essential for meeting the following outcomes:
- I can gather and use information about forms of discrimination against people in societies and consider the impact this has on people’s lives.
SOC 2-16b - I can discuss issues of the diversity of cultures, values and customs in our society.
SOC 2-16c - By comparing the lifestyle and culture of citizens in another country with those of Scotland, I can discuss the similarities and differences.
SOC 2-19a - I make decisions and take responsibility in my everyday experiences and play, showing consideration for others.
SOC 0-17a - By exploring the ways in which we use and need rules, I can consider the meaning of rights and responsibilities and discuss those relevant to me.
SOC 1-17a - I can describe the main features of a democracy and discuss the rights and responsibilities of citizens in Scotland.
SOC 2-17a - I can investigate the features of an election and the work of representatives at a local, national or European level to begin to develop my understanding of how democracy works.
SOC 2-18a - I can expect my learning environment to support me to:
develop my self-awareness, self-worth and respect for others
acknowledge diversity and understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to challenge discrimination. - I know that friendship, caring, sharing, fairness, equality and love are important in building positive relationships. As I develop and value relationships, I care and show respect for myself and others.
HWB 0-05a / HWB 1-05a / HWB 2-05a / HWB 3-05a / HWB 4-05a - As I explore the rights to which I and others are entitled, I am able to exercise these rights appropriately and accept the responsibilities that go with them. I show respect for the rights of others.
HWB 0-09a / HWB 1-09a / HWB 2-09a / HWB 3-09a / HWB 4-09a
It is also essential for ensuring that children develop caring attitudes and non-discriminatory perceptions of people who are different to them. This is an increasingly important issue due to the rising population of our country and the world and due to the increase in immigration. Britain is a culturally diverse country which means that we see and meet people who are different to us (in terms of looks, beliefs, sexualities, and abilities) every day. Over time that has impacted British culture and it is important that children become aware of differences and understand that we are all equal. I am a strong believer that no child is born with discriminatory attitudes and that sadly, these are installed in people by society. This must end and as children spend so much time in primary school, learning from their teachers and their peers, it is the perfect context within which to develop values and to take responsibility for preventing discrimination in the present time and the future.
In all primary classes I would focus on the children’s charter and on the rules within the classroom. Making children aware of their rights in simplified terms and exposing them to concepts similar to political processes such as voting for class representatives and class rules, will hopefully help them to develop a feeling of some power over their lives. This can also lead to conversations about why we need rights and what they mean for us. Children could also learn about different cultures through language, food, music, dance and by exploring the traditional clothes that people of different cultures wear. By learning about these throughout the year children will hopefully be less likely to develop an ‘us’ and ‘them’ attitude as they will have learned about different cultures and explored why they might eat different foods/dress differently to people of other cultures. Not directly comparing one culture to typical western culture can also help to prevent an ‘us’ and ‘them’ attitude; instead we should say “Why might people of this culture eat this food?” rather than “Why do they eat different foods to us?”. Bilingual books and wall displays, and the celebration of different cultural events may also be a good way to develop an attitude of different cultures as the norm and will develop a class and school respect for different cultures. In terms of disability awareness, we could arrange to play a disability friendly sport such as wheelchair basketball as part of a basketball P.E. block. We could also take part in challenges such as watching a video with no sound to see if we can read the lips of those talking – demonstrating the challenges faced by people with a hearing impairment. This could then lead to discussions about how they over come these barriers and could lead to a topic learning sign language. It is also important to discuss discrimination directly and to talk about the impacts it has on people, why it is wrong, and what we can do to combat it.
Biodiversity is also a very important topic which children must learn about. An appreciation with biodiversity will help them to understand the importance of different species on Earth and why we need to conserve them and treat them well. It also develops a general respect for the environment and for all living things.
To explore this in a primary school I have considered the way in which my lessons could plan out:
Overall, learning about diversity is essential for children to develop a respect for the world in terms of the environment and society and for them to develop compassion for others, as well as an understanding of the importance of difference.
