Narito ang mga sagot ko sa webinar ng Akadasia na ni-live stream sa Akadasia Facebook page ngayong Marso 9, 2022. Ang pamagat ng webinar ay Finding Common Ground: How to Understand, Address and Improve Diversity and Inclusion. Kasama kong tagapagsalita sina Ms Zahara Chowdhury, founder ng School Should Be, at si Ms Saima Razzaq, head ng Diversity and Inclusion ng Birmingham Pride, parehong taga-United Kingdom. It was moderated by Dr. Kirsten Bartels, Chief Academics Officer ng Akadasia US.
Maraming salamat sa imbitasyon ng organizer na si Mr. Jake Aragon, head ng Akademiks ng Akadasia Philippines.
1. Why do you believe Diversity matters?
Because the real world is diverse, and diversity makes our life exciting.
If there is just one color in this world, that would be so boring.
If there is just one kind of clothes that everybody wears, we would all look the same.
2. What does inclusion mean to you?
Inclusion means we consider others in all that we do. We listen to them, we talk to them, we read about them, we try their food, we try to experience what they experience, we try to pronounce their words, we try to experience what they experience.
In short, inclusion means we go out of our comfort zone, we try something new, so that it will enrich our own perspective. We also introduce ourselves to others, so others will learn from our own experiences.
For example, if we love reading books, we must go out of our comfort zone, by checking out books that we have not yet encountered. It could be about the experiences of the opposite sex, a certain religion, a certain age group, someone from another place, or has a special kind of occupation.
I will share to you a book that we have launched last year. Our team created this book and it included literary works from various languages in the Philippines, which we always do in every issue of Ani, the official literary journal of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. But what is special in this issue is we have a section that featured literary and artworks about travel, that were created by the persons with disability.
ANI 41
Another example here is the book In Certain Seasons Mothers Write in the Time of Covid Crisis. We have conceptualized this book using the gap that we saw in the production of books during the height of our lockdown and crisis in 2020 and 2021. There were many literary books that were published by men. Most of them were old men. There were none by women, old women or women old enough to be mothers. That’s why we created this book.
In Certain Seasons
3. What makes a school inclusive? What are practical ways for a teacher to demonstrate inclusion in the classroom?
It is possible that the things that I will share with you are already being done in our schools and by our teachers.
But during my time as a student, when I was in high school, our teacher in English subject, required us to read books that were really out of this world. Mrs. Borja required us to read The Scarlet Letter. I tried so hard to find that book in the second hand bookstore. I could not afford a brand new copy. I already forgot if I was able to find one and if I was able to read it, but even if I did, I did not understand anything at all. It was about adultery in the 1850s that happened in the American society. That was inclusion, right? Something out of the comfort zone of the students?! Hahaha!
Of course not.
Inclusion in our classroom could have started with Mrs. Borja asking us, her students, for our recommendation to be included in the class reading list. This might mean additional reading materials and effort for Mrs. Borja, but this would have updated Mrs. Borja’s class reading list. She would not be stuck with 1850 American literature for her Filipino junior and senior high school students.
Mrs. Borja might be surprised to know that many of us her students loved reading and were book lovers, as well. During that time, I read novenas, Archie comics, Sweet Valley Twins, romance novels in Filipino, and complicated novels such as The Pelican Brief, a copy that was owned by my father.
3. How does diversity and inclusive education promote successful learning?
To have diversity and inclusive education is like teaching our kids to think outside the box. All bases covered. It is like thinking what others will think about a project, or how others will perceive about a project.
In short, diversity and inclusive education help us to imagine, from another point of view. They help us be more creative. And being creative is a very essential skill in learning, because it promotes use of imagination, and it promotes not giving up.
These two: diversity and inclusive education, will make our kids think: have I considered everything? Have I covered all bases? What else can be done?
I also have to mention this: being creative is important especially now that everything can be automated. Everything can be done by the artificial intelligence. The only things that the AI cannot do are to have feelings like a human being, and to be creative.
Diversity and inclusive education promote learning through the use of imagination and by teaching us to always consider others, considering others is the heart of education.
4. Diversity is such a broad topic — from race to gender identity to age to so many other things — what practical tips do you have for a teacher who wants to start engaging with issues of diversity and inclusion in their classroom?
First is acceptance of our own limitations. We have to be ok with that. We cannot introduce everything to our students. We need our co-teachers help, the students help, their parents, and the internet’s help in presenting a diverse and inclusive classroom. Let us be honest with our students that our own perspective may not represent all the interesting things in the world, and it is ok that all together it is good to explore many, many points of view.
5. What can a teacher do to encourage friendships and social connections in an inclusive classroom?
More creations from various point of views- This will make the students do research.
More listening activities- THIS IS A BIG CHALLENGE
More reading activities-
More trips- if possible, community trips, not the touristy one- BIG CHALLENGE ESPECIALLY if done now that we still have the covid crisis.
Do not be pressured to do any of the activities that we have suggested in this webinar. One step at a time is still the best. I know that we are busy all throughout the academic year.
6. How can teachers collaborate with parents and other school stakeholders in promoting inclusive education?
This will take time, and most probably the parents will not participate. They have to take care of the household and their jobs, and their kids, and so on.
I guess, the most efficient way to do this is through a survey, let the parents answer a survey where they can contribute ideas, activities, recommendations, etc. You may let the survey be anonymous so the parents can go wild and be adventurous in their suggestions.
