1: Awareness of diversity in your classroom

Diversity is both visible and invisible. Some aspects of diversity are visible, and you might feel able to identify some of these aspects in your classrooms, but we should all beware of noticing only these visible indicators of diversity and making assumptions based on these. We should also not forget about invisible or less obvious types of diversity, such as cultural background, first language, disability and health conditions, or rainbow identities.

Consider this image below. There are students in this classroom with a range of apparent ethnicities, ages, and religious traditions. This might give you some ideas about how you might want to design and deliver your teaching to ensure they are all included. But what else would you want to know about these students in order to help them with their learning?

* Click on the hotspots on the image to find out more about University of Auckland student diversity.

What ideas did you have? What did the statistics tell you? Were there any surprises? Do they match your experience as a student or as a tutor at the university?

It is difficult to know the full extent of the diversity of your classroom without asking, but that may not be appropriate! (However, it is good practice to include in your syllabus/course outline or when you first teach the students a statement inviting students to get in touch with you if they would like to disclose any circumstances that might impact on their learning. Your Course Director/Co-ordinator will be able to give you more advice about how to do this.) Rather than directly asking each of your students about their backgrounds, it is instead better to assume a wide diversity and work on creating an inclusive teaching environment so that all learners will be able to engage.

2: Awareness of your own perspective

The first step in creating an inclusive teaching environment is to understand your own perspective. How you teach is shaped by your own experiences and positionality, so it's important to be reflective about your own beliefs and approaches when it comes to teaching and learning.

There is a wide literature about positionality in teaching, and you can find some relevant readings in the Talis Reading List if you are interested in exploring further.