CULTURAL DIVERSITY
tolerance on current events? What is a stereotype, is it right to treat those who look different differently? Using an assembly on Dr Seuss’ The Sneetches, we saw how we are the same but different, and how important it is to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. Just by discussing the word tolerance, its meanings and nuances enables us to refer back to it at a later date which fosters positive behaviour.”
Of course VbE is not the only systemic
approach. UNICEF, for example, runs the the Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) an initiative which encourages schools to place the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at the heart of its ethos and curriculum. Given that Robert Green Ingersoll once said, "Tolerance is giving to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself," the idea of educating children about rights should have a powerful impact on the way cultural diversity is managed. Frances Bestley, Programme Director RRSA at
UNICEF UK says, “The whole purpose of RRS is to provide a safe and inspiring place to learn.” The programme supplies training support, information and resources on its site. It is a standards based award with clear, expected outcomes that are assessed by UNICEF UK. Philosophy for Children (P4C) fits well in this
framework. Amelia Foster, chief executive of SAPERE, the UK charity which trains 4,000 teachers a year in P4C explains, “P4C is about dialogical teaching, collaborative thinking and learning through metacognition. The focus in P4C is the community of enquiry – where everyone works together, providing mental and social tools for managing interactions safely. In terms of managing diversity, it gives children the opportunity to explore differences in a space where everything is valued.” Paul Jackson, head teacher at Manorfield
One systemic approach to tackling diversity in
your school is Values Based Education (VbE). Nigel Cohen at the International Values-based Education Trust says that the objective is to help children develop their personal competences, such as skills, understanding, beliefs and intelligences, pulling these together to build their social competences. The goal, says Cohen, “is the ability for students to understand themselves better, and other people better, so that they can engage better.“ The approach is based on the fact that children
pick up behaviour based not on what they hear, but on what they experience. To be effective, a school runs through a process with staff and then pupils, to define the values they want to live by and ensure that these are modelled and followed throughout the school. Cohen says within 2-3 months it’s possible to see children solving their own disputes in the playground in fairly mature discussions, even if it takes a few years to fully embed the practice.
January 2017
Primary, where 60 per cent of the school is pupil premium, is a major supporter of P4C. He points out that children are always falling out, even when it’s not race or colour related. But at Manorfield every class has a weekly P4C lesson because he says, “Approaches like P4C lets children explore ideas, teaches them to respect individuals, disagree constructively and that’s the approach we’re taking.” The question that he is now trying to address is how to do this as a wider community, not just as a school as he says, “We might have different lives but we are very similar.” Sammy Rosehill, assistant head at Alma Primary
agrees saying, “As educators it’s key to prepare children for the diverse, multicultural society in which we live.” She says, “As a faith school we teach the core values of Judaism – being kind, better yourself, be a good person – every religion at their core wants people to be good people, better people.” The school runs regular learning days that support concepts like Creativity and Culture, even Red Nose Day which helps children learn about the importance of engaging in charity and encouraging children to share their experiences.
The school took part in Tolerance Day and
Rosehill says, “It was amazing. We talked about the US, Brexit and the children’s opinions. We even took the opportunity to elect a school council and it was about celebrating achievements, celebrating collaboration and the fact that they might have their turn next.” She says, “At Alma our teaching is about
developing your own identity”. The school is very much focused on a personalised learning experience and ensuring that every child develops according to their own interests and ability. Rosehill adds, “It’s not about imposition of an opinion, we want to help develop responsible, independent learners and enable them to take control of their learning. We want our children to be the best they can be – every child in their own way.” One of the common threads that runs through
all these programmes is a belief that education is about more than data. Most are big on nurture, providing children with a voice, thinking and feeling about thoughts and feelings, which can help children develop social skills, especially in how to deal with differences and division. This can lead to open-minded, flexible thinking and at their heart they are all about the well-being of the child. There can be little doubt that these initiatives offer tools to help any school manage the challenges of diversity. And if a school doesn’t have a diverse pupil base, these approaches can help teach children to value diversity in society overall, something important to us all.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Empathy Lab
http://www.empathylab.uk/
Learn2Think Foundation
www.learn2think.org.uk and
www.toleranceday.org
Citizenship Foundation
www.citizenshipfoundation.org and
www.gogivers.org
Values based Education
http://www.valuesbasededucation.com/
Rights Respecting Schools
https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights- respecting-schools/
P4C
www.sapere.org
If your school is interested in taking part in an EEF part-funded P4C trial over the next five years please contact Bob House at
bobhouse@sapere.org.uk
www.education-today.co.uk 31
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