VIEWS & OPINION We must have diverse voices in education Comment by CHARLES GOLDING, co-founder of Cargo Classroom
Racism in education is a pervasive and deeply ingrained problem that continues to plague schools across England. Despite efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the classroom, many students from marginalised backgrounds still face discrimination and bias from their peers and educators. Racism in education is not only harmful to students from minority backgrounds, but it also undermines
the overall quality of education in the UK. It creates a divide among students and hinders their ability to learn and grow together. To combat racism in education, there must be a concerted effort to address the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities. We need to promote diversity and inclusion among educators. We must also tackle the pervasive stereotypes and biases that continue to harm students from many backgrounds.
One of the biggest challenges in modern education is the lack of representation and inclusion of diverse perspectives. Traditional curricula often focus on the achievements and experiences of powerful, dominant groups, leaving the experiences of marginalised communities largely unseen and unheard. This lack of representation can lead to a distorted view of our global society, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and biases. Visual learning is at the heart of the CARGO classroom resource series. The lessons feature illustration, photo collage and video to help engage students. By utilising the visual aids on offer within the resources and incorporating these elements into the learning process, educators can enhance the learning experience. This often results in a greater retention
of information, deeper understanding of the material, and more effective engagement.
Beth Holland, a history teacher from Bristol, recounts her apprehension when starting to teach more diverse resources to her class, wondering if she could teach the material to the best of her ability. She found teaching alternative resources straightforward, her students diligently followed the material and she felt confident delivering them. The resources are designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing teachers to incorporate them into their existing modules and lesson plans. Beth believes the learning experience doesn’t have to be in isolation. She went on a journey with her class, adding to the learning experience and overall engagement. The importance of teaching a diverse perspective should not be underestimated. A more inclusive and varied curriculum can help to promote understanding and empathy among students and can help to challenge harmful stereotypes and biases. It can also help students to see themselves and their communities represented in educational narratives, fostering a sense of belonging and connection to the past. Jason Arday, Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Glasgow, says: “The central premise of education is to prepare people to take their place within society.” He doesn’t believe the current curricula adequately prepares students for life within a multicultural society. Our resources provide teachers with a wealth of information and materials on the histories and experiences of marginalised groups, as well as a framework for incorporating these perspectives into their teaching. By using diverse education resources, teachers can help to promote understanding and empathy among students and can help to challenge harmful stereotypes and biases.
Adventurous eating … with a monster Comment by SAL McKEOWN, independent journalist and editor
They say we eat with our eyes but according to SAPERE, all five senses are involved. SAPERE is an international not-for-profit, dedicated to getting children to look at food in a different light and experience the joys and pleasures of eating.
Their approach is a far cry from the healthy eating anti-obesity agenda and, in the nicest possible way, it encourages children to play
with their food, listening to the sound of sugar snap peas, running their hands over the smooth skin of an aubergine or feeling the prickles on a pineapple.
Dr Lucy Cooke, child feeding specialist, has teamed up with Teach Your Monster, a non-profit funded by The Usborne Foundation, to create the game Adventurous Eating, similar in style to Teach Your Monster to Read and Teach Your Monster Number Skills. The monsters in the other games had proved to be a highly effective strategy to get children to engage in reading and number skills. Now they hope to create a generation of three- to six-year-olds who will enjoy a wide range of fruit and vegetables, from peas and pears, to peppers, pineapples, plums, plantains, papayas and parsnips. This is an excellent time for Teach Your Monster to make the game available. Young children are vulnerable to TV advertising and this
January 2023
rarely focuses on the delights of fruit and vegetables. In June 2021 the government promised to restrict TV and online junk food adverts to children by the end of 2022. But this has not been achieved. There are still many adverts for breakfast cereals, fast food and high fat, high sugar snacks. With cost of living increases, plus reliance on free school meals and food banks, some children end up with a monotonous diet. However, children can be notoriously picky eaters and many would happily eat the same thing day after day.
It is early days but Teach Your Monster Adventurous Eating has been tested over a million times by over 350000 children around the world. The foods are shown in close up: the swirl of purple and white in a sliced red cabbage, the hollow peppers, the brightly coloured flesh and contrasting seeds of a melon. There is so much to explore and discuss and introduce to the monster.
One parent has found it a boon already: ‘My child has food aversion and normally requires weeks of occupational therapy to try a new food. After playing your Adventurous Eating game they tried seven new foods! I made a little notebook so they could rate and tell me how each food felt, smelled, looked, sounded, and tasted, just like in your game. I also asked them to rate them on a scale one to ten, and if they would ever try it again. Out of the 7 different foods my child tried, they liked 2 of them. That is HUGE progress for them. Thank you!’
For more information, and to see if it could work for you, go to
https://tym.st/et-ae-web
www.education-today.co.uk 21
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