Introduction

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTEffective learning environments are those that consistently foster student achievement.The performance of all students is strengthened when the diversity of the class isrecognized and valued.Acknowledging students’ different backgrounds and experiences is best accomplishedby weaving appropriate examples throughout lessons in all subject areas. Learningoccurs when students are exposed to the unfamiliar. Discussing viewpoints andsharing aspects of different cultures, customs, and languages are powerful tools forlearning.Being committed to inclusion means empowering students to use their voices andexperiences in building their knowledge and understanding. The diversity of students’voices must be reflected in learning materials, discussions, problem solving, andlearning applications. Teachers who recognize and build on the diversity of theirstudents adopt flexible approaches, maintain high standards, and bring concepts aliveby presenting them in contexts that students perceive to be real and meaningful.For instance, in developing a social studies unit on early settlers in Upper Canada(Grade 3), or a history unit on the development of Western Canada (Grade 8), teachersneed to ensure that stories of pioneers who established Black communities, suchas Dresden and Buxton in Ontario, or Breton, Wildwood, Maidstone, and Campsie inAlberta and Saskatchewan, are included in the readings and pictures they choose forstudents. Similarly, in science programs, the achievements of scientists and inventorswho are women or who come from Aboriginal, Black, or other minority backgroundsmust be celebrated. Pictures and examples should illustrate the accomplishments ofall members of society, so that children will see themselves in the curriculum.Being open to students’ diverse experiences and points of view increases opportunitiesfor teachers to seize teachable moments that support effective learning.SUPPORTING DIVERSE LEARNING STYLESStudent self-esteem is fostered through the creation of competencies. Helping studentsto develop competencies empowers them and creates an intrinsic motivation to learn.Success in supporting student learning depends, in part, on taking into account thediversity of learning styles among students in the classroom. Many teachers useHoward Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences to respond effectively to thediverse learning styles of their students. “Multiple intelligences”, as identified byGardner (1993), reflect the following ways of demonstrating intellectual ability: Interpersonal,Intrapersonal, Verbal/Linguistic, Logical/Mathematical, Musical/Rhythmic,Principles Underlying Effective Mathematics Instruction 35