“What to Remember When Educating Educators on Diversity”

The field of Human Sexuality is so broad, covering various diverse groups. The demand for Educators to include diversity when educating is essential. The demand for the integration of diversity when educating Educators was further demonstrated when; 72 percent of the Country’s largest school districts enrolled students in 1994 were diverse. This number is expected to multiply by 2020 (National Center for Education Statistics, 1997). I have professionally learned, when integrating diversity in Human Sexuality Education it’s an intimate dance on an invisible tight rope.
The rapidly emerging and constant inquiry of Educators and Learners into the etiology of diverse gender identities, cultures, sexual orientations, and gender roles while recognizing cultural difference continue to remain a struggle. This mostly comes from Educators trying to maintain integrity, balance and keep personal bias in check. I noticed that Zeicher (1995) also agreed when creating the “Elements for Educating Educators on Diversity”.
Zeichner (1993) Created 16 elements to Educate Educators on Diversity, the following are the six I find critical in the beginning steps of Educating Educators on diversity.
6 Identified Elements for Educating Educators on Diversity
Ø Element 1 – Have Educators develop a clearer sense of their own ethnic and cultural identities.
Ø Element 2 - Help Educators to examine their attitudes toward other ethno-cultural groups and the dynamics of prejudice and racism and dealing with them in the classroom.
Ø Element 3 and 4 – Remember to Teach Educators the dynamics of privilege, economic oppression and school practices that contribute to the replica of communal inequalities.
Ø Element 5- Educate Educators about the characteristics and learning styles of various groups and individuals. Teach about the limitations of this information.
Ø Element 6 –Expose Educators to the successful teachings of ethnic- and language – diverse students.
Indeed, Zeichner has more elements suggested for Educating Educators, however, it has been my professional experience that the listed five 6 are detrimental when integrating diversity in Education. Once diversity has been taught, educators must learn the language of cultural competency.

To learn more about Educating Educators on Diversity go to:

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/presrvce/pe300.htm.

I have also included videos and websites intended to assist with Cognitive and Affective approaches to teaching/introducing Diversity:

Beverly Smith, professor of education at the State University of New York at Potsdam, describes how her teacher education students work with diverse populations and become comfortable with other cultures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrF3H5EgmHY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNAfHG6FDxI&NR=1

Zeichner, K.M. (1993). Educating teachers for cultural diversity. National Center for Research on Teacher Learning. (ERIC Document Retrieved on February 17, 2010)