William Cope
Samuel E. Moskowitz
Navin PoudelNegotiating Learner Differences MOOC’s Updates
Human Diversity and Learner Transformation - Mary Kalantzis
Comment: Connect an issue raised on one of these videos with a contemporary issue in society or education. You can also respond to other people's comments by starting comment, @Name.
Make an Update: Describe an experience of diversity in your personal life or your work as an educator, and analyze the dynamics—which may be exlusionary, or inclusive.
Comment
From my vantage point here in the United States, race and ethnic relations feel… paradoxical. On one hand, there’s more visibility, awareness, and dialogue than ever—conversations about systemic racism, indigenous rights, and immigration are breaking into mainstream spaces that used to ignore them. On the other hand, there’s a polarization so sharp you can practically cut yourself on it.
It’s like we’re trying to renovate the house while still living in it—patching walls, adding new rooms, and arguing over the floor plan, all while the pipes still leak. Progress exists, but mistrust, political division, and old prejudices haven’t packed their bags yet. Social media amplifies both solidarity and outrage, which means the public mood swings between hopeful unity and bitter fracture.
Update
In my own school, demographics have shifted fast—more immigrant families arriving, more bilingual students in classrooms, more cultures represented at assemblies than ever before. It’s a beautiful, colorful tapestry… but it’s also stretched tight in places.
Consequences for society: The streets sound different—more languages, more food trucks serving recipes you can’t pronounce yet, more cross-cultural friendships. But it also pushes some people out of their comfort zones, which can trigger resistance or fear.
Consequences for education: Teachers have to be cultural navigators now, not just lesson deliverers. Curriculum has to stretch to reflect multiple histories, not just one. Language support programs become lifelines, and cultural competency training stops being “nice to have” and becomes survival gear for the classroom.
The upside? Students grow up with a wider lens, and that—if nurtured—can create a generation less afraid of difference and more skilled at collaboration. The challenge? Making sure institutions adapt as quickly as the people they serve.
Core concern from the video: The tension between diversity and national coherence—how linguistic, ethnic, or cultural differences can complicate forming a shared identity and political unity.
Contemporary parallel: Take what’s happening in many Western democracies right now: the rise of multilingual, multicultural populations colliding with political systems built on monolingual—and often monocultural—models. Immigration, globalization, and digital cross-border connections are pushing diversity into the mainstream, but institutional structures (like education, voting systems, even public health outreach) lag behind.
Example in education: Many schools resist adapting curricula for heritage language speakers or immigrant students. The expectation remains that everyone will assimilate through the dominant language and culture—uncomfortable echoes of the same issue in the video, where lack of accommodation can foster alienation rather than inclusion.
Update
In my own life as an educator, I once organized a class project that paired students from vastly different backgrounds—some first-generation immigrants, others native-born, and even kids whose families spoke two or three languages at home. The goal: collaboratively build a multimedia story about “home.” Students could choose any mode—video, collage, spoken word.
What unfolded was stunning—and messy in the best way. One student, whose parents emigrated from Syria, wove Arabic and Korean phrases into their spoken-word piece. Another, whose family had lived exactly the same way as mine did back in the ‘90s, produced a photo series drenched in nostalgia. I realized our “home” stories overlapped not by content but by emotion—longing, belonging, love.
Dynamics at play:
Inclusive magic: When students saw that their lived experience—even if foreign to the dominant narrative—was valued and shared, something clicked. Layers of identity weren’t barriers—they were bridges.
Subtle exclusion still lingered: A few kids hesitated. They whispered fear—“Will people mock my accent?” or “Is this too weird?” That vulnerability is an institutional failure: we create spaces that theoretically welcome difference but reinforce conformity when kids self-censor.
What that taught me: True diversity isn’t about tolerating difference—it’s about choreographing spaces where difference speaks. Institutions—especially schools—must not only tolerate but elevate multiple voices. That includes language, culture, and narrative style.
In the course video, one of the speakers emphasized that treating all learners the same is not the same as treating them fairly. This really resonated with me because in education—and in society—we often assume that equality (giving the same thing to everyone) is enough. But real equity means recognizing and responding to individual needs.
This issue strongly connects to a current challenge in education: how we support students with learning differences in mainstream classrooms. For example, students with ADHD, dyslexia, or anxiety often struggle not because they lack ability, but because the system isn’t flexible enough to meet them halfway.
As an English teacher in Kazakhstan, I once had a bright student who struggled with writing tasks. While others could easily complete paragraphs, she froze after one sentence. I initially thought she was just unmotivated, but then I discovered she had mild dysgraphia—a learning difficulty that affects writing.
Instead of forcing her to write the same as others, I offered her the choice to use voice recording apps for drafts and visual organizers like mind maps. The result? She became more confident, participated more actively, and even volunteered to help classmates who had trouble with speaking.
This showed me that inclusion is not about lowering standards—it’s about opening up multiple paths to reach the same goals. The class also became more open to trying different ways of learning, making the whole environment more supportive.
One of the issues with regards to productive diversity is the Implicit Bias and Stereotyping: Educators, consciously or unconsciously, may hold biases that affect their treatment of students from diverse backgrounds. Stereotypes about students based on their race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status can lead to lower expectations, discriminatory behavior, or unequal opportunities. This can create an environment where productive diversity is not fully embraced, as some students may not feel valued or supported.This comes through a personal experieince that I had when I was studying for my MA at an American univeristy. I myself experience and suffered from this bias. At that time, I did not have sufficient knowledge to deal with the situation, which eventually resulted in my withdrawing from the program.
Differentiation is a key component of the learning experience. In order to plan and deliver lessons effectively, importance must be given to differentiation.
After watching the provided videos in this course, and reflecting on my own experiences as an educator, it made me realize how each student brings a unique background to the classroom setting. In 2021, I moved from New York City to Vermont where I now teach in a rural educational setting. Watching the video by Dr. Mary Kalantzis entitled “Learner Identities” made me wonder how my students’ learner identities impacted their access to education. In New York City, I had students who came from a diverse background and had many students who spoke other languages or were born outside of the United States. As a World Language educator, one type of learner difference that is critical is the language background of my students. I know how hard it is to go to another country, having to learn a new language. After looking at information from the Migration Policy Institute, it estimates the following data. In Fall 2021, more than 5.3 million ELs were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools, representing nearly 11 percent of total K-12 student enrollment. ( https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/english-learners-k-12-education-state#:~:text=In%20Fall%202021%2C%20more%20than,total%20K%2D12%20student%20enrollment.)
My students also came from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds and brought different life experiences with them in the classroom. Students identified themselves in various ways. Whether discussing where they lived in the city, their linguistic background, age or race, students often identified themselves in one or more categories. It made me think about how I describe myself. I am a teacher, sister, wife, New Englander, skier, bilingual, lover of book, etc. My students in Vermont come from a less varied background but still identify themselves in many ways. I believe this comes from the fact that each student, no matter where they attend school, wants to fit in and get the education they deserve. This just makes me think how important it is to get to know each of our students to learn how they best identify themselves, in order to provide them with the best tools to succeed in the classroom.
Some time ago I tackled courses called Communication 2.0 by Radislav Gandapas. The reason for this was my problem with lack of confidence while communicating. They promissed me to teach some techniques how to prepare, manage and benefit from communication, for example, in public speech, at work with management and colleagues, in unknown places (conferences, webinars, parties, etc.) and the like. And they did - I was provided many lifehackes that made my communication easier and simplier. Also they prompted me how to diversify my life. Now I want to say I changed greatly. My life is full because I started a new page: I do sport (archery), go to the gym, jog in the mornings, go skiing and skating, read books, travel, knit and sew. In the past I was completely different person, my life was borring and I myself was boring too, I guess. However, everything has changed for me, I enjoy every new experience.
The religious beliefs and practices are directly infused into the culture and education system in Thailand, where I work in a private school. This affects me as a Social Studies teacher to encourage liberal thinking, ideas or opinions towards the students. This also hinders me to give research projects expecting them to do it home so I just assign tasks to the students in school by getting them group work. It is not the students who have differences in mind, but we adults.
@Srilatha Alva, Being an Indian myself, I'm in complete agreement. Diversity thy be the other name of India. We humans have the same fundamental needs and have learned to negotiate for our needs and live in harmony. The if's and but's of the societal pressures shall always remain and continue to impact the harmony the common man strives from time to time. But as a nation, we have become stronger over the years and we have learned to be tolerant of such radical forces and to survive amicably.
India is a diverse country and has been housing various religions, languages, castes, culture for time immemorial. We Indians have been successful in bringing in unity in diversity in places of worship, work, classrooms etc. Although it seems unreal but we have been living in harmony for many years now, however miscreants with political influence and fanaticism have tried to create rift with ulterior motives now and then. It has not been a struggle for us Indians on a daily basis negotiating diversity, but we have taken it as growing up, respecting and knowing each other irrespective of our differences.