Inclusiveness Cultural Diversity Cultural Diversity If we examine

Inclusiveness Cultural Diversity

Cultural Diversity If we examine at our own class it is obvious that Students come from a variety of racial, cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds. Students with disabilities of many kinds are spending more time in regular classrooms.

Victorian Government Policy Victoria is the most culturally and linguistically diverse of all of the states and territories of Australia. Our schools reflect this fact, with almost one in four students in Victorian government schools coming from language backgrounds other than English. The presence of young people from such a wealth of backgrounds and experience in Victorian schools presents particular challenges, and real opportunities to contribute to the development of a society where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and where diversity is valued. The Victorian Department of Education and Training is committed to the ongoing development of an education system where all Victorian students are empowered to take advantage of our community’s economic, social and individual opportunities. Just as racism and prejudice cannot be permitted to hinder the progress of any individual, all of our young people are entitled to gain an insight into the richness of our multicultural society, and to develop the understandings and skills that will assist them to develop as confident citizens of the world. (source: DET Website)

Cultural Diversity How to do we become more inclusive: Look at your own cultural background and think about how your biases might effect your interaction with students Look at the cultural background and needs of your students and try to understand their cultural biases Classroom instruction can be designed to connect the content of a course with students’ backgrounds

What does multicultural education mean for schools? For schools Multiculturalism means: value and build on students’ previous knowledge and experience incorporate multicultural perspectives across all learning domains adopt classroom teaching strategies that allow for difference, and a range of learning styles ensure that staff participate in professional learning programs that develop their understanding of cross-cultural communication and diversity issues where feasible, recruit staff from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds emphasise the use of inclusive language, and promote respect for all cultures ensure that all school policies, including Codes of Conduct, dress codes and discipline policies, are appropriate for the school community, and review their strategies for communicating with, and involving parents, to take account of their cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

20 th Century Migration

Selected Countries of Birth as a Percentage of the Overseas-born Population

Settler Arrivals 1949 - 2000

SETTLER ARRIVALS BY REGION OF BIRTH July – Dec 2005 and July – Dec 2006