There are over 25 million people in Australia, one in four were born overseas: forty-six percent have at least one parent who was born overseas, and around twenty percent of Australians speak a language other than English in the home (Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2013). This glimpse of Australia’s diverse population is reflected in most classrooms around the country. Student diversity is an integral part of teaching. Teachers use strategies and frameworks to foster and support not only the cultural and social diversity in the classroom but also the diverse academic ability of students. Student diversity is the fundamental drive in differentiating within the classroom, it is woven through teachers’ pedagogical choices and works in conjunction with curriculum and assessment development.

 

Teaching to a diverse group of learners can be a difficult task, especially for graduate teachers. Teachers must be self-reflective of their world views and practices; they must be adaptable and evolving and they need to be able to work in conjunction with the myriad of differences influences that stem from student diversity such as; diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds (Alton-Lee. 2003). The Australian Professional Standards (APST, 2018) focus area 1.3 guides graduate teachers to demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse backgrounds. Graduate teachers must strive towards creating quality teaching for all students.

 

Creating student equity is endorsed through many cross-curriculum priorities within the Australian Curriculum, it offers teachers the opportunity to ensure that cultural perspectives and sensitivities are being met (Sit. 2017). Strategies that many teachers use to create this equity include offering students the space to question and self-reflect on their biases and world views. Teachers can guide students through identifying pernicious ideologies that fit within the current structure of society. (Cherry et al 2003). Creating students who strive for equity and are reflectively active in society needs to be fostered by teachers. 

 

Along with these cultural and socio-educational pedagogies and teaching practices, teachers need to assess and identify key abilities of students from all walks of life (Ewing et al. 2020). Abilities such as social, physical and intellectual development and student characteristics. This aligns with focus area 1.1 (APST. 2018) that graduate students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how these factors may affect learning. Frameworks structure curriculum to be accessible to students general age-appropriate abilities.

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Teachers then need to identify a students’ academic need and differentiate the curriculum to enable academic equity within the classroom. Data, professional development and pedagogical training allow teachers to create an educational space for students ranging from gifted and talented (GnT), students with a disability, and English second language students (ESL).

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These frameworks envelop the APST focus area 1.5 that graduate students differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. Differentiation can stem from curriculum adaptation to resources management. Students such as native Auslan uses will require interpreters or some technologies to foster equity (Kember 2001). Graduate students need to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.

 

Creating equity is the overall goal when working in the realm of student diversity, it underpins all teaching choices and content. Student diversity will always be a factor in teaching and the strive towards achieving equity can ever only have positive outcomes.