Impact of difference and intercultural understanding on teaching and learning

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Impact of difference and intercultural understanding on teaching and learning
Order Description
102083 Diversity, Social Justice and Learning- Assignment 1
1. Critically discuss the statement thatto better match beliefs about diversity with practice, we must address the imbalance between uniformity and diversity. Using a sociological perspective, discuss how your own intercultural sensitivities about difference and diversity might impact upon students learning.
Essay Part words Content in paragraph
Intro 200 Topic sentence referring to the concepts of diversity (See Week 1 lecture , difference (See Week 1 tutorial notes) and Intercultural understanding(see Walton et al 2013)
Explain what cultural biases you will be discussing- race
State your main argument. Do you agree that students come to school with equal life chances? (Keddie 2011)Briefly mention what theories you will use to support you argument- critical race theory
For example: Students attending similar schools from the same neighbourhood will come to school with diverse needs and different cultural backgrounds. In this essay I will argue that teacher and student habitus is influential in student success. However I will also discuss how teacher’s dispositions can create conditions that foster success through using anti-discriminatory practices. Using [critical theory, social reproduction theory, cultural capital, choose here from the theoretical perspectives discussed in the unit] I will focus upon how diversity in [Choose one of class, sexual, gender, ethnicity, race] might influence students life chances.
Body 8 x 200 words
1st paragraph 200 Topic sentence What is meant by equity and access?
State your argument again this time supporting it with a case study or example to illustrate your argument.
Use analysis to explain your point.
Link this to the next paragraph
2nd Paragraph 200 Topic Sentence: Identify the social injustice you will be discussing- race.
Explain why it is a social justice issue and the way power or inequality is present . What theory supports your argument- critical race theory (Ladson-Billings 2010), cultural capital (Bourdieu- Shim 2012)
3rd Paragraph 200 Topic sentence identifying personal Cultural biases and assumptions or those that you have observed.
Having personally worked mostly with students from a similar cultural background to myself, I have noticed more subtle biases between subgroups of that culture. Coming to a new country (UAE), both physically and with prior assumptions, I entered the classroom with the common stereotypes. For example, Africans are less intelligent than others, mixed race (Emirati) students with mothers from the Indian sub continent are inferior and Emirati students are superior. I found over time that these stereotypes were just that and nothing more, however the society they lived in perpetuated and encouraged this hierarchy to continue.
Explain analyse how these biases/assumptions may impact on students with a different/similar habitus. (refer to Shim 2012)
If a teacher does not consciously recognise these biases, then students (especially from a different habitus to the teacher) may be treated more or less fairly, according to their cultural capital.
Analysis (the why?) using theory (cultural capital/fields- refer to Shim 2012), UAE case study (Vora 2008)
4th Paragraph 200 Topic Sentence: What are the prevalent Dominant discourses in an global context surrounding this social justice issue
Explain how these discourses may marginalise students or give power to some students. Discuss how power is operating and what theories you could use to explain the power (Foucalt- https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4XFLim1v2L0C&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=foucault+power&ots=bKASqGUkwG&sig=dMkrGP2GenK8und4iWGwI8QdfOQ#v=onepage&q=foucault%20power&f=false)
5th Paragraph 200 Topic sentence describing how a Case study or a specific example illustrates the dominant discourse (
Critically analyse the case study to offer alternative perspectives of how an intercultural understanding perspective may be useful
6th Paragraph 200 Topic sentence on theoretical framework that you can identify as explaining how the power is operating in the case study
Analysis of inequality, power imbalances or marginalisation in the case study
7th Paragraph 200 Topic Sentence: Refer to educational policy and/or practice that relates to your social justice issue.
How does this policy assist and/or marginalise students
Use a critical analysis to help you question the policy and its effectiveness
8th Paragraph 200 Topic sentence on theoretical framework that you can identify as explaining how the power is operating in the policy
Analysis of inequality/power imbalances and / or marginalisation in the policy
Conclusion 200 What have you discovered in the course of writing this essay and how does it fit in with the initial question