EDED11400 Managing Diversity

Almost all educational contexts have a very broad range of students within their program. Managing Diversity is a core course in the second year of the Bachelor of Learning Management degree and introduces preservice learning managers to the range of issues associated with ‘inclusion’ as the preferred form of placement for students with diverse needs. Students have various types of special needs such as gifts and talents, learning difficulties, intellectual impairments, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, communication impairments and various types of low incidence impairments. In addition, students from various indigenous and cultural backgrounds need to be included in culturally sensitive ways. Curriculum and classroom practices need to acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of students within their group promoting an inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy. The management of the diversity of students in educational contexts raises broad issues that challenge traditional ways of thinking about the curriculum and helps to position the learning manager as the key link in the process. In particular, in some cases there is an essential need to develop effective partnerships with parents and those in the students social and cultural world. This course will focus on developing the skills, attitudes, processes and knowledge to manage effectively a diverse classroom within the context of the social and cultural community.