An Expert’s Insight: Dr. Fawzia Reza on Diversity and Inclusion in Early Education - VIDEO

As communities around the world become increasingly diverse, it is important that schools create an environment that values the various backgrounds, perspectives, and beliefs of children, families, and staff Fostering a school environment that embraces diversity and inclusion is an ongoing practice that requires careful consideration of all aspects of an education setting—from the school policies to the curriculum and everything in between. Creating an inclusive space for all children to reach their full potential is also fundamental to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Education. Schools must recognize the specific needs of the children and communities they serve, and consider several strategies when building a more inclusive environment.

• How can educators encourage children to embrace their own identities and abilities as well as the similarities and differences alike in their classmates?
• What are five things every educator should be doing in interactions with children and families to support diversity and inclusion?
• What elements do school leaders need to focus on to practice inclusive leadership and reflect the ideals of inclusion throughout the school environment?

Moments of reflection in the video allow viewers to imagine how the ideas Dr. Reza shares can impact their own learning environment. We encourage viewers to pause the video when the questions appear and consider each of them.

Video here

Peter Limbrick writes:

There are important considerations here for how we support babies and infants who have conditions that impact on their development and learning (I am avoiding using the negative word ‘disability’ for such young children).

When a large part of their babyhood and infancy is taken up with regular visits to hospitals and clinics for ‘therapy’ they are excluded from educational opportunities in nurseries and schools.  See: TAC’s ninth principle.