Madam,

Teachers the world over grapple with diversity each day, as they implement methods and strategies to deliver the curriculum in ways that inspire all the young minds in their classrooms. From schools to workplaces, there are clear all-round benefits in engaging fulsomely with diversity, appreciating it and drawing on its systemic strengths.

The concept of neurodiversity promotes the recognition that cognitive differences are to be understood and respected as accepted human variations and are not grounds for exclusion from general school life and classroom participation. Neurodiversity in the classroom may include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the autistic spectrum, among others.

As a result, teachers may need to optimally manage students experiencing specific learning disorders and presenting impairment in reading, written expression or mathematics. 

However, when it comes to the classroom, diversity is always inherently present because children’s brains are growing and changing. They follow unique learning paths and develop different styles of learning.

While we organise classes by fixed age groupings, learners demonstrate a notable variability in their capabilities, which can impact on reading, motor skills, mental processing, word retrieval, telling the time, arithmetic, executive function, memory, estimating, social skills and more.

Teachers need classroom strategies that help them keep a diversity of learners inspired to learn while keeping their curriculum delivery on track. This is not just about the cultural backgrounds of the learners but also the ways that they engage and learn. To ensure a quality learning experience for all, educators need to find ways to meet the unique needs of all learners in their classrooms.

Teachers may need to optimally manage students experiencing specific learning disorders and presenting impairment in reading, written expression or mathematics. (Pic: GoGuardian)