AS CHILDREN AND young people return to their schools this month, many teachers and school leaders are focussed on helping students to settle back in.
Students will meet new teachers, and teachers will meet new students. The idea of “settling in” is one we are all so aware of, as former students, as parents or as both. One concern at the forefront of many teachers’ and school leaders’ minds will be how to create a more inclusive education experience for all children, particularly as Ireland’s school-going population becomes more diverse.
For some students, there are obstacles that make it more difficult to feel that they belong in their classroom or school, obstacles that can be unseen and sometimes overlooked. One such obstacle relates to the extent to which students see themselves, their identities and their cultures reflected in what they are learning, and how they are learning.
For example, the exclusion and marginalisation of the Traveller community and Traveller culture across the education system are well documented. More recently, schools have been at the forefront of welcoming children and young people with migrant backgrounds into their communities. Important evidence tells us that while the experiences of students with migrant backgrounds are varied, isolation, marginalisation and racism are common. More broadly, Ireland’s education system as a whole, as in, its teachers, school leaders and teaching and learning, does not sufficiently match or represent the lived experiences of this growing cohort of children and young people in our classrooms.
The overwhelming majority of primary and secondary teachers in Ireland continue to come from white, settled, Catholic and middle-class backgrounds and for those of us who share some or all of those identities, we must recognise that our own experiences, background, and values limit our understanding of what it is to be marginalised and racialised.
Sometimes, this might be despite the best intentions, but, regardless, the impacts are real. In Ireland, the frameworks and curriculum that guide what students learn and how they learn are relatively open and flexible, yet research indicates that teaching and learning in schools lacks diverse cultural representation and traditional and monocultural choices and practices continue to prevail.
This means that for many children, the stories they encounter, the places and people they learn about predominantly come from a very narrow range of perspectives. Furthermore, where representation is included, it is often associated with tokenism, misrepresentation or negative representation. This is not to say it is not important for children and young people to learn about significant historical events in Ireland’s history or learn and engage with Gaeilge. In fact, it is important and enriching for all to learn and engage in these explorations, whilst also learning about other cultures, places and traditions.
It is evident from education policy documents that there is a clear commitment to diversity and inclusion and that education must play an important role in both including all learners as well as developing cultural awareness and inclusion. Previous studies argue that culture has a significant impact in the classroom yet it is often misunderstood, minimised or ignored.
In Ireland, there are inadequate support structures and professional development opportunities for teachers to reflect on and address bias or privilege, in order to develop more culturally responsive learning experiences for all students. As a result, research indicates that in Ireland, schools and other public spaces continue to be sites of identity denial and that negative representations and misrepresentation impact children and young people’s sense of identity, belonging and well-being. A lack of cultural representation and recognition in school suggests that not all cultures are respected equally, which risks the marginalisation and isolation of students.
This is not to suggest that some teachers and schools are not adopting more culturally responsive choices and practices, or that the buck should stop with them. In fact, having worked with hundreds of student teachers and teachers over the last 10 years in this area, we know that many teachers see a gap and a need for further support. We found that most student teachers and teachers want to better understand the experiences of all their students and ensure that all their students feel that they belong in their classroom. As teachers, we know that for learning to take place, students must feel that they belong.
Some very recent developments seek to address this. Several initiatives to diversify the teaching population are underway and Inclusive Education and Diversity have been established as one of eight Principles of teaching, learning and assessment in the new primary curriculum framework.
In 2020, the Teaching Council mandated that all initial teacher education programmes include interculturalism as a core element. However, whilst essential and welcome additions, it must also be recognised that these are complex areas that require considerable support and expertise that take time to develop. Much more guidance, leadership and systems support are required, and urgently.
‘Brave’, a series of short digital stories about three young people with second-generation migrant and ethnic minority backgrounds, hopes to make another contribution in this area. In these stories, Roxanna, Moses and Ashley share their heartfelt reflections on how the Irish education system has shaped their integration and belonging.
From their unique perspectives, themes of identity, belonging, racism and hope for creating a better future emerge. The stories were developed so that student teachers and teachers can encounter the lived experiences of some young people and listen more deeply and attentively to a more diverse range of voices.
Such encounters should prompt us to reflect on our own privileges, confront some uncomfortable truths, and consider collectively, how we might create a more inclusive education for all. In her book, What white people can do next: From Allyship to Coalition, Emma Dabiri encourages those who want to be part of making that better future to, ‘Read, read, read’.
Well, with Brave, we suggest you listen, listen, listen. Listen to what Ashley, Moses and Roxanna have to say.
Dr Maria Barry is Assistant Professor in the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies in DCU’s IoE. She is a teacher educator and researcher in the fields of history education and global citizenship education. Dr Malgosia Machowska-Kosciak is a Post-Doctoral Researcher in Intercultural and Global Citizenship Education and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Education, The School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies at DCU. You can see the full ‘Brave’ series here.
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