Diversity and Equity

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Diversity and equity are at the core of how I understand teaching. Classrooms are not neutral spaces. They are shaped by race, culture, religion, ability, language, and power. I believe it is the responsibility of educators to actively create learning environments where students feel seen, protected, and valued for who they are, not pressured to conform to a single dominant norm. In this section, I include artefacts that show how I design learning to challenge exclusion, honour difference, and support students whose identities have often been marginalized in schools. The artefacts in this section reflect my commitment to culturally responsive teaching, anti bias education, and inclusive classroom practices.

Artefact 1: Skin Colour Misconceptions Lesson (Milk Colour Activity)

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This artefact represents my lesson on skin colour and misconceptions, using the misconception of milk colours to help students understand how people can look different while still being the same inside. This lesson was created for a Grade 1 social studies context and was designed to challenge early stereotypes about skin tone in a way that was concrete and accessible for young children. The lesson is based on my own childhood misconception, where I believed that skin tone came from the type of milk I drank. This is used as a hook for students, showing chocolate and regular milk, to create a “science experiment” for students to investigate where skin tone comes from. Skin tone is then discussed by reading the book “Our Skin” to explain this concept at an age appropriate level.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XNXkjLTCzUGG9dWWzey7wd4DSUJVgkZH/view?usp=sharing

Artefact 2: Grade 5 Social Studies Lesson Plan

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This artefact represents a Grade 5 Social Studies lesson plan I created that focused on helping students explore treaties such as Treaty 13, and creating their own class treaty. The lesson invited students to think critically about whose voices are heard, how people’s experiences differ, and how communities can be more inclusive. Students engaged in discussion, reflection, and activities that encouraged them to consider viewpoints beyond their own, and also see how similar their beliefs may be with their classmates. This lesson was created as part of my Anti-Discriminatory Education coursework and reflects how I planned to teach Social Studies through a lens of diversity and equity. The players involved were myself as the teacher and Grade 5 students as the intended learners. The most significant part of this lesson was its focus on helping students understand that social studies is not just about facts but about people, stories, and justice.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O7SlYLVUKzQv5FNi4dqpThTIZp6zUPZk1PtaDMfzUm4/edit?usp=sharing