1. The classroom is a complex venue that shapes learners' identities through discourse. It reflects the diversity of society with students coming from over 200 countries speaking almost 300 languages. 2. To achieve inclusive teaching, teachers must be sensitive to various identity aspects of students like gender, ethnicity, religion, race, socioeconomic background, and culture. 3. Addressing classroom diversity requires selecting inclusive content, activities, and pedagogical approaches while avoiding biases or assumptions about students.

1. Classroom or Clashroom?
Learners’ diversity and construction of learners
Ardian Setiawan

2. What do you
think?

3. 17, 508 islands
234 million people
300 distinct native ethnic
groups
742 languages and dialects
Classroom – learners’
diversity

4. • 45% of Australian were born or have at least one parent born
overseas.
• from more than 200 countries – speak almost 300 different
languages (including 50 indigenous languages)
• Various customs (and religious practices)
(Commonwealth of Australia 2009)

5. It’s likely that you will teach diverse classes – individuals
Challenge ---> Inclusive teaching?
Classroom

6. Clash of civilization (Huntington, 1992)
the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be
primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great
divisions among humankind and the dominating source of
conflict will be cultural
Culture as a source of conflict or ‘clash’
Culture in classroom? What else?
Classroom or Clashroom?

7. 1. Classroom as a complex venue/discourse – shaping learners’
identity
2. What is identity? Learners’ identity?
3. Gender --- related issues and pedagogical considerations
4. Ethnicity
5. Religion
6. Race --- subtle
7. Socioeconomic background
8. Cultural background
Outline

8. Classrooms – ‘complex social systems’
(Cazden, 2001, p. 54)
Gender
Ethnicity
Religion
Race
Socioeconomic background
Cultural backgrounds …. Literacy? Intellectuality?
Classroom - complexity

9. Classroom is:
the site of various forms of dialogical interaction.
Taken together, engagement in such dialogues results
in experiences for students that can impact positively
or negatively on their personal and social identities.
(Stables, 2003, p. 1)
classroom shapes learners’ identity
Classroom - identity

10. Do we [teachers] have the ‘power’ to manage
classroom?
A miniature of the society: teachers --- power
‘To describe the difference in the bluntest terms, teachers have
the right to speak at any time and to any person; they can fill
any silence or interrupt any speaker; they can speak to a
student anywhere in the room and in any volume or tone of
voice. And no one has any right to object’ (Cazden, 2001, p. 54).
Classroom - teachers

11. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008
Identity
Social Science
Citation Index – SSCI
Journal
HOWEVER
The concept of
identity
not clearly defined
(Beijaard, Meijer, &
Verloop, 2004; Beauchamp &
Thomas, 2009; Mockler, 2011)

12. from social psychology:
WHO ARE YOU? WHO AM I?
(Vignoles, Schwartz, & Luyckx, 2011)
Sense of self – which includes self-esteem
Nature --- Identity is both personal and social (relational and
collective)
Identity

13. Learners’ identity? Students’ sense of themselves
Similarly, it is both personal and social.
Constructed by the learners themselves and the society (others
in the society) ---- peer students and teachers
… and classroom [but teachers have power]
Leaners’ identity

14. Gender bias
There exists a widespread assumption that the transmission of
knowledge is, by and large, free of gender bias and that
therefore in coeducational institutions of learning girls and
boys receive equal education. (Abraham & Sommerkorn, 1995)
We [teachers] sometimes/often make assumptions regarding
behaviours, abilities, or preferences of students based on their gender.
Treating students differently? No…
Gender - Classroom

15. Gender Inequalities in the College Classroom
(Colombia University)
A large body of research shows that instructors:
Call on male students more frequently than female students.
Are more likely to use male students’ names when calling upon students and in
attributing ideas advanced in discussion.
Ask male students more abstract questions and female students more factual
questions.
Are less likely to elaborate upon points made by female students.
Gender - Classroom

16. What to do?
Pedagogical level
Content – selection of materials
Process – activities
Be sensitive to the gender dynamics in the classroom.
Gender - Classroom

17. Ethnicity - Classroom
300 ethnic groups

18. Ethnicity - Classroom
300 ethnic groups
Case – example: teaching Bahasa Indonesia
(Indonesian Language) – a compulsory subject in the national
curriculum.
Different ethnic groups --- different ethnic languages
We use and speak Bahasa Indonesia differently

19. Teaching religion – teaching about religion
If religion is discussed in classroom, address minority and majority
religions.
The Discussion should be sensitive to the beliefs of students
Get accurate information about different religions
Different religions, different religious practices – respect
Religion - Classroom

20. What’s race?
race - an intricate concept
‘an imagined/social construct imposed upon
individuals’ (Liggett, 2009).
In everyday discourse, race is usually thought as
physically observable human characteristics such
as skin colour, hair colour, facial characteristics, etc.
(Kubota & Lin, 2009).
Race - Classroom

21. Racism in the class --- Subtle… problematic
What is the effect?
The Doll test
Ms. Jane Elliott's "brown eyes, blue eyes" experiment (1970)
Race - Classroom

22. Racial stereotypes
Florida is ‘lowering the bar’ for students of particular racial
backgrounds.
Race - Classroom

23. Students are socioeconomically diverse.
Can we hide/avoid it?
Case – the white-yellow uniform
Socioeconomic Bg. - Classroom

24. Socioeconomic Bg. - Classroom
Case – the white-yellow uniform

25. Culturally diverse
Cultural Bg. - Classroom

26. On a school level:
Schools --- ‘agents for social cohesion within the
community’ (Burridge & Chodkiewicz, 2007, p. 6)
Promoting greater understanding of cultural
diversity among students.
On a pedagogical/class level: this is our job!
Teachers must meet the learning needs of
students from diverse backgrounds.
Addressing diversity

27. Classroom is a complex venue. The discourse shapes
learners’ identity.
To deliver inclusive teaching practices, teachers must
be sensitive to --- various aspects such as
gender, ethnicity, religion, race, socioeconomic and
cultural backgrounds. --- etc.
Conclusion

28. Thank you