| By Gale Staff |
Curriculum directors play a crucial role in shaping the educational experiences of students. But how can you ensure students are engaged in the content they’re learning?
Developing a curriculum that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of your student body is essential to capture student attention and improve learning outcomes. While finding more content to support inclusivity can seem daunting, a little bit of effort goes a long way when it comes to driving engagement in the classroom.
Read on for five tips to help you incorporate diverse perspectives into your curriculum.
1. Embrace Multicultural Literature
Although this tip is the most obvious, choosing more inclusive reading options is an easy and effective way to introduce students to diverse voices.
Expand your literary selections to include works written by authors from diverse backgrounds. By incorporating literature that reflects different cultures, ethnicities, and experiences, you can foster a sense of belonging and promote cultural understanding among your students. Incorporate classics from authors like Zora Neale Hurston and Maya Angelou or contemporary novels from writers like Angie Thomas and Kwame Alexander.
2. Explore Global Perspectives
Choose resources that showcase global perspectives and diverse historical narratives to enrich everything from social studies lessons to literature studies. By exposing your students to a variety of viewpoints, you can help them develop a broader understanding of the world and encourage critical thinking about new perspectives.
Look for primary sources that show history from diverse perspectives and secondary sources that feature inclusive voices.
3. Integrate Social Justice Topics
Address social justice issues within your curriculum to empower students to become active, informed citizens. Giving students a well-rounded picture of current issues helps promote social awareness, foster empathy, and inspire positive change. Choose a resource like Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints to help students dive into conflicting perspectives on various issues.
Find ways to examine the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion directly with your students, including a discussion of why they are important both in and outside of a school environment.
4. Incorporate Diverse Voices in STEM
Ensure your STEM curriculum covers contributions and achievements from diverse scientists, inventors, and mathematicians. Highlight the accomplishments of figures like Dr. Hayat Sindi in medicine, George Washington Carver in science, and Gladys West in mathematics. Spotlighting the accomplishments of individuals from different backgrounds can inspire all students to pursue careers in STEM fields.
5. Engage Your Community
Need help finding resources to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into learning at your school? Discover a wide range of curriculum resources that showcase diverse voices in Gale In Context: For Educators. Find expert-curated and age-appropriate content including multicultural literature, global perspectives, social justice resources, and more.
With Gale In Context: For Educators, you can easily build a curriculum that fosters an inclusive learning environment and empowers students of all backgrounds.
Want to learn more about curriculum resources available in For Educators? Read about how this resource can fit into your workflow, or reach out to your rep for a demo.
