Diversity matters: some reflections

When I was asked by the editors of Literacy Learning: the Middle Years to write about diversity, I felt that I had been asked to write about a topic that was core to my thinking about literacies research and the teaching of literacies. Like many people who have worked in education for a long time, I have seen ideas and innovations come and go, policies and mandates change, and curriculums reviewed and replaced, but diversity is a key and always present aspect of education and it is important to literacies education. To discuss diversity, I am going to take a personal approach and draw on ideas and research experiences that have allowed me to learn about diversity. I know this probably sounds like an indulgent approach, but perhaps in retirement this might be excused. I use three reflections to guide my discussion. The first is about a book that had a significant effect on my thinking. The second reflection considers the literacy learning of itinerant farm workers’ children, based on research I did in the early 2000s. My third reflection shifts to a consideration of the place of diversity in teachers’ pedagogical approaches. If you will excuse my play on words, these diversity matters have shaped my belief that diversity matters