The Future of Education
Me and the Others. Managing Diversity in an Educational Context
Christian Van Kerckhove, Centre of Expertise: Mix’It - Faculty of Education, Health and Social Work, University College Ghent (Belgium)
Abstract
We proceed from the dictum: to cogitate about diversity is to cogitate about identity. The first question we have to answer is : what is the (corporate) identity of the Department of Social Work. This answer is twofold.
Firstly, we look for the view of humanity that’s used within the Department.
A. individual : what we call ‘self-image’, is an ephemeral fusion of several factors: age, gender, social context, culture, religion, the colour of someone’s skin, world view, ... My ‘self-image’ is like a big patchwork
B. social : the social context can affect a citizen’s social identity, both favourably and adversely. A key factor, in that respect, is the socio-economic situation of the individual, which manifests itself in many different ways: housing, healthcare, leisure time, cultural perception, work and job satisfaction, social norms and a coherent set of values, but in education too.
Secondly, we ask people about the departments own identity. This last-mentioned identity is quadripartite:
- general- : this is a mixter of the Latin and the English model. The Latin vision stresses the universality within which the secular values occupy centre stage. The Anglo-Saxon model stresses the philosophical diversity which is becoming apparent in the public realm, partly based on a recognition of the individuality of (minority) groups.
- specific- : The specific identity is an ensemble of pedagogical-didactic methods and a rational offering of training facilities.
- corollary- : Rules ensure, among other things, that our individuality is kept intact. Rules are useless if they are flaunted, which may tarnish our identity.
- quality identities. This implies that the diversity policy will consist in bridging the gap between the patchwork identity of the entrant (or of the employee) and the entry- and/or exit-level skills.
Once the identity has been defined, we then ponder our policy on diversity. The key consideration, here, is a category non-specific approach. This approach to diversity is explained by means of an example: the diversity policy for students.
