When you walk into your classroom the next time, pause for a minute and consider the following:

1. How many of the children in your class are girls and how many are boys?
2. How many are Malaysians of (i) Malay origin, (ii) Chinese origin and (iii) Tamil origin?
3. How many children are of the Islamic faith and how many are non-Muslims?

In almost all of our national type schools, especially in the urban and semi urban situations, you will encounter the range of diversities that you yourself would have experienced in your classroom. An appreciation of diversity in the classroom adds value to the service you provide to your students in very meaningful ways - especially as they grow up to play their role as productive citizens in a diverse and multi-ethnic society. Before we proceed further in defining a role for technology in managing diversity in classrooms, such as the ones we encounter all over our country, it may be helpful to consider what diversity is and what it is not.

Very often people have a tendency to use the terms multiculturism interchangeably with diversity. There is a difference between the two however. While this difference is not always clear cut (the reason why people use them interchangeably), the first i.e., multiculturism denotes the bigger or macro situation (reflecting the nature of entire communities) while diversity is a bit more specific (in other words the micro situations reflecting individual traits). Diversity can exist without multiculturism. For example if you were to visit a Tamil school situated deep in an Indian community, the chances are that almost all the children in that school may belong to one cultural group, say Tamils. But enter a classroom in that school and you will soon find out that the children may belong to different genders, have different physical attributes, belong to different religious faiths and demonstrate different abilities and skills. Such classrooms present a range of diversities.

Those who study diversity in classrooms identify a number of specific issues that requires understanding by, and respect from, teachers. These can be broadly classified under the following categories.

1. Gender: While many of our schools are gender segregated, some are co-educational in character. If you are a teacher working in a co-educational school, you are expected to be sensitive to the needs of both genders in the way you handle your curriculum.
2. Ethnicity and race: Malaysians deal with ethnicity and race on almost a daily basis. While our national leaders attempt to build a nation that is colour blind through campaigns like 1Malaysia the struggle to mould a nation of one people is hard and requires support from every Malaysian. Teachers play an important role in this attempt
3. Age diversity: In most our classrooms, this is not a critical issue. Children enrol in their first primary class when they reach the age of seven and from there move forward together at the start of every academic year.
4. Socio-economic status: This is an issue that is very critical in the average Malaysian urban classroom. While educational policies, such as uniforms, help in reducing obvious differences other disparities such as family wealth for tuition classes, learning materials, co-curricular activities and technological tools make significant differences to a child's learning environment. How does a teacher cope with these disparities?
5. Religion: This is both a sensitive subject as well as one that creates pedagogical challenges. Malaysian teachers need to have a tremendous sensitivity to religious norms, practices and beliefs. This is not a subject to be avoided but that should be treated sensibly when it relates to curriculum.
6. Language: While Bahasa Malaysia is the national language and the medium of instruction in our schools, children with their own other tongues with their linguistic traditions expect those traditions to be respected. Besides respect, teachers are also expected deal with children who need more attention as they struggle with Bahasa as well as English for certain subjects.
7. Learning styles: Teachers who are most successful in their classrooms are those who appreciate the different styles of learning of children from different cultures. Some cultures promote independent learning while others have as strong inclination towards heavily supported learning cultures.

Before you proceed further with this lesson, I would like to you to read an article by Prof. Najeemah Mohd. Yusof on ‘Multicultural Education: Managing Diversity in Malaysian Schools' and when you are done reading make a list of all the traits of diversity found in a typical Malaysian classroom. Against each trait, also describe what each item on the list means to you as a teacher.