Equity and Equality are two words that are at the forefront of topics in education. When I started teaching, these were words that I often used interchangeably. As I continued my education I realized that these are very different.
As my learning continued I came across this photo.
This photo really opened my eyes. Equality is giving everyone the same tools. However, equity would be giving each child the necessary tools for them to succeed, both in and out of school. As you can see in the picture, the child on the right needs more than everyone else to be able to participate.
Equitable teaching strategies are way one teachers can help their students. Examples of this would be any activity that would allow students to engage in meaningful discourse. Teachers can also provide pictures to any new vocabulary to help ELL students learn the academic vocabulary. At my school, teachers can use restorative practices to help address any inequities the students might see in their community. My school utilizes a strategy called “community circles.” This strategy allows students to speak honestly and openly about a wide range of topics. This gives them voice and really helps create a sense of community.
Each year I have tried to become more and more equitable. However, I often find myself coming back to this same question: am I doing enough? The answer is consistently no because of what the achievement data is telling me. Especially. What has to change in the classroom and outside of it to make education more equitable? Being able to participate in the twitter chat #formativechat was a great experience to further my learning on equity.
Life of a 3rd Grade Teacher 