Discussion on Impact of Family Diversity

  In general, the trend of family diversity not only has a significant impact on children but also on teachers and instructors.

Positive Effect of Family Diversity

There is a potential positive impact of family diversity on the comprehension of each child and his/her family. Actually, diverse structures of families can have a significant influence on the development of children and their unique situations. It can enable teachers to offer different learning programmes and plans which are customised in accordance with the unique needs of children. Learning plans can be altered to suit the needs of children as assessed by the teacher. In fact, family diversity can enable teachers to make sure that the conveyance of information and intended learning material to children is effective and children are not experiencing any type of difficulty in acquiring the learning material. In simple words, family diversity can enable teachers to broaden their understanding and become more efficient in conveying and teaching children what is required in the curriculum.

Challenge of Impact of Family Diversity

            Just as family diversity presents some benefits for teachers, it also presents some challenges for teachers as well. For instance, a major challenge is that teachers might experience discomfort with their own knowledge and understanding of all the family structures. Considering the fact that New Zealand is a multicultural nation and it welcomes every individual from different backgrounds in terms of culture and religion, it presents a challenge that teachers might also hail from different religious and cultural backgrounds. It is possible for them to have different and unique beliefs about family diversity. Therefore, they might experience personal conflicts about a number of family structures. Thus, they might not be able to teach children as effectively as possible. Teachers might even worry about discomfort which may result from engaging with families with unique and diverse structures.

Source of Impact of Family Diversity

https://www.victoria.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1533776/Kath-Cooper-Making-Our-Classrooms-And-ECE-Centres-Inclusive.pdf