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Five minutes with Dr David Rhodes, Senior Lecturer (Primary), School of Education, South West Campus

1. As a Senior Lecturer with experience working in remote communities, what do you think is important for pre-services teachers to know on the current status of diversity in education?

Pre-service teachers need to be aware that the classrooms where they will be teaching when they graduate will comprise students from a vast range of backgrounds. These students bring with them a diverse array of viewpoints, experiences, understandings, cultures, and ways of being. Each of these is a gift that should be celebrated. Classrooms should be inclusive and respectful places where each child has a chance to be themselves, to feel safe, and be valued. Australia is a vibrant and eclectic multicultural nation. It is important for all of us to celebrate this rich diversity.

2. How do learning environments create a genuinely safe and welcoming environment for LGBTIQ students and are there different challenges to be considered for regional and remote areas?

A genuinely safe and welcoming learning environment is essential for all people to learn effectively and achieve at their full potential. This is especially true for LGBTIQ children and youth who come from a minority group which our society still chooses to view as largely adult. Discussions about sexuality and gender diversity have been (and in some cases still are) silenced in schools in Australia. However, real inclusivity starts with awareness. Often educators are unsure how to support their LGBTIQ students in a meaningful way. A range of international research has shown that creating a supportive environment for LGBTIQ students improves educational outcomes for all students, not just those who may identify as LGBTIQ. This is not about politics—it’s about supporting students. Any educator, regardless of their personal beliefs, can be an ally for LGBTIQ students.

3. You attended the Pride in Practice Conference in 2017, supported by the Edith Cowan Athena SWAN Advancement Scheme of which you were a recipient in 2016. What learnings did you take away from this event and what do universities today need to do to create genuine inclusive practice that extends beyond policy and process?

Honestly, Pride in Practice was one of the most affirming and personally relevant conferences that I have ever attended. It was amazing to see and hear of so many companies, organisations, and individuals actively supporting LGBTIQ equality and inclusion. It was affirming to hear of the plethora of initiatives around diversity, pride and inclusion currently being explored in Australia.

Although policies and procedures are essential to developing inclusive practice, universities should be striving for more. They need to be leading this drive for genuine inclusion. Despite a significant ‘win’ for inclusion with the result of the marriage equality debate (and plebiscite), there is still so much more to be done to enact genuine inclusion. Universities need to lead by example, breaking down gender and sexual stereotypes, promoting inclusion and celebrating diversity. Initiatives that promote an open dialogue about diversity, challenging reactionary laws and promoting (and funding) research about inclusion is pivotal to our society moving beyond mere tolerance to genuine inclusion, where we celebrate diversity and end discrimination in all of its manifestations.

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