Esra Osman is an articulate children’s book author who is committed to fostering inclusive and diverse learning environments that empower students to embrace and celebrate their unique identities. After graduating with a first-class bachelor’s degree, Esra continued her academic journey by obtaining a Master’s degree in Education focused on K-12 education in both the Literature and STEAM disciplines. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctorate in Education, exploring the innovative integration of emerging technologies to advance inclusion within educational settings. With over a decade of experience working in International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP), Esra has held various roles including IB Educator, IB Coordinator, and Head of Inclusion and Diversity. Esra also works directly with the IB by evaluating IB schools in both the IB Americas region and the IB Europe, Asia, and Middle East regions, further enriching her experience and expertise in international education.
In our increasingly diverse world, the call for embracing inclusivity echoes louder than ever before. Educators are entrusted with creating barrier-free learning environments where students’ diverse backgrounds and cultures are acknowledged and celebrated. At the heart of this transformative journey lies the power of identity texts – a gateway to self-discovery, international mindedness, and empathetic connection. As we navigate the complexities of the world we live in today, inquiring into the art of identity texts becomes imperative for cultivating inclusive learning environments that promote diverse voices, stories, and experiences. Identity texts encompass various sociocultural artifacts, such as written, spoken, visual, musical, and multimodal forms of expression, that actively engage students in reflection and identity narrative creation. By fostering an ethos of international mindedness grounded in mutual understanding and appreciation for diverse perspectives, identity texts lay the foundation for holistic social and emotional development. This article delves into three forms of identity texts: discovering multicultural richness through identity maps, unleashing authenticity through creative expressions and the transformative impact of perspective-taking through diverse literature. Each strategy allows one to unveil a deeper layer of the unseen parts of students’ unique identities.
Identity Maps: Discovering Multicultural Richness
Identity maps help students understand who they are as a collective identity. The map creates a platform for students to collaborate and share their connections to various countries and languages. These countries and languages are then labelled onto a single world map classroom display, representing the classes’ cultural richness. Taking off that first layer of getting to know one another prompts reflective thinking on the lived experiences that students have encountered in various locations. As a result, the map highlights the wealth of knowledge that exists amongst them through the experiences that have had a hand in shaping their identities. In addition to creating an opportunity to celebrate the different mother tongue languages represented within the class, the whole class identity map serves as an international-minded visual representing the class’s multilingualism. However, acknowledging linguistic diversity in the classroom is one step, but what comes next? Cummins et al. (2006, p.5) capture this well when they question, “How can we teach for cross-language transfer and literacy engagement when there are multiple languages represented in the classroom, none of which the teacher may know?” One way to bridge linguistic divides is by taking advantage of the many forms of creative expression.
Creative Expression: Unleashing Authenticity
Creative expression activities allow students to appreciate the multifaceted nature of their unique identities. Such activities give students the freedom and agency to authentically represent who they are through various mediums ranging from creative writing, artistic expression, performing arts and beyond. This inclusive approach to introspective self-expression encourages students to delve into personal exploration and creativity and challenges them to lean into their vulnerability by pushing beyond their comfort zones. Through creative expression, students can self-reflect whilst gaining insights into how others define themselves, offering different perspectives that challenge stereotypes and break down preconceived notions. By integrating creative expression into learning processes, educators can inspire students to communicate their narratives in a manner that resonates most with their true sense of self. In doing so, students share a piece of them that may not have been so readily apparent at face value – inviting others to see the world through their eyes and experiences. As the renowned artist Edgar Degas once stated, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
Diverse Literature: The Transformative Impact of Perspective-taking
In the words of Rudine Sims Bishop, literature possesses the transformative capacity to mirror diverse identities and experiences. Literature, she emphasises, can also act as windows through which readers gain insight into diverse perspectives, and they can take on the sliding glass door concept, inviting readers to step into the text and immerse themselves in alternative worlds. When educators intentionally select literature, poetry, or other written works featuring characters from varied backgrounds and perspectives, they provide students with invaluable exposure to various identities and narratives, broadening their understanding of the human experience. Through the immersion of literature, students can transcend the boundaries of culture, language, and geography and challenge dominant narratives and stereotypes. This leads students to think critically, inquire into what it means to be human and apply their knowledge to deconstruct societal norms and biases that perpetuate societal divisions. Engaging with literature, art, and other forms of creative expression that explore different identities and narratives promotes global interconnectedness, cross-cultural communication and social consciousness.
Identity texts nurture students’ international mindedness, encourage them to step out of their comfort zones and deepen their understanding of identity. The path to fostering inclusive learning environments through embracing identity texts is a tangible roadmap for meaningful change as students feel seen, heard, and valued when they encounter their stories mirrored in the curriculum. Incorporating identity texts into learning spaces enables students to engage with their narratives, thereby developing a more profound sense of self-awareness and connection to the world around them. As Rowsell and Pahl (2007, p. 402) stated, “classrooms are spaces that can be infused with our students’ identities. As children come to write, the host of experiences they have had since birth are brought to bear on the writing process. By recognising and honouring that experience, teachers can bring students’ identities into the classroom.” As such, identity texts create two spaces within the classroom: a reflective space, helping students reflect on who they are through their lived experiences and a narrative space, allowing students to tell powerful stories that provide interaction, movement and cultural insights. This dual process of reflection and identity narrative creation empowers students to embrace their uniqueness and invites them to share their stories with others, facilitating meaningful interactions, cultural exchanges, and mutual understanding. Educators who facilitate identity text learning engagements play a pivotal role in fostering inclusive learning environments that support the holistic development of every student, making them active contributors to the ongoing dialogue about identity and the embrace of the true sense of self.
References
Bishop, R. S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6(3), ix-xi.
Cummins, Jim & Bismilla, Vicki & Chow, Patricia & Giampapa, Frances & Leoni, Lisa & Sandhu, Perminder. (2006). ELL Students Speak for Themselves: Identity Texts and Literacy Engagement in Multilingual Classrooms (1).
Rowsell, J & Pahl, K (2007). Sedimented identities in texts: Instances of practice. Reading Research Quarterly 42(3) p388-404