Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

This paper explores inclusive teaching strategies and best practices for teaching all children irrespective of their background (gender, race, class, language, religion, sexual orientation, or ability). This quest in the field of education has a long history and there are a plethora of ideas on how we can “teach all our children” especially here in the United States. In this paper, I explore how the quest manifests itself in Ghana. Content of the study is based on field research conducted in Ghana in the academic year 2013/2014. African teachers have always taught students of different ability levels, class, and cultural differences in the same setting without having to analyze: am I using differentiation? They just do it and know that it works. Or do they? What can be learned from teachers who are seemingly oblivious of such strategies as culturally responsive, multicultural, and differentiation instruction? What strides are being made and how can an African country such as Ghana learn from educators in the United States and their preoccupation to be intentional about including everyone in their instruction and vice versa? Rather than viewing the inclusive instructions in isolation, is there any merit in hybridism? Does naming and acknowledging the teaching practice lead to best practices? What happens when inclusive strategies are blended in a subconscious manner, not named, but just done? Could there be lessons learned from the margins, from the practices of Ghanaian educators?