Fair Does Not Always Mean Equal

Fairness. Retrieved from: http://hellpmrssykes.
blogspot.ca/2013/08/when-you-talk-to-your-
childs-teacher.html

Over the past couple months I have enjoyed reading everyone’s blogs and their unique reflections on what we have all been learning in school. One common topic that has come up repeatedly is the idea of differentiated instruction. I think it is extremely important to use this type of instruction in order to give students the opportunity to use their personal strengths to drive their learning. Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014) explain in order to ensure fairness in the classroom, teachers must provide appropriate opportunities for students to learn and demonstrate their learning. This often has an influence on the type of assessments teachers provide for their students. Instead of always giving standardized assessments, teachers understand that students have different ways of showing their knowledge and are providing different types of assessments in order to help their students be successful (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2014).

Fairness should not only be considered when teachers design their assessments but in everything they do with their students. I have worked with many teachers over the past couple years who value fairness over equality and I have witnessed the positive effect it has on students.  Although many teachers use fair teaching methods in their classroom, the students are not aware that the teacher is doing so. However, after a unique experience volunteering in a classroom, I think it is important to teach students the importance of fairness, and how it does not always mean equality.

Over this past reading week I spent some time in a grade 5/6 classroom. This was my first time volunteering with this particular school so I did not know what to expect when I arrived that morning. Before the morning bell rang I got a chance to speak to the teacher who briefly explained her daily routines and gave me an idea of what to expect from her students. She explained that in her class of 22, 12 of her students had an IEP and most of them were achieving at a grade 3 level in school. Even the students who didn't have an IEP were significantly behind. She explained that this is a very difficult group of students to teach because they all have such diverse needs that she needs to cater to. However, she has done her best to adapt her teaching methods to meet the needs of all students.

I was expecting a chaotic day full of misbehavior and conflicts between the students and teacher. However, the teacher had excellent control over the classroom and I was extremely impressed with how she dealt with different problems as they arose. Many of the students complained other students were getting more help than they were, or the discipline they received was different from the other students. When this occurred the teacher pointed to a poster at the front of the room that read, “Fair does not mean equal” (see above). I could not believe how well the students responded to this and often immediately stopped arguing. Although I have a strong understanding of the difference between fair and equal I was surprised that these students who had academic, social and behaviour difficulties were able to easily grasp this concept.

Fair vs. Equal. Retrieved from: https://s-media-ca
cheak0.pinimg.com/origionals/5c/44/4a/5c444addb
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Later that day I asked the teacher about the “Fair does not mean equal” poster and she explained that the class made it together at the beginning of the school year. She knew that because of the class’s diverse needs she was going to have to give the students different treatment and wanted them to understand why. This inspired her to plan a lesson to teach her students how fair and equal are different from each other. During this lesson she told each student to pretend they had an injury, either big or small. Some students said they had a paper cut, while others said they had their arm 

chopped off. The teacher then proceeded to give them equal medical treatment so they all received one average sized Band-Aid. Although the Band-Aid was an effective treatment for the students with a paper cut, it was not helpful to the students who had lost an arm. This helped the teacher explain to her students that if she gave all students equal treatment they would not receive fair learning opportunities. She told them that each student has different strengths and weaknesses that she promised to be aware of these differences and use this knowledge to help each student be successful.

Now if a student complains that something is unfair the teacher reminds them that “it is not equal, but it is fair”. I think this is an important concept to teach students so they can learn to be empathetic of each other and understand that everyone has different needs. I was very impressed how this teacher went about teaching the students this lesson and it is something I will tuck away to use when I have my own classroom.

In the video above, young Riley demonstrates how young children are able to comprehend this concept at an early age and it helps them consider situations from different perspectives. After my experience in the grade 5/6 classroom, and viewing this video I believe that any school aged child can learn to understand the difference between fairness and equality and it is something teachers can make an effort to teach their students as early as kindergarten.

References

Carolan, J. & Guinn, A. (2007). Differentiation: Lessons from master teachers. Educational Leadership, 64(5), 44-47.
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21^st-ceturey learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.

Sun, A (2014). Equality is not enough: What the classroom has taught me about justice. Everyday Feminism. Retrieved from http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/09/equality-is-not-enough/.