Equity and Equality in the classroom

To provide equity while treating all students equally is a never-ending task which requires a great deal of work and conscientiousness. To treat all students equally is the more obvious of these two aspects, in that it can be reflected in the teacher's outright behaviors toward students; it can readily be observed; however, it may be difficult at times for a teacher to recognize their own behaviors, therefore making critical reflection important if not necessary.

Equity is the more inconspicuous of the two, because it requires time and understanding on the part of the teacher, and it never is fully completed. Take the example of being an English as a Second Language teacher. There is something called "Leveled Questioning", which allows the teacher to involve all students equally by providing them with an equitous opportunity to understand and be engaged. What this teaching strategy does, is hold different expectations for students with varying LEPs (Limited English Proficiencies), e.g. a student barely understands any english. It would certainly be unreasonable to expect this student to give detailed explanations to a question, so by leveling your question to this student, by making it reasonable, you might ask a question that requires a simple one-word answer. This allows the student to be involved, which is a form of providing equity to all students, even though the particulars of the lesson are not being delivered equally to all students. (AI)