The aim of this contribution titled 'Teachers' Diversity-sensitive Digital Practices in the Classroom - A Participatory Research Project' is to shed light on the question of how school teachers can address a diverse student population in their daily classroom practices under the condition of digitality. Utilizing the theoretical framework of practice theory (Schatzki, 2001) I explore digital practices in the classroom together with teachers, facilitating a participatory research project.
Within the European discourse on educational technology in schools, three main areas are investigated: Educational Governance, School- and Classroom Studies, as well as Data- and Information Literacy / Competence Research. This research project contributes to the area of classroom studies. Presently, a focal point of investigation focusses the question of how teachers, students, and technology interact (Macgilchrist, 2023). Practices involving digital artifacts are recognized for their significance in shaping social and educational frameworks (Wolf & Tiersch, 2023).
Grounded in the theoretical framework of practice theory, classroom studies investigate how digital devices generate a pluralization of attention through visualization on smartboards and Apple TVs, necessitating educators to adeptly navigate students’ attention across diverse screens and devices (Herrle et al., 2022; Rabenstein et al., 2022). Other studies investigate the effects of displaying students' notes and question how these become the center of attention as teachers can mirror every device in front of the class (Wolf & Tiersch, 2023). Here questions about privacy and the code of conduct using digital technologies within schools are raised.
Without succumbing to an argumentation of techno-solutionism, this research project investigates how educators can facilitate diversity-sensitive digital teaching to grapple with current challenges such as inclusion in schools. Diversity sensitivity is not solely understood as an awareness of multicultural backgrounds but as a sensitivity towards global and intersectional power relations (Budde, 2021; Walgenbach, 2017). In alignment with power-sensitive approaches towards the concept of diversity, this research project contributes to a discussion about the teachers’ and the technologies’ position within the classroom. By investigating practices with digital artifacts, the research project aims to explore how teachers can construct their teaching practices addressing intersecting power dynamics.
With an intersectional perspective (Crenshaw, 2023), the contribution investigates how school teachers can facilitate students' diversity in the classroom while critically reflecting on their own position and power dynamics within digital educational spaces. Participatory research is a collaborative process in which a teacher partners with the university-based researcher, to investigate a self-chosen specific research question. The current collaboration focusses on the question of how students' digital note-taking can be performed regarding inclusive and language-sensitive digital teaching with tablets for students with refugee or migration backgrounds.

Participatory research (PR) draws on thinkers like Paolo Freire, who theorizes participation, democracy, and pluralism as vital components of social inquiry, aiming at equitable knowledge production and social change. Working towards a vision of a participatory, democratic digital future that is shaped by collective agency and equity, PR focuses on social investigation, education, and action. The research builds on concepts of feminist scholars like 'situated knowledge' by Donna Haraway (1988) as well as decolonial perspectives on teaching and learning (Bozalek, 2011).  Doing a collaborative research inquiry fosters participation and equity between the teacher and the university-based researcher. They collaboratively develop the research project together and investigate context-specific digital teaching practices. The research question, as well as the focus of the research process, are developed in collaboration between the teacher and the researcher. PR provides the opportunity to reflect and reduce hierarchies within the research process by challenging traditional subject-object relationships (Bozalek, 2011). It overcomes the construction of the research object as other and allows to facilitate collaborative learning, improvement of classroom practices as well as meaningful learning (Vaughan 2019).  Conducting grounded theory-based research (Corbin & Strauss, 2015), qualitative 'active interviews' (Hathaway et al., 2020; Holstein & Gubrium, 1995), and classroom observation data is gathered. Within the 'active Interview', both participants interactively co-construct the interview situation together. The interviews focus on the teachers' lesson planning, their didactic decisions before and during teaching as well as on the self-reflection of their teacher role.  Additionally, classroom observation data on practices with digital technologies is collected. Here, the situatedness (time, space, context) of digital practices within classroom interactions is central. During the process of research and analysis, academics informally feedback the results of the analysis, discussing it in brief interactions at school, as well as in formalized interview settings (Nind, 2011). Thus, the data analysis with the coding process of the grounded theory methodology is done by the university-based researcher, discussing and reflecting intensively on the results with the teacher iteratively. 

The first preliminary results stem from the above-mentioned research about language-sensitive digital teaching with tablets for students with refugee or migration backgrounds. These results can be grouped into three dimensions: the use of translation software, the reflection on the teachers’ positionality as German native speaker, as well as visualization practices. Firstly, these results show that establishing translation software use is beneficial for teachers and students. Practices, where students can choose and use specific tools routinely to translate words or phrases help students to navigate their way through assigned tasks as well as through digital learning environments (e.g. Learning Management Systems). The teacher also established diversity-sensitive digital practices, aiming to support students to simplify the text on their own. Students could assess different tools and use them. They gain independence in their learning process as they do not rely on the teacher for help. Secondly, the participatory research project allowed the teacher to reflect on their own practices with digital technology. Coming from a monolingual socialization (Gogolin, 2008) the teachers acknowledged the different positions and backgrounds of the students and shifted their teaching routine to incorporate digital practices that support multi-lingual students. Thirdly, practices of visualization are used not only to display the tasks of the lesson but also to enable the teacher to model the writing process like spelling, reformulating phases and collaborative writing practices in front of the class. It is also used to assess students’ work in public and give (peer-) feedback. Thus, digital artifacts such as teachers’ and students' notes can be displayed in the classroom at any time. During the participatory research, critical attention is raised about power dynamics, privacy and the code of conduct concerning the visualization of students' work.

Bozalek, V. (2011). Acknowledging privilege through encounters with difference: Participatory Learning and Action techniques for decolonising methodologies in Southern contexts. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 14(6), 469–484. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2011.611383 Budde, J. (2021). Die Schule in intersektionaler Perspektive. In T. Hascher, T.-S. Idel, & W. Helsper (Hrsg.), Handbuch Schulforschung (S. 1–20). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-24734-8_35-1 Corbin, J. M., & Strauss, A. L. (2015). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (Fourth edition). SAGE. Crenshaw, K. W. (2023). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color. In Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education (3. Aufl.). Routledge. Gogolin, I. (2008). Der monolinguale Habitus der multilingualen Schule. Waxmann Verlag GmbH. https://doi.org/10.31244/9783830970989 Haraway, D. (1988). Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective. Feminist Studies, 14(3), 575–599. https://doi.org/10.2307/3178066 Hathaway, A. D., Sommers, R., & Mostaghim, A. (2020). Active Interview Tactics Revisited: A Multigenerational Perspective. Qualitative Sociology Review, 16(2), 106–119. https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.16.2.09 Herrle, M., Hoffmann, M., & Proske, M. (2022). Unterrichtsgestaltung im Kontext digitalen Wandels: Untersuchungen zur soziomedialen Organisation Tablet-gestützter Gruppenarbeit. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 25(6), 1389–1408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-022-01099-8 Holstein, J. A., & Gubrium, J. F. (1995). The active interview ([Nachdr.], Bd. 37). SAGE Publications. Macgilchrist, F. (2023). Diskurs der Digitalität und Pädagogik. In S. Aßmann & N. Ricken (Hrsg.), Bildung und Digitalität: Analysen – Diskurse – Perspektiven (S. 47–71). Springer Fachmedien. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-30766-0_3 Nind, M. (2011). Participatory data analysis: A step too far? Qualitative Research, 11(4), 349–363. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794111404310 Rabenstein, K., Macgilchrist, F., Wagener-Böck, N., & Bock, A. (2022). Lernkultur im digitalen Wandel. Methodologische Weichenstellungen einer ethnographischen Fallstudie. In C. Kuttner & S. Münte-Goussar (Hrsg.), Praxistheoretische Perspektiven auf Schule in der Kultur der Digitalität (S. 179–196). Springer Fachmedien. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-35566-1_9 Schatzki, T. R. (2001). Introduction. In K. Knorr Cetina, T. R. Schatzki, E. von Savigny, & K. Knorr-Cetina (Hrsg.), The Practice Turn in Contemporary Theory (S. 10–23). Taylor and Francis. Walgenbach, K. (2017). Heterogenität—Intersektionalität—Diversity in der Erziehungswissenschaft. UTB. Wolf, E., & Tiersch, S. (2023). Digitale Dinge im schulischen Unterricht. Zur (Re)Produktion pädagogischer Sozialität unter dem Einfluss neuer medialer Materialitäten. In C. Leineweber, M. Waldmann, & M. Wunder (Hrsg.), Materialität – Digitalisierung – Bildung (S. 66–84). Verlag Julius Klinkhardt. https://doi.org/10.35468/5979