seeing themselves in the curriculum-power pts denver 2005
TRANSCRIPT
Rocky Mountain/Great PlainsNCSS Regional Conference
Denver, ColoradoApril 2005
Seeing Themselves in th e Cur r iculu mDr. Tim Fry
Education DepartmentWashburn University
Topeka, Kansas [email protected]
www.washburn.edu/faculty/tfry
Preface: We live in a diverse world and an increasingly diverse society in the United States. This diverse society includes a number of young people who experience some degree of alienation in our classrooms and schools. Through the application of multicultural education concepts, we can strive to create more inclusive classrooms and schools in which our students can see themselves in the curriculum.
Good social studies is multicultural and
multicultural concepts make for good social
studies!
Multicultural Concepts
• Culture• Cultural Pluralism• Diversity is Valued• Oneness is not sameness & balancing difference
with commonalities• Multiple Perspectives• Visibility• Awareness of Stereotypes
What is Culture?
• Idealized definition:
•The way our ancestors speak through us.
Culture-Working Definition
• Learned traditions, loyalties, beliefs, customs that guide behavior of a group of people.
We are all multicultural!
• Members of many groups that have cultural aspects
• Gender, social class, regional, ethnicity, religious,…..
• Race??White, Black, ??? • Dynamic--our loyalties change over time• Complex--groups overlap
Cultural Elements
• Values and beliefs• Customs and traditions• Language/communication patterns• Diet and food preparation• Dress and/or body decoration• Religious practices• Family structure• View of time may vary• Recreation-athletic games
CULTURE PROFILE: To which group(s) do you belong?
1.Language --English only; Spanish; Chinese; Vietnamese; Bilingual; Others________________
2. Ethnicity/National Origin-people in class with at least one ancestor from the areas: Native American--Tribes/Nations ________________Latin American--Countries/Regions: Mexico ; Cuba; El Salvador; Panama; South American Country, ________________Euro-American--Countries/Regions: Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales); Ireland; Germany, France, Italy, Scandinavia; Others ____________African American--Countries/Regions ______________Asian American--Countries _____________Arab American/ Middle East--Countries ___________
3. ReligionChristianity
Major Branches-- Catholic; Orthodox; Mormon; Protestant Protestant Denominations: Baptist,Congregational;
Disciples of Christ (Christian Church); Episcopal (Anglican)Friends (Quaker), Lutheran, Methodist, PresbyterianOther denominations __________________
Islam (Muslims) Branches of Islam: Shiite; Sunni Judaism (Jewish); Hindu;Buddhist (including Confucianism, Taoism)Other religions______________________
4. Musical Preference: Country-Western, Rock, Jazz, Rap, R & Blues, Latin, Tejano, Religious, Hip-Hop,Bluegrass
5. Clothes: Casual, formal, uniform, ethnic
6. Food: Fast food, traditional diet, ethnic
7. Drinks: soft drinks, coffee, tea, milk, alcohol
8. Athletics: Golf, Football, Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Gymnastics
9. Housing: Apartment, Single family dwelling, dorm
10. Living location: City/urban, rural, small town
11. Politics: Democrat, Republican, independent
12. Transportation: Bicycle, walk, auto, bus, subway
Culture Census Total people in class= _______
Sex/Gender Female _____; _____%/class Male_____; _____%/class
Language at homeEnglish only _____; _____%/class Spanish _____; _____%/class
Chinese _____; _____ %/class Vietnamese_____; _____%/class
Others___________________________________________; _____%/class
Bilingual _____; _____%/class
Ethnicity/National Origin-people in class with at least one ancestorfrom the areas:
Native American _____; _____%/class Tribes/Nations Represented_____________________________
Latin American_____; _____%/classCountries/Regions Represented (y/n or number)
Mexico ___Cuba___El Salvador ___Panama ___South America ___Others __________________________________
Euro-American_____; _____%/classCountries/Regions Represented (y/n or number)
Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) ___Ireland ___Germany ___Others ____________________________________
African American _____; _____%/classCountries/Regions Represented _________________________
Asian American _____; _____%/classCountries Represented_________________________________
Arab American or Middle East_____; _____%/classCountries Represented________________________________
Languages in Our Room
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
English Spanish Vietnamese ChineseLanguage
Number of Students
Series1
Cultural Pluralism
• Multiple identities and loyalties in a nation• Not a melting pot• Opposite of Assimilation• 1890-1910 population doubled• “PIGS”-- “WASPS”• Not a deficit or deprived--different
Diversity Has Value• Paradigm shift from deficit, more than tolerance, to
view it as a strength• Music analogy-unison/harmony; • “same song”---Our song is about equality, civil rights
& social justice included in our founding documents!!
• Analogy from Biology--positive adaptation• Political Science --Democracy is inefficient but in the
long run the best decisions are made when many points of view are listened to
Oneness is not sameness & balancing difference with
commonalities• E Pluribus Unum• Balancing Act• Different yes but much more in
common
Multiple Perspectives• Important social studies concept• Not just one story• “Don’t believe anything I tell you”• Elian• Anglo centric• Imbalance “What if Custer’s men had repeating rifles and
the kill ratio were higher?” Same math skills could have been applied with bacteria and antibiotics.”
• “Settled--Won”• Nine Year Freshman Story• Singer Quote
Visibility• Posters, Calendars, Bulletin Boards• Add history/SS to math to show the contributions
of many cultures• First Person Reports• Many good websites--biographies• The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/• Dr. Sarah Greenwald “Incorporating Mathematical Achievements of
Women and Minorities into Schools-…Classroom Activity Sheets http://www.mathsci.appstate.edu/~sjg/ncctm/activities/
• Benjamin Banneker Lesson plan at: http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-famous/Banneker.html#objectives
Visibility- Curriculum Materials
• REACH Center http://www.reachctr.org/• Southern Poverty Law Center
http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp• Cobblestone--recent issue on contribution of
women in the civil war• VOICES Herstory: A collection of stories about
women in history http://www.nokomisfoundation.org/herstory.htm
Visibility Quote
• ‘“We, the people.’ It is a very eloquent beginning. But when that document was completed on the seventeenth of September 1787, I was not included in that ‘We, the people.’ I felt somehow that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in ‘We the people.’” Barbara Jordan, House of Representatives, 1974
Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research•http://brownvboard Brown Quarterly, other resources-- videos
•National Park Service Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site• www.nps.gov/brvb •curriculum materials, videos & CD’s, Ranger visits, •Video: A Case for Equality: Reading, Writing, and Resistance (elem-middle)•Video :Dialog (high school) phone:(785) 354-4273
Visibility--Music
• John McCutcheon– “Travelin’ in the Wilderness”– “Cross that Line”
•Other Suggested Resources• “Simple Justice” by Richard Kluger both book (1975) and movie (video)
• “Brown V. Board Of Education, A Brief History with Documents”, (1998) by Waldo E. Martin Jr.
Black, White & Brown video by KTWU (PBS)website: ktwu.washburn.edu
Fry,“The Struggle Against ‘Separate But Equal’—Teaching About Brown v. Topeka,” Southern Social Studies Journal, Vol.30 (1) Fall 2004
Visibility-Associations• TODOS: Mathematics for ALL http://www.
todos-math.org• Benjamin Banneker Association www.
bannekermath.org• NAME
Awareness of Stereotypes
• Stereotype, Prejudice (Bias), Discrimination• Cognitive, Affective, Behavior• Head, Heart, Hand• Jane Elliot’s “Eye of the Storm”• Terrible Thomas Jefferson Quote• Banneker’s Twelve Page Letter• Jefferson Reply-sort of retraction• Detect stereotypes in materials
Goals of Students Seeing Themselves in the Curriculum Include:
• Improving the academic achievement of minority students
• Build commitment to American ideals of pluralism and democracy
• Eliminating bias in classroom interactions and learning materials
• Incorporating minority perspectives into the curriculum
• Fostering respect and appreciation for the contributions to society that minorities have made