Teaching Tolerance,Redefined

Cindy HendrixDr. Thomas McCambridge

Rationale: Why is “tolerance” alone insufficient? Ever-increasing diversity of schools

and society No longer as many common social

and cultural norms Majority of teachers are white,

female, and middle class Majority of students are non-white,

often lower SES

Role of Culture

Culture effects not only how people learn, but also how new information is interpreted

Culturally responsive teaching represents a first step toward addressing diversity

Culture and Schools

Increasing diversity of schools and society requires a better understanding of the role of culture

“Cultural Mismatches” often lead to misunderstandings (taking turns, etc)

Culture and Schools (cont’d)

Cultural mismatch between teachers and students detract from learning

Other conflicts in schools arise from such mismatches

Tolerance alone does not eliminate such misunderstandings

Teaching for “unity and diversity”

Background

Early in the 20th century, a primary goal of schools was to assimilate recent immigrants

Conflicts between ideals of American society and realities of life in urban areas

1960s ethnic revitalization movement

Unity and Diversity

Proposed by James Banks Need to move beyond accepting

and celebrating differences Rather than emphasize

assimilation, recognize that students belong to many ethnic, social, and cultural groups

Unity and Diversity (cont’d)

We are all citizens of local, state, national, and global communities

2002 Bellagio international conference on citizenship education: students in all nations need to be prepared to function within, as well as across, national borders

Unity and Diversity (cont’d)

People need to participate in civic life and feel that their voices are heard and their needs addressed

Otherwise, special interest groups dominate

Civic participation should consider local, state, national, and international good

Purpose of Education One goal of education should be to

"help students become thoughtful, caring, and reflective citizens in a multicultural world society"

"Students need to understand how life in their cultural communities and nations influences other nations and the cogent influence that international events have on their daily lives"

- James Banks (2001)

Character Education

Character education should be woven throughout educational process with the goal of preparing students for a global world

Prospective teachers need to develop a broader understanding of the role of culture in education and society

Implications for Teacher Educators

Teacher educators may need to learn more about the role of culture in teaching and learning

Part of this will require an examination of the role of culture, ethnicity, and gender in their own lives

Implications for Teacher Educators (cont’d)

Consideration of the difference between the role of culture in the life of teacher-educator and that of students in pre-service teachers For pre-service teachers who are not

White and middle class, their perspective may be very different

Implications for Teacher Educators (cont’d)

Re-examination of educational philosophies In Other Peoples Children, Lisa Delpit

recounts differences in attitudes towards discipline and pedagogy between white teacher-educators and students (or teachers) of color

Implications for Teacher Educators (cont’d)

Teacher educators need to consider the role of cultural perspectives in learning in addition to brain-based research

Teacher education programs may inadvertently create “child-deficit” assumptions in pre-service teachers

Implications for Pre-service Teachers

Examine role of culture, ethnicity, and gender in their own lives

For white, female, middle class teachers this includes acknowledging cultural benefits they have benefited from Many pre-service teachers have

mono-cultural upbringings

Implications for Pre-service Teachers (cont’d)

Middle-class values are the dominant perspective in pre-service teachers

Even teachers from working-class backgrounds identify themselves as middle class – seen as necessary to achieve academic and social success

Implications for Pre-service Teachers (cont’d)

Pre-service teachers may need to reconcile personal beliefs with belief systems students bring to school

Conclusion

Purpose of education should be to prepare students for citizenship in our democracy as well as in global society

A participatory democracy in which all citizens have access is one way to build a lasting peace