Rocky Mountain/Great PlainsNCSS Regional Conference

Denver, ColoradoApril 2005

Seeing Themselves in th e Cur r iculu m

Dr. Tim FryEducation DepartmentWashburn University

Topeka, Kansas 66621tim.fry@washburn.edu

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

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English Spanish Vietnamese Chinese

Language

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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