REC Diversity

Lindsay Bell Brittain Johnson Elayne Monjar John Mullen Molly Spessert

Nacirema

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2.

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Where do you think the Nacirema live?

List at least ten adjectives to describe this tribe’s customs. How many were positive? Negative?

If you were a teacher, how would you deal with Nacirema children in your classroom who insisted on maintaining their tribal customs?

What is REC?

• Race: a human population distinguished as a distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics.

• Culture: socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.

• Ethnicity: heritage.

a group of people sharing a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or cultural

"Preparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching"

By Geneva Gay Knowledge Designing lecture plans Media plans Community

Stereotypes

Blog

1.

Share your blog posts (e.g. experiences) 2.

Discuss differences and similarities within your posts 3.

How do you think your school experience would have been different if the situation was opposite (i.e., less diversity if your school had a lot)?

Stereotypes

Study of White Teachers • • • Many teachers return "home" Opinions of community often impact teachers Unconscious stereotypes do not go undetected by students Study of African American Students • • • presumptions on academic ability and behavior no room for error the issues are at home not in the classroom

Statistics of REC Diversity

Achievement Gap

• • Achievement Gap Effect of the misunderstandings between the various diverse REC groups on the achievement gap (Woolfolk, 2009) • No Child Left Behind & AYPs o Subgroups- White, African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Native American, Multiracial, Students with Disabilities, Limited English Proficiency, and Economically Disadvantaged

Learning Differences

Individualism vs. Groupism Pluralism Diversity within Diversity (Generalizations) Lack of Teacher Preparation http://www.tandfonline.com/action/showPopup?citid=citart1&id=T0001&doi=1 0.1080/10665684.2010.510048&

Multiculturalism

“The purpose of multicultural education is to teach students to value cultural differences, to understand the meaning of the culture concept, and to accept others’ right to be different” (Gibson, 98)

Multiculturalism

Goals of Multicultural Education: • Offer equal educational opportunities to REC minorities • Break down barriers of ignorance and stereotypes by exposing all students to different cultures from their own • Draw from students’ own backgrounds to educate

Multiculturalism

Benefits: • Not just social studies education – can be implemented across the curriculum • Global education – introduces other cultures to students who may be otherwise sheltered • Ties school with community

Multiculturalism in Popular Media

Mexican American Studies Program in • • Tucson Suspended the controversial class to avoid losing $14 Million in state aid removal of textbooks because they had not been through the “required district approval process” • TUSD (2011) 60% of students Native American Daily Show Video

Misuse of Research on Cultural

• • •

Differences

• Field-dependent: African American, Latino, and Native American Field-independent: Anglo-American Leadership roles Books Hani, M. (2010)

Cultural Diversity

Power-relations in the community reflected in the classroom • • • "White cultural superiority" REC diverse students forced to conform Caught between two cultures Phelan’s (1993) experiences in urban high schools in California “reminds us that schools, as microcosms of society, mirror many of society’s issues. We find that cultural diversity, perhaps more than any other topic, is a matter of concern to teachers and students” (p. 3).

Teacher Accommodations

• • • • • • Multicultural or ethnic assemblies and special events.

After-school programs and other opportunities for students to mix.

Conflict-resolution training.

Recruitment of diverse staff.

Teacher-driven professional development on issues of equity.

Teaming between classrooms, usually a bilingual class with a traditional

Wrap Up

Groups: • • • • Social Studies Math/Science English Music/Foreign Language

Wiki Overview

REC Diversity Wiki

Exit Slip

1. What are the differences between race, ethnicity, and culture? 2. Did this presentation change your perception of REC diversity in the schools? If yes, how so? 3. What strategies are you going to use to create a multicultural learning environment? "The Sneetches"

Images

• • • • • • Mountainside Medical Equipment. Shaving. 2012. Jpeg. Retrieved from: http://www.mountainside-medical.com/products/Barbasol-Soothing-Aloe-Shaving-Cream 11-oz.html

Dentist Appointments. Dentist. 2011. Jpeg. Retrieved from: http://www.dentistappointments.com/what-is-a-dentist.php

Society for Humanistic Psychology. Psychotherapy. 2011. Jpeg. Retrieved from: http://societyforhumanisticpsychology.blogspot.com/2011/07/time-on-couch.html

AfricaPictures.org. African Tribe. 2012. Jpeg. Retrieved from: tribe.html

http://africapictures.org/African Organized Woman. Children Reading. 2011. Jpeg. Retrieved from: http://thewellorganizedwoman.com/ Thor's Unwise Ideas. Individualism or the Group?. 2001. Retrieved from: http://thorsunwiseideas.byeways.net/2001/03/01/16-individualism-or-the-group/