Transcript PRESENTATION NAME - Appalachian State University

Diversity in Children’s Literature
Clyde Rice
Lenwood Thompson, III
RE 5140
Spring 2010
Topic Connection
This child was born
in 1970 . . .
• Age 5: entered school; knew he was different, but not how.
• Age 12: knew he was gay, but had told no one.
• Age 18: graduated from high school having never heard
any positive information regarding gays. Had heard
teachers say various historical figures were “light in the
loafers,” “you know,” etc. Someone had written in a
bathroom stall that this child was a fag. He’d still told no
one & wouldn’t tell for at least 12 more years.
According to GLSEN . . .
• Approximately 5% of U.S. high school kids identify as
lesbian/gay (roughly ¾ million students).
• Many self-identify & “come out” by age 16. Are in high
school.
• 10.5% of gay/lesbian kids saw LGBT people positively
portrayed in class.
• 86.2% reported verbal harassment at school for being
gay; 22.1% reported being physically assaulted.
• 60.8% of those harassed/assaulted at school did not
report it to school staff because they didn’t think
anything would be done.
• An estimated 7 million LGBT parents with school-age
kids in the U.S. A fifth of surveyed students reported
hearing negative comments about their parents; a third
heard these from school staff. 23% of students with an
LGBT parent had heard negative comments from other
parents.
What does research say?
• Most research deals with pre-service
teachers, not current ones. They have
typically not given a lot of thought to
addressing this type of diversity.
• Teacher educators aren’t generally
comfortable, either.
• Parental complaints have caused many such
books to be challenged or even banned in
various school districts & libraries across the
U.S.
• Self-censorship prevents many people from
being exposed to this literature. Take the
path of least resistance.
Classroom Activity
Parent survey
Parents were asked if they would give their child permission to hear books
related to families that contain gay/lesbian parents.
Teacher Survey
Teachers were asked about their attitudes regarding using children’s literature
with gay/lesbian characters.
My Action Research Re: Teachers
• Survey on attitudes regarding using children’s literature
with gay/lesbian characters.
• Thought upper elementary (grades 3 – 5) would be more
comfortable with the topic, as would younger teachers.
• Received 20 responses: 10 primary, 10 upper.
• Primary teachers were evenly split when asked if they’d
ever had a gay/lesbian parent in their room. None said
they’d had a gay/lesbian child.
• 70% of primary teachers felt either slightly or highly
uncomfortable with the topic. 2 of the 3 who were
comfortable with the topic had taught less than 10 years.
Action Research (Continued)
• What affected primary teachers’ level of comfort? Parental
comments, answering kids’ questions, and religious beliefs.
• 7 upper elementary teachers had had a gay/lesbian parent.
• 1 had had a gay/lesbian student.
• 60% said they would feel either comfortable or very
comfortable using such literature. Of that 60%, 4 of the 6
had taught 16 or more years.
• What affected their level of comfort? Knowledge of the
subject, parental comments, and having an LGBT family
member.
• None of the teachers, primary or upper elementary, had
ever shared literature containing gay/lesbian characters
with their students.
Classroom Activity
• Did a picture walk of And Tango Makes Three.
• Kids thought it was about a mom, a dad, and a baby
penguin.
• While reading, some kids’ comments were:
-“Only the girl penguins can lay eggs. That’s why the boys
don’t have one.”
-“They are taking turns sitting on the egg.”
-“Yay!” (said when Tango hatched)
• Was our guess right? “No, it’s 2 daddies, not a mom & a
dad.”
• Extension: a nest in dramatic play. What would happen?
Gender
“Boys Will Be Boys”
How do male students view reading?
What elements affect males students choice
of books?
How are male characters socialized in the books we
use?
What does research say?
• Boys use literature to help form their social identity (masculinity).
• Children’s literature introduces children to varying male archetypes. (Healer,
king, lover, magician, patriarch, prophet, warrior, and wild man)
• Boys need to be engaged in discussion about the things they read.
• Children’s literature from the 1900 to 1984 mainly featured male characters
as the central or main character.
Classroom Background
Student Interest Inventory
•10 males students were asked 4 questions about their reading
preferences and behavior.
•Results were compiled into graph form and used to reform
instructional practices.
1. How much time do you spend
outside of class reading
independently?
a) 45 minutes to one hour
b) 1-2 hours
c) 2-3 hours
d) 45 minutes or less
3.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Where do you prefer to read?
At a desk or table
Outside, under a tree
Reading in VIP area in class
In a chair near a window
2. Which genre of books do you
prefer reading?
a) Fantasy
b) Realistic fiction
c) Mystery
d) Historical fiction
e) Autobiography
4. After you finish reading a book, which do
you do first?
a) Talk to a friend about the book you read
b) Talk to a parent or guardian about the book
you read
c) Write in a journal about the book you read
d) Find a new book to read
Student Interest Survey
1.
2.
3.
4.
Five out of the ten students spend 45 minutes or less outside of class reading.
The majority of the students preferred reading books that are realistic fiction or
mystery.
Six of the ten students preferred reading books in the VIP area of the class.
Overwhelming majority of the students engaged another student in conversation after
they finished reading a book.
Teacher Survey
•
Eight upper grade teachers (grades 3-5) were asked four questions concerning their
reading practice and the level engagement of male students during that time.
How would you describe
your instructional style
during reading
instruction?
A) Lecture B) Paideia
How do you determine what
books your children will
read?
A) Quarterly plans
B) Student surveys
C) Recommended text
D) Student free choice
What measure of assessment do
you use to gauge students’
mastery of reading objectives?
A) Multiple choice test
B) Essay
C) Conversation partner
D) Combination of A-C
On a scale from 1 t 10, 10
being most engaged. How
engaged are your male
students during reading?
Teacher Survey Results
1. All eight teachers described their teacher practice as lecture style.
2. All eight teachers assessed their students through multiple choice
test.
3. Majority of teachers follow a predetermined plan for instruction.
4. Majority of teachers observed less than five male students engaged
during reading instruction.
Classroom Activity
• Using a familiar text, I read the story Wilfrid Gordon McDonald
Partridge.
• The central character is a boy named Wilfrid Gordon McDonald
Partridge and he represents the “lover” male archetype. His
compassion and sensitivity towards others is displayed in his
empathy for Miss Nancy.
• After I read the story I organized my students in pairs. In pairs,
students discussed a series of questions.
• Following paired discussion we discussed the book whole group.
• Lastly, students wrote in their reading response journals. Students
were to make a text to self connection, text to text, and text to
world connection.
Paired Student Questionnaire
1.What did you like most about the text?
2.Does the main character remind you of
someone you know?
3.What characteristics do you think make
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partidge
unique?
4.Would you recommend this book to
someone else to read? Why or why not?
Final Thought
• “I wrote Joe to lead the way into a new way of seeing and thinking. But
most important, I wrote Joe for myself and the boy I was who had no
literature, no language, and no role models……I wrote it for their families
and I wrote it for the grown-up Joes who teach our kids and, like our kids,
need to feel it’s okay to be open about who you are-to be open because you
don’t have to live in fear because you like yourself.”
-James Howe
• When I look back, I am so impressed again
with the life-giving power of literature.
If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of
myself in the world, I would do that again by reading,
just as I did when I was young.
~ Maya Angelou ~