London South Bank University Educational Studies Module: Equality, Inclusion and Citizenship ‘Education for Equality: Race’ - 19 Oct 2007

‘Valuing diversity in Education’ Dr Uvanney Maylor

Outline of presentation

• Definitions • Does ‘race’ matter? • Why ‘race’, ethnicity, culture matter • Valuing diversity • Factors inhibiting valuing diversity • Concluding remarks

Ethnicity

Essentially a process of group identification, ethnicity is a sense of cultural and historical identity based on a belonging by birth to a distinctive cultural group, for example, English, Indian, Irish, African-Caribbean. We may belong to at least one ethnic group and may also identify with several groups at the same time (for example, Yoruba, Nigerian, African and Black Briton). (Bhavnani, Mirza and Meetoo 2006:24)

Culture

The learned system of shared beliefs, systems of meaning, values, custom and behaviours which are transmitted from generation to generation. Because the relationship between what is taught and what is learned is not absolute (some of what is transmitted is lost while new discoveries are constantly being made and cultural features from other groups are taken on) culture exists in a constant state of change. Defining and understanding ‘culture’ requires an understanding of how ‘cultures’ intersect with broad structures and processes in society’.

(Bhavnani, Mirza and Meetoo 2006:212).

‘Race’

‘Race’ is a changeable term and we have to understand the ways in which ideologies and structures construct certain groups in ways that presume they are naturally distinct. In this sense ‘race’ is not real or a measurable quality, hence the use of quotation marks to denote its social construction. ‘Race’ is a social relationship in which structural positions and social actions are ordered, justified and explained by reference to systems and symbols of beliefs which emphasise the social and cultural relevance of biologically rooted characteristics. (Bhavnani, Mirza and Meetoo 2006:217)

Racisms

• Biological racisms are based on notions of superiority and inferiority of particular ethnic groups • Cultural/new racism is premised on the notion of cultural difference (e.g. religion, customs, traditions) and cultural incompatibility between majority and minority ethnic groups (Barker 1981)

Institutional racism

The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people (Macpherson 1999:28, para. 6.34).

Identities

• Socially constructed • Multiple (e.g. nationality, class, religion, age, gender, ethnicity, regional), fluid and will continue to change as individuals move between identities in different contexts and times • People with the same ethnic or national identity can have varied perspectives and experiences • All forms of social identity have the potential to exclude as well as include (Hall, 1996)

Does ‘race’ matter?

Chris Gaine (2005:21) suggests that ‘race’ ought not to matter: ‘Shouldn’t we all be colour blind?, to which my answer is, paradoxically, both no and yes. No, at least for the time being, because race matters in people’s lives; it is sometimes so relevant so that we have to notice it, monitor it, refer to it, examine it, pick at it, in order that we can make it not matter. But yes, because people’s lives would be better if it were irrelevant, if it did not matter’. Some teachers think that pupils do not see ‘race’ as important:

‘In my school I don’t think they think it’s a big issue because there are many boys that are ethnic minority it gets to the point they can’t say to another boy “you are an ethnic minority” because they may be themselves anyway. … there are so many boys that may have slightly different cultures and colour skin but their parents are English and their grandparents might be English … I don’t think it’s such an important thing to them’.

(White secondary teacher - Maylor et al., 2006a)

‘Race’/ethnicity/culture matters

• They are essential elements of one’s identity • Society operates in racialised ways • The pupil population is immensely diverse – even in mainly White schools • Pupils’ bring a variety of backgrounds, identities and experiences to the learning environment • Pupils have differential school experiences and educational outcomes • They influence how pupils (and parents) from different ethnic backgrounds are viewed at a societal and individual school level and the labels that are applied to them • Teacher assumptions, expectations and judgements are often made about pupils according to their perceived identities

Black parents: schools’ perceptions

• Stereotyped views of Black parents as single mothers, not valuing education • Stereotyped views of Black pupils (as aggressive, lazy, difficult, loud) • Low teacher expectations • Experiences of racism

Parents views: Stereotyping of Black parents

‘When you look at the White parents you notice that there are working class parents and there are middle class parents. We’re just Black parents, no matter what, we’re just Black parents … people need to recognise differences and … not approach all

Black parents in the same way’. (Black parents focus group 1)

‘[Teachers need] to get to know me and actually realise that I do know what I am talking about and I am concerned about my child, and no, I don’t run to Jamaica to bring drugs into the UK or whatever’.

(Black parents focus group 2)

Parents views: Stereotyping of Black pupils

‘They view them as lazy, [name of son] has been called lazy, difficult, they see them as … Black boys can be very articulate and they are very clever and that in a lot of cases is a bit of a … they are not sure how to deal with it because their view in this country is they are very good sportsmen. [name of son] is crap at football, he doesn’t like sports at all’. ‘They have lower expectations of them … they did this big careers thing at GCSE level and the idea was to help them form what A levels and AS levels they wanted to do and she came home and said “but mum they kept asking me about sport and did I want to do something in sport?” and then she said “well actually, I’m quite good at science” and then she [the teacher] said “oh yes look at this, you should do science”. But you know she looked at what came in, a highly athletic young lady and she decided that that was what she was going to do, so yes, I think they still put [Black children] into little boxes’.

(Maylor et al., 2006b)

Some other identity constructions

• Some cultures value education and support their children’s learning e.g. Indian, Chinese • ‘Chinese work ethic’, ‘high moral standards’ and ‘home culture to achieve’ • Hardworking • High teacher expectations (see Archer and Francis, 2007)

Valuing diversity in educational practice

• • • • • Locating ‘race’/ethnicity/culture as key concerns within educational practice would help to: Acknowledge and validate majority and minority ethnic peoples’ identities, cultures, and experiences within society Counteract notions of homogeneity and challenge stereotypes Overcome the distortion of reality that occurs when curricula/other resources reflect only the dominant culture and/or White experiences are extrapolated to apply to the whole of the British population – assuming that there is shared experience Aid the development of a culturally diverse and inclusive curriculum Meeting the needs of a culturally diverse society

Valuing diversity in educational practice

ARTEN (2002: 31) argue that: ‘Teachers should be prepared to teach in a multicultural society and develop culturally sensitive practice, respect the religious and cultural sensitivities of all pupils and enable pupils to understand issues of racial equality’.

And that all NQTs should demonstrate that: • They are aware of, and prepared to identify and challenge racial bias, and stereotyping in the curriculum and teaching materials • They are committed to avoiding racial stereotypes and bias in their own teaching and are equipped to do so • They recognise and value the common elements of human experience and the diversity embodied in different cultures, and seek to reflect both in their teaching • They are able to recognise, and prepared to deal with, manifestations of racism in schools and classrooms (ARTEN 2002)

Valuing diversity in educational practice

• ‘The inclusion of race equality concepts in lessons should be seen as a normal part of effective teaching and learning’ (Ofsted 2005:3).

• Pupils in multiethnic and white schools would like more opportunities to learn about diverse groups in Britain

“We don’t learn about different people in Britain, we just learn about people with different cultures’. (Mixed heritage girl, Year 5, School D – Maylor and Read et al., 2007)

Factors inhibiting the valuing of diversity

Delivering a diverse curriculum is limited by: • the absence or low numbers of minority ethnic groups in some schools – ‘There just isn’t the diversity here’ (Secondary head) • diversity not being identified as a school priority • a lack of teacher knowledge about ethnic diversity and confidence in addressing such issues (Maylor and Read, 2007; see also Cline et al., 2002: TDA, 2005)

Approaches that work

• The use of pupils’ own experiences when talking about diversity and identities can help reduce idealisation and stereotyping of particular cultures by some teachers and pupils • Teaching strategies that encompass diversity and identities should acknowledge differences in acceptance and tolerance of people from diverse ethnic groups, and pupils attitudes towards racism • Teachers using their own identity as a means of encouraging pupils to develop and express their own identities. (Maylor and Read et al., 2007)

Valuing diversity: key points

• All pupils need to see their backgrounds (ethnicity, cultures) positively reflected and valued in an appropriate and accessible diverse curriculum. It is important to think about the classroom community as composed of individuals with a range of identities (e.g. mixed heritage, Chinese, White, refugees etc.) rather than as a homogeneous mass of pupils • Valuing diversity will help to facilitate cross cultural communication and understanding

Valuing diversity: key points

• In delivering a diverse curriculum teachers will need to become more culturally aware and avoid adopting a colour blind approach. Becoming more culturally aware may require teachers to reflect on their own identities including how their beliefs/value systems can influence their perceptions of different pupil groups and their actions in the classroom. It will also require challenging the assumptions one makes about different ethnic groups. For example, Black pupils may be constructed as ‘uneducable’ but not all Black pupils underachieve:

‘We have found evidence that every minority ethnic group can achieve high results. Unfortunately this potential is not always being tapped’ (Gillborn and Mirza 2000).

Valuing diversity: key points

• All teachers need to have high pupil expectations and develop an understanding of how racism impacts on learning • The educational needs of minority ethnic pupils may well be very different or equally the same as White pupils • Activities/curriculum alone cannot make a difference to race equality in the classroom - need ethos and commitment to engage from teachers and schools

References

• Archer, L.. and Francis (2007) Understanding minority ethnic achievement: Race, gender, class and success. London: Routledge • ARTEN (2002) A Framework for Antiracist Teacher Education. London: ARTEN • Barker, M. (1981) The new racism, London: Junction Books • Bhavnani, R., Mirza, H. S. and Meetoo, V. (2006 reprinted) Tackling the roots of racism: lessons for success (Bristol: The Policy Press).

• Cline, T., De Abreu, G., Fihosy, C., Gray, H., Lambert, H. and Neale, J. (2002) Minority Ethnic Pupils in Mainly White Schools, RR 365 (London: DfES).

• Crozier, G. (2005) Beyond the call of duty: the impact of racism on black parents’ involvement in their children’s education, in G. Crozier & Reay, D. (eds.) Activating participation: parents and teachers working towards partnership (Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books) • DfES (2003) Every Child Matters (London: DfES) • Essed, P. (1991) Everyday racism: an interdisciplinary theory (London: Sage) • Gaine, C. (2005) We’re All White THANKS. Stoke-on-Trent:: Trentham Books • Gillborn, D. (1990) ‘Race’, ethnicity and education (London: Unwin Hyman)

References

• • • • • • • • • Gillborn, D. and Mirza, H. S. (2000) Educational inequality: mapping, race, class and gender (London: Ofsted) Hall, S. (1996) New Ethnicities, in: Baker, Jr. H., Diawara, M., and Lindeborg, R. (eds) Black British Cultural Studies (Chicago and London, University of Chicago Press).

Macpherson, W. (1999) The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. London, Stationery Office.

Mason, D. (2000) (2nd edition) Race and Ethnicity in Modern Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Maylor, U. and Read, R. with Mendick, H., Ross, A. and Rollock, N. (2007) Diversity and Citizenship in the Curriculum: Research Review, Research Report. 819. Nottingham: DfES.

Maylor, U., Ross, A. Hutchings, M., Rollock, N. and Williams, K. (2006a) Teacher Education Addressing Multiculturalism in Europe, England: Country Report 2 (Available at: http://www.cice.londonmet.ac.uk

).

Maylor, U., Ross, A., Rollock, N. and Williams, K. (2006b) Black Teachers in London: A report for the Mayor of London. London: GLA.

Ofsted (2005) Race Equality in Education: Good practice in schools and local education authorities. London: Ofsted HMI 589 TDA (2005) Results of the Newly Qualified Teacher Survey 2005. London: TDA.