In the classroom we have to deal with my cultural difference that will play out within the confines of this learning space with students. Sometimes those factors can affect whether a child is doing well in school. In the documentary A Class Divided and the article White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack, a clear picture is painted of what prejudice and privilege really are.…
In the opening chapter in Lives on the Boundary, Mike Rose points to an underlying issue in our educational system; how to deal with the diversity in our schools of students' knowledge and comprehension of taught material. Imperfections in the educational system makes it rigorous for certain students to learn what is being taught. Since each student is different, ideally each student should be taught in the way that suits him or her best. However, this is not the case. Throughout schooling from K-12 the curriculum is the same or very similar for everybody, but at the same time each person is an individual who has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Many people…
Our student ethnic population is very heavy Caucasian, as some urban schools are heavy African American and Latino, offering limited experiences to interact with multiple perspectives. In order for students to have equal opportunities “there must be a large variety of shared undertakings and experiences” because “the influences which educate some into masters educate others into slaves” (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Without these varied experiences, our students might be prevented from becoming active participants in their lives and school. To become an active citizen in our society, our students must have access to multiple perspectives in order to understand the world around them. Teaching in a school with limited experiences forces our teachers to really think of ways to bring varying perspectives into their…
The study took a look at the resistance of white teachers to modify the curriculum to reach Latino students in impoverished school settings. The study requires elements of dialogic conversation, authentic activity, and metacognition. Dialogic conversation is the requirement that teachers gain a grasp on how their verbal interactions, or lack there of, impact the learning experience. Authentic activity is the act of making sure that learning “…is meaningful long after the ‘event’ of learning ends.” John Dewey, a well-known believer in experiential/progressive education is mentioned as support for this thinking. Metacognition; self-reflection requires the teacher think about all aspects of the teaching and learning process to enhance the experience for the teacher and the student. Since the author has used the sociotransformative constructivism study as her theoretical basis it is evident that she values the idea that teachers are responsible for creating meaningful learning experiences for all students. Yow also includes hidden curriculum as a connection to literature piece in her study. The hidden curriculum includes non-content related materials that teachers are unofficially responsible for teaching. As previously stated the learner-centered ideology values education fostering the intellect as well as emotional, physical, and social development of the student. An ending note, of Yow’s support of the learner-centered approach are statements made in her discussion section of the study. She states that “…liberative practices that allow equal access to all content domains is imperative.” She continues, to summarize, to describe that practicing teachers have to bebeing prepared to reflect on their lessons and teaching practices to discern which methods are most effective and best for their learners to be…
Margaret L, Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins, in their article, (Why Race, Class, and Gender Still Matter, published in Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, addresses the topic of race, class and gender and argues that their relevance is due to the fact that they continue to structure society in ways that value some lives more than others. They supports this claim by using the matrix of domination in relation to gender, race and class, then advise the reader to look at an issue through a broad perspective- realizing both the oppressor and the oppressed, and finally distinguish between recognizing and understanding diversity and not just acknowledging it. Andersen and Collins’ purpose is to have students think about race, class and gender…
(2002) "Against Repetition: Addressing Resistance to Anti-Oppressive Change in the Practices of Learning, Teaching, Supervising, and Researching."Harvard Educational Review, 72(1), 67-92. Reprinted in Race and Higher Education: Rethinking Pedagogy in Diverse College Classrooms (Howell & Tuitt, Eds.,…
The education system is formatted in a way to make you fail through practice you subconsciously follow. Implications of certain behaviors is a way which has become a major factor of an individual’s identity; in fact, devices such as white supremacy and patriarchy are deeply embedded in the system which cause the student to become mindless slaves through the oppressive treatment they are provided. Due to the normalization of these standards, kids begin to adapt to the teachings and comply with the portrayal that their community has given them; as a result, they begin to regard the portrayal as a fact and allow it to shape the way that one interacts with another. Similarly, such practices cause distinctions between ethnic groups by labeling some…
Competency 7: The teacher understands strategies for reading literary texts and provides students with opportunities to formulate, express and support responses to literature. In “Perspective-Taking as Transformative Practice in Teaching Multicultural Literature to White Students” by Amanda Haertling Thein, Richard Beach, and Daryl Parks, the authors discuss the difficulties and successful tactics used to teach different perspectives to white students through the use of multicultural literature in the English-Language Arts classroom. Thein begins with explaining that changes do not happen overnight in students by reading literature, but that does not mean that change is not able to happen.…
Drucker, P. “Managing for The Future: The 1990 's and Beyond.” New York: Truman Tralley Books.…
Banks, J. A. (2012). Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education (Vol. 1, ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage publications, Inc.…
There is an atmosphere of diversification and multiculturalism. The trend is to satisfy the diversity thirsts of the system. The thrust is not to satisfy the crowds, but noted as a mandate that became a “must” to satisfy the standards-core curriculum. Diversity not only encompassed gender, and sexual orientation, but psychological natures that were ingrained in individuals, Therefore, the direction of a multicultural classroom had a need to diversify the standard curriculum which in itself was meant to provide an equal access to the…
By implementing a curriculum inclusive of diversity and white privilege, middle schools can further the understanding of each concept to the students. Kendall (2002) defines and details white privilege and how to overcome its institutional prowess over the United States by examining the epistemology of his life. However, implementing white privilege is difficult for anyone, especially early adolescents (Cushman & Rogers, 2007). Cushman and Rogers (2007) developed an outline on how to teach middle schoolers, inclusive of how to handle racial and ethnic barriers. Case (2007) does provide evidence of diversity courses benefiting college students in the article. The overarching theme of the three articles are focused on how students can understand…
I believe one of the main problems in today’s schools is that most educators do not know how to incorporate culturally responsive teaching into their curriculums and classrooms. The lack of culturally responsive teaching hinders the education of the students who are culturally diverse. Culturally responsive teaching needs to become an important part of every curriculum due to the rising amount of diverse students in schools. Unfortunately, students of non-white cultures tend to struggle in the classrooms due to the fact that most teachers are, “white females, with the majority of these women being heterosexual, middle class, and monolingual,” who do not understand their cultural backgrounds. It’s not only the teachers, but the majority of…
In today’s society, diversity in education is extremely important. America is no longer the melting pot it used to be. It has gradually transformed into a salad bowl filled with people from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. As educators, we have to transform and adapt our teaching styles to fit all walks of life. Differentiation is the passport to diversity. In order to be successful in a diverse classroom, facilitators must be able to balance student awareness and community acceptance.…
The central theme of this essay is to what extent does the Australian curriculum achieve what it sets out to do. To answer this question, four main areas will be covered including, what the Australian Curriculum is, positions for and against the Australian Curriculum, the effectiveness of the Australian Curriculum and implications for the students when implementing the Australian Curriculum. Each of these four aspects considers literature to determine to what extent the curriculum is achieving what its set to do. Hence it's crucial to consider these aspects individually to come to a conclusion on the extent the Australian curriculum is meeting what is claims to do.…