Running head: 1 Teaching Individuals Within a Group Rosemarie Ziegler Philosophy of Education The University of Akron
2 Teaching Individuals Within a Group While designing this project, I first tried to think about what teaching in a multi-cultural and diverse population meant. There seemed to be many different perspectives and definitions of the concept, ranging from religious, cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity to some opinions that were stereotypical. For example, I remember being taught once in an undergraduate course that students of African descent needed to learn in more active ways. As my entire teaching career so far has been teaching mainly urban students, most of which can be identified as being African- American, I have thought about how stereotypical that statement was. The students I have encountered are all individuals. Some prefer to be active, and some do not. As an educator, I have always felt that differentiating instruction was good for everyone even if that meant learning in ways that were not one s specific learning style. I attempted to choose articles for the literature review that represented different perspectives of multiculturalism and diversity in education. Literature Review The first article I chose was Dr. Geneva Gay: Multicultural Education for all Disciplines. Dr. Gay, who is an expert in multicultural education, is interviewed and gives her opinions on the integration of multiculturalism in the various content areas. Dr. Gay feels that multicultural education has been embedded most successfully in the areas of reading and writing even though social studies seems as though it might lend itself better (Atwater, 2010). An interesting point that she makes is that science seems to be the least multicultural although there is a belief that science is a neutral field (Atwater, 2010). What I found most encouraging is that Dr. Gay does not follow a one-size-fits all approach.
3 She believes that any time any educator or inner segment of the education profession of community says that it has come up with practices that will serve everybody, then trouble is brewing. Since somebody generated those practices, she raised the question, Are they the best practices for you and yours? (Atwater, 2010, p. 161). The second article I found interesting was Computers, the Media and Multicultural Education: Seeking Engagement and Political Literacy. This article addresses not only the need for multicultural education in pre-service teachers, but also the fact that Western White maledominated capitalist media have a large influence on the indoctrination of other cultures. Carr and Profilio assert that pre-service teachers often view technology as an equalizer amongst different peoples, but do not understand the history and underlying implications of white male dominance (2009). The authors also point out that reading books for research as well as face to face interactions have been replaced with quickly doing online research, viewing YouTube videos, and the use of social media. This allows the media to impose its slanted views on people during activities where they previously would have been engaging in more independent thought (Carr & Profilio, 2009). Previous multicultural activities in the United States often involved learning about customs, holidays, and cultures of previously oppressed groups (Carr & Profilio, 2009). According to Carr and Profilio, critical multicultural education is predicated on teachers unearthing historical and present power imbalances (2009). Looking at Carr and Profilio s perspective makes it evident that students of all backgrounds need to develop critical thinking skills to filter the propaganda from the facts. The final article I chose was Rethinking Diversity in Resegregated Schools: Lessons From a Case Study of Urban K-8 Preservice Teachers. This article appealed to me because the title seemed like it would be relevant to the urban district where I currently teach which has
4 experienced resegregation. Not only are the students surrounded by others who are like them racially and economically, they are also geographically isolated. Most students in my school use public transportation and so are limited to the places that they may travel. Authors Michael- Luna and Marri examine the perceptions of preservice K-8 teachers in an urban education program [and] how diversity is represented by examining the ways in which an all Black or all Hispanic classroom can be diverse ( 2011). The preservice teachers selected for the study were identified as being urban, multicultural, multi-lingual, and either working or recently middle class. The preservice teachers also identified themselves as having diverse experiences in their own K-12 education experiences (Michael-Luna & Marri, 2011). Initially, the preservice teachers all took notice of the racial homogeny of the classrooms in which they were placed and overlooked the multiculturalism within the groups. Through the preservice teachers experiences, they eventually realized the diversity within the homogeny as well as the isolation of the students in the resegregated areas (Michael-Luna & Marri, 2011). Description and Implementation I chose to use my own classroom within my school as it is a culturally diverse, formal education site. My classroom is a small group self-contained special education classroom in an urban school district. The students have abilities ranging from elementary school levels through high school despite all being either 9 th or 11 th grade students. They qualify for special education services under a variety of categories. All of the students in my classroom can be described as African American. The lesson I chose to implement is an All About Me presentation that I incorporated into my English class. I have done similar activities in the past, but I have had the same group of
5 students for three years and haven t done it lately as they all knew each other. This year 4 new 9 th graders were placed in my room so I felt it would be a good idea. The requirements for the project were as follows: students must create a powerpoint or Google Presentation, must identify 5 words that describe them, pictures of 3 activities or things that they enjoy, one short term goal, and one long term goal. The students created a presentation and I did as well. The activity lasted for 2 days. The first day the students worked on their presentations and the second day was presentation day. I had hoped to foster a sense of community and respect for one another and did not want the students to feel pressured or disengage from the project, so I allowed them as much freedom as they choose in the development of their presentations. As the students each presented their projects, I allowed them as much or as little time as they chose. All of the students enjoyed participating and asked questions of each other at the end of the presentations, and especially enjoyed using the SMART board to give their presentations. Analysis and Conclusion Even though it could definitely be said that my students displayed characteristics of their cultural and ethnic groups, it seemed more important to them that they were acknowledged as individuals. Each child s presentation was very different. Despite all of the students being teenage boys, topics like video games, popular music, or a particular television show did not appear in any of their presentations. The entire class took the project to heart and tried to convey a true description of who they were. A student who rarely participates or even speaks presented his project and one who frequently disrupts the class was engaged and respectful while others presented. Even though the students are not racially diverse, they are still a very diverse group.
6 One of the student s presentations was devoted to his family. He explained how his family influenced who he was and how he wanted his actions to reflect positively on them. Another young man, who on the surface seemed to only care about reading manga-style comics online, told about how he wanted to be a computer programmer and loved his pet cat and even stated that his cat helped him to feel calm and safe. A third student discussed his love of photography and desire to be a graphic designer. The last student talked about how even though he liked to have fun, he wanted to live a good life and be someone kids could look up too. Personal Reflection I thought about what project I would like to do prior to the literature review as the students were going on spring break and I would not have an opportunity to implement anything if I had waited. First, I analyzed what my strengths and weaknesses were in regards to teaching with diversity. Because I teach in a special education environment, instruction is focused on reaching a wide variety of learners, whose cultural differences also contribute to who they are as learners and individuals. I also try to present information so that it is accessible to different learning styles as well as people with varying ability and disability. I realized that one of my weaknesses in regard to teaching diverse learners is that I often encourage them to leave their baggage at the door, so to speak. I adopted this practice in the hopes of allowing school to be a safe place separate from the students personal lives, which are often unpleasant. While doing so, I realized that I am attempting to excise a part of each student s individuality. Although high school students need to develop the skill of being mentally present in the classroom and sometimes learning and doing tasks they may not like, who they are as individuals contributes to who they are as learners. Overall, I found that
7 recognizing and supporting who the students are as diverse individuals can help them to know themselves and better facilitate their own learning. Throughout their lives, they will need to do things that may not be ideal for their individual learning styles or other characteristics, but being comfortable in their own skin and open to others will help them to accommodate for themselves.
8 References Atwater, M. M. (2010). Dr. Geneva Gay: Multicultural Education for All Disciplines. Science Activities, 47(4), 160-162. doi:10.1080/00368121003753902 Carr, P. R., & Porfilio, B. J. (2009). Computers, the media and multicultural education: seeking engagement and political literacy. Intercultural Education, 20(2), 91-107. doi:10.1080/14675980902922200 Michael-Luna, S., & Marri, A. R. (2011). Rethinking Diversity in Resegregated Schools: Lessons From a Case Study of Urban K-8 Preservice Teachers. Urban Education, 46(2), 178-201. doi:10.1177/0042085910378476