(1993). "Play it Again, (Uncle) Sam:" Using Themes to Review American History. Social Studies Review, v32 n3 p26-31 Spr. Asserts that using a thematic approach to teach pre-twentieth-century U.S. history can help students connect historical events in a coherent pattern. Discusses the development of a history curriculum based on five recurring themes in U.S. history. Provides an outline for a nine-week unit that includes suggested student activities for each theme. (CFR)…
(1998). Using Simulations. Social Studies Review, v37 n2 p31-32 Spr-Sum. Asserts that in order for simulations to work well they need to operate within the constraints of a pre-designed set of rules. The simulation needs to incorporate an articulation of these rules, the simulation activity, and a thorough debriefing. Includes a set of questions and activities designed to facilitate debriefing. (MJP)…
(2001). Moving Marginalized Students Inside the Lines: Cultural Differences in Classrooms. English Journal, v90 n4 p44-50 Mar. Discusses what the author has learned in her job at an elementary school in Northeast Mississippi as liaison between English-speaking school personnel and Spanish-speaking students and parents, most of whom are recent immigrants from Mexico. Discusses what the author learned, through extensive talking and questioning of students and parents, about how cultural differences affect classroom activities and interaction. (SR)…
(2001). The Blackboard Jungle: Critically Interrogating Hollywood's Vision of the Urban Classroom. MultiCultural Review, v10 n1 p20-27,58-60 Mar. Investigated graduate preservice teachers' perceptions of urban students and schools, exploring how they arrived at these perceptions through personal experiences/contacts and other means. Students completed surveys about their image of urban schools and students and examined commercial Hollywood films, discussing their role in shaping perceptions. Students considered critical film viewing a very useful way to grow and learn. (SM)…
(1995). A Crisis in Graduate Studies. Journal of Professional Studies, v3 n1 p74-80 Fall-Win. Argues that Aboriginal graduate students are creating a crisis for faculties of education. The knowledge needed to supervise them as they produce theses is not available. Expertise in Aboriginal educational issues, familiarity with literature, knowledge of Aboriginal languages, and understanding of the oral tradition are inadequate. Interuniversity cooperation may be one solution. (Author)…
(2005). Affirming Diversity: From Assimilationist to Pluralistic Pedagogy. Teacher Education and Practice, v18 n2 p157-174 Spr. Changing demographics in the United States have won the attention of educators and policymakers because of the impact that these changes will have on America's classrooms. The day of heterogeneous populations in schools is becoming a phenomenon of the past as immigrants and their offspring occupy an increasing number of seats in American schools. Banks (2000) notes that demographers predict that by 2020 46% of the nation's student population will comprise students of color. Education policymakers face the dual obligation of effectively serving the needs of their increasingly diverse student body in addition to preparing mainstream American students for the future. All students need to be aware of and capable of functioning in a global society, as well as how to appreciate the cultural uniqueness of all individuals. Colleges of education as well as local school districts are charged with the monumental duty of developing effective strategies that will prepare teachers for the… [Direct]
(2005). Meeting Multicultural Needs in School Libraries: An Examination of Mexican Migrant Families and Factors that Influence Academic Success. Journal of Access Services, v3 n4 p45-50. The children of Mexican migrants face a number of hardships and difficulties that greatly hamper their ability to succeed in American schools. This paper examines some of the major difficulties and suggests multicultural programs that school librarians can implement in order to help migrant children achieve academic success…. [Direct]
(2004). \Brown\, Black, and Yellow: Desegregation in a Multi-Ethnic Context. History of Education Quarterly, v44 n1 p109-112 Spr. The Brown decisions have become part of the collective American memory. Students know that the 1954 decision ended legalized segregation in elementary and secondary schools and rightly understand it as a benchmark in educational history. However, when pressed for information on the decisions, few have ever read the original court documents and even fewer realize there were two separate decisions, that four states and the District of Columbia were involved, and that the South fought aggressively for years to nullify their effect on school attendance. This article discusses the Brown decisions by focusing on the Education for Liberation class. The primary purpose of the class is to trace and understand the location of education in the struggle for equal rights and liberation. (Contains 7 resources.)… [Direct]
(1992). Education Facing the Crisis of Values: Strategies for Strengthening Humanistic, Cultural, and International Values in Formal and Non-Formal Education. This document was prepared on the basis of discussions at a workshop organized by UNESCO and other groups on the subject of education facing the crisis of values from the point of view of: (1) cultural identity and cultural diversity in education; (2) humanistic, ethical, and aesthetic values in education; and (3) education facing the ethical problems that arise from scientific and technological progress. The document presents summaries and recommendations made regarding these themes. The first of five sections contains presentations by representatives of UNESCO and the Association Descartes. The next three sections each take one of the three featured points of view. Section 2 on the point of view of cultural identity and diversity contains: (1) \The reasons for providing intercultural education and an assessment of experiments to date\ (Perotti); (2) \Cultural diversity and promotion of values\ (Batelaan; Gundara); (3) \Ideology and ethical values in education\ (Avakov); (4)… [PDF]
(1990). Many Faces, Many Ways. Multi-Cultural Diversity of Brooklyn. A Guide for Teachers. This resource guide, which focuses on the "Brooklynites" section of Brooklyn's Historical Museum, provides the means for teachers to explore Brooklyn's (New York) multicultural heritage in greater depth. The activities replicate techniques used by folklorists and local historians to help students gain insight into the culture and history of Brooklyn. Students will come to recognize that they themselves are bearers of family and community traditions that are worthy of study. All of the lessons and activities in this guide may be adapted to the experiences of any individual of any ethnic and cultural background. Definitions and discussion of folklore, ethnicity, material culture, local history, and primary sources prepare the reader for detailed considerations of: (1) immigration and settlement patterns; (2) foodways; (3) folk art; (4) festivals and folklore; and (5) the built environment (urban buildings). A selected annotated bibliography lists three sources for teachers… [PDF]
(1990). Shilpa. 1990 Revised Edition. This document presents a collection of materials designed to help students learn about the culture of India through an examination of the country's folk art tradition. Sections on folk crafts, folk dances, folk music, and puppets are included. Each section contains numerous activities. A glossary and an extensive bibliography, folk music scores, and puppet patterns also are included. (DB)…
(1989). Guides for Intercultural Teaching Activities Drawn up by the Working Group on the Encounter between Cultures, Experiments in Intercultural Education. Any activity that brings together people from different cultures leads to the emergence of cultural differences and similarities. The 35 lesson plans contained in this document suggest activities that highlight the differences. However, without being surrounded by various activities showing essential similarities, these activities would have the opposite effect of that intended; that is, they would result in embarrassment or even indictment of minority cultural features. Therefore, it is essential to use these activities only after the group has worked together in various fields having no links to an intercultural approach. When used correctly, the materials will explain and clarify the existence of varied cultures in this society and throughout the world. Although some of the activities target specific users, such as preschool children, secondary school pupils, young people (15-20 years old), or adults in literacy courses, most of them are intended for all users. Working together…
(1988). School & Society. Learning Content through Culture. Over the last 30 years, educational anthropologists have been exploring the organizational structure of schools and their relationship to society in order to shed light on the complex processes of acquisition, organization, and transmission of cultural knowledge. This volume covers the need to provide a field-based, well-documented cultural environment for the many groups of children who face cultural conflict. It is divided into three parts. Part I, "Ethnographic Trends and the Politics of the Educational Process," comprises the following chapters: (1) "'Problem Finding' in Qualitative Research" (Harry F. Wolcott); (2) "National Politics and Local Responses: The Nation's First Successful School Desegregation Court Case" (Robert R. Alvarez); and (3) "Cultural Transmission and Adaptation in the Political Arena: Hispanic Participation in Bilingual Education Policy Making" (Richard A. Navarro). Part II, "Socialization of Young Children to…
(1976). Social Attitudes of South Texas Primary Students. A five-year program, part of the Experimental Schools Program in the Edgewood Independent School District, in San Antonio, Texas, was designed to improve the school performance of its predominantly bilingual Mexican American primary grade students by improving the attitudes of beginning students. Program changes to reverse students' anticipated low self-concept and negative attitudes included increasing the proportion of Mexican American teachers, taking students' learning characteristics into account, utilizing Spanish in instruction and classroom management, and utilizing Mexican American cultural curricula. The Purdue Social Attitude Scales for Primary Children, Experimental Edition II, in English and Spanish, was used for a one-year study of the program in the experimental schools and in comparison schools. The anticipated negative attitudes were not reflected in the students' test scores, and those of the experimental and comparison students were revealed as being usually…
(1980). CDA Seminars. Conference Proceedings (Miami, Florida, May 20-21, 1980). This publication is a compilation of keynote addresses and workshop presentations given at the Child Development Associate (CDA) Seminars held in Miami, Florida, May 20-21, 1980. The document includes an introductory overview of the CDA program; two keynote sessions dealing with providing quality care for children, and future implementation of the CDA program respectively; and seven workshops covering different topics of the CDA program. These topics include the CDA assessment and credentialing process; key features and concepts involved in CDA training; the process of negotiating with colleges to provide CDA training; parent involvement in CDA; the role of CDA within multicultural settings, the Head Start structure, and the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) network; the incorporation of CDA into state day care licensure; and use of the CDA model for training family day care mothers. (Author/MP)…