(1993). Cultural Differences Taught through a Regional Holiday. Social Studies and the Young Learner, v6 n2 p9-12 Nov-Dec. Asserts that studying regional holidays provides an opportunity to teach about the multicultural nature of the United States. Describes the background and history of the Mardi Gras holiday in New Orleans (Louisiana). Provides individual and group activities for teaching about Mardi Gras and includes suggested resources. (CFR)…
(1996). A Critical Assessment of Textbooks for Middle Eastern History. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, v21 n1 p22-25 Spr. Discusses the strengths and weaknesses of Middle Eastern history textbooks appropriate for college instruction. Reviews the textbooks in terms of coverage, how current is the information, and style and content. Provides a wealth of background information. (MJP)…
(1996). Working with Hassan. Multicultural Teaching, v14 n2 p22-25 Spr. The action research case study of the introduction of a Somali refugee child to a London (England) primary school illustrates the importance of finding ways to communicate with the child, who spoke no English, and preparing the other students to accept cultural and linguistic difference. (SLD)…
(1996). Silences as Weapons: Challenges of a Black Professor Teaching White Students. Theory into Practice, v35 n2 p79-85 Spr. Discusses ways to interpret student silence, highlighting a black professor's experiences teaching white students. Student silence is likened to political situations in which people who feel disenfranchised by the process do not vote, which is a political statement in itself. The importance of not ignoring student silence is emphasized. (SM)…
(1993). Race for a Change in Continuing and Higher Education. The Cutting Edge Series. Race and ethnicity can be forces for change. Increased attention to ethnicity issues in continuing and higher education in Great Britain would lead to changes in the structure and content of continuing education. Continuing education itself would then serve as a change agent across the university system by providing an antiracist model for other university departments. The beginnings of this trend toward continuing education departments serving as catalysts for change throughout the entire university system are evident in an analysis of the antiracist developments that have taken place since the 1988 University Council for Adult and Continuing Education (UCACE) survey of existing provisions for minority ethnic communities by university continuing education departments. The following issues must be taken into consideration in attempts to transform continuing and higher education into antiracist institutions: provision of better access for mature students, including blacks; improved…
(1978). Grade 3: Indians–Past and Present. Allegany County–Past and Present. The curriculum guide presents a working draft of the third grade component of a K-6 social studies program using the expanding environments approach which was developed by the Allegany County Board of Education in Maryland. The overall objective is to help teachers assist their students in gaining the understanding needed to deal with the problems of a complex society. The bases for each unit are three goals development of social science concepts, skills, and social attitudes), and six conceptual statements relating to ethnic heritage studies; family life; and citizenship, career, consumer, and environmental education. The key question/suggested activity format involves students in gathering and organizing data, and in analyzing content and implications. The third grade unit is presented in two sections. Section I studies the Shawnee Indians, covering the way they lived and their contributions to the culture and life style of the settlers of Allegany County. Activities deal with the…
(1978). Grade 5: United States–Our Expanding Nation. United States–Interdependence of Regions. The curriculum guide presents a working draft of the fifth grade component of a K-6 social studies program using the expanding environments approach which was developed by the Allegany County Board of Education in Maryland. The overall objective is to help teachers assist their students in gaining the understanding needed to deal with the problems of a complex society. The bases for each unit are three goals (development of social science concepts, skills, and social attitudes), and six conceptual statements relating to ethnic heritage studies; family life; and citizenship, career, consumer, and environmental education. The key question/suggested activity format involves students in gathering and organizing data, and in analyzing its content and implications. The fifth grade unit is presented in two sections. Section I covers the expansion period in U.S. history, studying biographies of people who contributed to the development of the country. Activities focus on the reasons for the…
(1993). Equity in the Future Tense: Redefining Relationships among Teachers, Students, and Science in Linguistic Minority Classrooms. Working Paper 1-93. This paper discusses teaching science to language minority students and describes work with linguistic minority children and their teachers. A key goal of this work is to create scientific sense-making communities in the classroom that parallel science as it is practiced in the world. Following a critique of current practice in science education, the paper explores what conditions are necessary to create classroom communities of scientific sense-making. This is followed by a look at a new approach to teacher development based on the belief that the teacher, whether bilingual, English-As-A-Second-Language, or science specialist, is critical to creating communities of scientific sense-making. Also discussed is the role of discourse appropriation in teacher development, with an example of teachers and students reviewing a homework assignment on acids and bases. A case study of one teacher's experience of learning science in order to teach science illustrates the nature and complexity… [PDF]
(1995). Students Upgrading through Computer and Career Education System Services (Project SUCCESS). Final Evaluation Report 1993-94. OER Report. Students Upgrading through Computer and Career Education System Services (Project SUCCESS) was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its fourth year of operation. The project operated at two high schools in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan (New York). In the 1993-94 school year, the project served 393 students of limited English proficiency who had Spanish or Chinese as their native language. They received instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), and the content areas of mathematics, science, and social studies. Staff development and parent participation components were included. Project SUCCESS met its objectives for Chinese NLA content area, American culture and citizenship, cultural pride, attitude toward school, career development, attendance, dropout rate, staff development, and curriculum development. While the ESL objective was partially met, Spanish NLA and staff enrollment objectives were not. Administering… [PDF]
(1995). Guide to Teaching Materials on Japan. Revised Edition of the 1994 Database of Teaching Materials on Japan. This booklet is the printed version of an on-line database of teaching materials on Japan. The book is divided into four parts. Each part contains bibliographic information on resources for teaching about Japan at specific grade levels or subject areas. Part 1, "Elementary School Materials," includes: (1) "Art Education"; (2) "Geography"; (3) "Global Education"; (4) "Japanese Language"; (5) "Language Arts"; and (6) "Social Studies." Part 2, "Secondary School Materials," contains: (1) "Art Education"; (2) "Economics"; (3) "Geography"; (4) "Global Education"; (5) "Japanese Language"; (6) "Language Arts"; (7) "Social Studies"; and (8) "World History." Part 3, "K-12 School Materials," includes: (1) "Art Education"; (2) "Economics"; (3) "Geography"; (4) "Global Education";… [PDF]
(1996). Preparing All Classroom Teachers To Educate a Linguistically and Culturally Diverse School Population. As the United States school population becomes more linguistically and culturally diverse, teachers are challenged to provide full access, equality of instruction, and appropriate learning environments to all students. It is estimated that more than 20 percent of the 45 million school-age children live in households in which languages other than English are spoken; 6 million are from Spanish speaking households. At the same time, only 12 percent of public school teachers and administrators are minorities and that number is expected to decrease; only 18 percent of elementary and 13 percent of secondary teachers have training to work with minority students with limited English proficiency. One key approach to improving the low achievement of linguistically and culturally diverse students is to emphasize training new teachers in strategies that focus on improving cognitive processes used in critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. Also, teachers need to integrate… [PDF]
(1996). Handbook on Teaching Social Issues. NCSS Bulletin 93. This handbook explores the issues-centered curriculum for social studies teaching and how student performance reflects an intellectual capacity to address public issues. The book is divided into 11 parts with essays to address specific aspects of the approach. The foreword, written by Shirley Engle, establishes a context for issues-based curriculum. Essays include: \Defining Issues-Centered Education\ (Ronald W. Evans; Fred M. Newmann; David Warren Saxe); \Building a Rationale for Issues-Centered Education\ (Anna S. Ochoa-Becker); \The Engle-Ochoa Decision Making Model for Citizenship Education\ (Rodney F. Allen); \Using Issues in the Teaching of American History\ (David Warren Saxe); \World History and Issues-Centered Instruction\ (Richard E. Gross); \Issues-Centered Approaches to Teaching Geography Courses\ (A. David Hill; Salvatore J. Natoli); \Issues-Centered Global Education\ (Merry M. Merryfield; Connie S. White); \An Approach to Issues-Oriented Economic Education\ (Beverly J…. [PDF]
(1997). What Should Drive Educational Equity and Student Diversity in Australian Higher Education? Social Responsibility Versus Reporting Obligation. AIR 1997 Annual Forum Paper. The current approach to promoting educational equity in universities in Australia is substantially flawed. Through the "equity framework," the Australian university community sector has been compelled to involvement with educational equity through government pressure that has included financial incentives and legislation. Six groups have been identified as disadvantaged: people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, non-English speakers, people with disabilities, and people from rural or remote areas. To date, the basis for promoting educational equity in Australian universities has been overly reliant on compulsion, as expressed through pressure from government or legislation; and on arguments of social justice which generate more debate than commitment. University planners should promote educational equity based on its importance to the future social and economic development of Australia. Such… [PDF]
(1988). An Arctic Child. An Active Learning Pack for 8-13 Year Olds. This resource packet includes: a teacher's guide; reproducible student worksheets; student activity cards; a simulation game; and a picture book, "The Gifts of 'Kaila.'" The materials are organized in three parts. Part one aims to help students understand something of the beauty and magnificence of the Arctic. Introductory activities include art and craft work, model making, and use of picture books. The second part investigates the historical background of European involvement in the Arctic region. Through the simulation game, "Life in the Barrens," knowledge and understanding of the Arctic ecosystem is reinforced and extended. Through role playing, the influence of whaling ships and industry upon the sea dependent lives of the Inuit is analyzed. A contemporary Sami child living in Samiland in Norway is studied in the third section. Present-day influences and threats upon the indigenous Sami way of life are considered. In addition to background information and…
(1992). Evaluation of a Program Focusing on Teaching Strategies for Culturally Diverse Students. A critical challenge facing educators today is meeting the needs of culturally diverse school populations. Since 1989, Mississippi State University has provided a summer institute, Strategies for Instructing Culturally Diverse Students, in which selected Mississippi elementary and secondary teachers have identified strategies for addressing the educational needs of culturally diverse students. The study described in this paper was conducted to determine the extent to which institute participants have implemented strategies for working with culturally diverse students in classrooms and school districts. A sample of institute "graduates" (N=57) completed a questionnaire which provided demographic information, primary responsibilities, years of experience in education, gender, level of education, and race. The "graduates" also indicated the extent to which they had implemented strategies identified and studied in the institute. Preliminary results suggest that… [PDF]