Dow, Peter B. (1991). MACOS and the Global Perspective. The contributions that the elementary curriculum, "Man: A Course of Study" (MACOS), has made to global education are examined in this essay. It is contended that MACOS, which incorporates ecology, biology, anthropology, and the humanities, has fostered several goals of global education. These goals include: understanding cultures through an in-depth study of them; developing a vocabulary of thought for dealing with cross-cultural similarities and differences; and attaining a non-judgmental framework for dealing with issues of value. In short, MACOS is committed to helping students to grasp the interconnectedness of the world. (DB)…

Goke-Pariola, Abiodun (1992). Africa in the "New World Order": Old Assumptions, Myths, and Reality. Old stereotypes and prejudices about Africa and Africans are addressed in this paper on globalizing the business curriculum and internationalizing the training of professionals. It is noted that Africa continues to suffer from a tradition of neglect that includes a historical, systematic exclusion from the rest of the world. Examples from the works of Western scholars and the media are cited that perpetuate the stereotypes and misunderstandings. Themes and objectives are presented that should underlie any teaching about Africa. They include the following: the distinction between myth and fact; all peoples have a significant past; all peoples must deal with similar basic problems; the importance of family and kinship in shaping a society's structure and character; characteristics of a society that are related to the physical environment; differing cultural patterns; and patterns of acceptable individual and group behavior and means for their enforcement. Instructional units are… [PDF]

Collins, H. Thomas; Majeske, Christopher (1993). Destination: Cameroon. Study Guide. Designed to allow teachers and students to take a pro-active approach to learning about Cameroon, the guide is a starting point for research and discussion with information that enables students to identify patterns of culture and geography. In the first section, details on Africa and Cameroon provide information that can be personalized for each class depending on ages, other subjects being studied, and students' abilities and interests. The second section utilizes questions to encourage students to look beyond the differences in Cameroonian society and culture and focus on the similarities with their own communities. Produced and available from the World Wise School Office, a videotape, "Destination: Cameroon," compliments this section and offers additional instructional material. The third section includes 11 activities and 9 worksheets to give students an opportunity to learn more about Cameroon through research, by working in teams, and by problem solving. The final… [PDF]

Dutton, Bonnie; Kang, Hee-Won (1994). Becoming Multicultural: Helping Students Develop Intercultural Competence. A series of strategies and techniques for helping elementary and secondary students develop a multicultural outlook within the school environment are outlined. It is argued that because of the culture-specific knowledge individuals possess, we draw inferences that influence the way we perceive other people and interpret their actions, resulting in cultural misunderstandings. These inferences are based on our linguistic, speech act, discourse, sociocultural, context, and global knowledge. Strategies for bypassing inappropriate inferences focus on metacognitive skills of monitoring, evaluating, and reformulating inferences and interpretations. Once a conflict or potential conflict is identified, the individual most commonly addresses it by a variety of strategies, including: substituting another inference; questioning the earliest of multiple interpretations; shifting focus; case analysis; distorting information to fit the default interpretation; seeking more information; or…

Ravitch, Diane S. (1989). Multiculturalism in the Curriculum. This document contrasts the concept of multiculturalism as it appears in the proposed New York State curriculum guide, "A Curriculum of Inclusion," and as it appears in the California State history/social sciences curriculum. California uses the following approaches to reflect the multiracial, multicultural nature of American society: (1) expanding the study of world history to include the development of non-Western civilizations; (2) encouraging the use of the literature and art of diverse cultures; (3) recognizing the central role of Blacks in reshaping American political institutions; (4) recognizing the importance of ethnic groups in building the nation; (5) emphasizing civic values, democratic behaviors, and human rights; and (6) balancing the concept of pluralism with the sense of unity. However, the New York proposal disparages common elements in American society in the following ways: (1) overstating the inherent racism of the existing curriculum; (2) focusing only… [PDF]

(1990). Asia Wise, Issues One-Ten, 1990 [and] Asia Wise, Teachers' Section, Issues One-Ten 1990. Asia Wise, n1-10. Student volumes and teacher guides for 10 issues of an Australian magazine devoted to the study of Asia comprise this document. The subjects of the ten issues are: (1) Trading for Our Future; (2) Korea: Two Nations–One People; (3) Women in Asia–A Confusing Picture; (4) Australia–Indonesia: A Developing Relationship; (5) The Land on the Roof of the World; (6) Japan Facing the Future; (7) Into India; (8) A China Beyond Politics; (9) The Malaysian Experience; and (10) Looking to the Future. The student sections present a variety of informative articles about each of the 10 subjects. The teacher guides provide background information, how to integrate the topics into the curriculum, maps, and additional resource materials. (DB)…

Garcia, Eugene E.; Kagan, Sharon L. (1991). Educating Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Preschoolers: Moving the Agenda. Despite growing interest in children's policy and in research regarding childhood bilingualism and language acquisition, the early care and education of linguistically and culturally diverse preschoolers remains a matter of much concern. Relative inattention at the level of policy to the needs and interests of such children is due to several causes, including widely and tenaciously held personal beliefs, political ideologies, misperceptions regarding the lack of a demographic imperative, and disciplinary fragmentation among academics. Four fundamental isssues must be addressed if policy and practice in this domain are to improve. The issues are: (1) socialization, resocialization, and the family/child relationship; (2) modalities of instruction; (3) contextually discontinuous strategies; and (4) sub-system creation versus system reform. Each issue is discussed. Action principles and leadership strategies are presented in hopes of moving an action agenda to ensure that linguistically… [PDF]

(1989). Facilitating Social Interaction between Asian and Non-Asian Students: A Resource Booklet. This resource guide provides teachers at all grade levels in the Fort Lee (New Jersey) School District with programs, activities, procedures, and resources to promote mutual understanding and improve inter-group relations between Asian and non-Asian students. Section I, "Outline of Classroom, All-School, and After-School Activities for Elementary, Middle, and High School Levels and the P.T.A.," suggests activities for use by elementary schools, middle and high schools, and the Parent Teacher Association. Each activity is cross-referenced to appropriate classroom projects, detailed plans, and resources listed in the other sections. Section II, "Specific Subject Matter Activities for Curriculum Infusion," outlines activities for the following subject areas and includes cross-references to detailed plans and resources listed in the other sections: (1) Social Studies; (2) Language Arts; (3) Mathematics; (4) Science; and (5) Art, Music, and Physical Education. Section…

Yamamoto, Kiyoshi (1990). Foreign Students in Japan. NIER Occasional Paper 03/90. As Japan takes a place as one of the world's technologically and economically advanced nations, the number of foreign students seeking to study in Japan has increased rapidly, as has the number of foreigners expressing interest in studying Japanese culture and the Japanese language. The Japanese government's program of international student exchange is still in a developmental stage and is rapidly changing in size and quality. Japan is at an important crossroads as it attempts to establish a system of foreign exchange study that will meet its goals. This paper discusses the current status of foreign student programs in Japan. The following nine areas are examined: (1) selection of university; (2) immigration and residential qualifications; (3) Japanese language study and pre-college education; (4) application and selection procedures; (5) scholarships; (6) tuition, fees, and exemption programs; (7) housing and medical care; (8) jobs and community relations; and (9) after-service for…

Indra, Doreen Marie (1987). Some Educational Implications of the Canadian Private Sponsorship Program for Southeast Asian Refugees. This paper addresses the educational implications of a unique Canadian program of refugee immigrant support and integration–private sponsorship. Individual Southeast Asian refugees and their families are financially supported by groups of five or more private individuals. Many such groups are affiliated with Christian church congregations. The workings of the program are briefly described, and it is argued that private sponsorship was not appreciably more effective than government sponsorship in addressing psychological needs, in introducing refugees to Canadian culture and economy, in developing cross-ethnic reference groups, or in orienting refugees toward formal Canadian education. Several studies are cited to support this argument, and structural weaknesses regarding the relationship between sponsors and refugees are examined. These include the nonprovision of effective tools to bridge cultural gulfs, the dependency of the refugee on the sponsor (producing a weak bond between…

Jones, Carol, Ed. (1986). Elementary Social Studies Curriculum Guide (K-5). Written for grades K-5 from a multicultural perspective, the curriculum guide has a dual focus: intracultural and intercultural. Rationales for this focus include raising the sensitivity of students toward their own cultural groups and examining the commonalities across cultures for an awareness of what binds people together. Implementation of a multicultural curriculum is intended to achieve the following objectives: (1) to encourage in students self-definition as well as sensitive group interaction and participation; (2) to help everyone involved in the curriculum recognize that each cultural group has a special contribution to make to the educational experience of all students; and (3) to help everyone involved respond positively to the cultural identities of others. The guide's systematic approach is carried out through concepts, objectives, and activities that directly reflect major skills described within the guide and are supported by references to textbooks, materials,…

Sapp, Gary L.; Skelton, Sarah C. (1987). Determining Accuracy of Cultural Perceptions of Oriental Cultures. Do social studies textbooks used in U.S. schools provide an unbiased view of other cultures? This research study analyzes five social studies textbook series and 26 children's literature books used as supplementary materials for teaching about Oriental cultures. The instrument used was the Evaluation Coefficient Analysis (ECA) with the focus on value judgements used to describe Oriental cultures in the materials examined in the study. The criteria used were that the textbooks should be for the sixth grade level and that the children's literature should be used as supplementary materials. The results showed that of 94 textbook terms which were rated, 60 percent were viewed as favorable, 36 percent unfavorable, and 4 percent neutral. In the children's literature, 70 percent of the 17 terms evaluated were favorable and 30 percent were unfavorable, with 1 percent neutral. The findings suggested that selected social studies textbooks do not provide a negative stereotypical representation… [PDF]

Hansel, Bettina (1984). Literature Review: Studies of the Impact of a Travel-Abroad Experience. Research Report #28. More than 8,000 secondary school students participated in the AFS International exchange programs in 1983, and this document examines some of the research that investigates the impact of travel abroad and intercultural experiences on personality development. Cigdem Kagitcibasi, in a study of the effects of a 10-month program on student participants from Turkey, found that world-mindedness among the students increased and that authoritarianism and religiosity decreased. Robert A. C. Stewart examined the changes in values between New Zealand students who went abroad and their best friends. A survey of more than 200 former participants found that the AFS-sponsored students not only showed a greater decrease in ethnocentrism than their friends but that they also became more conservative. Norman L. Kauffman, in his study of the Goshen College (Indiana) Trimester Program on the personality development of student participants, found greater change than in other college students in: (1) a…

(1987). The Constitution in Other Lands. Bill of Rights in Action, v3 n4 Spr. Designed for classroom teaching, this document contains articles on the new constitutions of Japan, South Korea, and the Philippine Islands which were modeled in part on the U.S. Constitution. These countries' experiences with constitutional government are examined, and whether or not the U.S. Constitution can be a suitable model for other countries with different cultures, histories, and political traditions is explored. After World War II ended, the United States had a series of decisions to make regarding a new Japanese government. General Douglas MacArthur asked the Japanese to write a new constitution and when it was not forthcoming, had a team of military officers on his staff trained in law and government prepare it. The result was the establishment of a successful democracy in Japan. South Korea has a constitutional government modeled on western democratic values but has not had peaceful and democratic elections since its adoption in 1948. Between 1972 and 1982 the… [PDF]

Sullivan, Zola Jiles (1980). Teaching Multicultural Awareness and Understanding through the Language Arts–Creative Writing: Suggested Topics for Creative and Expository Writing Based on the Roots of the Cuban Culture for Use with Cuban Children and Others Who are Interested in Understanding Their Culture. Intended to help teachers in developing language arts curriculum materials for use with recent Cuban refugees to the United States, this paper contains 300 topics for creative and expository writing based on the roots of the Cuban culture. The topics cover a variety of subjects, including food preparation, memories of Cuba, experiences in a new country, Cuban contributions to American culture, Cuban artists, and political differences between Cuba and the United States. (FL)…

Skjervold, Christian K.; And Others (1975). Minneapolis Multi-Ethnic Curriculum Project–Ethnicity Unit. The student booklet presents short case studies illustrating the ethnicity unit of the Minneapolis Multi-Ethnic Curriculum Project for secondary schools. Twelve brief chapters describe various aspects of the life, values, behavior, education, culture, and religious ceremonies and feelings of different ethnic groups in the United States. They present stories of individuals in groups such as the Hutterites, Japanese Buddhists, Jews, Irish Americans, suburbanites, Polish Americans, Chinese Americans, American Indians, and Italian Americans. One chapter lists Polish customs throughout the year, another discusses Italian food, still another describes the Tamburitzan, an East European performing folk group. The chapter on American Indians focuses on the language and lists places and states with Indian names. Many of the stories are presented in first person accounts, although some are descriptive. All stress ethnicity. (CK)…

(1977). Solving Multi-Ethnic Problems (Lakemont High School: A Simulation Game for High School Teachers). Description of Teacher Inservice Education Materials. Summary Information. The learning module described is designed for the use of school personnel who deal with problems considered typical in desegregated and integrated secondary schools. The scope of the material is presented through a modified table of contents from the program director's manual. Activities and resources involved in use of the module are described. Also included are ordering information and a critique of the module. (JD)…

Endicott, Fran; Thomas, Barb (1979). The City Kids' Teachers' Book. Curriculum Series No. 38. This curriculum program is designed to help children better understand the diversity of the multicultural society in which they live. The context is immigration and migration to Toronto, its causes, and the effect it has on the lives of the people who have migrated. Five themes are focused on within this context: the child, the family, the community, work, and migration and the city. Stories, poems, songs, activities, research projects, and photographs which relate to each theme are provided. Questions and/or activities that may be used by teachers to develop student understanding and to stimulate student interest in the program are outlined, and guidelines are provided to help teachers evaluate conceptual, skill, and attitudinal development among students in the program. In addition, resource lists for each section include suggestions for general reading, children's reading, useful directories, bookshops, publishers, resource centers, audiovisual distribution centers, and community…

Allen, Talbott (1976). Ethnic Heritage Studies: German-American Profiles and Contributions–Major Figures. Experimental Unit. This teaching guide focuses on several prominent German-Americans and their contributions to American life, and provides some insights into German culture. It is part of the Louisville Area Ethnic Heritage Studies Project described in ED 150 043. The project materials are designed to foster communication across intercultural/ethnic lines. The objectives for this unit are to acquaint students with German-Americans such as Albert Einstein, Dwight Eisenhower, Lilli Lehmann, John Steinbeck, "Babe" Ruth, and Karen Horney, to help students recognize contributions to and effects on American life of these prominent people; and to provide background information on German culture. Suggested time allotment is one to two weeks. The guide includes a pretest, posttest, and five behavioral objectives accompanied by instructional strategies and facilitating materials, including group discussion, independent research, and role playing. A worksheet, designed to aid the student in doing… [PDF]

Saville, Muriel R. (1969). Curriculum Guide for Teachers of English in Kindergartens for Navajo Children. In September 1969 the Bureau of Indian Affairs is instituting a bilingual-bicultural kindergarten program on the Navajo Reservation. A major aim of the program is to develop and implement a curriculum in which Navajo is the primary medium of instruction and English is taught as a second language. While the teaching of English is only one part of the total kindergarten curriculum, it is a part upon which future school achievement and social mobility largely depend. This preliminary guide outlines the distinctive sounds of English which need to be mastered, the basic sentence patterns of the language, and a vocabulary sufficient for classroom procedures and beginning reading texts. The content and ordering of the language lessons are based on a contrastive analysis of Navajo and English, which allows the prediction and description of problems the speakers of one will have in learning the other. This curriculum outline will be the basis of forthcoming teaching materials being prepared… [PDF]

Grant, Carl A.; Sleeter, Christine E. (1985). Race, Class, and Gender in an Urban School: A Case Study. Urban Education, v20 n1 p37-60 Apr. Pupils from a multiracial, multicultural community were found to be relatively knowledgeable about and accepting of differences. The school, however, did little specifically to increase intergroup knowledge or understanding. (GC)…

Male, George A. (1986). Policy Issues in the Education of Minorities: A World View. Education and Urban Society, v18 n4 p395-97 Aug. Presents an overview of several countries and which factors produce difficulties in the education of minorities. Focuses on Australia, Canada, England, West Germany, India, Israel, Japan, and Malaysia. Suggests factors such as race, color, caste, religion, nationality, immigrant status, and worldview for consideration by policymakers. (SA)…

Eisen, Gail S. (1986). Fostering International Understanding: Cross-Cultural Issues in International Residential Settings. NASPA Journal, v23 n4 p55-59 Spr. Describes three areas in which international students have cultural differences: dietary laws and customs, contrasting approaches to socializing and entertainment, and obstacles to complete language comprehension. Suggests programs for residential halls and for increasing participation in community events. (Author/ABB)…

Vasquez, Vivian (2003). Getting Beyond "I Like the Book": Creating Space for Critical Literacy in K-6 Classrooms. Kids InSight, K-12. This book explores the ways in which teachers can use critical literacy as a framework for teaching and learning. The book shares the varied experiences of its authors as they attempt to put a critical edge on students' classroom discussions about books and other texts, and thus create spaces for critical literacy in the K-6 classroom. Each chapter in the book focuses on how the authors used children's literature in combination with other texts to introduce critical conversations and construct social action projects in their classrooms. The book shows how its authors used books in four ways: (1) Pairing everyday texts with texts written for children; (2) Focusing on social issues: Bringing the outside world into the classroom; (3) Using children's literature to unpack social issues in the school community; and (4) Integrating critical literacy, children's literature, and mathematics investigations. Central to each chapter are the issues that students raise about the world and the…

Burdenuk, Gene (1997). Living and Learning in the Global Village. This paper discusses some of the promises and pitfalls confronting education in the Information Age. It explores the business motivation that drives the education agenda, examines what some futurists call "the end of the job," and identifies four themes that could help transform education as the millennium approaches. Critical literacy, connectivity, a civil society, and critical multiculturalism can foster an educational system that could resolve economic, cultural, and social inequities. The information highway offers unprecedented opportunities for educators to create collaborative learning environments that will stimulate critical thinking skills and academic excellence among all students. Collaborative critical inquiry changes the nature of knowing from regurgitating and recalling information to defining and posing problems, locating, retrieving, using, and communicating information. Schools and teachers must establish connections with the communities they serve and… [PDF]

Cope, Bill (1987). Racism, Popular Culture and Australian Identity in Transition: A Case Study of Change in School Textbooks since 1945. Occasional Paper No. 14. Since the second world war, significant changes have come about in the sense of Australian identity and historical self-consciousness. The nature and extent of these changes can be seen in an analysis of racism and conceptions of culture, and how the "other" is defined. The main interest of this paper is Australian popular culture, and the empirical focus is 630 texts widely used in Australian schools in the period from 1945 to 1985. Most of these texts achieved mass circulation. Changes in historical interpretation are cruder and much more clear in school textbooks, which usually contain large generalizations and simplifications. This paper traces a striking change in the cultural contexts of school textbooks since 1945 from the paradigm of assimilation to one of multiculturalism. This change should be seen in the context of an old story of Australia in which history is a narrative of progress and development, with cultural differences conceived as a matter of…

Hartnett, Joyce (1996). Mexico: A Transition to Democracy. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1996 (Mexico). This interdisciplinary unit is designed for secondary level history students but can be adapted for other levels. The focus of the unit is on Diego Rivera's mural "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda." Students use the mural to examine three major phases of Mexican history and to provide a basis of research of Mexican history and politics. Contemporary Mexico is addressed using the history as a background for study. (EH)… [PDF]

Tatum, Beverly Daniel (1997). "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" and Other Conversations about Race. A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity. This book explores the psychology and the development of racial identity. The book makes the following suggestions: for people of color, the development of a constructive racial identity means being able to resist the bombardment of negative stereotypes and to think of a history of resistance and empowerment rather than one of passive victimization; for white people, racial development must begin with the abandonment of individual racism and the recognition of and opposition to institutional racism. The racial identity development of other people of color, Latinos, American Indians, and Asians, is also discussed. In considering why black students sit together in the cafeteria, the formation of racial identity is explored with real-life examples. The first part of the book discusses racism and the complexity of identity. The second part contains chapters on understanding blackness in a white social context, from early childhood through adolescence and adulthood. The third part…

Miserandino, Anthony (1998). A Program for Change: Educating for Racial Diversity. The six stages of the concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) (G. Hall, R. Wallace, and W. Dossett, 1973) are the context for examining how one school sought to implement an inclusive vision of diversity within a gifted school program. The CBAM model informed the leadership style of the principal, but was not actually articulated as the model that the school would follow. The six stages are: (1) informational; (2) personal; (3) management; (4) consequence; (5) collaboration; and (6) refocusing. The informational stage involves a general awareness of the issues. In the second stage the administration and faculty began a focused process of examining student needs. The management stage of organization and implementation developed over 2 years and resulted in a stage of "consequence," in which some results became evident. In stage 5, the culmination of the faculty's work meshed with a formal review of the school's progress during the 10 years of the entire progress. Refocusing… [PDF]

Olsen, Laurie (1997). An Invisible Crisis. The Educational Needs of Asian Pacific American Youth. An urgent educational crisis threatens the futures of a growing number of Asian Pacific American students, both immigrant and American-born. This crisis is largely invisible to most Americans, even to many in the teaching profession, because many see all Asian Pacific American students as members of a model minority destined to excel. This image is a destructive myth for the many Asian Pacific American children the schools are failing. The number of Asian Pacific American students is large and growing rapidly, and the context for educating these students effectively is changing. While immigrants who came to this country after 1965 were well-educated and well-off, more recent groups of Asian Pacific Americans are poor and poorly educated. The schools' task is complicated by historic problems of poverty and racial discrimination. Language and literacy issues are foremost in the problems of these students. In addition, most schools do not have curricula appropriate to educate… [PDF]