(1992). Teaching of Psychology: Ideas and Innovations. Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Undergraduate Teaching of Psychology (6th, Ellenville, New York, March 18-20, 1992). This conference proceedings report includes: (1) "Grading Papers More Objectively and Effectively," by Anita M. Meehan; (2) "The Use of Student Workbooks in Introductory Psychology Courses," by Donna L. Reittinger and Kathleen Crowley-Long; (3) "Curriculum Integration and Cross-Cultural Psychology," by Susan B. Goldstein; (4) "Student Outcomes and Evaluation of an Undergraduate Course on Ethical Issues in Psychological Research and Practice," by John B. Morganti; (5) "Using Active Learning to Teach Critical Thinking," by James Bell; (6) "A Different Approach to Sensation and Perception in the Introductory Psychology Course," by Laura L. Snodgrass; (7) "Teaching the Reluctant Student: Coping with the Resistance," by Robert A. Bernstein; (8) "A Trans-Disciplinary Writing Project in Introductory Psychology," by Alan C. Tjeltveit; (9) "Who Is This Child? Children's Literature in a Human Development…
(1992). How Professors Play the Cat Guarding the Cream: Why We're Paying More and Getting Less in Higher Education. This book argues that limited faculty productivity is the major reason why the quality of undergraduate teaching has declined while university tuition has been rising substantially faster than the inflation rate. It stresses that inefficiency and fiscal waste are produced by the competing aims of research and teaching and attacks the academic traditions precluding reform. Individual chapters address the following topics: (1) the university's conflict and correspondence of interest; (2) the institution's mission and the present role of trustees and the president; (3) the exercise of authority in the academy; (4) the faculty (career path, workload, and tenure); (5) the lack of quality control in curriculum; (6) the issue of multiculturalism in curriculum; (7) the student as consumer; (8) the high cost of tuition; (9) costs and benefits and tuition; (10) where tuition goes; (11) evaluation of higher education; (12) specific ways to improve undergraduate teaching quality; and (13)…
(1985). Young People Take the Lead: Cherokee Nation's Approach to Leadership. New Designs in Youth Development, p1-7 May-Jun. Oklahoma's Cherokee Nation Youth Leadership Program (CNYLP) began in 1982 with the vision of drawing elements of the tribe together through an innovative youth program designed to instill self-confidence, positive regard for Cherokee identity, and a sense of community spirit through service to others. Patterned after the National Youth Leadership Council program, the Cherokee model provided training of selected high school youth in a challenging, multicultural camp setting, and created ways to "bring back" the motivation generated there and apply it to projects in home communities. Using the Janis-Field Self-Esteem Scale, scores were obtained before and after camp periods. While the 1982 and 1983 pre-camp scores of Cherokee youths were the lowest for all groups, the gains in mean post-camp scores exceeded that for all groups combined for each year. When participants return home, CNYLP attention focuses on home community projects, operated by staff and students. These have… [PDF]
(1985). Myself and Women Heroes in My World. Kindergarten Social Studies: Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Queen Liliuokalani, Amelia Earhart, Maria Tallchief, [and] Sonia Manzano. Part of the National Women's History Project funded to promote the multi-cultural study of women in history, this unit will help kindergarten students learn about the contributions that women have made to U.S. society. The developers believe that equality cannot be achieved until equality is expected and until the contributions of all women are understood and accepted as a simple matter of fact. The unit contains six lessons based on biographies of women who represent the many ways in which women have been and continue to be heroes. The women are Amelia Earhart, Queen Liliuokalani, Sonia Manzano, Maria Tallchief, and Sojourner Truth, representing major ethnic groups, and Harriet Tubman as a representative of disabled women. Each unit begins with a biography that teachers are to read to students. Discussion questions and suggestions for classroom activities follow each biography. Student materials are provided. Examples of activities include having children retell the story in their… [PDF]
(1978). Cultural Factors in Learning and Instruction. ERIC/CUE Urban Diversity Series, Number 56. The five articles in this document provide a diverse look at the influence of cultural factors in classrooms and schools. In the first article, "The Cultural Identification of Students in Bilingual Classrooms," M. Beatriz Arias discusses particularly the heterogeneous cultural identification of Anglo and Mexican American students in California. In the second article, "Racial Prejudice and Its Relationships…," Thomas C. Denne, J. William Moore and William E. Hauck examine a multitude of variables such as race, grade, and sex, and compile correlations relating racial prejudice to personality variables. In "A Bicultural Approach to the Issue of Achievement Motivation," Tracy C. Gray examines and compares achievement motivation in Mexican American and Anglo elementary school children. In the fourth article, "Variables Affecting the Intellectual Performance of Black and White Children," James E. Savage and Philip Friedman review the effects of… [PDF]
(1980). Education for, by, and of Asian/Pacific Americans, I. Research Review of Equal Education, v3 n3 Sum 1979. This report discusses several perspectives on Asian/Pacific Americans and the educational issues that relate to them. It begins by providing a definition of "Asian/Pacific American," an historical account of their immigration, and a discussion of minority status and cultural relativism. A number of studies and personal experiences that demonstrate stereotypic attitudes and prejudice against Asian/Pacific Americans are cited. The report then analyzes the educational needs and experiences of the Asian American community. The issues of language, self concept, ethnic stereotypes, and curriculum bias are addressed. It is claimed that textbooks offer a negative and stereotypical view of Asians, and that ethnic studies programs, as presently structured, are unable to correct these distortions. The importance of person-environment match in the education and social adjustment of Asian/Pacific minorities is stressed. (APM)…
(1997). Lessons for Understanding: An Elementary School Curriculum on Perspective-Taking. This curriculum guide is intended to increase elementary students' awareness of their own and other people's perspectives, resulting in more open attitudes and flexible responses to diversity. Unique features include reflective questions for teachers, a focus on communicating content to families, and planned inclusion of students with disabilities. The curriculum is divided into four units which focus on: (1) the individual student's perspectives; (2) awareness of other people's perspectives; (3) learning to understand conflict; and (4) learning to work together. The 24 lesson plans are presented in the following format: intended grade level and time needed, learning objectives, materials, adult reflection questions, an introduction, suggested activities, closure activities, suggestions for home-school connections, suggestions for adaptations, and space for the teacher's notes. After an overview of the curriculum, the guide's sections provide explanations of the adaptation… [PDF]
(1996). A Sixth Sense–Cultural Sensitivity. Learning, v25 n2 p67-71 Sep-Oct. This article presents suggestions for culturally sensitive modifications to help students from all backgrounds learn better. The modifications include building trust, building a repertoire of instructional strategies, using effective questioning techniques, providing effective feedback, analyzing instructional materials, and establishing positive home-school relations. A sidebar presents one teacher's story. (SM)…
(1995). Diversity Taboos: Religion and Sexual Orientation in the Social Studies Classroom. Curriculum Concerns. Social Studies and the Young Learner, v7 n4 p19-22 Mar-Apr. Asserts that, in many schools, educators have made great strides in responding to ethnic diversity and gender issues. Argues that two other aspects of diversity–sexual orientation and religious differences–are often ignored. Discusses curriculum design, school policy development, and teaching methods related to these topics. (CFR)…
(1994). Legends and Myths of the Sky. Science Scope, v17 n6 p31-33 Mar. Using ideas adopted from Project ARTIST (Astronomy-Related Teacher Inservice Training), a teacher develops a sixth-grade astronomy program which incorporates ancient folklore and sky stories from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. (ZWH)…
(1995). Through Black and Brown Eyes, as Well as Blue: American History from Students' Perspectives. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, v20 n2 p66-71 Fall. Describes a U.S. history survey course that incorporates cultural pluralism and family histories into the writing assignments. Students are encouraged to write about events that occurred in their families during the time periods being studied. Oral interviews and family documents supplement traditional research tools and secondary sources. (MJP)…
(1999). Making Peace: A Narrative Study of a Bilingual Liaison, a School and a Community. Teachers College Record, v101 n1 p106-34 Fall. Explores the role of bilingual liaisons in resolving conflicts and building bridges of understanding between schools and diverse communities, discussing the representation of individuals' voices and narrative forms that engage readers aesthetically and critically; addressing multiple conflicts affecting the lives of minority language students, their families, and schools; and noting the need to move to a paradigm of making peace. (SM)…
(1993). "America 2000" Reform Program: Implications for African-American At-Risk Students. This critique of the "America 2000" educational reform initiative claims that its fundamental proposals highlight "old" ideas based on a "puritanic" perfect society with little attention to equity and the multidimensional needs of such groups as African-American at-risk students. The paper discusses the impact of the "America 2000" program on African American at-risk students, with particular focus on the program's excessive reliance on national testing, school choice for parents, and instructional accountability at all levels. Criticism of national testing centers on issues of reliability and validity; school choice is seen as not being workable for inner-city African American parents; and instructional accountability is felt to result in discrimination against African-American teacher education students and failure to account for individual differences. The paper also examines the traditionally Eurocentric nature of American education…. [PDF]
(1996). Authentic Learning with At Risk Elementary School Children. Children who are "at risk" are differentiated by their difficulty meeting standards for school success. This paper describes a model for a field-based component of an elementary education children's literature course involving in-school tutoring of at risk children. The program provided preservice teachers the opportunity to: (1) develop strategies and expand concepts introduced in the children's literature course through authentic teaching situations; (2) learn the problems encountered by children from diverse backgrounds; and (3) reflect on and critique their instructional practices. The study included a total of 88 college students enrolled in 3 children's literature classes during the 1994-95 academic year. The students worked with 149 elementary school students who had been selected for the tutoring program for various reasons, including lack of progress in reading/communication skills, non-supportive home environments, lack of confidence or self-esteem, shyness, and… [PDF]
(1992). Human Rights for Children: A Curriculum for Teaching Human Rights to Children Ages 3-12. Created to heighten teachers' awareness of human rights issues, particularly those related to children's rights, this guide offers children knowledge and skills in developing both self-worth and empathy for others. These feelings, the curriculum argues, are the foundation children need if they are to understand their rights as children and the basic rights of all human beings. The Ten Principles from The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1959, provide the nucleus for the manual. The Ten Principles express many familiar concepts, including self-esteem, multiculturalism, and child abuse. Considering these issues in the context of a comprehensive statement of children's rights adds weight and focus to them. The manual contains curricular activities and booklists to help teachers further children's understanding of their rights. The activities are divided into three age groups. "The Young Child" is for children ages 3-5. "The…