Showing papers in "Multicultural Education in 2017"

Mentorship in Higher Education: Compassionate Approaches Supporting Culturally Responsive Pedagogy.

Abstract: Thomas A. Lucey is a professor and Elizabeth S. White is an assistant professor, both with the School of Teaching and Learning of the College of Education at Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois. tices by their dominant culture (Castro, 2010). Garrett and Segall (2013) attribute White teacher candidates’ resistance to critical multicultural education to avoidance of acknowledging the truth of social accounts provided by those who are oppressed. In other words, excuses of ignorance represent deliberate efforts to avoid responsibility for culturally oppressive conditions. Similarly, resistance represents an attempt to change the focus of classroom conversations to preserve a sense of pride for social accomplishments and blaming the victims for their circumstances. The current research rests upon the principle that acceptance of responsibility occurs best in nonthreatening environments founded upon trust and acceptance. Safe environments represent necessary conditions for affecting long-term attitudinal change among a population of predominately White teachers and teacher candidates. Narvaez and Gleason (2013) describe the relevance of a secure and nurturing environment for developing children who possess the compassionate inner sense of worth and ability to resist threatening conditions, and they point to the value of safe and trusting settings that allow individuals to express their vulnerabilities and receive attention from caring providers. We uphold Nodding’s (2008) model for a caring classroom environment, which consists of four elements—(1) modeling, (2) dialogue, (3) practice, and (4) confirmation—as a tool for building teacher education settings that allow teachers and teacher candidates the safety to talk about their victimization, build trust with classroom community members, and develop empathy for the counter narratives that existing social climates obscure. The first three steps require the instructor’s demonstration of compassion for students’ own views, building trust with each individual. Such trust undergirds dialogue Introduction

Critical Encounters in a Middle School English Language Arts Classroom: Using Graphic Novels to Teach Critical Thinking & Reading for Peace Education.

Abstract: In developing an integrative theory of peace education, Danesh (2006) observes that even today “most peoples of the world live with conflict-oriented worldviews, whether ethically, religiously, or environmentally based” (p. 239). Johnson and Johnson (2005) define the aim of peace education as helping individuals resolve conflicts without violence and maintain harmonious relationships by providing them with the needed information, attitudes, values, and behavioral competences. Peace education also presumes that human beings “have an active propensity toward goodness and human cooperation and are inclined toward benign values and behavior” (Synott, 2005, p. 9). Language learners throughout the world face enormous cultural transformations as the old order changes and the Third World continues to increase in power, economic development, and military might. These changes often cause reactionary responses to the new and uncertain conditions and the social changes they bring, as seen in the inter-ethnic conflict in Serbia and the numerous small-scale civil wars in Africa and Asia. In the U.S. an example of these conflicts is reflected in gang violence that is becoming a daily occurrence in cities and towns. In response, several world organizations are giving priority to peace education, forcing educators to work toward ensuring that individuals and groups live together harmoniously in a peaceful and democratic world. However, peace education is not limited Introduction

Infusing Multicultural Literature into Teacher Education Programs: Three Instructional Approaches.

Abstract: Kristina M. Howlett is an assistant professor of TESOL, Freddie A. Bowles is an associate professor of foreign language education, and Felicia Lincoln is an associate professor of culturally and linguistically diverse students, all in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. of diverse ethnic and cultural groups; and

Islamophobia: What Teachers Can Do to Reduce It in the Classroom.

Abstract: Kazi Hossain is an associate professor in the Department of Early, Middle, & Exceptional Education in the College of Education and Human Services at Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania, incidents as “terrorism.” There is no doubt that these actions were definitely “terroristic” in nature. However, it is important to see if these incidents fit the definition of the word “terrorism.” According to the Oxford Dictionary terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians.” Based on this definition, the above mentioned incidents appear to be correctly identified as “terrorism.” Unfortunately, but also interestingly, there have been other mass shootings including the killing of three Muslim students in North Carolina (February 11, 2015), the church shooting in South Carolina (June 17, 2015), the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut (December 14, 2012), the Aurora Movie Theater shooting in Colorado (July 12, 2012), and the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin (August 12, 2012). These violent acts have not been identified as acts of “terrorism.” The media did not identify the religion of these perpetrators, but instead labeled them as being “mentally disturbed or deranged” individuals. Each of these incidents clearly falls under the definition of terrorism mentioned earlier, but neither the media nor the experts who analyzed these mass killings referred to these actions as “terrorism” or identified the religion of these perpetrators. Such biased classification of various incidents by the news media certainly has fueled the growth of Islamophobia among the general public and this media bias has not gone unnoticed by some journalists. For example, a Senior Media Editor of the Huffington Post, Gabriel Arana, eloquently highlights this bias in an article titled “Islamophobic Media Coverage Is Out of Control. It Needs To Stop.” Arana (2015) cited CNN on the issue of the Paris attack where the CNN anchor John Vause asked the following question to a French anti-Islamophobia activist: “Why is it that no one within the Muslim community there in France knew what these guys were Introduction

Intergroup Dialogue & Religious Identity: Attempting to Raise Awareness of Christian Privilege & Religious Oppression.

Abstract: Sachi Edwards is a lecturer at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, and also at the University of Hawai’i, Mănoa, Honolulu, Hawai’i. The critical-dialogic model of IGD combines the pedagogical features of this four-stage process with dialogue that explicitly addresses social (in)justice and incorporates psychological processes such as identity engagement and self-reflection (Sorensen, Nagda, Gurin, & Maxwell, 2009). In contrast to other forms of dialogue that embrace a democratic model (in which students have complete control over dialogue topics, and facilitators do not attempt to change the direction of the conversation), the critical-dialogic model is designed such that facilitators purposefully and unapologetically raise issues of privilege and oppression pertaining to the relevant identity category, even if students are uncomfortable doing so. Literature on social justice and critical identity studies has shown that privilege and oppression are often unseen and difficult to talk about (McIntosh, 1998). Thus, in a democratic dialogue, it is possible that students either will not recognize or will not want to deal with controversial topics like power and domination. For that reason, IGD’s approach attempts to ensure that these important issues are not ignored. Student outcomes, according to this theoretical framework, include intergroup understanding, relationships, and collaboration—or, in more descriptive terms: (1) heightened awareness of identity oppression and social inequities, (2) stronger cross-group communication skills and relationships, and (3) increased intergroup cooperation for addressing identity based social justice issues. Numerous empirical studies—including a large-scale, multi-institution, longitudinal study (Gurin, Nagda, & Zúñiga, 2013)—have demonstrated positive student outcomes consistent with this framework. While the findings from these studies are certainly exciting and encourage support for IGD, the vast majority of this research discusses race and gender alone. Of 27 empirical studies reviewed for this Introduction

When Volunteering Is Mandatory: A Call for Research about Service Learning.

Abstract: Melissa Cloyd is a doctoral student in the Graduate School at Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia. an on-going analysis intended to support a future study to explore non-participation rates of Hispanic and Latino students in an opportunity that is embedded in a middle school science curriculum which results in the awarding of student service learning hours. The perspective of this review is from a teacher who has served at both the middle and high school levels and who is concerned about potential issues of curriculum equity as they impact diverse groups through the SSL graduation requirement.

Teaching the Class with "The Class": Debunking the Need for Heroes.

Abstract: Debra Miretzky is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Studies in the College of Education at Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois. Much dissatisfaction with teaching can be curtailed if teachers have a greater understanding of life in different schools, their teaching self, and how their students’ identities and their own identity— including identities rooted in race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability—influence teaching and classroom life. (p. 7)

Increasing the Cultural Competence & Responsiveness of Family Nurse Practitioners Preparing to Work with Children with Behavioral Challenges from High-Minority Low-Income Communities.

Abstract: Tyrone Robinson is a nurse consultant in Henderson, Nevada. Christine Clark is a professor and senior scholar for multicultural education and Founding Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. manage their health status in their “real world” settings. By highlighting healthcare solutions as community-tethered, The Wrap Around Services Model also challenges deficit perspectives often associated with high-minority and low-income people and neighborhoods. Moll, Amanti, Neff, and González (1992) describe working class, racial, ethnic, and linguistic minority groups as having “funds of knowledge” that are often unrecognized or, worse, unacknowledged by, for example, FNPs in pediatric practice or the healthcare establishment, as well as society at large. Building on the idea of funds of knowledge, Yosso (2005) argues that low-income people of color also hold “community cultural wealth” characterized by various forms of capital that enable them to cope with the discrimination and oppression they experience, including in healthcare contexts, as a result of their system-imposed minoritized status. Through The Wrap Around Services Model lens, low-income, high-minority communities are seen as client assets when considering healthcare improvement and maintenance. As the first author of this article, I was interested in developing the QA program, The Wrap Around Service Model for four reasons: (1) due to my experiences as a person and nurse of color; (2) because it dovetailed with my area of expertise as an advanced practice community health nurse; (3) a pediatric MD colleague indicated that it would potentially help to improve the quality of FNP pediatric healthcare service provision in the community in which her pediatric clinical agency is located; and (4) a growing body of evidence-based research literature, including the Social Determinants of Health policy initiative focus area of Healthy People 2020, has documented that such a program would enhance the teaching health promotion and disease prevention functions of the FNP (Alegría, Vallas, & Pumariega, 2010; Atkins, et al., 2006; Bernal & Introduction

Social Skills Training for Students of Color with Disabilities through the Use of Social Networking.

Abstract: Patricia R. Aldridge is a professor and chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia. Petter Jeffrey is a teacher at E. W. Wyatt Middle School in the Greenville County Public Schools, Greenville, South Carolina. Gertrude Taylor is a staff member with Upward Bound at Virginia State University. Charletta H. Barringer-Brown is a professor in the Department of Middle Grades, Secondary, and Special Education of the College of Education at Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina. however, depends on access to computers, and these machines were not always readily accessible. Thus with the emergence of cell phones that support the use of texting, a new advent of written communication arrived. In a recent survey we conducted, 40% of male students said that texting was easier than calling. Thirty-four percent said that texting was better than calling based on the time or the place of the interaction, whether in class, church, or some other social gathering, and over 10% said they preferred texting over calling because they often did not feel like talking, yet they were still able to communicate. Among female students over 60% said texting was easier, over 70% said that texting was possible when or where talking was not, and 30% gave other reasons for their preference, most often citing that they would text when they did not feel like talking (see Figure 1). The results of this survey evoke an endless number of questions about the emergent technology of texting as a social writing tool, questions which go to the heart of human relations. For instance, it is natural to consider why people continue to communicate even when they do not feel like talking. But such questions were not the purpose of this study. Rather, our research was conducted to determine if this cell phone phenomenon is as prevalent among students with special needs as it is with students from the general education population. If so, how do these communication trends impact students with special needs? And finally, with the rise of social networking, do students with special needs require additional training in social media skills?

Narrating the Life of a Multiculturalist: Marybeth Gasman's Refrain of Resilience.

Abstract: This article is the first in a series of narrative studies of leaders in the field of multicultural education researched and written by Cheryl Hunter and several of her graduate students at the University of North Dakota. Other articles in the series will appear in future issues of Multicultural Education. Hunter and her students demonstrate how incorporating the personal narratives of prominent multiculturalists and practitioners with their scholarship helps us understand the depth of the scholar’s writing, the complexities of such scholarship, and the passion surrounding both their work and their lived experience. The project of narrative inquiry combines qualitative research methods, including interviews, with multicultural education, thus producing a series of biographies that also provides us with a window into the history and development of multicultural education and its concepts. The first article in the series highlights the work and life of Marybeth Gasman and the impact she has made on multicultural education.