Diversity in the School Community Presenters Deloris Rhodes Audrey Toney, Ed.D. University of North Carolina, Wilmington April 24, 2010

My Perceptual Lens

What do you see?

My Perceptual Lens What do you see?

My Perceptual Lens What do you see?

My Perceptual Lens Quickly mentally add these numbers in your head:

My Perceptual Lens A Quick Quiz: 1. YOU ARE A PARTICIPANT IN A RACE. YOU OVERTAKE THE SECOND PERSON. WHAT POSITION ARE YOU IN? 2. IF YOU OVERTAKE THE LAST PERSON, THEN YOU ARE IN WHAT POSITION? 3. MARY'S FATHER HAS FIVE DAUGHTERS. THE NAMES ARE NANA, NENE, NINI, NONO, AND ________. WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE FIFTH DAUGHTER?

My Perceptual Lens What is this?

My Perceptual Lens What is this?

People always resist change. What prevents them from seeing, accepting & understanding new and/or different ideas? Why?

A paradigm is a set of rules & regulations that establish boundaries and tells you how to be successful within the boundaries Joel Arthur Barker Future Edge

Paradigms act as filters Things that agree with your paradigm you accept. Things that disagree with it you reject, ignore or distort to fit your existing paradigm They dramatically affect our judgment and decision-making by influencing our perceptions.

Directions Don’t read the words, say the colors quickly in which they are printed.

Although we see both the color and the meaning of each word, experience has taught us to pay more attention to the meaning. James R. Stroop called this the “interference effect.”

Objectives To discuss how diversity informs an equitable, multicultural, learning environment To discuss the impact of stereotyping in the educational setting To examine a framework to measure educator’s development towards cultural competency in a multicultural context

Why Should We Learn About Diversity Diversity can enrich your life and your world. Understanding and appreciating differences help : Individuals gain new insights and outlooks while enjoying new relationships. Communities tap the varied talents of their members to help meet common goals. Groups of every size-from classrooms to corporations–when uniqueness is respected, morale and productivity improve.

Dimensions of Diversity Like trees in a vast forest, humans come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. We share important dimensions of humankind with all members of the species. Biological and environmental differences separate and distinguish us as individuals and groups. A vast array of physical and cultural differences constitute the spectrum of human diversity. The various dimensions of diversity help shape our basic self-image and our fundamental world- view.

Primary Dimensions of Diversity Age Race Ethnicity Heritage Gender Physical abilities/qualities Sexual/affection orientation Mental abilities/characteristics

Secondary Dimensions of Diversity Education Communication style Work background Work style Income Marital status Military experience Religious beliefs Geographic location Parental status Dimensions of Diversity Handout

Diversity & Attitudes Break -10 minutes-

What Have You Heard? Discussion

Processing What Have You Heard & Attitude Awareness Survey What do many of the comments we have written on the lists represent? Are they true? Where did these comments come from? How would these stereotypes impact how we treat certain people? What are the implications for student achievement?

Diversity & Attitudes Test your attitude How aware are you about yourself and others based on age, race, gender, etc. ? To explore, complete one of the Implicit Association Tests at: (

Objectives: To discuss the impact of stereotyping in the educational setting To examine a framework to measure educator’s development towards cultural competency in a multicultural context

What We Know There are differences between and among groups of people. Race is a socially constructed attribute that is a social phenomenon. Racism is a system of privileged discourses and discriminatory institutional practices, which acts upon our individual perceptions of reality. And, our understanding of what is real is intrinsically racist because we have grown up in and live in a society with racist institutions. (Making Race Visible: Literacy Research for Cultural Understanding,2003)

What We Know Race is undeniably an element of social status and is therefore, negotiated as a social process rather than as a biological determinant. Thus, the permanence of racism in our social reality means we have a personal responsibility to understand racism and work against its effects on our interpretations, our identities and how they play out in our classrooms to the extent which our discursive practices maintain inequity and injustice. (Making Race Visible: Literacy Research for Cultural Understanding,2003)

What We Know Cultural differences influence the teaching- learning process. Schools, like society, advantage some groups more than others. Schools adhere to a color-blind paradigm.

What We Know NCLB is as historically important as desegregation of schools in Culturally responsive teachers value and build on students’ prior knowledge.

Group Activity Personal Experiences—Survey on Attitude Pair / Discuss / Share

Culturally Responsive Teaching Video White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms Complete the “What Squares” Sheet as you view the video

What is multicultural education?

Multicultural Education (defined) A progressive approach for transforming education that holistically critiques and addresses current shortcomings, failings, and discriminatory practices in education.

Multicultural Education The underlying goal of multicultural education is to affect social change (transformation). The transformation of self; The transformation of schools and schooling; The transformation of society

“If our destination is excellence on a massive scale, not only must we change from the slow lane into the fast lane; we must literally change highways. Perhaps we need to abandon the highways altogether and take flight, because the highest goals that we can imagine are well within reach for those who have the will to excellence.” Asa Hillard, University of Georgia

AS OUR STUDENTS BECOME MORE AND MORE DIVERSE… SO MUST OUR WAYS OF TEACHING THEM. “Exploring Diversity in the Classroom Through Teaching & Learning”

NC Teach II Diversity Class 1 (April 24, 2010) Homework Assignment Due: May 1, Reflect and identify a paradigm that you currently hold that will be problematic for you in working with students that are different from you. As a classroom teacher, what strategies will you use to adjust the identified paradigm to work effectively in a multicultural setting with diverse student? No less than one page with a limit of 2 pages using single spacing and 12-pt font; 1” margins