Cultural studies are courses geared towards improving student 's awareness of their culture 's impact in their individual lives and also in a global perspective. Courses such as African-American studies. Chicano 'Chicana studies, and Asian-American studies provide student with the knowledge and confidence necessary to approach current and future issues (directly or indirectly related to race) effectively. Moreover, cultural studies classes go beyond racial issues. As said by the University of North Carolina, "cultural studies is an innovative interdisciplinary field of research and teaching that investigates the ways in which "culture" creates and transforms individual experiences, everyday life, social relations and power" (par. 1). The overall …show more content…
He also suggested that there is simply. a lack of interest in school because students do not recognize how the information presented in classes relates to them if it is not correlated to their future goals. The mentality is, "Why do I need to learn about biology if I do not want to become a biologist". However, ethnic studies classes directly relate to the students within and outside the ethnicity that is focused on within the course, because it provides an opportunity for students to understand the impact and contribution of the particular culture on the rest of the world. The benefits of ethnically focused curriculum has impacted myself personally. I have had a significant increase in areas such as politics, racial and ethnic tensions/issues, and argumentation techniques: alongwith rein:orc einent of English writing techniques. Over the course of the semester I expect to have an even more sophisticated understanding of the concepts I have been introduced to thus far, that would otherwise not be available without outside research. Thus far, I would agree with Gabriel (Precious Knowledge) that teachers really do teach differently in comparison to teachers in other classes and that the topics discussed in class are so interesting that it is seemingly impossible to stop thinking about it. Also, according to the Tucson Unified School District, students taking Ethnic studies courses do better on standardized testing. This leads to greater opportunities for post-secondary schooling, and overall contributes to a more educated and more successful
As stated in my Week 3 Journal Entry, at one point I was helping in a classroom with a child who speaks Spanish. Instead of trying to force the child to speak English, I tried to use some basic Spanish when I worked with them in order to make the child feel more comfortable. I believe by making this small effort to speak the child’s native language that the child was more willing to participate in class and try to learn English. An additional example of making a relation from the text to a personal experience is when I was in elementary through high school. I did not realize until reading Spring’s book how little cultural diversity was taught in my elementary, middle, and high school. I went to school in a very Scandinavian county, and we did not have a lot of diversity. There were several students in the district who came from Hispanic, Asian, or African decent—but they were very few. I cannot recall a day when a teacher spent time to discuss a one of these student’s cultures, which is utterly ridiculous. With the amount of time spent in school and the amount of diversity in the world, it seems illogical to barely speak of ethnic and cultural diversity. Even though there were only a handful of students in the district from different cultures, it would have been beneficial to learn more about the rest of the world because when high school is done we all go out into that diverse world. I know I will take the time and make the effort to teach my future students about the beauty of diversity and
...Teaching acceptance and diversity of different ethnicity is one of the key components that can be taught in our school systems today. Here in America we have many different ethnic groups and races, we are one big melting pot. During school these differences should be embraced in a positive manner and a proper learning experience. Diversity is often mistaken for the word division, and sometimes people teach that diversity is division. Diversity should be taught in a way that brings people together, not divide people into groups. Like Konig said, “I hadn’t really given much thought to the ethnic and national backgrounds of Sarah’s classmates. I can guarantee that Sarah, being two and a half gave the subject absolutely no thought.” (51) We can take a few lessons from Konigs daughter and learn to not give the subject any thought, and just accept people for who they are.
...h identification and then through the implementation of a program such as the Intergroup Relations Program expanded on a larger scale such as the Michigan Student Study, can we decrease bias and promote cultural acceptance by implementing programs that cultivate cultural diversity and discussion in the classroom. The study proposes that the although implicit biases may exist in the DoDEA facilities, the classroom environment fosters a cultural experiential dynamic that allows minorities to flourish academically without bias for racial or ethnic differences in learning outcomes. Furthermore, implementation of diversifying programs like the IRP in a public high school can determine if greater SAT scores can be achieved by minorities who have participated in the program. Elevating the academic performance of SAT’s in minorities can provide lasting educational benefits.
Having an ethnic studies course that appeals to the student will cause them to do well in not only that class but their other classes as well. The student will learn to use their brains and skills in different ways that will rub off onto their other subjects causing them to do better there also. In precious knowledge the students aren 't doing that well in any classes before the raza program came, but then students started to do very well in not only the ethnic study course but several other subjects too. The teaching method in their classes is a problem posing pedagogy (Freire). A Problem posing type of learning is very interactive and hands on in a sense, and that is what interest students more than just copying notes and writing what they hear. The students have a voice in the classroom and they can safely express themselves and their thoughts with their peers as well as their teacher. The only way the students even unlocked their potential was through the ethnic study course being something that truly interested them. These ethnic study courses are overall beneficial to students, they help improve grades, are interesting and most important of all they build strong bonds and sense of community amongst
These lessons are important in the classroom for several reasons. First off, we as teachers need to find ways to make sure that students from all ethnic backgrounds are included in classroom discussions and that they have the ability to apply themselves to the material taught in the classroom. However, teachers also need to realize that these practices need to be implemented so that stereotypes among the different cultures do not
The essays written by Tan, Hariston and Rose all address an issue within our educational system that demands immediate attention. In the land of the free with so many various freedoms for citizens, every student should be proud of their own ethnic background. Never should students be steered away from their goals or looked down upon because of their grammatical abilities. Overall students should be proud of their ethnic background and proud at the same time to be an American.
An ethnic studies program will help students identify with themselves and most importantly help them learn about others. A resource states, “Stanford university researchers looked at an ethnic studies pilot started in 2012 for ninth graders. In a report released in January, the researchers concluded such classes helped increase grades and attendance amongst struggling high school students” (Bryson, Donna 2016). 5 Ethnic studies programs help students appreciate their ethnic identity. A source states, “the NEA review of research cites multiple university studies showing that, for students of color, the more they know about race, racism and cultural identity, the higher their grades and graduation rates, and the more likely they are to go on to college” (Remnick). 6 Now check this out, “Interestingly, the positive impact of such studies is even higher on white students, who gain a much more sophisticated ethnic consciousness as they confront issues of race already familiar to minority students”(Remnick). 7 Isn’t this incredible? The future lies in front of us and in order to live in peace, people need to work together, learn, interact and respect each
The advantages of diversity in classrooms promote positive images for United States of America in terms of the status quo, and it promotes rich experiences for students and teachers. In terms of status quo, diversity in classrooms challenges America’s status quo. It challenges America’s status quo by breaking the standards of American classroom traditions. Back in the days, the typical American classroom were taught by white women and white men, filled with white students. They all came from the same background, culture and economic status. There is no wrong in having people of the same culture, and race come together in one classroom, but students and teachers do not gain as much opportunities or rich experiences as they would if they were surrounded by diverse stude...
People have long assumed that university is the home of the educated and open minded people. People expand their personal horizons here. The public believes university students can deal with the cultural differences of human beings. The public believes students can deal with these differences because university students are exposed to a wide range of academic subjects including Humanities. Humanities exposes students to world literature, art, and geography. The public expects these subjects to aid university students in understanding cultural differences.Use of cultural differences should be emphasized in the universities. These differences should be emphasized not to humiliate or disgrace people but to influence students to accept and acknowledge cultural differences.
Also, how other cultures have had a phenomenal impact on how I view everyday situations and how I draw conclusions, whether it’s about an ethnic group, my own and others or about hot topics in the news. Before this class I did not realize cultural relativism. I really was ethnocentric because I never took the time to evaluate other people’s cultures independently of my own. While I think it is normal for people to judge their peers, coworkers, etc. based on their experiences I also feel it would be beneficial for all of us to take the time to try and understand the sociological point of view of others that are not familiar to us or view things very different from us. The tools I have learned in this class seems to have made me a better listener and emphasizer because I have caught myself listening to people just to hear them and not just to respond. The change in my outlook about being intertwined in society has improved my communication skills at work and at
The concepts included in providing a more diverse, multicultural education are requiring teachers to review their own issues and prejudices while expanding their knowledge of the many cultures that make up the classroom. These efforts help the educator recognize the various individual and cultural differences of each student, as well as gain an understanding on how these differences impact the learning process. The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon individual and cultural difference research and why diverse students struggle to succeed in school. Furthermore, I will share some instructional approaches I could implement in the classroom to accommodate diverse students. Finally, I will discuss the responsibility of educators in addressing the issue of how our o...
The cultural diversity in society, which is reflected in schools, is forcing schools not to solely rely on content-centered curriculum, but to also incorporate student-centered lesson plans based on critique and inquiry. This requires multicultural education to a dominant part of the school system, not just an extra course or unit. Further, it demands that learning itself no longer be seen as obtaining knowledge but rather, education be seen as creating knowledge. Multicultural education should be seen as affirming the diversity of students and communities, promoting the multicultural ideas of the United States, and building the knowledge and behaviors needed for students to be a positive and contributing member of society and the global community as a whole.
We need to be aware of the diversity in the classroom. Cultural diversity includes: bi-racial, adoptive, immigrant, gay, and step-families. It is a large majority of the students today even in my generation. Focusing on making a balanced curriculum that exposes the students to all of these different backgrounds is very important. I know that it is likely that a teacher will not be able to cater to every student, but it is important to involve each of them. There is a large percentage of students that have dropped out due to the lack of having a connection with the curriculum. It is frustrating that we are lacking progress in our schools to help these children connect when studies show that each cultural group will soon be equal in numbers. We need to form a better
Cultural anthropology known as the comparative study of human societies and cultures and their development. Cultural anthropology is also known as the study of human cultures, their beliefs, practices, values, ideas, technologies, economies and other domains of social and cognitive organization. Cultural anthropology studies how human cultures are shaped or shape the world around them and it focus a lot on the differences between every person. Human societies has been culturally involved throughout generations because of human development and advanced. The goal of a cultural anthropology is to teach us about another culture by collecting data about how the world economy and political practices effect the new culture that is being studied. However, cultural anthropology has gave us a understanding of world affairs and world problems, the way to interpret the meaning of social actions by putting them in as much context as possible, and a deeper insight of humankind-at all times, in all places and of yourself as part of a culture.
In fact, at schools there is a lot of diversity. In the classroom cultural diversity should be appreciated because they will want to learn more about themselves and their culture (Borkar). Different groups means that there will be a wide variety of topics to discuss. This benefits the students because they can learn about the many different perspectives of the world around them. They can learn different ways of thinking and n...