Cultural Diversity in OUR Classroom A literature review of 1. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom Bell Hooks
2. Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom
Lisa Delpit
3. Miseducating Teachers about the Poor: A Critical Analysis of Ruby Payne’s Claims about Poverty Randy Bomer
Joel E. Dworin
Laura May
Peggy Semingson
The practical ideas derived from these sources may help you think differently about cultural diversity and your pedagogy. This document was prepared for AEP880 Cultural Diversity. Travis M. Landers is pursuing an online graduate degree in education with a focus on ESOL learners at Fort Hays State University.
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Index Page(s)
What is this? ...................................................................... 3 Who are the authors? - Lisa Delpit ............................. 4 Who are the authors? - Ruby Payne .......................... 5 Who are the authors? - Bell Hooks ............................ 6 Lesson 1 .......................................................................... 7-8 Teacher Training on Diversity Needs to Reflect Diversity
Lesson 2 ............................................................................. 8 Deficit Thinking
Lesson 3 ............................................................................. 9 The Power of Personal Experience
Lesson 4 ........................................................................... 10 Education as the Practice of Freedom
Lesson 5 ........................................................................... 10 The Confrontational Radical Nature of Change
Lesson 6 ............................................................................ 11 The Individual
Closing .............................................................................. 12 References ....................................................................... 13
What is this? Introduction
Hi, I am Travis. I live in South Korea and teach ESOL(English for Speakers of Other Languages) students. I have been here for about 10 years at this point. In my cultural diversity course we read a book called Other People’s Children by Lisa Delpit. What a profound book!
This text really got me thinking about cultural diversity and other works in this area. Our final project called for a video about something related to cultural diversity so I decided to survey or review some other famous books in this area.
This is the written portion to the video which summarizes the main points I pulled from these materials. I feel they are very useful for any teacher and hope others will consider these concepts when trying to build an inclusion learning environment. In order to really understand the tips I plan to cover, I think it would help to familiarize yourself with the individuals who wrote these books. Therefore, I will introduce the writers first, give my impression of their writing overall, and then steer this document to the ideas I found most interesting in their work.
Let’s jump in..! Travis M. Landers
Teacher / Producer / Human
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Who are the authors? Lisa Delpit Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom Delpit(1995) describes herself well in the introduction when she writes: I have come to some of those understandings(how to educate poor and black students) through my own attempts to understand my place in this country as an African-American woman: I am the offspring of a teacher in a colored high school in pre-integration Louisiana and a man who received his GED diploma in his fortieth year, only to die of kidney failure at the age of forty-seven because the “colored ward“ was not permitted to use the dialysis machine. I am the frightened teenager who was part of the first wave of black students to integrate hostile white high schools. I am the college student of the 1970s whose political and ethical perspectives were developed against the backdrop of the struggle for black liberation and the war in Vietnam. I am the panicked mother of a five-year-old soon to enter an urban public school system where I can no longer buffer her from damaging perspectives. I am the teacher of many diverse students — from African-American toddlers to Papua New Guinean preschoolers, and from Hispanic middle-schoolers to European-American college students, to Native Alaskan teachers. (p. xxv) As you can see this woman has certainly been through a lot of racially charged situations in her time. From these experiences she passes on some very insightful knowledge about inclusion in the classroom and how to handle diversity. Although some seem offended by her work, I found the writing truthful and very warm. I was able to take up the cause with her while reading because I felt a call for change in a system and did not focus on finger pointing. I feel those that do not like her work may have felt her honesty was attacking but I do not.
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Ruby Payne A Framework for Understanding Poverty This is the author I know least about. I did not read her book titled above but I read a critical review of the book called Miseducating Teachers about the Poor: A Critical Analysis of Ruby Payne’s Claims about Poverty. Ruby Payne is a white woman who seems to have based much of her book about understanding poverty on relationships and personal experience. Her book gets tons of criticism because it was self-published and not peer-reviewed (Wikipedia, n.d.). In addition, it seems she never really lived through poverty herself. Although you might already sense my bias, I will try to maintain a fair perspective on her book because I have not read it. I will merely be presenting what the authors of Miseducating Teachers about the Poor: A Critical Analysis of Ruby Payne’s Claims about Poverty have stated in their study. Simply put, these folks did not think her work was accurate and presented stereotypical views. They used the term deficit thinking to categorize her claims and say that much of her work is not supported. They attack much of what is supported with outside references by saying she uses some sources incorrectly... frequently (Bomer, Dworin, May, & Semingson, 2008).
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Bell Hooks Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom Bell Hooks goes into great detail about her personal experiences and background in her book. She describes being the first in her city to integrate into a white high school. She describes making friends with a young white boy and being invited over to his house for dinner back when this kind of interracial socializing was unheard of. She describes to great extent her experiences as a black professor who has also focused on feminist thinkings and subject matters. I found her work the most passionate and also the most “stingy�. There were some portions of the text that seemed angry and by her description of what she thinks change in thinking regarding diversity will take, this anger was understandable. She seems to argue that all change requires confrontation and although this is unpleasant we can find meaning in it as we ponder on the event later. She describes instances in class where students might not have liked the class but down the road they come to thank her. To me her style of teaching and writing is truthful. I can see how some would not be able to handle this truth because it might seem violent to them. However, I got a lot of great ideas through reading this book.
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Bell Hooks, 2015
Lessons Learned I read all of these wonderful words and they really moved me in many ways. I noticed some similarities between them and some differences. At the end I feel like I have walked away with some very important lessons that I would like to share in this document. This is definitely subjective so please take some time and examine these materials on your own when you get a chance.
Lesson 1 Teacher Training on Diversity Needs to Reflect Diversity In a perfect world we wouldn’t need to be trained on cultural diversity because through our daily lives we would share each other’s cultures and make friends from all walks of life. This happens but for the vast majority of society we end up bubbled in our own cocoons of different ethnic groups, wealth, and a variety of other factors that seperate us. Therefore, we need training but what kind of training are people getting? Hooks(1994) tried to look for material to relate to her own experience as a black female but came to this conclusion:
Scholars usually talked about black experience when they were really speaking solely about black male experience. Significantly, I found that when “women” were talked about, the experience of white women was uni versalized to stand for all female experience and that when “black people“ were talked about, the experience of black men was the point of reference. (p. 119-120)
Being black and a woman put Hooks in a unique spot in life yet she was misrepresented and had no voice. She goes on to talk about the struggles of getting the academic community to accept black woman’s point of view. Interesting given that her area of study is feminism and feminism is supposed to be about promoting equality. How was the voice of black women missed? My point here is sometimes the system that is supposed to be the vehicle for change is corrupted. Is the training teachers are receiving for cultural diversity as diverse as the people it aims to serve? The critique of Ruby Payne’s book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, exposes another example of training gone wrong. Bomer, Dworin, May, and Semingson (2008) note that Ruby Payne’s book became central to professional development in the area of cultural diversity. (p. 2499) No Child Left Behind fueled the need for such training. Bomer et al. (2008) note that her book was offered in 38 states and has sold over 800,000 copies. (p. 2499) Yet this book was self-published, not peer-reviewed, and was written by a woman who did not have firsthand experience with poverty. Keeping in line with my viewpoint that teacher training about diversity needs to be diverse, I can hardly say her text should not be included, even though Bomer,
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Lesson 1 (continued) Teacher Training on Diversity Needs to Reflect Diversity Dworin, May, and Semingson seem to think it is not very factual. Still, I am a bit perplexed as to why this is the central piece of material. Wouldn’t it be wiser to have some other text that was actually written by someone who has experienced poverty or at least have accounts from verified authentic sources? Delpit(1995) talks about this quite a bit. For example, she goes into great detail describing Papua New Guinea’s literacy program’s history. What happened there? Well, the system floundered for years until people finally started to ask those that mattered. They asked the community and parents how to fix things and it worked (pp. 77-90). Instead of relying on outside opinion, they listened to those they were supposed to be serving in the first place. All of this swivels on the biggest take away for me, the biggest thing I have learned from this cultural diversity course. Remember the people! Really let them speak and be heard. We are serving living breathing people. The approach we take with them has to be equally alive and responsive. Only training with that in mind will work and even then we need to continue to train in varied ways because of how unique humans are.
Lesson 2 Deficit Thinking Bomer et al. (2008) call Payne’s work an example of deficit thinking.(p. 2523) To them, Payne blatantly attributes negative qualities like violance, lack of morals, and dysfunctionality to people in poverty. She creates a stereotype and an “us” and “them” mindset. This idea of deficit thinking has no place in understanding the beauty of cultural diversity. Sure assumptions about people can help to get to the root of problems but when it is viewed like there is something wrong with being poor, black, white, short, or some other quality, it does not help the situation at all. In my mind togetherness is the only way to make things work. Assuming a stereotype is bad but worse is not taking the energy to actually find out about who a person really is. It is disrespectful and lazy. Knowing an abusive alcholic father who beats his kids can cause problems with a student’s performance at school is a given. However, this knowledge doesn’t help the situation. Most likely listening to that student’s issue and giving them a lifeline is the help the need. They need compassion, security, and acceptance. This topic borders on the next lesson I learned from the material. Only instead of deficit thinking about people, it is essentially a deficit thinking about what is considered true knowledge.
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Lesson 3 The Power of Personal Experience I often ask my students who is the teacher really. This confuses them. “You are,“ they say but in reality I am not. We are all teachers and you can learn from anyone at any age. That is what I tell them. “You are a teacher and a student just like me. I may be older but I can still learn from you.“ I feel this is particularly a valuable lesson for kids in South Korea because age is such a huge oppressor here. I was very disturbed by the accounts of Hooks and Delpit about personal experience in the classroom. From their point-of-view personal experience was being oppressed and denied credibility. What a waste of such valuable material! Delpit (1995) shares that teachers who were being trained in Alaska and other locations she attended, often felt like their own personal experiences were not heard in class. (p. 125) She thinks that “restructuring classes so as to build upon students’ past experiences would appear to assist all potential teachers“ (Delpit, 1995, p. 125). Instead what was happening was too much theory and name dropping. People felt like their words were not valid unless they connected their idea to a famous writer on the topic. “We must keep the perspective that people are experts on their own lives“ (Delpit, 1995, p. 47). Hooks also supported the importance of personal experience as a tool in her own classes. For her, this is vital because it gives learners freedom. More on this in the next lesson. Most students seem to come to class expecting the teacher to do all the work. Hooks(1994) tries to turn this around by eliciting more sharing of personal experiences (p. 188).
Coming to voice is not just the act of telling one’s experience. It is using that telling strategically—to come to voice so that you can also speak freely about other subjects (Hooks, 1994, p. 147).
When personal narratives and experiences are directed correctly this can be one of the biggest sources of inspiration for students. Not only will it motivate but it will make them feel more comfortable. I am reminded of the brightly decorated walls of teachers in most elementary schools. Posting a picture a kid made allows them to own a piece of that room. Encouraging the sharing of personal experience does the same or maybe more. In these times of standardized tests and teaching to that test, we have to worry how much we are allowing our students to inject themselves into the material. They must feel ownership of the class and the important quest for knowledge we are on. Students sharing personal experience and teachers acknowledging the importance of everyone’s voice is vital to an inclusive classroom.
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Lesson 4 Education as the Practice of Freedom Hooks’ book has the word freedom right in the title and it is central to her philosophy in the classroom. This has some profound implications for creating an inclusive class. Hooks(1994) shares her idea of freedom in the classroom as one where all are involved:
...students are not the only ones who are asked to share, to confess. En gaged pedagogy does not seek simply to empower students. Any classroom that employs a holistic model of learning will also be a place where teachers, grow and are empowered by the process (p.21).
This freedom to explore and learn for all sounds like a great way to include everyone. Yes it is abstracted a bit but certainly it gives direction. I only wonder if Hooks would deem pushing kids to study for standardized tests as a practice of freedom. If you can’t catch the sarcasm in that last sentence then you most definitely need to read her book. Allowing students to be heard and in my mind have more say about the direction of the material is what she speaks towards. This should be a focus in inclusive learning, more individualized choice. If you can get your hamburger the way you like it at McDonald’s then why can’t education be the same?
Lesson 5 The Confrontational Radical Nature of Change Hooks describes a need for change in education and life. She admits that this change will require confrontation. Hooks(1994) talks about a relationship she had with a white boy back in high school (pp. 23-25). It was definitely not normal at that time. She looks back on that time and says that it takes courage to change things. You must “go against the grain” (Hooks, 1994, p. 25). She then goes on at great length about the difficulty of the times. Later, this theme of struggle is connected to the classroom. She states “joy can be present along with hard work. Not every moment in the classroom will necessarily be one that brings you immediate pleasure“ (p. 154). These are great ideas but need caution. I agree that confrontation is necessary sometimes but to me learning to present conflicting ideas in the most respectful manner possible and maintaining a cool head seems vital. Otherwise, the revolutionary just seems angry and selfish in their pursuit. Also, the idea of gaining through struggling is great but I feel many will take this the wrong way. Why can’t we make learning fun and challenging at the same time? This seems to be the new thought. With technology and wit we have a vast array of options available. I tend to think that creating enough enthusiasm helps to trick students into forgetting their discomfort with some material.
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Lesson 6 The Individual This is my final and biggest takeaway from this material and class. At my current position, my director has the mindset that we need to adapt the curriculum to fit the students. I feel so blessed with this freedom and it is one I feel all teachers should be doing more of. As mentioned, Hooks(1994) is passionate about the idea that the classroom should be a place for teacher and student to learn together (p.21). When this is happening the environment will be positive and alive. Delpit(1995) notes:
In any discussion of education and culture, it is important to remember that children are individuals and cannot be made to fit into any preconceived mold of how they are “supposed“ to act. The question is not necessarily how to create the perfect “cultural matched“ learning situation for each ethnic group, but rather how to recognize when there is a problem for a particular child and how to seek its cause in the most broadly conceived fashion (p. 167).
In catering to the individual it is important to note that this service should be personal because learning is a very personal affair. Both Delpit and Hooks bring up the topic of being human and having compassion as a teacher. Delpit(1995) does not appear to take a stand one way or the other really but she presents some interesting examples (pp. 140-144). Delpit(1995) states “In mainstream educational thinking teachers are often characterized as dispassionate arbiters of knowledge and tasks“ (p. 141). Is this the way you view yourself as a teacher? Are you a dispensing machine of knowledge? In a chapter entitled “Eros , Eroticism, and the Pedagogical Process“ Hooks passiontely talks about giving everything. She calls this showing or using your body. Quotes like “Entering the classroom determined to erase the body and give ourselves over more fully to the mind, we show by our beings how deeply we have accepted the assumption that passion has no place in the classroom“ (Hooks, 1994, p. 191). We have to be “a body“ in the classroom and not this static talking loudspeaker. We have to form real bonds. Thus we must be real and genuine. If you are not wholeheartedly into knowing the people you serve then how can you help them in the best possible way. The lines of professionalism need to be crossed and we need to be more like a family if we intend to be truly inclusive.
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Closing I hope these lessons will help get others thinking about how to be more inclusive in the classroom. The works I cited are great and certainly worth a read. To be inclusive, we need to create spaces for the sharing of personal experiences, the ability to make choices in the direction we take, and the nurturing of the individual needs of all involved. There is no system or theory that truly explains how to be a kind compassionate human being who truly cares about others. Yet, that is what being an inclusive teacher calls for. Make space for that in your life.
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References Bell Hooks. (n.d.). Bell Hooks [Online image]. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks Bomer, R., Dworin, J., May, L., & Semingson, P. (2008). Miseducating teachers about the poor: A critical analysis of Ruby Payne’s claims about poverty. Teachers Col lege Record, 110(12), 2497-2531. Delpit, L. (1995). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom (pp. xxv,). New York: New Press. Hooks, B. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York: Routledge. Ruby K. Payne. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2015, from https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_K._Payne
Cultural Diversity in OUR Classroom
This document was prepared for AEP880 Cultural Diversity. Travis M. Landers is pursuing an online graduate degree in education with a focus on ESOL learners at Fort Hays State University.
TML