This paper examines teachers' practical theories of teaching and ways in which individual teachers participate in a social solidarity, based on Richard Rorty's idea of solidarity as clinging to one's own ethnocentrism to understand differences between right and wrong, good and bad. Social solidarity is seen as holding people together, defining…

Much of the rhetoric used by world leaders is one of violence, based on destructive myths and images, which increases the probability of war. Such leaders attempt to persuade the public that militarism, threats, and sociopolitical superiority are effective strategies for peace, when in fact they maximize cultural and political differences. The…

This document sets the current literacy education movement in historical context, criticizes the actions of unprepared newcomers to field, and praises the efforts of reading professionals who use a language experience approach to teaching reading. In an overview, the faddishness of some current literacy education activity is deplored. Section 1…

This paper introduces the concept of clinical supervision as a formative evaluation tool for "fine tuning" already familiar teaching techniques and explores the implications of ethnocentrism in using clinical supervision in Native Indian education. The underlying philosophy of clinical supervision is expressed as a strong humanistic…

An attempt was made to examine authoritarian and non-authoritarian scales of social attitudes and their reversals as a function of: (1) content consistency; (2) acquiescence; and (3) a tendency to use extreme categories of response. The study questioned whether Adorno's fascism (F), dogmatism (D), ethnocentrism (E), and anti-Semitism (A-S) scales…

A Spanish American village economy as influenced by changes in its land base, land rights, and the introduction of mercantile capitalism during the U.S. Territorial period in New Mexico was analyzed. Attention was given to differences in village land tenure and exploitative patterns from those imposed with the advent of Anglo American political…

Reports on a European teachers' seminar. Points out the difficulties of making generalizations about history instruction in European nations. Concludes that it is essential to emphasize societal aspects that bind people together and that national history should be taught in a European and global context. (CFR)

This study compared the impact of an international educational program with that of a multicultural educational kindergarten program. A convenience sample of 13 children participated in a university-based full day international education kindergarten program. Sixteen children from a medium-size seacoast center participated in a multicultural…

An empirical summary of 33 studies considers the relationship between racial group orientation and self-concept of an individual. This issue represents a fundamental assumption of afrocentric education practices, that the racial group orientation of the individual is related to the self-esteem of the individual. The results demonstrate a positive…

Attention is drawn to aspects of the transfer of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) expertise to both developing and developed nonnative English-speaking countries. It is maintained that: (1) several facts that have nearly the strength of canonical truths in the West reveal an ignorance of, and perhaps an indifference to, the socio-cultural,…

Similarities among ethnolinguistic groups are greater than differences. It is the belief in the influence of culture and language on basic structures of thought and personality that divides groups, not the structures themselves. However, linguistic differences among ethnic groups are real. The linguistic distinctiveness of a particular ethnic…

During the past 10 years, a Japanese instructor at an American university has learned to use her cultural background to her advantage. As a graduate student at Bowling Green State University (Ohio), she first perceived her background as an obstacle to her teaching and tried to pretend that she was not different from other faculty. But this mindset…

An overriding concern in the teaching of literature from cultures other than the instructor's own is how to go about selecting appropriate literature. When selecting course texts, the question should be whether literary scholars write respectfully about the work. A sophomore-level Introduction to African-American Literature course has been…

The concept of technology transfer (the application of knowledge) and E. M. Rogers and D. K. Bhowmik's (1970) heterophily-homophily distinction is used to help better understand and offer ways to deal with the negative reactions of undergraduates toward foreign teaching assistants (TAs) in U.S. universities. While it is important for foreign TAs…

An overview is provided of the educational philosophies of Allan Bloom, Lynne V. Cheney, William Bennett, and Ernest Boyer, with special focus on their political underpinnings. The essay begins with an examination of the issues discussed in "The Closing of the American Mind," by Allan Bloom. Concern and disagreement is expressed about:…