ERIC Number: ED333002
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991-Apr-4
Pages: 28
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
When Difference Means Disaster: Reflections on a Teacher Education Strategy for Countering Student Resistance to Diversity.
Ladson-Billings, Gloria
A required course for elementary education majors at Santa Clara University (California), "Introduction to Teaching in a Multicultural Society," evolved during a 6-year period. The course moved from one with an emphasis on promoting equity, tolerance, and improved human relations through curriculum and instructional strategies to one that encourages a critical examination of racism and other forms of oppression with th objective of developing student empathy and advocacy. The course currently uses documentary films and videos to provide students with graphic and controversial views of the United States and a world they did not know existed. In addition, students read articles about race and ethnicity from various points of view and are asked to position themselves ideologically. The teaching methods have also changed from lecture to group discussion and activities designed to provoke thought and encourage student interaction. To increase social awareness, students are required to volunteer 10 hours at a human services agency. An ongoing assignment is to maintain a reflective journal intended to arouse critical consciousness. While one such course cannot effect great changes in students' attitudes, it emphasizes the challenge for educators to engage in a multifaceted attack on students' resistance to issues of diversity and multiculturalism. Excerpts from student journals are included. (AMH)
Descriptors: Attitude Change, Class Activities, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Cultural Awareness, Cultural Pluralism, Documentaries, Elementary Education, Group Discussion, Higher Education, Preservice Teacher Education, Racial Bias, Required Courses, Social Problems, Student Attitudes, Student Journals, Teacher Education Curriculum, Teaching Methods, Videotape Recordings
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A