Transcript Creating Powerful Multicultural Lessons with Literature

Creating Powerful Multicultural
Lessons Using Literature, Music
and Media
Cathy A. Pohan, Ph.D.
Texas A & M - Corpus Christi
(361) 825-2860
The Role of Public Education
in the United States


The enculturation of our young into a
social and political democracy (Goodlad,
2004).
To help young people do well in the lives
they lead outside of school (Eisner, 2004).
Democratic Citizenship

Maintaining a democratic society and
preserving and extending freedom require
citizens who
Understand and embrace democratic values
and
 Recognize their responsibility to help narrow
the gap between real and idealized American
values (Banks, 1999).

Democratic Education



Students of every age should leave school
with the following three understandings:
I can make a difference in my world
I know how to make a difference in my
world.
I care enough to make a difference in my
world.
(Hutchinson & Hunt, 2001)
A Call For
Multicultural Education


As the diversity of our society deepens and our
nation faces new challenges and possibilities,
the mastery of basic skills will be essential but
not sufficient.
Students must possess the knowledge,
attitudes, and abilities needed to work with
people from diverse groups in order to create
civic, moral, and just communities that promote
the common good (Banks, 1999).
Multicultural Education:
Supporting ELLs Through:





Comprehensible input
Increased opportunities for verbal
interaction in activities
Contextualized language
Low anxiety activities
Increased opportunities for student
engagement and active participation
(Cummins; Herrell & Jordon;and Krashen)
Two Specific Strategies
Used to Support ELLs

Imaging
A strategy whereby
students create
images in their minds
to support the understanding of concepts
or to solve problems.
(Chamot & O’Mally, 1994)
Multimedia
Presentations

Use of media adds
context which result in
comprehensible input.
(Diaz-Rico & Weed, 1995)
Sources for Powerful and
Engaging (Multicultural)
Lessons



Music (text in the form of lyrics and song)
Literature (trade books, primary and secondary
source documents)
Media Sources (television, magazines,
newspapers, internet)
Music: The Doorway to
Emotional Memory





Music elicits feelings and emotion.
Lyrics are the text of music. Students can
analyze, interpret and respond to such text.
Students might have difficulty reading about
social and political issues, but they will listen to
such issues discussed in popular music.
Music engages the heart and mind.
Music can create a context for increased verbal
communication and language development.
A Multicultural Approach is
Compatible with a StandardsBased Curriculum


See Elementary and Middle School
Reading/Language Arts and Social
Science TEKS
See Secondary Reading, Speech
Communications and Social Science
TEKS
Popular Music Samples

Elementary and Middle School
“Don’t Laugh at Me”
by Mark Wills
“ Who I Am”
by Jessica Andrews

Middle and Secondary School
“Where is the Love”
by The Blackeyed Peas
Literature Examples


Textbooks were never meant to be THE
Curriculum! They are simply a resource for
teachers.
Studies have found that textbooks often present
sterile, one-sided views and are filled with
inaccurate information.
(Loewen; Daniels & Zemelman, 2004)

Trade books, primary source documents and the
internet can provide students with multiple
perspectives and an opportunity to develop
critical thinking and media literacy.
Television Viewing



Young people ages 6-18 spend more time in
front of the television than in school or sleeping.
On average, preschoolers in the U.S. watch 27
hours of TV per week.
It is estimated that before graduating from
elementary school, a child will witness 100,000
acts of simulated violence on TV.
Children’s programming perpetuates the gender
and ethnic stereotypes prevalent in American
society.
(APA, 1998; Centerwall, 2000; Cortes, 2001; MacBeth, 1996)
Television/Media cont.


What appears to be quite clear in the
research is that, for better or worse, the
media (television, in particular) contribute
powerfully to current multicultural beliefs,
attitudes, understandings and
misunderstandings.
Television teaches children who is important
and who is culturally elevated and valued.
The messages are subtle and pervasively
there in role-casting, voice-overs, and
scripting.
(Cortes, 2001; MacBeth, 1996).
In Children’s Programming



Studies reveal a glaringly disproportionate
number of “good guys” are White males; “bad
guys” are often portrayed as males of color
and/or people with accents (suggesting ESL
and/or foreigners).
Male characters outnumber female characters
almost 4 to 1.
Whereas males are portrayed as dominate,
powerful and aggressive, females either have no
role at all or are cast as “damsels in distress” or
sex objects.
(MacBeth, 1996; Cortes, 2001)
What’s All the Fuss
About Television?


Stereotypic, snapshot depictions present
young people with a social reality.
The cumulative effect, in combination with
their real life experiences (or lack thereof),
influences children’s developing beliefs
about themselves and diverse others
(MacBeth, 1996; Quintana, 1999).

Beliefs are powerful, mediating knowledge
and actions
(Bandura, 1977).
Hate Crimes on the Rise
“Most hate crimes are carried out by
otherwise law-abiding young people who
see little wrong with their actions. Alcohol
and drugs sometimes help fuel these
crimes, but the main determinant appears
to be personal prejudice, a situation that
colors people’s judgment, blinding the
aggressor to the immorality of what they
are doing.” (APA, 1998 Report)
Developing Media Literacy

We must take seriously our call to teach media
literacy skills, thereby empowering young people
to sort through the content of a variety of media
sources and ask:





Who is telling the story?
Is it authentic? How do I know?
How does this perspective fit with my own lived
experiences?
Who gains from my believing this information?
What perspective or information am I not hearing or
seeing?
What Can We Do?

It does us little good to recognize the mass
media’s multicultural teaching power,
particularly the media treatment of
different social and cultural groups, if we,
as teachers do not also draw upon that
recognition to inform and transform our
teaching practices. (Cortes, 2001)
Media Education:
Media Literacy

“In the engagement of content, media
education fosters the observation of
details and their sequence and the
relationships in a purposeful manner to
arrive at an understanding of the
ideological structures, themes, values,
claims, and evidence, and their warrants,
as well as narrative elements such as
motivations, plot lines, characters, and
characterizations.
Media Education/Literacy
cont.

Media education provides for a reflective
evaluation of
Fact and opinion
 Logical and affective appeals
 Imaginative and creative exposition and
 Imaging.”

(Anderson & Ploghoft, 1993)
Examples of Using the Media
to Teach About Social and
Political Issues.
More Ideas



Familiarize yourself with your students’ TV
viewing habits and favorite music groups.
Use segments of TV programming and other
media reports to discuss the characterization
and/or depiction of minorities and women in
these programs.
Use TV clips to dialogue about social issues,
the motives and/or intentions of characters.
More Ideas




Select age-appropriate historical and current
events to help children develop the skills needed
to deal effectively with the complexity of “good”
and “evil.”
Teach about persuasion so the young become
more critical consumers of advertisements.
Point out differences between fantasy and
reality, especially with the young.
Compare and contrast the values reflected in the
media with those we may hold as a family or as
individuals.
Questions and Answers