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1、MOVINGBEYONDBEINGNICE:TEACHINGANDLEARNINGABOUTSOCIALJUSTICEINAPREDOMINANTLYWHITEEDUCATIONALLEADERSHIPPROGRAMJoanneM.MarshallIowaStateUniversityGeorgeTheoharisSyracuseUniversityEducatorstendtobenicepeople.SodoMidwesterners.AclassroomfullofMidwesterneducators,theref
2、ore,isboundtobefullofgood-hearted,salt-of-the-earthtypes,genuinelyconcernedaboutthewellbeingofchildrenanddismayedaboutinequity.However,thisdismayisdistinctfromadeepunderstandingofsocialjusticeandequityissues,especiallyasthoseissuesrelatetoraceandethnicity.Students
3、fromapredominantlyWhitestateatapredominantlyWhiteinstitution,workingandlivingwithinpredominantlyWhitecommunities,havelimitedexperienceengagingwithpeopleofcolor.Thislackofexperiencehasatleasttwoconsequences.First,studentstendtodefine“diversity”simplyasnon-Whiteraci
4、alandethnicidentity,failingtorecognizetheirownWhiteracialidentity,andfailingtorecognizeotherdiversitysuchassocialclass,religion,ability/disability,orsexualorientation.Andsecond,studentsarereluctanttotalkaboutracialidentity,viewingsuchdiscussionasawkwardlesttheybep
5、erceivedasracist,aswellassomehowimpolite.Whileotherscholars(Banks,1999;Delpit,1988;Haymes,1995;Helms,1990;Howard,1999;Ryan,2003;Sleeter,1995;Tatum,1994;Young&Laible,2000)havewrittenextensivelyaboutWhiteracialidentityandtheimportanceofengagingWhitestudentsindiscuss
6、ionsaboutit,fewerhaveaddressedtheawkwardnessofstudentsviewingsuchdiscussionsas“notnice,”particularlywithinMidwesternculture,wherenicenessissohighlyvalued.TheworkofMeadowsandLee(2002),2whichspecificallynotestheinterplaybetweenconversationsaboutraceandthe“hiddenvalu
7、e”ofnicenessinMidwesterncultureisanotableexception.ClassroomchallengesinaneducationalleadershipprogramwithpredominantlyWhitestudentsinclude:alackofexperience,ingrainedniceness,maintainingamutualteacher-studentrespectintheclassroom,andviolatingthenormsofnicenesswit
8、huncomfortablediscussionsaboutcultureandinequity.Itisnotnice,forexample,toaskstudentstoreflectcriticallyuponhowinequityandinjusticeoccurandisperpetuated