Chapter 11
The world that we live in is a very diverse place and this comes as no news to any of us. Especially pre-professional educators, we are consistently reminded of the need to include adaptations and foster diversity in our classrooms and lesson plans. However this has not always been the case. As stated in the text, in the 1940's and 1950's, which wasn't THAT long ago... culturally diverse literature (that is anything not about white culture) was nearly nonexistent. Now with the growing acceptance of the need to expose children to diversity there is more and more material available for us as teachers to share with our students and help them become informed and insightful citizens of the world. Especially because the world is heading in a more "diverse" direction. The 25% of the U.S. population that is "of color" now will be 33% as we move through the next 80-85 years! It is time to educate our students and what better way to do that than by sharing literature that embraces different cultures and offers insight in an entertaining way.
This chapter discussed how some multicultural books may be considered "risky" because they address social issues that are not easy to discuss, or because the teacher does not come from the culture the book is referring to and people believe that it is not appropriate for the teacher to speak from another cultures' point of view. However this is not true! It is important for teachers to read these books and discuss these topics because this is exactly how you educate the students. Diversity is not taboo, it should be embraced, discussed, and valued. Children can not do this unless they are exposed and allowed to explore cultural diversity.
There are different categories of multicultural literature:
Cultural Diversity:
-Culturally Neutral: Diverse characters, but topics are not about diversity.
-Culturally Generic: Focus on culturally diverse characters, but few details that differentiate
the culture.
-Culturally Specific: Incorporate specific, culturally authentic details that define the
characters and the story.
Religious Diversity:
5 Predominant Religions in the U.S. and notable books (other than Christianity):
-American Indian Spirituality: Native American Wisdom and Gifts by Niki Walter
and Bobbie Kalman
-Hinduism: This is my Faith: Hinduism by Anita Ganeri
-Buddhism: Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja
-Judaism: Festival of Lights: The Story of Hanukkah by Maida Silverman
-Islam: What Will You See Inside a Mosque? by Rukhsana Khan
Other topics covered in culturally diverse literature:
-Aging
-Gender Equity
-Exceptionalities
-Language
-Social Diversity
-Family Structures
It is also important to read through diverse literature before sharing it with the class in order to examine it for things such as racism and sexism.
There are things to look out for such as:
There are things to look out for such as:
-The illustrations: stereotypes and minority roles: how are they depicted?
-The Story Line: how are the problems of the minority viewed?
-The Characters' lives: too simplistic? Do the lives of people of color represent stereotypes?
-Relationships Between People: Do whites have power? Females subordinate?
-Discover the role of models and heroes: do minority heroes resemble white heroes? In whose interests does the hero work?
The benefits of reading translated books in your class are also discussed in this chapter such as the importance of knowing classic stories from other countries in order to create an attitude of understanding for said culture.
Critical Literacy, a new term for me, invites readers to go beyond the author's message and examine the relations that exist between readers and authors. This allows the students to examine the literature on a much deeper level and also discuss some of the "taboo" topics that go hand and hand with multiculturalism.
A list of the top 10 read alouds for diverse children's literature:
1. El Barrio by Debbi Chocolate
2. Faith by Maya Ajmera, Magda Nakassis, and Cynthia Pon
3. I lLost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite
4. Jazzy Miz Mozetta by Brenda Roberts
5. Only One Year by Andrea Cheng
6. Poems to Dream Together by Francisco X. Alacron
7. Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins
8. Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light by Time Tingle
9. Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look
10. We by Alice Schertle
Good Morning Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you have laid out this chapter, for you have made it easy to read, you broke it down nicely. Sometimes I go to read a blog and its one giant paragraph.