Question 8. Meaning
and Effetcs of Claims to Be Color-Blind. Some teachers claim to be “color-blind” in the classroom. Describe what
this statement means. How can this belief by the teacher result in the further disenfranchising
of students of color?
While
many educators aim to give quality instruction to all students regardless of
race or ethnicity, few actually do so by being “color-blind.” Hesitancy to incorporate
culture and the appreciation of diversity into the curriculum can not only
result in less student engagement but can also fail to build a bridge between
students and what they are learning. As an educator, I strive to customize my
students’ learning to fit their unique makeup. If I want every student to learn,
I have to help students want to participate and learn before I can help them
understand what they’re learning. How can I get Hispanic students to connect
with the math if every word problem includes a girl named Sarah and a boy named
John? It is my ultimate goal to help every student understand what I’m
teaching, So, what better way to help them “get it” than to give them
opportunities to personally connect with the material?
Students need to feel like the culture
from which their unique fabric was woven is valuable and useful. If the teacher
does not make culture a part of student learning, by default, it is left out,
meaning the opportunity to help students personally connect with the curriculum
decreases greatly as nothing they learn about in that “color-blind” classroom
relates to who they are, what they value, or sadly, what they feel they can do. When student feel they can be
successful at what they are learning, they are more inclined to be more
motivated and engaged in the classroom as they learn. By using aspects of
culture to enhance instruction, teachers are creating positive connections between
each student’s values, beliefs, skills, interests and the content each student
learns. When teachers refuse to address diversity or incorporate culture into
instruction or student interactions, they are failing to celebrate the unique attributes
each student brings to the classroom, which only serves to further marginalize minorities.
When teachers say that they are color blind it means they treat every student equally and provide equal educational opportunities to every student in a classroom. However, the race and ethnicity also play a very important role in the student-learning process. It is essential that teachers learn to respect and value each student’s culture in order to build a good relationship with the students.
ReplyDeleteSince I was born and brought up in India, I felt uninterested in some of the US-based class discussions in college. However, some of the teachers modified their instructions according to all of the students’ races and ethnicities, which grasped the students’ attention. When I teach my diverse students, I make my instruction interesting and relevant to the students’ races and ethnicities. As teachers, we should understand how important the individual’s race and ethnicity are to his/her own identity.
Multi-cultural education in a diverse classroom not only makes the learning process interesting and exciting, but also enhances the students’ motivation to learn.
I agree with both of you! It's my believe too how critical it is to connect with students if we want to see them engaged and interested in what we are teaching. It's my goal too to make lessons culturally relevant. We are teaching more than just connecting to them however. We are setting an example of mutual respect, acceptance, in addition to exposing all students to diversity.
ReplyDeleteThis answer and the two replies add up to a powerhouse of thoughtful discourse. There were several ideas from Ms. Furtney's answer to which I said "Yo tambien". Here's a brief list and my responses:
ReplyDelete"As an educator, I strive to customize my students’ learning to fit their unique makeup."
This is such a daunting task in some people's eyes. They fear that they'll never be able to learn what makes each student grasp and grow. However, the truth for me has been that the more I remain open to learning about others, the easier it becomes, and I am more quickly able to sense commonalities in communication, tastes, or thinking methods that enable me to connect more immediately and authentically with others.
"Students need to feel like the culture from which their unique fabric was woven is valuable and useful."
So. Beautifully. Articulated.
Here's an area we probably haven't much considered in our "cultural" planning: the culture of youth. Some adults often spend so much time running down or degrading or belittling the culture, media, opportunities, and knowledge that young people bring to our school that it's a wonder we can connect with them at all. Still, when we ask them what they like, why they like it, and why they think I should like it, we learn so much more about our students and how to reach them than we ever would just by delivering content in a way that reflects our own values.
"By using aspects of culture to enhance instruction, teachers are creating positive connections between each student’s values, beliefs, skills, interests and the content each student learns."
All true learning is the result of making connections. It's far more useful to harness the knowledge students so readily possess about themselves and try to develop that into a contextual learning experience than it is to first introduce and explain our own context. The challenge for some is "How do I?" My answer usually starts with "First, connect with the kids. Ask them what they like and think. Then add your adult filter."
From Ms. Duggirala's response I pulled this summarizing nugget: Multi-cultural education in a diverse classroom not only makes the learning process interesting and exciting, but also enhances the students’ motivation to learn.
That sounds like a win-win, doesn't it? It's not easy, but most changes in behavior start with an intellectual shift. I think Phiri and Winolee both laid some fertile ground here for anyone still wishing he or she could just stick to doing what has always been done and enable them to begin the steps of a paradigm realignment.