In this post you'll find a report that I wrote in response to an article I read that was part of The Anthology of Social Studies ed. Roland Case & Penny Clark. Chapter 17 is "Embedding Global and Multicultural Perspectives" by Roland Case, Ozlem Sensoy, and Michael Ling. I found this reading to be particularly relevant to Canada's diverse society, especially as the world becomes more and more of a global village. I also found it interesting how much this topic related to the ideas of "Character education" in that, similar principles are being taught to students, such as empathy, respect, and sensitivity to others.
The report as follows:
Teaching in a global/multicultural classroom begins with creating a global/multicultural environment in the classroom. Although many Canadian classrooms today are filled with students who have diverse backgrounds, the students may not have an awareness of or appreciation for the multiculturalism of themselves and their peers. It is important to make students aware of the diversity of their own class and to learn to appreciate all that it can offer. Similarly, a teacher can draw parallels between their classroom and the world as a whole. In certain contexts, it can be challenging to recognize the diversity of one’s own classroom without raising cause for conflict between students with opposing ideas; however, it is important also that students learn open and fair-mindedness, which should be modelled by the teacher. A teacher can hold class discussions about global issues and universal human values and have students identify patterns of humanity through different events and cultures historically and in the present.
Another challenge that a teacher faces is that the content they must teach is the history of Canada, not world history, although they are intertwined. One way to integrate a global perspective is to explore Canada’s impact on the world, Canada’s role in the world, as well as the impact that other cultures have had on Canada. The impact that other cultures have had on Canada can be explored in an international context as well as through the lens of immigration and how individuals or groups influence Canadian society and culture. Due to the diverse nature of Canadian society and its classrooms, these perspectives may be as personal to one student as they are foreign to another; in this way, collaboration and open discussion should be encouraged among students in order that each may learn from another’s perspective in a more personal and relevant manner.
By engaging with the personal stories of our own students, stereotypes and negative biases may be challenged more easily and students can connect their own experiences with those of their peers in a new way. Personally, I found the perspective-shifting activities most interesting and I think that they would challenge students towards adopting more empathetic attitudes. The activities such as “Believe it or Not” or the analysis of differing language used in newspaper reports are effective ways to reveal the bias that permeates our own culture; these activities can be used to help students recognize their own biases and further discussions and questions can be used to encourage new empathetic attitudes.
As students begin to understand and appreciate the diversity within their own community, understanding their role as global citizens becomes a more easily accessible process. If teachers work with the ultimate idea of global citizenship and responsibility in mind, each lesson will work as a step towards grasping this ultimate goal. Beginning small, with a student’s own experience, and working outwards, to the classroom, city, nation, and world, will help students in the process of understanding their role in the greater picture of history and citizenship.
Teaching in a Multicultural Classroom
Another challenge that a teacher faces is that the content they must teach is the history of Canada, not world history, although they are intertwined. One way to integrate a global perspective is to explore Canada’s impact on the world, Canada’s role in the world, as well as the impact that other cultures have had on Canada. The impact that other cultures have had on Canada can be explored in an international context as well as through the lens of immigration and how individuals or groups influence Canadian society and culture. Due to the diverse nature of Canadian society and its classrooms, these perspectives may be as personal to one student as they are foreign to another; in this way, collaboration and open discussion should be encouraged among students in order that each may learn from another’s perspective in a more personal and relevant manner.
By engaging with the personal stories of our own students, stereotypes and negative biases may be challenged more easily and students can connect their own experiences with those of their peers in a new way. Personally, I found the perspective-shifting activities most interesting and I think that they would challenge students towards adopting more empathetic attitudes. The activities such as “Believe it or Not” or the analysis of differing language used in newspaper reports are effective ways to reveal the bias that permeates our own culture; these activities can be used to help students recognize their own biases and further discussions and questions can be used to encourage new empathetic attitudes.
As students begin to understand and appreciate the diversity within their own community, understanding their role as global citizens becomes a more easily accessible process. If teachers work with the ultimate idea of global citizenship and responsibility in mind, each lesson will work as a step towards grasping this ultimate goal. Beginning small, with a student’s own experience, and working outwards, to the classroom, city, nation, and world, will help students in the process of understanding their role in the greater picture of history and citizenship.
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