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+ Session 1 Introductio n EDUC 553 Session 1
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Session 1 Introduction
EDUC 553Session 1
Session 1Classroom-based
Benedictine University
22Introduction• Cultural authenticity in children’s literature…
• Is a potentially contentious issue that frequently resurfaces• Elicits a wide range of perspectives and strong emotions
•Authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, educators, librarians, and scholars have different points of view about authenticity
• They may each have strong feelings based on their own sociocultural experiences and philosophical views
• Varying definitions of culture and multiculturalism are central to debates about cultural authenticity
• Culture and multiculturalism are sometimes defined superficially only in terms of the awareness and appreciation of the traditions, artifacts, and ways of life of particular groups of people
Sources: Fox & Short (2003). Stories matter: The complexity of cultural authenticity in children’s literature; Norton (2007). Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children’s Literature
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• Culture can be understood as …all the ways in which people live and think in the world • Multiculturalism
• Is often viewed as a curriculum reform movement • This ‘movement’ involves changing curriculum to include more
content and children’s books about ethnic groups, women, and other cultural groups.
• This view limits the goals of multicultural education• ‘Culturally relevant” pedagogy…
• Is built on the cultures of students• To maintain those cultures and
• To “transcend the negative effects of the dominant culture” (Ladson-Billings, p. 17 (1994))
Introduction
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Why Teachers Use Multicultural Literature
The goal is for children to…•Recognize the importance of and to respect:•Each child’s cultural group•The universal human rights and freedoms for all people
•Gain respect for and tolerance of cultural differences •Be prepared for responsible life in a free society•Learn perspective-taking and conflict management
+ Introduction to Multicultural
Children’s Literature
Norton, Chapter 1
Session 1Classroom-based
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Benedictine University
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DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFTS “Nearly half of children under 5 are racial or ethnic
minorities and the percentage is increasing mainly because the Hispanic population is growing so rapidly”
One in three Americans is now a member of a minority group
The number of Hispanic and Asian children under 5 has grown by double-digit percentages since 2000
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Benedictine University
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STATISTICS & RESEARCH The nation’s population of minority students has surged to 42% of public school enrollment, up from 22% three decades ago”
Researchers emphasize the need for high-quality multicultural literature
“The best books break down borders.” “They extend that phrase ‘like me’ to include what we thought was foreign and strange” Rochman
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Benedictine University
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Then…
And now…
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Benedictine University
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WHY DEVELOP MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION?
Acknowledge differences to find commonalitiesInterweave the best of all cultures in a given
societyRestore cultural rights through emphasizing
cultural equality and respectStudents learn to respect cultures while
addressing basic skills and a basic educationProvide a more balanced view of U.S. society
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Benedictine University
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Multicultural needs…What do we need to make it work?Cultural sensitivity in storiesCulturally conscious literatureBooks that reflect and illuminate varied
heritagesExposure to multicultural literature that
heightens respect for individualsLiterature that contributes the values of
cultural minorities
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Benedictine University
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Benedictine University
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Identified needs … High literary quality Culturally authentic text Sensitivity in selecting materials Considerations of morality:
Morality is defined as: Judgments of what is right and what is
wrong, what is good and what is bad. These judgments… are produced at the meeting
point between personal values, beliefs, and standards and their negotiation in social settings
Morality then crucially includes both individual and social judgments (Johnson, Juhasz, Marken, Ruiz (1998) quoted in Norton)
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Benedictine University
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Availability of high-quality multicultural literature
Availability of resources/books may be an issue for certain cultures
See Chart 1 – 1 on p. 5 “Books that received starred reviews in 2006” ( Multicultural Children’s Literature)
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Benedictine University
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Sequence for studying multicultural literature (See Chart 1 – 2 page 7)
Phase One: Traditional Literature
Phase Two: Traditional Tales from One Area
Phase Three: Historical Nonfiction
Phase Four: Historical Fiction
Phase Five: Contemporary
Literature
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Benedictine University
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Phase One: Traditional Literature (Generalizations and Broad Views)
SummarizeOral language and the role
of traditional literature Role of audience and literary style
Identify
Types of stories that dominate a subjectIdentify
Folktales, myths, legends Ancient stories
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Benedictine University
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Phase Two: Traditional Tales from One Area (Narrower View)
Analyze & IdentifyValues, beliefs and themes in traditional
tales of one region.
Analyze & CompareTraditional myths Other story types
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Benedictine University
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Phase Three: Historical Nonfiction
Compare informationHistorical documents Autobiographies/
biographies
Compare
Adult autobiographies and children’s biographies (if possible)Analyze nonfiction
Values, beliefs, and themes Ancient stories
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Benedictine University
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Phase Four: Historical Fiction
CompareHistorical fiction with: Autobiographies/biographies
and historical information
Search
Traditional literature role in historical fictionEvaluate
Authenticity of:Conflicts, characterizations, settings,
themes, language, and traditional beliefs/values
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Phase Five: Contemporary Literature
Analyze and look for threads that cross the literature
Analyze
Contemporary characterization and conflictsAnalyze the inclusion of any beliefs and values identified
in:
Traditional Literature Nonfictional Literature
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In Conclusion… The United States and Canada are multicultural
nations with people from many backgrounds Europeans, Native Americans, African Americans,
Latinos, and Asians These two nations also include people from
different religious groups Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, American Indian
(First Nations), all of which also have different denominations
A heightened sensitivity to the needs of all people has led to the realization that literature plays a considerable role in the development of understanding across cultures
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