Concerning the FOB article Daphne posted last week (see below for her
original post):
I think that understanding group and individual differences and how these
differences can affect the learning process is an absolute necessity for all
educators at all levels. It's not an easy task, though, to tell people that
they have certain beliefs and values that bias their teaching and may even
serve as an obstacle to their students' learning. And, I'm sure we all know
that it's not easy hearing people tell us that our teaching is biased in any
way. In the FOB article, Jereann King mentions a couple of her "ah ha"
moments that helped her understand the teachers she was working with; one of
them was her learning about identity development. In the article, she says
she learned that, "identities really do develop; you're not born with them.
Life takes you through stages. When it comes down to race and class, those
developments can shift: from not paying attention to race to wanting to
recognize how society builds on and exploits race."
These comments made me remember a couple of "ah ha" moments I have had. The
first one was when I learned about Milton J. Bennett's Developmental Model
of Intercultural Sensitivity. What I liked about his model was that it
addressed one's ability to understand and deal with cultural differences as
a developmental process based on experience. It also says that, depending on
one's experience, a person can move forward or backwards through the phases.
(For a brief explanation, go to
http://www.library.wisc.edu/EDVRC/docs/public/pdfs/SEEDReadings/intCulSens.p
df). This was taught in the context of dealing with ESL students, so culture
was always the emphasis.
My other "ah ha" moment happened a few years later when I was introduced to
the concept of "the other." What I liked about this concept was that it
looked at more than cultural differences, which I thought was necessary in a
classroom setting, especially considering that we all belong to more than
one group, which is what makes us individuals. I sort of attached this
concept onto Bennett's continuum of cultural development because it seemed
to fit.  
I may have oversimplified this a little, but from these two "ah ha" moments,
I have come to believe that our ability to deal with our perceptions of "the
other" (regardless of what we consider "the other" to be at any given time)
develops in the same way that our identities develop: by the experiences we
have in our lives. I think it's important to make sure that people know that
this is a transformative process that takes time to develop. Also, I think
it is important for people to begin this process by trying to understand how
their own perceptions and expectations of others are based on their
experiences and that what they think they know about others is clouded by
those perceptions and could even become a barrier to their students'
learning. 
I've had several classes that discuss diversity issues, but they were in the
context of teaching ESL. I'm just wondering what kind of training, if any,
ABE teachers have in this area. Also, which groups are identified in the
training- culture, gender, religious, SES, race, etc.? And, how are you told
to deal with diversity in the classroom?
Ryan


Tue Nov 21 20:35:35 EST 2006

On the Focus on Basics list, Julie McKinney, the list moderator posted
an article which is very pertinent to this list:
A Conversation With FOB: Addressing Racism, Classism and Gender in ABE.
This article can be found at:
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=206

The article shows how one teacher addresses racism, classism, and gender
with ABE students, and what she feels adult basic educators can do to
address power differentials that interfere with best teaching practices.
The article includes a list of resources that were helpful to her.

I wonder if people on this list want to look at this article and share
reactions, thoughts, experiences.
Daphne 


Daphne Greenberg 
Assistant Professor
Educational Psych. & Special Ed.
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 3979 
Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3979
phone: 404-651-0127
fax:404-651-4901 
dgreenberg at gsu.edu

Daphne Greenberg 
Associate Director 
Center for the Study of Adult Literacy
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 3977 
Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3977
phone: 404-651-0127
fax:404-651-4901 
dgreenberg at gsu.edu>