Hi Everyone,
Last Week's FOB Article-of-the-Week was also posted on the Poverty Race
Women and Literacy Discussion List, and I am passing on a response from
someone on that list:

Any other comments?

Julie

*********************************************
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



Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org


>>> "Julie McKinney" <julie_mcKinney at worlded.org> 11/21/06 6:45 PM >>>

Hi Everyone,

Some FOB articles are called "A Conversation With FOB", and are
interviews or conversationss with a teacher or researcher who is doing
something unique. This week's FOB Article-of-the-Week is an example of
this type of article.

A Conversation With FOB: Addressing Racism, Classism and Gender in ABE
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=206

This brings out teacher Jereann King's efforts to address these issues
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.

Has anyone out there addressed these issues with students? Please tell
us about your experiences, or your response to this article!

All the best,
Julie


Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org

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