While reading, From Borders to Bridges, I found I had a lot in common with those teachers. The one teacher that I felt the most connected to was the returning student in the masters program. In the article, she talked about how during the holidays she tried to discuss different holidays such as Kwanzaa and Hanukkah (pg 52). This is something that I do as well. During the month of December, we watch a video on a holiday and have discussions about it. I also introduced them to the different games that some kids play during those holidays. Like the masters student, I also talk about figures during Black History Month. As I reflect on myself, I thought I was doing a good job. I thought that I was introducing my students to different cultures while still talking about our own culture. I am now realizing the lack of multiculturalism that I am actually doing. One of the biggest differences between me and this master student is I do not have much diversity in my classroom. I tried to cater the holidays that I talk about to those students that I currently have in my room. However, as I am continuing to read these articles, I am realizing the importance of not just focusing on certain cultures, but trying to introduce them to many different cultural aspects.
There are a couple ways I am thinking I could introduce different cultures into my classroom. The first thing I think I could do is look up some of the major holidays for different cultures. During the month in which those are happening, I could talk to my class about that culture and why they are celebrating that holiday. This would not only expand the students minds, but mine as well. Since I will not know much about some of these holidays or cultures, I will have to do research myself and widen my horizon to cultures other than the ones I am already familiar with. Another thing I could do to bring more culture into the classroom is bring in more text that deals with astronomy. There is one story in particular that we read that introduces a Chinese folktale that teaches about how we got the sun and stars. This story is called Ten Suns. I could research other cultures' beliefs on that topic and present them as well. In the book we read this week, The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday, on page 6 it talks about how the Kiowas believe we got the Big Dipper. It states, “ the bear, came to kill them, but they were just beyond its reach. It reared against the tree and scored the bark all around with its clause. The seven sisters were borne into the sky and they became the stars of the big dipper (Momaday, 1969, pg. 6). There are a lot of Native American stories that talk about astronomy, so this could be a fun way to bridge together different cultures.
Question: Are there any stories that you currently read that could help bridge a gap between different cultures?
Resources:
Lowery, R. M., & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: Making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 14(4), 50–54. https://moodle.morningside.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=1149965.
Momaday, N. S. (1969). The way to rainy mountain. University of New Mexico Press.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for informing students of other cultures and the holidays connected to those cultures. This is something I don't do because I do not feel I have the knowledge for it, but remember learning about the impact of this in undergraduate courses and would definitely consider. I even have students ask me about the holidays listed in their assignment books, but I am not able to give them an accurate reply and therefore only tell them what knowledge I have regarding a specific holiday, explicitly stating I am unsure.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I want to point out is that you were doing what you knew was best at the time! This class is to help you be a better teacher and it is because you recognize that you need to add to what you're doing to make your students better learners. You're also saying that you need to start with yourself and learn more about multicultural texts. That's the boat I am in and talked about that in my blog post.
I love your idea of using astronomy. This would be integrating literature with science and this is a great thing to do. I think students would also think that this is a great way to learn.
I completely agree with you, Emily! We start somewhere, right?
DeleteThe holidays is such a fun thing to do in your classroom! I would like to incorporate something like that but I always feel like we are scrambling to get all the standards taught before holiday break. I think the students can really connect with other cultures when you are bringing in different board games from those cultures for them to play. I agree with you and think it is so important to educate ourselves on different cultures so we can better help our students understand and form connections to different cultures.
ReplyDeleteCreation stories, too, are really fascinating to examine. In fact, it's always a moment when we compare the bible's creation story (from the earth) to many Native American creation stories that are quite similar. Also, explanation lore--the sketch in Momaday's text that looks like the Loch Ness monster gives rise to a LOT of conversation about (usually) terrifying beings that many cultures have and that often serve some teaching/warning purpose (avoidance, generally!) to children.
ReplyDeleteWhat about making discovery of various winter/Christmas holidays a discovery assignment for students?