Literature Across Cultures: Moore

Monday, June 10, 2024

Moore - Week 2 Blog

Incorporating the findings from the preservice teachers' reflections on multicultural literature into classroom practices can greatly enhance students' understanding of diverse cultures and perspectives. Here are some examples of how I could incorporate these findings in my classroom:

Starting with Self-Reflection Activities: Begin the semester by encouraging students to reflect on their own cultural backgrounds and biases, similar to the activity described by one preservice teacher. This could involve writing assignments, group discussions, or even art projects where students explore their own identities and backgrounds.
Reading Multicultural Literature: Introduce a diverse range of multicultural literature throughout the school year. Ensure that the reading list includes authors and characters from various cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. Encourage students to reflect on how these stories broaden their understanding of different cultures and perspectives.
Literature Circles and Discussions: Implement literature circles or group discussions where students can explore multicultural literature in-depth. Encourage students to share their thoughts, questions, and insights about the characters, themes, and cultural contexts of the texts they read. Provide opportunities for students to engage with literature that represents diverse voices and experiences.
Field Experiences and Community Engagement: Organize field experiences or community engagement projects that allow students to interact with individuals from diverse backgrounds, similar to the "Bright Futures" project mentioned in the text (Lowery, 2007, p.52). This could involve volunteering at local community centers, attending cultural events, or inviting guest speakers from different cultural or ethnic groups to share their experiences with the class.
Promoting Cultural Awareness and Acceptance: Foster an inclusive and accepting classroom environment where students feel comfortable discussing and celebrating their own cultures as well as learning about others. Incorporate activities, such as multicultural celebrations, where students can share aspects of their cultural heritage with their classmates.
Continuous Learning and Professional Development: Emphasize the importance of lifelong learning and professional development, as highlighted by the preservice teachers (Lowery, 2007, p.53) who joined professional organizations and sought out additional resources on multicultural literature. Encourage students to continue exploring multicultural literature outside of the classroom and to stay informed about diverse perspectives and experiences.

By incorporating these strategies, I can create a classroom environment that promotes cultural understanding, empathy, and appreciation for diversity, ultimately empowering students to become compassionate and informed.

References:

Lowery, R., and Sabis-Burns, D. (2007) From Borders to Bridges: Making Cross-Cultural Connections through Multicultural Literature, 50-53.

4 comments:

The Cory PostJune 10, 2024 at 11:42 AM
Hi!

You did a nice job being specific and to the point on how you might incorporate the ideas from this week's readings into your classroom. I especially enjoyed reading your fourth one, regarding community engagement. Not only would the ideas in this allow students to gain more exposure to other cultures, but it will also encourage good communication skills as they interact with others! Would you also have the students do some sort of reflection or discussion after they participate/engage in field experiences? This might help to further enhance their learning of other cultures.
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Kirsten CampbellJune 11, 2024 at 3:23 PM
Wow!
I love the ideas you have created from this week's readings. Have you used these strategies in your own classroom? You just seem like you have a great grasp on how to incorporate cultures into literacy.
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Post Week 4: Pre- and Post-Conceptual Perspectives

Some thoughts to help you brainstorm your post: Nineteenth-century travel writing caused those who read about other cultures to formulate their ideas about those cultures directly from the writing, so much so that if a person chose to travel to a country he or she had read about prior to travel, the traveller was often disappointed in the actual country and culture. In our current technological existence, our ideas of what places and people are like can certainly be informed by how they are depicted in text and on the multitude of screens we use to interface with the world. What informs your perspective? How might the ways in which we experience people, ideas, issues, cultures, and so on, be impacted by how we learn of them? Are the benefits and drawbacks to the use of the technology available to us? What might some of those be, and why?

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Responses should be posted by Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 2: The Way to Rainy Mountain

The critical text which accompanies your primary reading for the week explores ways in which we as teachers might use other cultures' literatures in our classrooms to move students from superficial, stereotyped perspectives to a fuller understanding of not only individuals from other cultures, but themselves, too. In your blog post, share with your colleagues how you might incorporate ideas from the article in your own teaching.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Your responses are due Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 1: Questions on Reading

You've been asked to post a question on the readings as your blog post. Here are some ideas to help you get started: You may have noted the publication dates of the readings and wondered why you're reading articles written in 2005. The reason is that the issues raised and discussion in each of the articles are applicable 16 years later. Do you agree? Disagree? Both? Explain why and pose a question to help your reader understand what you find to be the same or different. Or, if one of the two of the readings stands out to you, explain why that’s the case, but also post a question based on what stands out. Or, if something is confusing or problematic for you, what do you find confusing or problematic? With what do you agree or disagree? Be sure your question is open ended so that your colleagues can use it as a basis for discussion.

As you frame your question, be sure to summarize the article, then provide context for your question. Cite the text appropriately.

Questions to be posted by Thursday.

Responses (to at least two colleagues) to be posted Sunday.

Week 5: Toward a Social Justice Ethic: What is an American, Anyway?

How do the issues examined in the article affect you as a teacher and as a person living in today’s world? What is the importance of having a voice? Of being heard? Are there differences in your response based on the role(s) you inhabit? Teacher, parent, individual community member, brother, sister, child, global citizen, and more—we inhabit many subject positions. Are there ways to bring those needs/expectations/responsibilities together?

Posts are due by 8 pm Thursday.

There is no set number of required colleague responses this week, but you are expected to read all posts and to respond as class discussion.

Post Week 6: Article Summaries and Commentary

In this week's reading, you met a narrator who draws the reading into a short story with a decidedly hushed, slower tone. The couple introduced to us has experienced an unimaginable loss. How might that loss be affected by their cultural dislocation? Draw on the supplemental readings as you consider the question.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm. As was the case last week, there is not a set number of responses, but you are expected to demonstrate through responding that you have read and engaged with all class posts.