The Center for Global Education – SOE, IUSB

Your Passport to the World of

Multiculturalism and Diversity

Presentation outline

• Mission of the Center for Global Education• Materials/resources available for students• Materials /resources available for faculty• Suggestions for integration of diversity into

courses• Activities in local schools

Mission/Vision Statement

• The Center for Global Education at Indiana University South Bend:

- desires to bring awareness of global consciousness to teachers and students in the Michiana area by developing, promoting, and providing theoretical and practical resources that support the education of our youth in an ever interconnected global society.

- recognizes the importance of multicultural curricula in American schools and, the need to go beyond the internal diversity in American schools and communities to embrace worldwide cultural diversity.

Resources to Students1. CGE Bulletin Board

Resources to students – cont.2. Resource room

Resource room –cont.Asian corner

Asian corner – cont.

Resource room - cont

• Amish garb • Caribbean instruments

African resource corner cont.

Resource room

African religious symbol Resource room bulletin board

Resource room cont.

African symbols and artifacts African clothes

Resource room cont.

Other Resource to Students• “Culturegrams” – Two Volumes of profiles on all

192 countries in the world• Social Studies and other textbooks from other

countries.• Samples of lesson plans - teaching about other

cultures.• “Worldways” – a compilation containing samples

of lesson and thematic plans of global and current issues.

• Tapes/videos from culturegrams – World regions

Resources to Faculty

• Books and files on different cultures, countries • Artifacts from other cultures and countries• Tapes/videos from “culturegrams” – African,

Middle East, East Asia, Latin America, Russia in transition, Europe after the cold war

• Cultural Awareness program using students of different cultures and diversities as guest speakers in classrooms.

Issues for Integration• Curriculum - Need to Conceptualize diversity and

be sensitive and respectful of the ‘microcultures’ within our ‘macroculture’ - The "diversity wheel” (Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual orientation, SES, Religion, Ability, etc.) in preparation to work with diverse students.

• Remind students of the role of language as a source of disempowerment -

- Incorporate “Teaching Tolerance” materials in courses e.g. “Shadow of Hate” and “A Place at the Table” and multicultural videos in the ERC

Issues for integration – cont.

• Awareness of cultural influences students’ “cognitive/learning styles”

• (Design learning activities that accommodate (different cognitive/learning styles)

• Identify “cultural dissonance” and adopt culturally relevant instruction. (There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach).

• Strive to become multiculturally literate (multiculturally knowledgeable).

Issues for integration – cont.

• Invite students and faculty of different cultures and diversities as guest speakers in classrooms whenever necessary rather than assuming authority over every aspect of your course. (To avoid perpetuating prejudice and stereotyping).

• Awareness and application of dimensions of multicultural education – content integration, knowledge construction process, prejudice reduction, equity pedagogy, empowering school and classroom culture.

Issues for integration-Approaches.

• Teaching the Exceptional and Culturally Different – inclusive, assimilation

• Human Relations – Tourist curriculum (a show)• Single Group Studies – Identify minorities and teach

about them• Inclusive Multicultural Educ.- Broad integration

within the institution• Multicultural & Social Reconstructionism – Challenge

status quo, Expose political contradictions

Supplemental Readings – Identify appropriate texts for your course• Savage Inequalities• Ordinary Resurrections• Framework for Understanding Poverty• How Schools Shortchange Girls• Affirming Diversity• Pedagogy of the oppressed• Inner City Schools, Multiculturalism, and

Teacher Education, etc

Supplemental Educational Movies and Documentary

• Lean on Me• A Town Torn Apart• Dangerous Mind• Sweetest Gift• Other movies that deal with diversity in terms

of race, class, gender, pedagogy, classroom management, discipline, etc, etc etc.

Promoting Global Education

• E201 – Multicultural Education and Global Awareness• Letters to Area Schools announcing the activities of CGE• Visits to area schools - different topics and activities • – High Schools, Middle Schools, Elementary Schools early

Childhood, IUSB classes – Transcultural Health, Sociology, History, Education, Counseling

• Past students and area schools check materials out and invite me to their schools

• Sponsorship of Panel discussion with African/international students/faculty on different topics eg. Africa is a continent, Immigrant children, position of women (developing countries) in nation building.

Robinson Center cont.

Robinson Center cont.

Presentations cont.

• St. Theodore Guerrin High School, Noblesville

Contact:Dr. Kwadwo A. Okrah, DirectorCenter for Global EducationIndiana University South BendTel: (574) 520 – 5517Email: kokrah@iusb.eduWebpage: http://www.iusb.edu/~sbglobal