IAIE 2005 Conference Paper: "Cultivating Respect for Diversity: a Case Study"
Diversity in Education in an International Context:
Educazione Interculturale nel contesto internazionale
April 20-23, 2005 - Verona, Italy
Nearly sixty years after the end of World War II, understanding and respecting differences in our communities continues to be a pressing issue. In her ground-breaking research, Sonia Nieto states: “Most of us, in spite of our distinct cultural or linguistic backgrounds, were educated in monocultural environments. We seldom have the necessary models for developing a multicultural perspective We have only our own experiences; and no matter what our background, these have been overwhelmingly Eurocentric and English-speaking” (338). Moreover, as educator Barry Van Driel asserts, “In many countries, textbooks still take an extremely nationalistic approach to regional and world events, portraying the home country as ‘good’ and outsiders as ‘evil’ or ‘the enemy’” (1). He advocates not only multicultural education but also intercultural education, which involves the use of active learning strategies to promote global perspectives and bridge-building among individuals and groups from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Tanaka, Johnson, and Hu define interculturalism as “learning and sharing across difference where no one culture dominates” (1). A three-year study on developing intercultural college campuses, recently completed by these researchers, showed positive outcomes as reflected in “increased optimism about race relations, a reduction in incidents of racial harassment, and a strengthened campus community” (1).
Developing respect for diversity by building appreciation for racial, gender, and cultural differences is a stated objective of Minnesota’s K-12 and higher education systems. Although a great deal of rhetoric about embracing cultural differences surrounds us, limited opportunities exist for teachers and future teachers to learn pragmatic and effective strategies to realize this goal in their classrooms. Clearly, it is necessary to give far more than lip serve to assisting teachers and students in attempts to move beyond a simple level of tolerance to levels of acceptance, respect and affirmation, solidarity and critique (Nieto, 339). Chickering and Reisser (1993) define tolerance broadly as “the ability to accept individuals for who they are, to appreciate and respect differences, and to empathize.” Nieto offers a more specific definition; she states that tolerance means “the capacity to bear something, although at times it may be unpleasant.”
Recent research has demonstrated that higher levels of reflective thinking can facilitate higher levels of tolerance (Guthrie, King, and Palmer). Concrete opportunities that offer teachers ways to help students develop and build reflective thinking are crucial to building tolerance, both in and outside the classroom. Our global society requires children and adults to understand and respect one another in order to live and work together in positive and productive ways. This project seeks to facilitate that goal and to minimize the use of destructive stereotyping and scape-goating. As noted above, recent research by Guthrie et al has demonstrated that higher levels of reflective thinking can facilitate higher levels of tolerance. Concrete opportunities that offer teachers and future teachers effective ways to help students develop and build reflective thinking are crucial to building tolerance, both in and outside the classroom.
Based on our commitment to principles outlined in the research cited above, we have undertaken a year-long project aimed at increasing intercultural understanding and respect for difference. This project is being piloted on the university level at the Minnesota State University, MSU, Mankato campus, and in area K-12 classrooms. The project is especially important for these three reasons: 1) it emphasizes active student learning by involving critical thinking, reflective listening, individual journal-writing, and reflective personal essays; 2) it involves partnerships among teachers and future teachers from diverse teaching and learning environments; and 3) it focuses on large-scale instructional design and implementation to promote learning that lasts.
The context for our project is the pressing need to provide opportunities for teachers and students to develop multicultural and intercultural perspectives that enable them to minimize destructive stereotyping and scapegoating as a means of moving toward tolerance, acceptance, respect, and affirmation. (Nieto, 339). As recent multicultural and intercultural research focusing on reconciliation efforts between the Minnesota Dakota and non-native communities indicates, “Transcending moral conflicts requires creating new and commonly shared social realities” (Dowlin and Dowlin). This process, based on openness to dialogue, implementation of communal events/activities, and participation in shared experiences, can “serve to heal and restore relationships” locally, nationally, and globally (Dowlin and Dowlin, 415).
The State of Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota State University, and South Central Technical College systems mandate that cultural diversity learning opportunities be offered in the educational setting. Minnesota State University has recently defined four strategic priorities on which the university will focus during coming years. Cultural diversity is one of these four strategic priorities. As Guthrie, King, and Palmer have demonstrated, higher levels of reflective thinking can facilitate higher levels of understanding and build respect for diversity. Guthrie et al conclude that “efforts within higher education to develop and build students’ reflective thinking ability both in and out of the classroom are likely to have an accompanying positive impact on their tolerance levels” (4). Moreover, they conclude that “what educators do in the area of building tolerance [respect] might also help some students reach higher levels of reflective thinking ability” (4).
Our project presents a number of concrete opportunities for teachers to learn how to help students develop and build reflective thinking crucial to building tolerance, both inside and outside the classroom. The first stage of the project involved participation by seventy teachers in a two-day intensive workshop focused on promoting multicultural and intercultural understanding and respect in diverse classroom settings. The second stage of the project features intensive assessment of curriculum development, classroom implementation, follow-up interviews, and reflective writing completed by K-12 and post-secondary students and instructors, all of whom have participated in the implementation of specific intercultural initiatives in diverse classroom settings.
At the conclusion of the project in June 2004, we are confident that teachers and future teachers will have learned effective and productive methods and strategies for building tolerance, acceptance, respect, and affirmation for multicultural and intercultural differences in their classrooms. Just as important, because educators will involve their students in active learning based on shared responsibility, students will benefit not only in their current classroom settings but also in their journey toward life-long learning. Because we look forward to the possibility of presenting our findings and discussing them with other educators in an international venue, we are proposing “Cultivating Respect for Diversity,” a collaborative paper, for presentation at the IAIE international conference: “Exploring Diversity Issues in Education: International Perspectives,” to be held in Verona, Italy, from April 20-23, 2005. Our commitment to sharing the outcomes of our year-long project is based on our conviction that educators’ effort to develop students’ reflective thinking as well as their tolerance, acceptance, and respect for difference is one of the most important objectives that educators can accomplish. Thank you very much for considering this proposal.
Works Cited
Chickering, Arthur and Linda Reisser (1993) Education and Identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Dowlin, Sheryl L. (17 July 1996) Worlds of Thought Resident Scholar Series Assessment Report 1995-1996. Mankato State University, Mankato, MN.
Dowlin, Sheryl L. (7 July 1997) Worlds of Thought Resident Scholar Series Assessment Report 1996-1997. Mankato State University, Mankato, MN.
Dowlin, Sheryl L., and Bruce Dowlin (2002). “Healing History’s Wounds: Reconciliation Communication Efforts to Build Community between Minnesota Dakota (Sioux) and Non-Dakota Peoples.” Peace & Change, 27.3 (July 2002).
Guthrie, Victoria L., Patricia M. King, and Carolyn J. Palmer (2000). “Higher Education and Reducing Prejudice: Research on Cognitive Capabilities Underlying Tolerance.” Diversity Digest (Spring 2000). // http://www.diversityweb.org/Digest/Sp.Sm00/tolerance.html // [last accessed on 30 January 2004]
Nieto, Sonia (2000) Affirming Diversity, 3rd ed. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.
Tanaka, Greg, Parker Johnson, and N. Brian Hu (2001). “Creating an Intercultural Campus: A new Approach to Diversity.” Diversity Digest (Winter 2001). URL:
// http://www.diversityweb.org/Digest/W01/interculturalism.html // [last accessed on 30 January 2004]
Van Driel, Barry. (2000) “Intercultural Education.”
// http://www.minorityrights.org/Outsiders/outsider_article.asp?ID=17 // [last accessed on 30 January 2004.]