Neito, S. (1999). The Light in Their Eyes: Creating
multicultural learning communities, NY: Teachers College
Press. (Chapters 1-4)
Introduction:
Multicultural Education
Definition: (p
xviii)
“I define multicultural education as embedded in a
sociopolitical context and as antiracist and basic education
for all students that permeates all areas of schooling, and
that is characterized by a commitment to social justice and
critical approaches to learning (Nieto, 1996).
“My definition is an expensive one, comprising not only
race, ethnicity, and language but also gender, social class,
sexual orientation, ability and other differences.”
Transformation:
personal, collective, and institutional (pp. xviii-xix)
“Multicultural education
is a journey: beginning with their personal transformation,
teachers can move on to create more productive of working
with others, and from there to challenge the policies and
practices of the schools in which they work (by using
students’ learning needs as a driving force).
Teachers are just a
part of the big game (xx)
“That is, teachers work in
real schools that often contradict the very ideals upon
which the educational system is based, ideals such as equal
access, fair play, and meritocracy. (This forces teachers to
be uncritical and submissive, ignoring the wider context of
reality.)
What about being
realistic?
Knowing the real world is
depressing, but Neito suggests that “an attitude of hope and
critique is our only option.” (p. xxiii).
Chapter 1
Equating learning with
grades and grade point averages is equally limiting because
it brings up questions of inequitable access and opportunity
to learn, and it denies different backgrounds. It also fails
to appraise the quality of thinking that produced a
particular grade, or students’ own views concerning whether
or not they have learned.
Learning => from
comprehensive sociocultural and sociopolitical perspective
“…school conditions and
climate, in conjunction with the attitudes and beliefs of
educators that undergrid that climate, can foster or hinder
learning,” meaning that “students cognition exists within a
context that is broader than talents, inclinations, and
capabilities of individual learners.” (p. 2)
Principles of learning:
-
Learning is actively constructed. (p. 3)
<with a presentation of conflicting views>
-
Learning emerges from and builds on
experience (p. 6) <=start from what the students have
while avoiding lamenting about what they lack!!! Great
for EFL, too.>
-
Learning is influenced by cultural
differences “…culture is never fixed or passive, nor is
it manifested in the same way in each person. What is
needed is a different way to appreciate how culture may
influence learning.” (p. 9)
-
Learning is influenced by the context in
which it occurs (11) <great theoretical debates>
-
Learning is socially mediated and
develops within culture and community (p. 14)
“Reading is re-writing what we’re reading.”/ Learning
implies both action and interaction.” (both on p. 14)
SNEA: My reflections
I appreciate all the
comprehensive views above, but am left with one question.
How can we teach subject
matters that does not require much other than specific
talent and skill/knowledge building from restricted type of
learning? Maybe math educators can help.
No matter how much a Math
teacher understands about all the kids in his class, his job
is to teach the Math lesson in progressive order. That is,
what to teach is already fixed. Can the teacher do
much about that? I think not. Perhaps, my answer to myself
is to pay attention on how to teach and evaluate
them.
A quote I take to remind
myself: “Teacher-student collaboration in the
construction of knowledge will operate effectively in
contexts where students’ identities are being affirmed”
(p. 26, Cummins-1996 cited in Neito-1999)
Chapter 2 Learning and
Inequality
“…inequality, lack of
learning and poor academic achievement are firmly linked”
(p. 19)
<Racism and institutional
discrimination are at the roots of inequality. Students are
judged as being or pushed to being at risk, for example,
simply because of their cultural and ethnic identity, among
other characteristics-19>
“Failure to learn “is
scrupulously created through policies, practices, attitudes,
and beliefs” (p. 23).
Creating inequality
among students of diverse backgrounds
“…unequal outcomes
generally are based on students’ membership in particular
groups that are ranked according to the status of members’
race, ethnicity, social class, and gender, among other
differences” (p. 23).
The U.S.??
“..because the official
discourse of equality, there has been a deafening silence
concerning the institutional barriers that make it almost
impossible for some to make it, while they virtually
guarantee success for others”
(p. 24).
Inequality has been
practice in public school in numerous ways, including
through disparate funding, segregation, underrepresentation
of teachers of color, uneven access to high-level learning,
biased counseling practices, and others” (pp. 26-27).
<Pages 28-34 are easy to
understand.> all about the U.S.
“The pressure to
assimilate also means that they are expected to discard
their native languages and cultures in favor of
instead of in addition to new ones, in the process
abandoning their identity.”
Responses:
Group/ individual
SNEA: My
observation:
A German told me once
that, to climb up a higher place, people stand on other
people’s shoulders. That is, we do not need to worry too
much about these problems because they are just the ways the
world work. It sounded too cold to me at that time. How
about now???
It still does, but I
wonder what we can do with inequality. People are born and
raised differently, learn differently, and have become
different individuals. The only problem is we all want
similar worldly pleasure, which unfortunately is easier to
reach if you are already in a better position.
Hmm….. Critique, but also
keep your hope, SNEA. I need to remind myself.
Chapter 3: Culture and
Learning
A critical look at the
word “culture”
1. “Culture is dynamic,
active changing, always on the move” (49). Keeping this in
mind, we will learn to question the common place and at the
same time avoid promoting status quo.
2. Culture is
multifaceted. (+intersectionof ethnicity and social class)
“…culture cannot be
conflated with just ethnicity or race. (One person can be
seen as having many cultures, e.g. sex orientation, gay
language in Pattaya).
3. Culture is embedded in
context (e.g. rice in Puerto Rico.)
4. Culture is influenced
by social, economic, and political factors (watch cultural
capital)
5. Culture is created and
socially constructed (what we do everyday and change the
practices based on group dynamic)
6. Culture is learned
(both own culture and foreign/ other cultures==EFL learning)
7. Culture is dialectic
(e.g. Ramirez -1974 = culture of survival and culture of
liberation)
Language as culture
-Assimilation may be good!
(See pp. 62-62)
Links among culture,
language and learning
“where students’ cultural
values and behaviors fit with school policies and
practices, learning take place in a fairly straightforward
manner; where they clash, learning may be experienced in a
negative way” (p. 63)
Gaps between Homes and
Schools – healed or filled best if schools recognize the
student’s identities
IMPLICATIONS:
-
Students’ identification with, and
maintenance of, their native culture and language can
have a positive influence on learning.
-
The role of teachers as cultural
accommodator and mediator is fundamental in promoting
student learning.
-
A focus on cultural differences in
isolation from the broader school and societal context
will likely not lead to increased learning or
empowerment.
SNEA: I am buying these
ideas, but will figure out how to translate them in EFL
Thailand setting.
Chapter 4: Accommodating=
Institutional transformation
Overall Rationale:
School policies and practices usually favor one group of
students than the others. So, schools must transform.
Who to do it?
Teachers start from
where students are.
(Promote additive or
multicultural form of identity, e.g. in case of Indian
student eating rice with hands.)
Curriculum and pedagogy
as beliefs and values
-
(Teachers are seen as “victims of
school policies and practices that restrict their
freedom of choice by allowing few innovations, or of
societal contexts that are difficult to change.)
-
Curriculum is seen as biased, stale
and irrelevant!
Using teaching as a
journey
<SNEA: “Teachers start from where students are. ‘
Hmm… it’s easier said than
done. For example, in an (supposedly) advanced English
class, where poor students somehow managed to pass with a D
are mixed with very good English users, what would the
teacher do? The task is tough, given that time is limited
and the curricular contents are somewhat fixed because this
course is taught by other 20 teachers and so the exams are
fixed/standardized to cover predetermined contents.> I will
revisit this issue.
Taking a critical
stance
(Using questions and
varied teaching approaches to promote critical literacy.)
“Rather than a focus on a
specific program of study or approach, progressive teachers
engage in a broad-ranging emancipatory pedagogy” (p. 83).
Principles underlying
beliefs and values that help create positive learning
communities:
Ø
All students have talents and strengths (but
being nice to them is not enough, you have to build on the
strengths the students bring + two-way bilingual education)
WOW: “When the focus on
learning English is disconnected from learning in general,
the result is that the strengths and talents of students
that could be used in the service of their education are
wasted” (87).
Ø
All students are capable of high levels of
learning (vs. social class, language as barriers)
Ø
Students’ families and communities are
meaningful partners in promoting learning <No questions
about this.>
”Building on family motifs, that is, on the values,
traditions, and talents at the heart of family, can be used
in the service of education” (p. 93).
Ø
Students learn best when they are engaged,
active, and working in collaboration with others.
Ø
Student learning is promoted when there is a
strong connection to teachers, schools, and learning
SNEA:
Agreed, but do all learning types in school require the same
nature of learning atmosphere. For example, is learning a
foreign language is the same as learning math?
