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Cultural implications of children's literature
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“Authentic children’s books that include a variety of cultures can help future generations view people in different parts of the world, or even those in their own neighborhood, as equal members of society” (Morgan, 2009, 187). According to Madsen (2012), children’s literature can have a powerful message about social and moral behaviors and ideas which can be an influential tool for Multicultural learning and teaching. As stated in Gopalakrishnan (2011), in classrooms today, there is diversity of students and having multicultural children’s literature, especially authentic from an insider’s perspective allows students to have a discussion with students’ experience and their learning. Morgan (2009) stated children’s literature has not been having authenticity in representing the experiences that many minority groups. Multicultural children’s literature is important and it allows the children to see …show more content…
Furthermore, this gives the misunderstanding that African American are like that, but in reality they are not. This is to show the inauthentic of African American (Brooks and McNair, 2009) In addition, Brooks and McNair (2009) mentions that there are things that is portray that they found disturbing and they are African American are color blindness, descriptions of obese black women and anything that associate with the negative word Black. Due to the inauthentic representations of African American that there are many debates on how African American children’s literature should be like. According to Collier (2000), African American literature is a way for children of African descent get a sense of their identity and give them an authentic perspective. Without the authentic perspectives, African American children will not know their identity if there are a misrepresentation of their
Cowhey’s book is broken down by the major themes and concepts she teaches her first and second grade students. Each concept relates back to her personal pedagogy of implementing a Multicultural Education. These major themes include empathy, freedom, peace, activism, community, and social justice. Cowhey’s pedagogy uses “language and literacy to teach about the world with rigor, depth, and challenge in a way that engages and
In the article How Banning Books Marginalizes Children, the author, Paul Ringel, states that approximately fifty-two percent of the books banned in the last ten years illustrate “diverse content”, such as race, religion, gender identity, etc. Ringel believes that attitudes about which books are “appropriate” for kids to read have too often suppressed stories about different cultures and life experiences. He basis his argument around the pretext that when libraries stop the banning it will allow kids to learn how to navigate imaginary worlds filled with differences and apply those lessons to their own lives.
Robles de Melendez, W. (2010). Teaching Young Children in Multicultural Classrooms: Issues, Concepts, and Strategies (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
219-224. Library Services Institutefor Minnesota Indians. Guidelines for Evaluating Multicultural Literature: 1970, pp. iv-v. Norton, Donna. 'Through the Eyes of a Child. Prentice Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffes, New Jersey: 1995.
Cultural diversity is an important element. Often times we acknowledge cultural diversity but we don’t quite understand it simply because we do not live it. With this novel, readers can understand cultural
The reinforcement of racial stereotypes in literature and films can be a difficult topic for many individuals. There have been a great deal of works throughout the history of our country that have encouraged and promoted racial stereotypes among the African American race, such as the sambo; the buck; the mammy and the magical negro. All of these racial stereotypes have desensitized the American culture and created the view that racism in literature and films is acceptable. In the movies and novel The Help, The Whipping Man, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the rude and offensive ways in which African Americans were seen and treated, only worked to promote the horrible, racial stereotypes that many people are still trying to challenge to this day.
When handling a controversial subject, it is important to recognize the opinion of everyone, not just of oneself. If an author does not recognize, at least to some degree, the opinion of everyone in their audience, they risk losing the interest of readers whose opinions are different. African American writers must consider how it feels to be an African American to their audience; they must understand that there is no such thing as one identity for an entire race.
Fegar, Mary-Virginia. “I Want to Read: How Culturally Relevant Texts Increase Student Engagement in Reading.” Multicultural Education, 13:3 (Spring 2006): 18-19. [E Journal]
In this article, Brooks et. al (2010) focuses on black females and ways they are portrayed through some of the struggles within them. “This article examines how black girlhood is constructed through fiction” (p. 7). It is important to make a connection when reading something. Connections can be made either by text to self, text to text, or text to world. According to this article, Sharon Draper states that she likes to give her readers a strong character to read about so that the reader can fully connect (Draper, 2009, p. 8). This supports my belief of the importance of making a connection through reading. I gathered the understanding of the importance of sharing pieces of literature, similar to the ones that were mentioned, in my classroom because of the diversity it shows to the students. There are many pieces of literature that I have personally read that gave me
Delpit's article is in support of the multicultural education theory. She invites the reader to travel with her "to other worlds…learning to see albeit dimly, through the haze of our own cultural lenses" (Delpit, 1995, pg.69). Delpit's article identifies the four problems of educating poor and culturally diverse children she believes educators need to resolve in order to achieve multiculturalism in the classroom.
As we go about our daily lives in the beautiful country of Canada which we have been blessed to live in, it has become normal to see a woman who wears the hijab walking down the street, or a Black family driving on the highway, or an Indian man wearing a suit and tie heading into the office. Canada’s cultural diversity is something which makes the country so special to live in, and instances where we see people of different cultures is increasing everyday. Many of the newcomers who arrive from overseas into Canada are families, with children and youth ready to begin their new life filled with opportunity here in Canada. However, youth who settle in Canada with their families aren’t exempted from the trials and tribulations youth face. In fact,
Writing has been an important part of every culture from the beginning of time. The illustrations of cavemen have evolved immensely. Today, there are millions of published books. In fact, there are over four hundred books published every month. What happens when these books turn into something more? Is there racism in our children's literature? Ironically, the renowned great works of our past is full of racism. The question that remains, how do we teach our children the great lesson that these brave authors intended?
The thing about multicultural education that surprised me the most was how much opposition there is to multicultural education. I would think, by now, people would be able to see how unbalanced the current educational curriculum is and welcome the inclusion of aspects from other cultures. I have read arguments ranging from, multicultural education is inherently racist to multicultural education promotes Islam and is indoctrinating our youth with terrorist ideas. Like most hot button issues in this country, people in positions of power will use everything possible, including fear-mongering, to further their agenda.
The world is currently undergoing a cultural change, and we live in an increasingly diverse society. This change is not only affect the people in the community but also affect the way education is viewed. Teaching diversity in the classroom and focusing multicultural activities in the programs can help improve positive social behavior in children. There is no question that the education must be prepared to embrace the diversity and to teach an increasingly diverse population of young children.
Cultural Appropriation versus Multiculturalism In today's society, there are many different cultures that individuals identify with. Culture is very important to many people and is something that helps define who we are. When different cultures are respected and appreciated, it is a beautiful thing, it can bring individuals in society closer to one another. Ideally, this understanding of one another’s cultures can lead to multiculturalism.