Embury Institute for Teacher Education
Question one
[50]
Write an essay in response to the topic below. Refer to the ru
ic included to guide your discussion.
Your essay should:
· be well structured into paragraphs, with an introduction and a
conclusion.
· critically engage with the question, display content knowledge and support your points with the use of your own ideas and examples, as well as draw on what you have read.
· not simply be a personal reflection on your own thoughts and feelings;
ut should draw strongly on research and theory related to the topic.
During her first weeks in a new school, Lila’s new classmates mock her every day, laughing and pointing, and describing her dark hair, skin, and eyes as being “black like a crow”. To avoid her classmates’ taunting, Lila, who appears to be the only non-white person in her class, tries to cover up more and more of herself, to hide her difference. She starts to feel lonelier and more isolated. It is no surprise that she dislikes the persistent crow that follows her home every day. As the autumn festival approaches, all the other children delight in planning their costumes, but Lila just wants to disappear. When she reaches her saddest depths, the friendship of the crow and the gift of their feathers provide her with a festival costume that becomes the envy of classmates who admire her costume, and lets her em
ace her appearance.
In this story Lila experiences racial discrimination in the form of bullying based solely on her appearance. It is a story of feeling different and excluded, and teaches learners about social responsibility i.e. being a good class member means treating others fairly.
Critically discuss why it is important for teachers to tackle controversial issues in the form of literature in a multicultural and diverse classroom setting.
You are required to:
· discuss what constitutes discrimination (definition and types) and how discrimination is linked to prejudice and stereotypes
· discuss how group identity and social categorisation can create a power dynamic that leads to exclusion of the ‘other’ (link this to the story Lila and the Crow)
· why it is important to teach controversial issues (relate this to the South African context)
TOTAL:
50
Page 1 of 4
Name: ____________________________________________________ Student No.: ____________________________
10-8
7-6
5-4
3-2
1-0
Total
Structure, paragraphing & logic
(10)
observes all conventions, excellent structure & organisation, points flow logically, writing is very coherent
most conventions observed, generally good structure & organisation, good coherence, logic & flow
some problems evident in structure, not always logically organised, confusing at times but overall still coherent
structure requires work, points not organised logically, confusing, lacks coherence & flow
poor structure, very disorganised & confusing, no conventions regarding structure observed, no paragraphs
Use of examples & substantiation
(10)
excellent use of examples, very relevant & support points, add to argument in meaningful way
good use of examples, argument mostly substantiated, mostly relevant, generally support points/argument, needs some further thought/ development
average use of examples, somewhat weak or off topic, don’t always further argument, other points not substantiated
examples mostly weak, i
elevant & off topic, little attempt to substantiate argument
no examples used, examples completely off topic or i
elevant
15-12
11-9
8-6
5-3
2-0
Content knowledge
(15)
comprehensively discussed, clear, accurate, detailed and comprehensive understanding of the relevant facts/ data/ theories/ terms
Mostly comprehensively discussed, good understanding of the relevant facts/ data/ theories/ terms
points lack depth in places, average understanding of the relevant facts/ data/ theories/ terms
some points off topic, uneven and shaky understanding of the relevant facts/ data/ theories/ terms
off topic, very superficial, inadequate understanding of the relevant facts/ data/ theories/ terms
Argument & critical analysis
(15)
excellent ability to work with key concepts/ information/ theory -applying or extending to a wide variety of new problems or contexts, making predictions, recognising hidden meanings, drawing inferences, analysing patterns, making insightful contrasts and comparisons.
good ability to work with key concepts/ information/ theory -applying or extending to a wide variety of new problems or contexts, making predictions, recognising hidden meanings, drawing inferences, analysing patterns, making insightful contrasts and comparisons.
discussion somewhat weak, uneven and at times shaky ability to work with key concepts/ information/ process/ theory -- applying or extending them with mixed success to new problems or contexts, making predictions, recognising hidden meanings, drawing inferences, analysing patterns, making insightful contrasts and comparisons.
discussion weak & superficial, extremely limited understanding and ability to work with key concepts/ information/ theory –very limited application to new problems or contexts, little ability to make predictions and recognise hidden meanings
off topic, no understanding of issues is evident, very superficial
PowerPoint Presentation
EDD 401: Unit 1: Theoretical Foundations
Theoretical Foundations
In this lecture, we will seek to:
• understand the theoretical foundations relating to education and diversity
• apply knowledge within the context of future teaching practice
• define key terms that underpin this module
To do this, we will explore:
• Social justice (how fair society is) in line with Constitutional values (democratic principles)
• how stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination result in oppression
• why teaching controversial issues in the classroom is beneficial for learners in a
multicultural and diverse context
How fair is society?
• Social equality is a state of affairs in which all people in any society / group have the same
legal and social status
• Social equality is closely aligned to human rights, as em
aced in SA’s constitutional
values (democracy)
• Human rights are rights which are critical to all human beings, regardless of nationality,
sex, ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status
• We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination
• Human rights are universal (belong to all), inalienable (cannot be taken away),
interconnected (depend on one another), indivisible (inseparable) and non-discriminatory
Developing critical awareness about our social world
• Critical awareness comes from critical thinking - one’s ability to properly acquire data to be
processed using critical thinking
• Reasoning without awareness can lead to blind spots in your ability to reason properly
leading to gaps in your understandings
• Critical awareness is how you observe and abso
experiences
Key terms
• Stereotype: beliefs and opinions about immediately visible characteristics, attributes,
and behaviours of members of various groups; generalisations; result in ‘snap judgements’
• Prejudice: a negative attitude directed towards a person because of their membership
within a social group / the emotion a person feels when interacting with a member of a
particular group; it is always interpersonal but can be institutional
• Discrimination: treating others differently purely based on their group membership;
esults in someone being treated more positively or favourably / negatively or unfairly;
occurs at an interpersonal level; 4 types of discrimination: 1. Direct (obvious and
deliberate); 2. Indirect (not directly intended but actions/policy restrict a person or group; 3.
Harassment (unwanted behaviour that you find offensive i.e. offensive emails); and 4.
Victimisation (singling a person out to enact cruel and unjust treatment i.e. bullying)
The interlink between stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
• Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
are interlinked
• Consider the definitions on the previous
slide, and the diagram on your left, and
write a short paragraph explaining how
these key terms are interlinked
Key terms
• Oppression: a conscious or unconscious system of discrimination in which one social
group exploits another. It can happen at the individual, institutional and societal/cultural
levels; it is when people reduce the potential for other people to be fully human, e.g.
denying people equal opportunities; it upholds normative constructions of social power i.e.
patriarchy, ableism; it means you are harmed or not helped by government, community or
society because of your identity.
An illustration of the definition of oppression
EDD 401: Unit 1: Theoretical Foundations – Teaching Controversial Issues
• God does not exist
• Abortion is a woman’s choice and right
• A wife should submit to her husband
• Christianity is the only religion
• Homosexuality is not immoral; we should be able
to love whomever we please
• Foreigners living in SA are mostly criminals / drug
dealers and should be sent back home
• There is no place for people with disabilities in
society and hence they have no right to education
• Virginity testing is an acceptable cultural practice
• What are these statements?
• Have you heard them before?
• Did particular statements
offend you more than others?
• These statements offend us on
a fundamental level. Why?
Defining Controversial Issues
• Controversial issues are uncomfortable ideas which often reveal differences in opinion and
often result in dispute or disagreement, particularly in diverse and multicultural classroom
settings
• Some examples include: pollution; racial privilege and racism; language; evolution;
feminism; sexual diversity and sexuality; religion; abortion; sex; politics; and vegetarianism
or veganism, to name a few
Why Teach Controversial Issues?
• Are children “too young” to engage in controversial issues in the classroom?
• Should children be sheltered from these issues?
• Controversial issues are global issues: children are exposed to many of these through
media and modern communication technology
• Children need to understand that conflicting ideas and beliefs exist in a diverse and
complex world; they need to develop the skills to for living in a multicultural and globalised
world
• Read Oxfam GB XXXXXXXXXXTeaching Controversial Issues: Global Citizenship Guides. at:
http:
www.scotdec.org.uk/aadamsbairns/files/docs/unit6/theme3/activity2
ackground/6.32
_teaching_controversial.pdf.
http:
www.scotdec.org.uk/aadamsbairns/files/docs/unit6/theme3/activity2
ackground/6.32_teaching_controversial.pdf
How do we, as teachers, deal with uncomfortable ideas?
• Comfort zone: a safe psychological space, not challenged
• Learning edge: the edge of our comfort zone and the best place to expand understanding,
take in a new perspective, and stretch our awareness - signaled by feelings of annoyance,
anger, anxiety, surprise, confusion or defensiveness. The challenge is to be able to
ecognize when we are there and stay with the discomfort we are experiencing to see what
we can learn
• Triggers: words or phrases that stimulate an emotional response because they tap into
anger or pain about sensitive issues. These are learning opportunities for everyone
• This learning and
oadening of experience will make us better, more understanding and
sensitive teachers in a multicultural context
Some perspectives on teaching controversial issues
• Liberation Pedagogy: the teacher should seek to develop a “critical consciousness”
amongst learners – the classroom is viewed as part of the social world and its inequalities
and problems (microcosm of society)
• Civic Humanism: prepare students for the responsibilities of active citizenship, tolerance,
social responsibility
• Academic Detachment: all subjects should be taught in a detached manner – topics are
as objects of