I just returned from the National Association of Multiculturalism in Education (NAME) conference in Denver. This year's conference theme, "A Mile High Commitment to Change: Reaching New Heights in Equity and Social Justice throughout the Global Community," sparked my curiosity.
Throughout the conference, a few people stood out: Ruby Balles of PeaceJam, James Banks, renown scholar and Founding Director for the Center for Multicultural Education, Maria Gabriel, Project Director of Hispanic Latino Leadership Institute, Patty Bode, co-author of “Affirming Diversity, The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education,” and Heather Hackman, Associate Professor at St. Cloud University. As Hackman pointed out at the beginning of her Keynote address, she identifies more as an “everyday average” presenter. All of the presenters’ talks were far from average: They were inspirational and memorable.
Although the content of the numerous presentations was motivating, overall I was discouraged by the fact that most presenters relied on a mainstream lecture-based approach. Many of the sessions I attended stated they would be "interactive" and "hands on." I discovered this meant that time would be allotted for questions and answers. Everyone was a lecturer; no one was a facilitator. I felt the conference epitomized the "one size fits all" approach where the teacher talks and the students are expected to show respect by sitting, silently.
With so many culturally diverse participants, I would have hoped that the NAME conference, more than any other conference, would have been more culturally responsive to all our unique needs and differences. No matter how engaging or well known the speaker, lecturing, like a sermon in some cases, is not inclusive of all attendees—professional learners.
All of this makes me wonder why so many multicultural educators continue to follow the dominant culture’s understanding of academia. I realize that many of the presenters come from post-secondary learning organizations, so does that mean we consider “lectures” more intellectually rigorous than ample opportunities for active, hands-on learning? Or, are we—unconsciously—surrendering ourselves to the dominant culture approach to learning?
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Thank you, Thom, for the
Thank you, Thom, for the reminder. I am presenting at an education conference in several weeks, and my default is PowerPoint and lecture. You are so right that we need to do better at practicing what we preach. We talk about the value of small group work in multiculturalism all the time, for example, and the importance of multiple points of view, and rarely do we construct our own professional learning that way.
I am glad to see such a
I am glad to see such a reasonable, EDUCATION-related post from Teaching Tolerance. Thank you, Thom, for understanding that teaching is about teaching!
Thom, So funny. I'm
Thom,
So funny. I'm currently at an education conference in New Orleans and just heard the keynote address by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings out of the University of Wisconsin. She said, "To me power points are evil. Remember when people use to talk to each other eye to eye rather than eye to screen." Serendipitous or the truth? You decide!
They of all people should
They of all people should know that education is supposed to be reciprocated; "you teach me and I teach you".
Even I know from experience as a student that the "one size fits all" approach is too rigid to accomodate the individual needs of each person in a group of learners rich in any and all manners of diversity. I can also say, Thom, that I have a good idea how uncomfortable being subject to these "lectures" must have made you feel. I truly believe I do.
And they say WE are rigid just because we don't take too well to some things being run like that. Look who's talking!
Furthermore, I cannot shake this disturbing suspicion I have: what if they're doing it that way out of a need for convenience, as if looking for a quick-fix solution to make the task of teaching a large group easier on themselves?
I have to confess that these suspicions and feelings of discomfort have caused me to harbor a fairly good deal of resentment for "one size fits all" methods and "quick-fix" answers in general.
A penny for your thoughts, people.
Dear Thom, I thought it
Dear Thom,
I thought it didn't happen in the US academic setting. I learn a lot from American lecturers about cooperative learning structures. Instead of lecturing, why don't you apply cooperative learning structure in your academic setting then?
Atti
Could you make some
Could you make some suggestions of other ways cultures would like to be addressed. I totally agree but am concerned about the ways to be culturally responsible in my teaching. I do not want to be incorrectly trying to deliver to an audience that is wanting the guide on the side instead of the sage on the stage.
Thom and all - great post and
Thom and all - great post and discussion about also questioning that a traditional expert to audience teaching style does indeed incorporate multi-cultural values. I agree that we must model a much more kinetic and transactional presentation style - that does not depend on the only visual stimulus being in the form of a powerpoint. Interestingly enough, though - I think that many educators are COMFORTABLE with the didactic approach to teaching... as we witnessed just last week. After presenting to national educators a full day of MILLENNIAL learning tools to address social justice in their daily lives... some of the evaluation comments were "too interactive - I came to learn, not do...!". Wow - we have some work ahead of us:-)
Dear Thom, As a
Dear Thom,
As a 20+ year educator/social worker, I have seen education add bells and whistles but still operate out of a traditional power-based model of sharing info and creating learning opportunities. I am now working at a great charter school that utilizes a variety of learning methodologies including discussion and collaborative group work.
Our multi-ethnic population is rated exemplary on state tests while the adjacent local high school with similar socioeconomic makeup is rated unsatisfactory. The difference is class size and the power of the student's involvement in their own learning.Powerful students are created when we acknowledge different learning styles.
I totally agree.You need to
I totally agree.You need to apply what you learn flexibly in everyday life to produce new solutions, new ideas;not to follow the exact frame of rules.Briefly,we want creator not stereotyper.
Thank you so much for your
Thank you so much for your argument. Living in the Southern US, I am always about to bust at the seams when it comes to lectures especially when dealing with higher ed lecturers. I believe any multicultural conference should be interactive. There are so many things that we can learn from one another and our unique experiences from around the nation and around the world that the one size fits all approach is an insult to ones intelligence.
I believe if you stop learning you are dead and a lecturer that refuses to interact with his or her group is just that, dead!
Hi, This is a great
Hi,
This is a great discussion but to be honest, I'd like to hear some ideas. Other than group discussions, which can be difficult when you're trying to present content about the results of a study you've conducted or new content knowledge you've been asked to share, what are more culturally responsive ways for faculty in MCE to present at conferences? Ideas anyone? I do use videos, but would love more shared resources from the minds here.
Especially as ESL teachers we
Especially as ESL teachers we learn to change our teaching methodology to fit the goal of the lesson. As you say here, Jeni, if the goal is to present new information and a logical sequence has to be followed, then lecturing is appropriate, isn't it? People who attend workshops generally are told what the presenter will be trying to tell everyone. On the other hand, if the presenter is trying to convince people of inconsistencies in application of a principle, or alternate uses of something, it would be more appropriate to use a room set up in small groups, wouldn't it?
Personally, I find PowerPoint useful as an organizing tool when I am preparing a presentation or an article. My mind is brimming with points I want to make and I need to spill them out in discrete units (slides) that I can then move around to organize the order in which I will write or present. It's a great first, second, and third draft, and allows for lots of revision. But I never take it into the presenting room, because I want to work face to face with my audience.
Rethinking the structure of
Rethinking the structure of the academic institution in the direction of justice and toward the end of a more fair, equitable, well...democratic society is ultimately going to take fundamentally changing our ideas about teacher-centered pedagogy. Replacing the old with more of the same is not real change. NAME is a great organization and understands the fundamentals of needing more perspectives at the table and then structuring the discussion at that table so that those perspectives actually get heard and analyzed by all. It's unfortunate that the traditional lecture-based, teacher-centered conference is not also rethought. Teachers, however, need to quit thinking purely about classroom methodology (ie: cool stuff to do with my students right now) and start incorporating sound theory and deeper thought into our practice. Those classroom walls will come tumbling down pretty quick once a critical mass of us begin doing that. Lets rethink teaching as an end in itself where problems are individualized and solutions are a kin to naval-gazing, self-help, blind optimism and more toward a means of understanding and, more importantly, doing and working toward solving social problems collectively.