Hi all,
I wanted to pose a question to you:
How would you personally determine whether a minority group is being fairly represented in a history textbook? Would the fairest way be to create state-specific textbook based on the state's population make-up? For example, if CA's population is 30% Hispanic, then would it be fair to state that 30% of all history textbooks in CA should cover the Latino history and experience?
What about the experiences and history that is already covered? Do you think that minority experiences and histories are being represented fairly in our textbooks???
Hi Wonnie, I think the best way to determine if a minority group is being fairly represented in a history textbook is to read it and make sure that a true representation of their contributions to history are being portrayed. I think that a basis of state specific textbook on population is one way to create a fair textbook. But I think that if we are to teach about the importance of other cultures it should not just be about those who are part of the population. The best way to combat intolerance, racism, bigotry and hate is through knowledge. The more you know about people and other cultures the more you understand them and see some of the similarities. You also begin to see the wonderful differences.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that if a population is 30% Hispanic then 30% of all history text books in CA should cover the Latino history and experience. I think that it should be a part of all the history books starting when kids are in Kindergarten. It should represent the important milestones in Latino history and experience as well as those for the Caucasian,Asian and African American experiences in Ca.
I know that when I was growing up if it was not for my sisters providing me with books and trips to experience the African-American, Latino and Asian history then I would have be very ignorant and very closed minded. I think that we do not give the history of others a fair representation.
This is a very complicated and yet simple topic. Complicated in the sense that is very controversial. Simple in the sense that what is right is that children grow up with a strong sense of who they are and be able to see how they fit into the larger geographic/cultural puzzle. As you recall, last year there was a huge controversy with CA taking a stand when it came to including information in textbooks about notable people with a sexual orientation other than the 'traditional.' Many people were outraged at this. They claimed that there is no reason to mention a person's sexual orientation (gays and lesbians) when we don't mention that George Washington was a 'heterosexual.' The problem with this argument is that society already SELLS heterosexuality without having to use the term, heterosexuality. Heterosexuality is everywhere without having to use the word. It is in Romeo and Juliet, it is in Sleeping Beauty, it is in any biography where it is mentioned that so and so was married to so and so...When you think of the psychological closet young homosexual boys and girls grow up in, keeping such vital information as someone's sexuality only exacerbates the feelings of isolation, shame, loneliness that young gays and lesbians experience. Why omit Alexander The Great's homosexuality, many of the painters of the Renaissance, writers, etc...When we speak about a minority's representation in textbooks, what we are talking about is the same topic Hollywood has been dealing with when it comes to minority representation on tv and in movies. If you sell the idea that Latinos are only gardeners, you are doing a disservice to society. If you only portray the WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) experience in textbooks, it is no different.
ReplyDeleteCarlos Vizcarra
Although it is a very complicated issue, in order to ensure that our school are as equitable as they should be, we must take a look at our schools, our demographics, and the children we serve. In order to support our students identity we must ensure that we provide them with the needed knowledge to understand and accept their culture and those of others. Minority groups are poorly represented in our history textbooks. The information is limited and lack in portraying the important message it should to allow students to understand and value their culture.
ReplyDeleteAna
I think this is a very difficult question to answer for a variety of different reasons. First of all the people writing the textbooks usally tend not to be minorities, or at least that seems to be my understanding, so how can they begin to document the minority experience. Second of all the teachers teaching the textbook aren't always comfortable teaching minority history because of history itself. Lastly, I think the students complicate the matter if the student body is diverse and you are portraying some of them as the victims and perpetrators. Therefore I think that yes we need to make sure the minority experience and history is documented in the Textbooks but that the teachers receive proper training in how to teach it in a racially and culturally sensitive way. My project is looking at how teachers perseptions and biases affect student achievement, once I find out more I will be sure to share.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't seen the recent CNN piece on children and race, you should watch it. They did a study that in essence shows that 'White" children have a more negative perception of children of color and that those perceptions are driven by their own environmental factors--living in white neighborhoods/going to 'White' schools/exposure to media racial bias/parents not really talking to them about race/culture or helping them understand it. "White" children overwhelmingly felt that their parents would not allow them to have an 'ethnic friend,' while 'ethnic children' not so much so. "White" children were more than 70% of the time, more likely to attribute or put blame on an "ethnic child" as a culprit of some type; while African American children placed blame on "Whites' 30% of the time. African American children tend to have a less negative attitude toward their 'White' counterparts and are even more likely to want to start a friendship with kids different then themselves and this is all once again attributable to the factors mentioned above. A majority of parents feel inadequate speaking to their kids about sex for example and so we have as a society developed certain guidelines and a curriculum to address the fact that sexual education should not be relegated to the media or the street. Similarly, conversations about culture, race, sexual orientation, etc... should not be relegated to parents. Only a minority of parents are both capable and engage their children in those conversations. The role of schooling is to create an educated citizenry that will not be pitted one against another in the future--that will lead to destruction. Books should, therefore, reflect our cosmopolitan demographics. Anyway, watch the segment and tell me that infusing our curriculums with more cultural awareness is not the way to go. Here is the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/04/03/ac-pkg-doll-test-part-one.cnn
I completely agree with you Diana, not all teachers are sensitive when delivering such information. Therefore, it is imperative that they receive proper training before attempting to teach something they themselves do not understand. It is important that when teaching children about minorities, teachers remain unbiased about the topics.
ReplyDeleteThank you, all for taking the time to leave your comments on my blog! I learned a great deal from what you shared. A new post is up - I look forward to your comments on that one as well!
ReplyDeleteHi Cohort,
ReplyDeleteWow, all of you have made eye opening comments. Carlos I wasn't even thinking about male vs. female or heterosexual vs. homosexual. It is important to mention the exclusion of those groups as well because they make up a significant amount of our students that don’t have a connection to the material. I remember in high school I hated history. It was definitely my worst subject. Growing up as a biracial female and no one could tell "what" you were, made it difficult. Everything taught in my history classes seemed so foreign and not relevant. I can imagine many of our students feeling the same way. Just like Karen, without family and college feeding information about where our family came from I never would have known. A comment about true representation was made, it is important to not just be represented in any way. It should definitely be accurate. History is forever evolving and maybe moving more towards flex books online is the way to go.
Many great points all around. Karen makes an excellent point in her early post: while we must be inclusive of populations, the text should not just be a direct reflection of the make-up of the community. We don't dissect the textbook to this % African American, this % Latino, Anglo, Asian, etc based on area demographics. It's critical for kids to see positive representations of their own cultures, but also critical to gain insight into the experiences of others with whom they are completely unfamiliar. Another mistake of the past I believe is to relegate "multiculturalism" to the nod or mention of, say, George Washington Carver. It is extremely important to be inclusive of the contributions of those from all backgrounds, but you can't just do that and call it a day. I think it's important to explore the major events of our past through the voices of many people - not just less heard voices based on race and ethnicity, but also based on class and gender.
ReplyDeleteHi Wonnie. What a great question! I believe that the best way to ensure true representation of minorities in history text books is to have a diverse selection of authors, sources, consultants, historians, etc. Let's face it, the majority of our textbooks are developed by companies in Texas and authored largely by white men and women. Many textbooks even have pictures of the contributors in the beginning of the books and you can literally see the lack of diversity that goes in to creating what every child in America will inevitably read.
ReplyDeleteFor years, the only history I learned in school about blacks and African-Americans was that they were slaves. I thought that was how my race began. If it was not for my mother's knowledge of educational ignorance, I would have never received supplemental education form her regarding our history. I learned about black inventors, politicians, activists, and artists from my mom... not in school. My mother took me to see King Tut at the Met and taught my brother and I about the kings, queens, and vast civilizations that existed in Africa. I cannot imagine how other black children, who did not have a mother similar to mine, must have grown up thinking they are simply the decedents of slaves.
This not only calls into question who is writing this one-sided history but it makes me wonder if minority groups need to take more ownership over the education of their own children. While we all know the evils of segregation, there is something to be said for looking after you own and being responsible to teaching that your own community is in need of and values.
Two words: Howard Zinn. Zinn's book A People's History lays bare the truth about white America's euro-centric perspective when it comes to the subject of History. He accurately discusses how history actually played out for many minority groups including women, Native Americans, Africans, and Latinos, etc.
ReplyDeleteShould those experiences be represented in textbooks? Absolutely! However, the textbook market is an industry. It is a corporate machine that maintains shareholders, backers, and advertisers. And textbook companies are beholden to those stakeholders because of the financial implications. It is my belief that history will never be truly represented in textbooks when million dollar contracts with school districts are involved.