Teaching diversity, questioning representation

This paper creates a taxonomy of representation that includes suggestions for how students might be more inclusive in terms of how they think about representations of diversity in their own media and filmmaking practices. To this end, I argue that there are six modes of thinking about how to analyse and interrogate representation in the media: 1) search for presence, 2) seek out positive representation, 3) create complex and layered characters, 4) consider casting, crew, consulting, and mentoring (including below-the-line), 5) focus on intersectionality, empathy, and empowerment, 6) interrogate your choices. This paper will explain how students may use these maxims and modes of thinking as a means of mapping out how they might move towards more inclusive representation in both their own productions as well as their mediamaking practices by using examples from documentaries such as The Celluloid Closet (Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, 1995), Ethnic Notions (Marlon Riggs, 1987), The Slanted Screen (Jeff Adachi, 2006), Reel Arabs (Jeremy Earp and Sut Jhally, 2006), Reel Injun (Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge, Jeremiah Hayes, 2009), Latinos Beyond Reel (Chyung Sun and Miguel Parker, 2012), Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (Xavier Burgin, 2019), and Disclosure (Sam Feder, 2020)

Teaching about religions in the public sphere: European policy initiatives and the interpretive approach

This paper charts a policy shift within international and European inter-governmental institutions towards advocating the study of religions (or the study of religions and beliefs) in European publicly funded schools. The events of September 11, 2001 in the USA acted as a "wake up call" in relation to recognising the legitimacy and importance of the study of religions in public education. For example, policy recommendations from the Council of Europe and guiding principles for the study of religions and beliefs from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe have been developed and are under consideration by member or participating states of both bodies. In translating policy into practice, appropriate pedagogies need to be adopted or developed. The paper uses the example of the interpretive approach to indicate how issues of representation, interpretation and reflexivity might be addressed in studying religious diversity within contemporary societies in ways which both avoid stereotyping and engage students' interest

Editorial: Grammar in the face of diversity

The river one dips one’s toes into from one editorial to the next is never the same, as Heraclitus might have observed. Part 1 of this double issue (December, 2005) consisted of eight articles from contributors based in five countries: the United States, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. Part 2 contains six articles and two teacher narratives from the United States (two), Scotland, the Netherlands, Australia (2), Indonesia and Denmark. The inclusion of contributors from European countries outside of the United Kingdom is a reminder that debates over the “grammar” question are not confined to the Anglophonic world. I am grateful to Amos van Gelderen and Anette Wulff for finding time to contribute to a journal, which hitherto has addressed itself to readers in a relatively small range of (officially) English speaking constituencies. I am also grateful to Handoyo Widodo for his contribution, written in the context of English-language teaching in Indonesia

Who are diverse?: conceptualisations of cultural diversity in schools behind desks and at chalkface

This paper analyses the meanings and values attached to‘culturaldiversity’as a descriptive and interpretative category in the fieldof education in Spain, including its application to define differentgroups in elementary and primary schools there. It reports from acomparative study that considers the discursive production of‘cultural diversity’in Spanish academia together with thediscourse of teaching staff from three schools with specificprogrammes aimed at cultural diversity. Results attest to threedifferent uses of‘cultural diversity’: individualisation, differenceand inequalities, as well as two different assessments: enrichmentand problem. It also analyses how the discourse of teachers ismore complex than those of the academy, because, among otherreasons, they link diversity with situations produced by socialinequality, by the fact that many students are migrants, and by adifferent ethnic condition. In general, the academic discoursetends to present a more institutionalised, idealised and blindvision of social inequalit

Using films in teaching about Africa

This paper begins with a brief critique of didactic approaches to teaching about Africa: Such methods do not benefit students pedagogically; they cast Western academy/academics as guardians of truth about Africa; and they cast students as possible receptacles of objective knowledge of Africa. It suggests that an approach based on 'border pedagogy' offers a helpful alternative, and outlines the advantages of using films from/about Africa to achieve this. A Level 3 undergraduate module which incorporates films is outlined, and eight films used in the module are briefly described. Finally, attention is given to students' reactions to the use of films

From design to narrative: the development of inquiry-based learning models

The University of Nottingham and the Open University are partners in a ca. £1.2m project to help school students learn the skills of modern science. The three-year project, Personal Inquiry (PI) (funded by the UK ESRC and EPSRC research councils), is developing a new approach of 'scripted inquiry learning', where children investigate a science topic with classmates by carrying out explorations between their classroom, homes and discovery centres, guided by a personal computer. This paper describes our progress to date on the development of four models for inquiry-based learning, as part of the PI project. These are being used as the basis for the development of educational scenarios and associated scripts to explore the use of mobile technologies in supporting an inquiry-based approach to teaching Scientific thinking across formal and informal learning

Religiöse bildung im spiegel der europäischen politik

This chapter charts a policy shift within international and European intergovernmental institutions towards advocating the study of religions (or the study of religions and beliefs) in European publicly funded schools. The events of September 11, 2001 in the USA acted as a ‘wake up call’ in relation to recognising the legitimacy and importance of the study of religions in public education. For example, policy recommendations from the Council of Europe and guiding principles for the study of religions and beliefs from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europehave been developed and are under consideration by member or participating states of both bodies. In translating policy into practice, appropriate pedagogies need to be adopted or developed. The chapter uses the example of the interpretive approach to indicate how issues of representation, interpretation and reflexivity might be addressed in studying religious diversity within contemporary societies in ways which both avoid stereotyping and engage students’ interest

Bridging cultural binaries through pedagogical practices

In internationalising the curriculum, the move away from polarising domestic and international students to focus on preparing all students for global citizenship is promising. However, the adoption of a cultural framework that values diversity requires more than a semantic shift. Tools that complement and support the curriculum in creating cultural change are critical to achieving an internationalised university curricula. This paper focuses on pedagogy, framed by cultural theory that challenges static notions of cultural identity, to encourage the development of intercultural competence as a key to shaping global citizens

What makes a 'good group'? Exploring the characteristics and performance of undergraduate student groups

Group work forms the foundation for much of student learning within higher education, and has many educational, social and professional benefits. This study aimed to explore the determinants of success or failure for undergraduate student teams and to define a ‘good group’ through considering three aspects of group success: the task, the individuals, and the team. We employed a mixed methodology, combining demographic data with qualitative observations and task and peer evaluation scores. We determined associations between group dynamic and behaviour, demographic composition, member personalities and attitudes towards one another, and task success. We also employed a cluster analysis to create a model outlining the attributes of a good small group learning team in veterinary education. This model highlights that student groups differ in measures of their effectiveness as teams, independent of their task performance. On the basis of this, we suggest that groups who achieve high marks in tasks cannot be assumed to have acquired team working skills, and therefore if these are important as a learning outcome, they must be assessed directly alongside the task output