Hear, and Speak No Evil: A Content Approach to Evaluating Multicultural Multimedia Materials.

In this article, I offer evaluation criteria for librarians, teachers, parents, and others who are responsible for selecting and providing multicultural multimedia materials (text, sound, and graphics). These criteria can be used to evaluate multicultural content in the context of building library collections, developing programs and readers' advisories, providing Internet links or bookmarking World Wide Web pages, weeding collections, and other activities that entail the assessment of the quality of multicultural multimedia. Previously published guidelines and criteria available to evaluate multicultural materials, whether print or multimedia, were developed for specific types of materials, audiences, or multicultural content and, as such, are limited in their usefulness. The proposed criteria require the examination of four components: objectivity, language, subject mastery, and resources. These criteria are designed to be applied broadly in evaluating multicultural content of any multimedia, for any audience and level of coverage, and in any language

Irresistable Children’s Literature: The Benefits of Integrating Newbery Award Books into the Curriculum

Reading is the most fundamental skill taught in school. Many schools rely heavily on textbooks and basal readers to teach reading skills. Research, however, shows that exposing students to outside literature is more likely to promote a love of reading that will last for a lifetime. Books that have won the Newbery Medal, which is given to “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” (Association, 2004, p. 3), can and should be integrated into the elementary and middle school curriculum. Given since 1922, Newbery Award books provide a variety of themes and thought-provoking topics appropriate for classroom use. Teachers assume the role of exposing students to quality literature to promote not only academic growth but also the desire to become a lifelong reader. This thesis may be used as a tool for teachers to select appropriate books for a variety of classroom uses. The paper categorizes the Newbery Medal books, showing how they can be integrated into social studies, science, fine arts, and multicultural education, and also provides examples of how these books may be used as bibliotherapy

Teacher Perceptions Regarding The Impact of Multicultural Literature, When It Is Implemented During Guided Reading Instruction, On Reading Comprehension For African American Male Students In Early Childhood

Reading is an essential skill, used in every aspect of daily life. It is the foundation for every other form of learning (Alberti, 2010). Over the years, there has been a gap in reading achievement between African American male students and other demographic groups (Milner et al., 2013). This study examined the effectiveness of small group reading using multicultural literature in kindergarten through third grade, especially for the African American male student. A framework based on Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of cognitive development provides support for a systematic literacy approach. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine teacher perceptions regarding how the use of guided reading and multicultural literature impacted the learning of all students, specifically the African American male student. The recommendations from this study suggest various ways for colleges and universities, school districts, and educators to help develop teachers in the areas of guided reading with the use of phonics, reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and fluency instruction, along with the use of multicultural literature and culturally responsive teaching approaches

Children\u27s Song-Makers as Messengers of Hope: Participatory Research with Implications for Teacher Educators

Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, Suni Paz and six other leading children\u27s musicians in the U.S contributed their experience to this study about the crucial role of music and singing for social justice in children\u27s lives and its shrinking presence in U.S. pre-school and elementary schools. The study built its theoretical framework on arts and music education, transformative education, and folk and socially conscious children\u27s music. Participatory research, based on the revolutionary education theories of Paulo Freire, guided the dialogues with the participants. These activist singer-songwriters were asked how they define social justice, how they involve children in singing, and what songs are especially effective in raising social consciousness with children. They were also asked which factors are causing the decline in children\u27s singing in schools today, and what parents, teachers, teacher-educators, and musicians can do to help children develop greater self-expression, literacy, and social commitment through song-making. The findings revealed consensus about the power of music to convey the values of fairness and sharing among children. Other themes discussed were multiculturalism, overcoming biases, critical thinking, second language acquisition, and conflict resolution. Transformative song-making was found to involve a wide variety of skills: singing, song-leading, song-writing, storytelling, using games and humor, and performing. All are aimed at involving children in 1 participatory singing that is fun and helps them to imagine and create a more just world. The study found many factors that diminish music in schools, from the general impact of the media and consumerism to the specific ways that high stakes testing and the accountability movement are narrowing curriculum. It also provided an extensive list of suggestions from the participants on how to foster singing and music programs that address social justice in elementary schools and pre-schools, including an increased role for outside artists and musicians, better support for classroom teachers who lack confidence in song-making, and the reemphasis of children\u27s music in teacher-preparation programs. The researcher concludes with specific recommendations for action directed to parents, elementary school teachers and administrators, teacher education institutions, and advocates of children\u27s music and social justice education

African American English And Urban Literature: Creating Culturally Caring Classrooms

Language and literacy are a means of delivering care through consideration of students’ home culture; however, a cultural mismatch between the predominantly white, female educator population and the diverse urban student population is reflected in language and literacy instruction. Urban curricula often fail to incorporate culturally relevant literature, in part due to a dearth of texts that reflect student experiences. Dialectal differences between African American English (AAE) and Mainstream American English (MAE) and a history of racism have attached a reformatory stigma to AAE and its speakers. The authors assert that language and literacy instruction that validates children’s lived experience mediates this hegemony, leads to empathetic relationships between teachers and students of different cultural backgrounds, and promotes academic success. This paper seeks to 1) dissect the relationship between academic achievement and affirmation of student culture through language and literacy instruction, 2) enumerate classroom strategies that empower students and foster the development of self-efficacy 3) identify ways teachers might weave value for diversity in language and literacy into a pedagogy of care for urban classrooms

Culture and Tradition at School and at Home

Non peer reviewe