Opening Doors to Diversity in Education

1. Opening Doors to Diversity in Education By Raegan Sawka

2. A Plan for Sustainable Cultural Inclusion in Every Classroom

3. Imagination and Diversity • "Good teachers of students from diverse backgrounds are always applying their ingenuity and imagination to the classroom situation, reflecting, borrowing, reshaping, and inventing practices and policies to suit their students' needs and their school's unique context." (Corson, 1998, p. 203)

4. Presentation Outline • Setting the Context • Examining the Barriers to Cultural Inclusion • Exploring Effective Culturally Responsive Models and Theory in Education (Interactive Component) • Connecting Theory to Practice in a Sustainable Approach

5. Teaching in Prince Rupert • Culturally diverse population • Over 50% First Nations (Predominantly Ts’msyen people, yet several families are Nisga’a, Haida, Haisla, Gitxsan, Heiltsuk and other Nations). • Community – Education Partnerships • First Nations Education Council (est. 1989) • First Nations Education Partnership Agreement (est. 2001)

6. Teaching in Prince Rupert • With community-based decision making and culturally relevant resource development, graduation rates and success for First Nations students is continuing to rise. However, the disparity between overall achievement in this group and the non-First Nations students remains significant. There are clearly several factors contributing to this phenomenon, one of the central components being the inequity of access to cultural assets and power for our First Nations students.

7. Examining the Barriers to Cultural Inclusion • Institutionalized forms of racism • An educational model built on conformity • Promoting the ideals of the ‘dominant’ culture • Lack of recognition that inequity exists • False perception that school is neutral • Belief that failure reflects student’s background or abilities alone

8. Challenging Institutionalized Racism: “Institutionalized power should be distinguished from social agency. It is power that makes a difference in people's lives which, after all, should be the prime consideration. Power is a pre-eminently social concept. Individual agency as such is tied to and constrained by institutional power. At the same time individuals do have the power to make choices within structures of power.“ (Sefa Dei, 1996, p.29)

9. Examining the Barriers to Cultural Inclusion Lack of understanding… • Not differentiating between ‘voluntary’ and ‘involuntary’ minorities. • ‘Tacking on’ of culture to the curriculum • Promoting stereotypical views of First Nations culture • Providing a romanticised or exotic view of First Nations People • ‘Static’ position in history…not contemporary

10. Support is available… • Fortunately in our district, through the hard work and dedication of our First Nations Education Council, the Ts'msyen Language Authority, and educators affiliated with First Nations Education Services, we have a wealth of contemporary resources and community members available to facilitate rich and authentic cultural inclusion in our classrooms.

11. Culture as an Educational Medium... These community and educational leaders have recognized that by providing students an opportunity to see their own cultures celebrated and valued in schools, alongside the existing curriculum, provides them the best of both possible worlds. The students use their strength in personal identity as a medium for interacting successfully with all cultures.

12. Exploring Effective Culturally Responsive Models and Theory in Education • “Multicultural education is a process of comprehensive school reform and basic education for all students. It challenges and rejects racism and other forms of discrimination in schools and society and accepts and affirms the pluralism…that students, their communities, and teachers represent…

13. Exploring Effective Culturally Responsive Models and Theory in Education • …Multicultural education permeates the curriculum and instructional strategies used in schools, as well as the interactions among teachers, students and parents, and the very way that schools conceptualize the nature of teaching and learning. Because it uses critical pedagogy as its underlying philosophy and focuses on knowledge, reflection, and action as the basis for social change, multicultural education furthers the democratic principals of social justice.” (Neito, 1992, p. 208)

14. 1. Recognize the underlying issues of power and inequity.

15. 2. Accept that the only way to equalize the power dynamic is to share the decision making process.

16. 3. Develop a critical understanding of multicultural education and recognize where you stand in the spectrum of growth.

17. 4. Understand how knowledge is constructed.

18. 5. Acknowledge the value of diversity and individual identity.

19. 6. Pursue change in policy and structure.

20. 7. Involve the community in a truly consultative process and access their expertise.

21. 8. Create a collaborative approach to teaching.

22. 9. Contest hegemonic forces through critical and reflective classroom-based research.

23. 10. Accept that change is gradual and can be difficult.

24. Unlocking Inequities in Education To Open Doors to Diversity

25. Connecting Theory to Practice in a Sustainable Approach • Chose to build a sustainable approach with one school to develop a model • Invited staff to meet and discuss projects for the next school year • ‘Culture in Every Classroom’ Project • ‘Opening Doors to Diversity’ Project • Multicultural Theme for Arts & Culture Week 2007 • Accessed grant money to support resource development • First Nation Education Services Grant • Professional Development Proposal (for release time) • Will apply for Ed May Grant or Social Justice Grant

26. ‘Culture in Every Classroom’ Project • 21 teachers (at least one representative from each department) have committed to developing a culturally inclusive approach to their subject area - some connected to AR. • These units/lessons will be published on our school website for other educators to access. • Units/lessons will involve community, role models, and materials developed by FNES. • We will offer Pro-D opportunities to present our work to the district.

27. Examples of some of the units… • A culturally inclusive course plan for English 12 with First Nations writers featured in every unit. • Math units using Ts'msyen counting and measurement. • Ts'msyen ethnobotany unit for Science 9 and Biology 11. • Drumming and dance unit for physical education incorporating role models. • Traditional cooking for the school by the Sm'algyax students. • Station Studies unit of First Nations of Canada (history, art, culture, language, and knowledge) for Humanities 9. • Support teachers in integrating Persistence and Change into Humanities 9. • Diversity and Anti-racism Units for Planning 10 / HEC 8/9. • Student/Recent Graduate Role Model Posters ~ Journalism Class.

28. ‘Opening Doors to Diversity’ Project • Our school lacks a reflection of First Nations Art and Culture. • To change the current ‘institutional’ aesthetics the students will design and paint door panels for the majority of the classroom doors in the school. This art will be culturally meaningful to them and will symbolize our welcoming of culture into the classroom.

29. Multicultural Theme for Arts & Culture Week 2007 • In partnership with our Art teacher, Tasha Parker, we are planning a Multicultural Week during 'Art and Culture Week" April 23 - 27, 2007. • She will host professional development sessions for all teachers in the district to support their students in creating art representative of all cultures. This art will be displayed at the community theatre. • The drama department will perform plays based on culturally significant stories and history, such as the Ts'msyen Adaawx. • I will host workshops that week on anti-racism and diversity for students K -12. • At the end of the week the District Professional Development Committee is hosting a regional conference titled "Culture in the Classroom", with a range of people well known in the area of multiculturalism such as Dr. Martin Brokenleg and even our own Dr. Mark Fettes.

30. In Conclusion… • Most of these initiatives are curricular in nature, involving the community, but are not sweeping structural changes. • It is place to begin conversations about equity in culture and power. We can talk about the social construction of knowledge and the merits of critical action research. • My goal is creating sustainable change. To do this I believe it has to be collaborative and enjoyable for my colleagues. We all want to see every student succeed and to do this we need a balanced, gradual approach.

31. The challenge to implementing culturally inclusive, equitable education is that it requires a re-conceptualization of the structures of school, particularly with the balance of power. The larger educational community and society itself needs to begin with questioning their assumptions, leading to a shift in perspective, only then can we ask for a change in paradigm. (Sawka, 2006)