EDUCATION : Teachers Can Help Make ‘A World of Difference’

My vice principal has an uncanny sense of timing. Last Wednesday he sent me to an all-day seminar about how to make a multicultural curriculum, and how to teach cultural sensitivity to students.

On the way home, I heard the early reports of violence and destruction in my own city, at least some of which had roots in racism and prejudice.

Ordinarily, I might have sighed and said, “Oh, well, what can I do?”

But what I had just learned at the “A World of Difference” workshop changed my perspective.

I think that fairly peaceful coexistence of ethnic groups is possible, and that schools and teachers can play a large part in seeing to it.

The seminar was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith as part of an educational and media outreach program that began in 1985 to combat racism, stereotyping and prejudice.

It provides training and teaching materials to staff of public, private and parochial schools around the country.

I was skeptical at first, though, because I had attended many other multiculturalism workshops that were all well-intentioned but too nebulous to translate into “concrete” lesson plans.

“A World of Difference” is different. It gives teachers specific skills and lesson plans to deal with ethnically diverse students, and to foster mutual appreciation among them.

The best part of the program is the Teacher/Student Study Guide. Its 400 pages of lessons, activities, readings and visuals are a great help to teachers who, without such assistance, are likely to regard racism as too monumental or abstract to tackle in the classroom.

Many of the activities can be adapted for all grade and ability levels, and they’re inexpensive to use. Most rely on writing, role-playing and discussion, so minimal photocopying is all that is needed.

The lessons are brief (usually one or two class periods) and are described in step-by-step detail. There are even suggested topics for further discussion and study. There is a good variety of assignments, visuals and readings.

In addition, the lessons fit into the state-mandated curriculum framework of basic skills in English, language arts, social studies and science.

The readings in the guide are a big help for teachers who want to present multicultural writing. I would have to spend hundreds of hours to find such diverse and salient pieces on my own.

One such highlight is the coverage of linguistic contributions of American Indians. It includes a list of English words from Indian languages, a chart showing about 40 Indian languages and where they’re still spoken, Indian poetry, folklore and a word-search game.

The lengthy section about the treatment and problems of immigrants is especially on target for Los Angeles-area schools, where students come from dozens of countries.

It features some poignant essays by students who have been humiliated by peers for their dress, accents and physical traits.

I think the subsequent assignment, in which students assume a different ethnicity and then compose an immigrant’s letter home, does a lot to build empathy.

The media’s treatment of minorities is another important and interesting section.

Most students spend hours watching television each day, but few of them question how fairly ethnic groups are represented in ads, programs and news.

Using a viewing log, students discuss a provocative topic: If you were from another planet, what would you know about minorities from their portrayal in the media?

Other topics explored in the guide include the Holocaust, slavery, religious freedom and tolerance, the Bill of Rights and fairness of the court system toward non-white people.

Homophobia, ageism and sexism are obviously absent from the guide. Packets on those topics can be ordered separately, but I am afraid many teachers will not--I would rather see them added to the guide itself.

The Anti-Defamation League offers a free catalogue of other materials about racism and prejudice, many of which can be adapted for family use at home.

Call (213) 446-8000 to order a catalogue, or for other information.

Mary Laine Yarber teaches high school English and journalism.