A Cultural Gap in the Classroom
As reality holds, most teachers in the education profession are white, female, middle-class, monolingual-English speakers. Increasingly, the same profile does not hold true for our students. Often, when we stand before our classrooms, the faces looking back at us do not look like our own (Teaching Tolerance. 2012). How are we to connect with our students when we come from drastically different backgrounds and experiences? Many of us try to bridge this difference with an embrace of color-blindness or the Golden Rule, treating others the way we would want to be treated (Teaching Tolerance, 2012). However, as much as we would like to think all teachers enter the classroom with open minds and great depth of knowledge and understanding about various cultures, the reality is, everyone has been shaped by their own personal experiences which ultimately influences our own biases, what we believe, and how we might perceive things. Just like any other human being, teachers may possess unconscious biases or stereotypical beliefs that will inevitably have profound affects on their students' learning experiences in school. It is thus essential that we find ways to bridge this cultural gap between teachers and students in order to eliminate the negative effects of racial and cultural stereotypes.
To truly engage students, we must reach out to them in ways that are culturally and linguistically responsive and appropriate. We must also examine the cultural assumptions and stereotypes we bring into the classroom that may hinder interconnectedness (Teaching Tolerance, 2012). Culture isn't just a list of holidays or shared recipes, religious traditions, or language; it is a lived experience unique to each individual. As educators, it's our job to stimulate the intellectual development of children, and, in this era, it's simply not enough to operate on the axis of color-blindness (Teaching Tolerance, 2012). To engage students effectively in the learning process, teachers must know their students and their academic abilities individually, rather than relying on racial or ethnic stereotypes or prior experience with other students of similar backgrounds (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
To truly engage students, we must reach out to them in ways that are culturally and linguistically responsive and appropriate. We must also examine the cultural assumptions and stereotypes we bring into the classroom that may hinder interconnectedness (Teaching Tolerance, 2012). Culture isn't just a list of holidays or shared recipes, religious traditions, or language; it is a lived experience unique to each individual. As educators, it's our job to stimulate the intellectual development of children, and, in this era, it's simply not enough to operate on the axis of color-blindness (Teaching Tolerance, 2012). To engage students effectively in the learning process, teachers must know their students and their academic abilities individually, rather than relying on racial or ethnic stereotypes or prior experience with other students of similar backgrounds (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
"Stereotype Threat"
Studies have shown that stereotypes can interfere with student levels of academic performance. To explore such implications, we can look to the psychology of stigma -- how human beings respond to negative stereotypes about a particular racial or gender group to which they belong.
For example, comparatively low performance among African Americans and Latino students, as well as girls and women in mathematics and science, tends to be attributed to cultural differences that supposedly undermine acquisition of skills or values necessary for academic achievement. Research indicates that being targeted by well-known stereotypes ("blacks are unintelligent," "Latinos perform poorly on tests," "girls can't do math" and so on) can be threatening to students in profound ways, a predicament they call "stereotype threat" (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
When a stereotype paints a negative image, whether it's that "Asian's are naturally good at math" or that students of color "don't do well on tests," it can impact those targeted internally, creating a sense of risk about living up -- or down -- to the negative stereotype (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
How can teachers offset the affects of "Stereotype Threat"?
How schools position tests is critically important. Ideally, they should be situated as non-evaluative tasks; if tests are not presented as a measure of students' intelligence, students of color do better (Teaching Tolerance, 2012). If this isn't possible, teachers can emphasize that tests are to identify students' current knowledge, not their overall ability or potential. Many students believe intelligence and aptitude are unchangeable -- that whatever they were born with is all they're ever going to have. And when students are aware of social stereotypes like "blacks are stupid" or "girls can't do math," it may seem pointless to try to do your best (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
One of the most powerful things teachers can do to offset the stereotype threat and bolster student performance is to prompt students to reflect on their talents, beliefs and values. These kinds of "affirmations" remind students of what's important to them and can build a line of defense against stereotype threat (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
Another key way to offset the stereotype threat is to stress consistently throughout the year the expandability of academic abilities. When teachers, parents and others let students know that their abilities can improve with hard work, the stereotype threat loses some of its potency, and, research shows, students' test scores and grades will improve (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
For example, comparatively low performance among African Americans and Latino students, as well as girls and women in mathematics and science, tends to be attributed to cultural differences that supposedly undermine acquisition of skills or values necessary for academic achievement. Research indicates that being targeted by well-known stereotypes ("blacks are unintelligent," "Latinos perform poorly on tests," "girls can't do math" and so on) can be threatening to students in profound ways, a predicament they call "stereotype threat" (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
When a stereotype paints a negative image, whether it's that "Asian's are naturally good at math" or that students of color "don't do well on tests," it can impact those targeted internally, creating a sense of risk about living up -- or down -- to the negative stereotype (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
How can teachers offset the affects of "Stereotype Threat"?
How schools position tests is critically important. Ideally, they should be situated as non-evaluative tasks; if tests are not presented as a measure of students' intelligence, students of color do better (Teaching Tolerance, 2012). If this isn't possible, teachers can emphasize that tests are to identify students' current knowledge, not their overall ability or potential. Many students believe intelligence and aptitude are unchangeable -- that whatever they were born with is all they're ever going to have. And when students are aware of social stereotypes like "blacks are stupid" or "girls can't do math," it may seem pointless to try to do your best (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
One of the most powerful things teachers can do to offset the stereotype threat and bolster student performance is to prompt students to reflect on their talents, beliefs and values. These kinds of "affirmations" remind students of what's important to them and can build a line of defense against stereotype threat (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).
Another key way to offset the stereotype threat is to stress consistently throughout the year the expandability of academic abilities. When teachers, parents and others let students know that their abilities can improve with hard work, the stereotype threat loses some of its potency, and, research shows, students' test scores and grades will improve (Teaching Tolerance, 2012).