What Is The Contact Hypothesis

The Jigsaw cooperative learning model has been shown to be advantageous in creating culturally compatible classrooms be creating positive interactions between the students, Jigsaw incorporates small group work for the different cultures that prefer it. After the small groups, then the class is put in a large group and it benefits the cultures that prefer large cooperation activities. It decreased prejudice and stereotyping the different cultures. Teachers can improve relationships among children from different ethnic groups by incorporating in their lessons similarities the different ethnic groups share. Incorporate movies, novels, plays and other material to teach about the different ethnic groups. Another way is to mix the ethnic groups

Overcoming stereotyping is a challenge educators can encounter when it comes to ensuring that teaching strategies are appropriate for culturally diverse children. Some educators may compare one child to another child that comes from the same cultural background and use the same teaching strategy. One way to overcome this is to make sure that educators know each of the students individually instead of comparing one to another or relying on stereotyping. “To truly engage students, we must reach out to them in ways that are culturally and linguistically responsive and appropriate, and we must examine the cultural assumptions and stereotypes we bring into the classroom that may hinder interconnectedness.” (Teaching Tolerance, 1991) Once they know more about each of the students then they can avoid stereotyping and adjust their teaching strategy to meet the individual needs of the students in the classroom.

“Start Where You Are But Don’t Stay There” by Richard Milner is a book about dealing with diversity in the classroom in today’s day and age. It holds a focus on allowing all students to be successful academically and throughout their lives. Milner talks about several different case studies in which teachers must help students who are struggling. It goes through scenarios with Mr. Hall, Dr. Johnson, Mr. Jackson, and Ms. Shaw, who are all struggling with diversity in different ways. This book holds an importance in expressing ideas and concerns of equality in schools, and I believe it would be beneficial for all aspiring educators to read it.

Currently, general education classrooms have increasingly become diverse with both disable students and students from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In order for educators to ensure that they effectively teach these classrooms, meet the needs of each student both successfully and individually, effective research that is based on strategies need to be implemented. The U.S. Department of Education suggest that, the current school-age population is becoming more diverse as time passes, yet, majority of the teachers in these schools are white non-Hispanic women. According to another report by The Condition of Education in 2006, American schools are portraying increased diversity and growth. The report suggested that, forty two percent of students in public schools were ethnic or racial minorities in the year 2003; this increased from twenty two percent since 1972. Owing to these reasons, teachers in these schools are expected to educate a diversified class of students including those that come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Teachers are therefore, required to implement a number of key strategies that will ensure that every student in specific classroom feels that he or she belongs there (Worrell, 2010).

Diversity is a beautiful thing; from religion to physical looks, the differences among people is astounding. The world would be such a monotonous place if everyone were the same. However, many tend to note that diversity in a classroom can sometimes be an issue- especially among the students. From my own experiences within a diverse class, I realize that the contrast between students is a blessing and a curse

This paper will be discussing a recent fifteen hour field experience I participated in which I observed a classroom which included many students of diverse ethnic and cultural groups. I will discuss any prejudices/discriminations I observed in the classroom based on ethnic and cultural diversity. I will also describe how this experience has made me determined to try to create a positive learning environment for students of diversity in the classroom.

Many students answered that they have experienced or witnessed some form of racism in a school setting. According to Richard Morgan (2015), collaborative learning groups not only motivate academic growth, they can also be used as a tool to successfully eliminate racism in classrooms. Furthermore, by using multisensory teaching methods such bringing items that represent the students’ race and implementing lessons on racism students can be made aware of racism. They can also be taught of how to overcome it (Provini, 2012). Interaction with students of various ethnicities and race will expose students to the different cultures and also alleviate stereotypes and racist

Devlin’s solution for this is to segregate the classrooms into single-sex classrooms so boys and girls can learn better. He also thinks it will remove the difference and the conflicts.

In order to implement this into my future class I first need to recognize the variety of individual culture, gender, background, socioeconomic status, learning style, developmental stage and other factors of students, families and colleagues. Establishing that my classroom is a safe zone and a place where differences are celebrated and embraced will help me create an environment where everyone’s diversities are respected.

This essay's aim is to discuss the possibility of reducing prejudice and intergroup conflicts in the light of how social policies can help to achieve this goal. Since the second World War, social psychology went though major changes, and specifically effected by group influences. Before WWII psychology focused on ethnic and racial tensions, biological and cultural differences that made individuals react the way they did. After WWII the focus was on faulty, implicit generalisations that lead to racial hatred,

In the United States, there is a long history of unequal treatment among ethnic minority groups, particularly for African Americans. Unfortunately, this injustice also appears in education. Sociologists have affirmed the importance of education in shaping the economic and social prospects of individuals. As all communities in the United States have been diversified, it becomes crucial to recognize and properly deal with diversity within the classroom. All students should be guaranteed to have equal opportunities for quality education at school. However, racism is still prevalent in many schools today (Beswick, 4, 1990, Pennino, 2007). Racism now has different forms, like the individual instructions student can get from their teachers, and the acceptance of students among their classmates. These can have negative and lasting effects on students even when they leave school. Students must not experience any type of stereotyping, ethnic prejudice or racial violence in schools. Asante (2003) said: "Racism in education can not be overcome by the expression of goodwill, it must be constantly confronted in all conscious ways" (p.223).

Children and families may suffer if their identity, culture and language are ignored. In a classroom if the black are ignored and the white are respected then this results in clashes among the black society and white society. So the teacher must maintain equality among all the students in the class and give them the opportunity to reflect in the society.

Not everybody is the same. "Research indicates that individual learning styles vary, that all people do not learn in the same way. Of particular interest to multicultural education is research suggesting that learning styles may be related to ethnicity in some ways (Hale-Benson 1982; Shade 1989). On the basis of this research, schools can reject the notion that all students learn in precisely the same way. For too long, educational practices have reflected such universal views of learning and have expected all students to conform to them. Schools should recognize that they cannot treat all students alike or they run the risk of denying equal educational opportunity to all persons. Educators should be aware of behavior that is normative and acceptable in various ethnic and cultural groups. The practices of multicultural schools must be both responsive and adaptive to ethnic differences". They have said that different ethnic groups may have different studying or learning abilities. Also, in the classroom, there will be the task of seating everybody in a spot where there will be no trouble. The idea of favoritism may come up, along with the idea of racism. There are many ways the schools can be affected.

A Class Divided is a documentary about Jane Elliot, a third grade teacher who changed the view on discrimination for many. Following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, her students were confused as to how someone could do such a thing to their hero of the month, this is when Jane knew she had to do something. She realized that her students had no firsthand experience of discrimination, and has thought about her experiment for quite some time. This is when she finally decided it was time to make a difference, and change the lives of her students for years to come. Her lesson was focused on “taking the role of the other”, as discussed in our class. This term means “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes; understanding how someone else feels and thinks, so you can anticipate how that person will act”. (Henslin)

contact alone will build peace is flawed. Research shows that contact only improves attitudes when that contact is intimate, pleasant, between equals, socially supported, and in pursuit of common goals. Absent those conditions, increased contact may lead to increased hostility. Many theorists question whether intergroup conflicts can be resolved by interpersonal contact. When contact does lead to improved personal attitudes, the changed individuals face a re-entry problem as they return to their communities. They are new more positive attitudes toward the opponent are likely to be greeted with suspicion by their own community. Ryan argues that contact alone is not sufficient to build peace. He examines several strategies which combine contact