After reading these articles I find myself more interested in the definition of multicultural literature then the discussion of who writes it better: insiders or outsiders. But since this post is about the latter, I am going to stick with the topic and share my views.
Insider or outsider? Well, we have all seen and read that it is easier to find books written by the outsiders but should we be using them? I think that to write multicultural literature you do not necessarily have to be an insider to the culture. I think that an insider has an easier time writing about their culture and sharing ideas then an outsider but that doesn't mean that it is necessarily going to be better. If an outsider takes the time to "get to know a culture intimately" as Sims Bishop says, why wouldn't they have an accurately portrayal of those people? Harris gives us a great example of author Donnarae McCann, an European-American who "possesses the critical consciousness that enabled her to create an excellent examination of the depiction of Native-Americans". That being said, outsiders can and do have the opportunity to write multicultural literature about another cultural group that is beneficial to its readers.
With multicultural literature, the culture being portrayed needs to be looked at carefully. Both insiders and and outsiders need to avoid stereotyping. Even if a book is written by an insider it doesn't mean it is an accurate reflection of the entire culture. One person does not reflect an entire culture but just one aspect and one person living within that particular culture. With that being said, should readers assume that if a book is by an insider that they are more credible than a book about the same culture from an outsider? I think there are many questions to ask about the quality and authenticity of multicultural literature and who the author is and what their relationship to the culture is just one of them and should not be the determining question. With that being said I believe that there should be a combination of insider and outsider written books about a culture in a classroom to show that everyone has the ability to write about a topic whether it is close to them at home or an interest they have taken expert credibility in. Outsider literature should not be turned away but should be looked at just as critically as an insiders piece of literature to make sure that the culture is being represented the best and honest it can be.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Multicultural posters!
As a member of SMEA an e-mail was sent out to us last week providing us with details for a professional development opportunity, it read "Kappa Delta Pi is hosting a Multicultural Poster Contest in celebration of Martin Luther King Day". I thought this would be a great chance to go check out some new multicultural literature. I thought it would be interesting to start applying what we have been talking about in class to the books introduced and shared on the posters.
When I arrived to the multicultural poster contest, I was somewhat disappointed. Only six posters were put on display! I thought to myself, either this was not advertised well or people are unsure of what qualifies a book as decent multicultural literature appropriate for a classroom. Being only the third week of class, I still am learning about the in's and out's of diverse literature and I am lucky to have this class to guide my learning.
The first poster on display was Jingle Dancer. The poster was very artisitic and eye catching. In the center of the poster was a dress that was drawn on and attached to it were bells. I thought this was very creative and would have caught my eye if I never heard of this book. The poster had several quotes from the book and was very delightful to look at. This was definitely one of the more intriguing posters and it made me want to add Jingle Dancer to my collection. Another poster that caught my eye was small but very professional looking. It was focusing on the book Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris. From the cover of the book which was printed on the poster one may not have thought this book was about diversity although the first sentence of the book is "People eat bread all over the world". The book then shares the different types of bread that are a part of different cultures around the world. This book focuses on many cultures and not just one. There were several other posters on display, two of which were about a book on Martin Luther King Jr.
After viewing the rather small collection of multicultural literature posters I began to think of all the diverse books that I would have liked to share or would have liked to seen advertised. If only this contest was more towards the end of the semester, we all would have gotten a chance to share what we are learning about diverse and multicultural literature and shared the books we are all going to add to our collections!
When I arrived to the multicultural poster contest, I was somewhat disappointed. Only six posters were put on display! I thought to myself, either this was not advertised well or people are unsure of what qualifies a book as decent multicultural literature appropriate for a classroom. Being only the third week of class, I still am learning about the in's and out's of diverse literature and I am lucky to have this class to guide my learning.
The first poster on display was Jingle Dancer. The poster was very artisitic and eye catching. In the center of the poster was a dress that was drawn on and attached to it were bells. I thought this was very creative and would have caught my eye if I never heard of this book. The poster had several quotes from the book and was very delightful to look at. This was definitely one of the more intriguing posters and it made me want to add Jingle Dancer to my collection. Another poster that caught my eye was small but very professional looking. It was focusing on the book Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris. From the cover of the book which was printed on the poster one may not have thought this book was about diversity although the first sentence of the book is "People eat bread all over the world". The book then shares the different types of bread that are a part of different cultures around the world. This book focuses on many cultures and not just one. There were several other posters on display, two of which were about a book on Martin Luther King Jr.
After viewing the rather small collection of multicultural literature posters I began to think of all the diverse books that I would have liked to share or would have liked to seen advertised. If only this contest was more towards the end of the semester, we all would have gotten a chance to share what we are learning about diverse and multicultural literature and shared the books we are all going to add to our collections!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Hello my name is...
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! This is my first time blogging so I hope you enjoy my words and I look forward to your response!
My name is Jenna and I am a senior in the College of Education at Michigan State University. I am an elementary education, language arts major. I am enjoying every second of my time in the field and look forward to applying what I learn about diverse literature to my own classroom and others in the future.
When I think of diverse and multicultural literature I think of all the possibilities of learning about others and their cultures. Diversity encompasses many different aspects whether it be race, religion, background, interests, gender, learning abilities, or socio-economic status. This is just a sample of ideas of diversity over a large spectrum. I believe it is very important to have a wide variety of diverse literature in a classroom. As a college student, I have been exposed to many different books on cultures that I knew very little about. They tend to fascinate me and always leave me wanting more! I now realize that my education on diversity would have been more interesting and beneficial if I had been introduced to a greater variety of multicultural and diverse literature as a younger student.
This class is giving me the opportunity to expand on my ideas of why diverse literature is important to everyone. I hope to learn what types of diverse literature make up a quality collection and how to identify which books are "quality". I look forward to hearing questions posed by my classmates because I am sure they have crossed my mind at one point or another.
"We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same" - Anne Frank
My name is Jenna and I am a senior in the College of Education at Michigan State University. I am an elementary education, language arts major. I am enjoying every second of my time in the field and look forward to applying what I learn about diverse literature to my own classroom and others in the future.
When I think of diverse and multicultural literature I think of all the possibilities of learning about others and their cultures. Diversity encompasses many different aspects whether it be race, religion, background, interests, gender, learning abilities, or socio-economic status. This is just a sample of ideas of diversity over a large spectrum. I believe it is very important to have a wide variety of diverse literature in a classroom. As a college student, I have been exposed to many different books on cultures that I knew very little about. They tend to fascinate me and always leave me wanting more! I now realize that my education on diversity would have been more interesting and beneficial if I had been introduced to a greater variety of multicultural and diverse literature as a younger student.
This class is giving me the opportunity to expand on my ideas of why diverse literature is important to everyone. I hope to learn what types of diverse literature make up a quality collection and how to identify which books are "quality". I look forward to hearing questions posed by my classmates because I am sure they have crossed my mind at one point or another.
"We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same" - Anne Frank
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)