After watching the TED Talks "The Danger of a Single Story" a talk given by Chimamanda Adichie I was inspired to seek out culturally diverse experiences and to learn more about ways I can incorporate diverse perspectives into my lessons. Adichie speaks about the consequences of having narrow perspectives about other people, cultures and societies. It is important to recognize that it is human nature to want to categorize ideas and people in simple terms and groups. Adiche points out that media coverage provides people with a single story and often we are robbed of reality as often times stories are not false but incomplete. This is something I take into consideration in my classroom as I try to present varying perspectives on the texts we study. In my ERWC 12 grade classroom for example, I presented multiple perspectives on the topic of racial profiling for students to use critical thinking skills and consider both sides of an issue. I think this is a real life skill that is essential for them to learn. As Adiche mentioned in her talk "show a people as one thing and that is what they become in your mind," and it is essential that students understand the way the media influences their perspectives. This will minimize the chances that students buy into a single story in relation to many things in their lives like literatures, academic studies and the media. It is not only important to see stories from diverse perspectives but to also appreciate diversity.
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AuthorCristina Perez Archives
May 2016
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May 2016
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