The incredible sessions that I attended this past Saturday focused on the importance of building representative, multicultural libraries or book lists, which celebrate the differences in our students and portray those differences without bias. This is a focus that is very important to me as an educator. As a white, female teacher, I do not need to look very hard to find plenty of stories, movies, and images that portray my experience. However, this is sadly not the reality for every student. In the first session I attended, our presenter Kori Krafick shared statistics compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center: in 2015, 73.3% of books published depicted white characters and 14.2% depicted characters from other ethnicities. In 2019, 50% depicted white characters and 23% depicted characters from other ethnicities. The positive news is, things are changing in a big way, and representative, multicultural literature is becoming a norm embraced by every educator.
In the second session, the presenters Katelyn Battinelli and Caitlin Kane focused on the work of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, who created the idea of windows and mirrors. If a student sees their reality reflected in a story, it is a mirror. If students read about an experience that is new to them, it is a window that expands the student’s worldview. Further extending this idea is the concept of a sliding glass door, which can be visualized as a doorway through which a change in perspective and awareness occurs. “The mirror, the window, and the doorway work in communion with one another. Take away self-knowledge, and empathy for others withers. Remove academically rigorous literacy learning, and the doorway closes... cultural proficiency and academic rigor amplify each other.” (International Literacy Organization, 2017). Presenting students with diverse stories is critical to equipping them with essential skills of self-awareness, cultural competency, and empathy.
This approach is more than just a “contributions approach..which focuses on holidays, foods, festivals and special months that are set aside to learn about occasions like Black History Month” (Gopalakrishnan, 2011). Instead, it is the embrace of authentic literature, which deals with: “power, race, class, authentic representation, and cultural authenticity” (Gopalakrishnan, 2011). The stories we make available in our classrooms and libraries matter - the more inclusive and representative they are, the more welcoming and engaging our classrooms become. This does not mean ignoring majority groups, instead, it means giving voice and value to underrepresented or marginalized populations, so that different life experiences are recognized and validated. Embracing multicultural literature helps develop a more holistic view of the world - after all, literacy is more than just the ability to read and write. “In order to ‘be literate’, therefore, one needs to know enough information to be able to participate and function fully within various contexts in that society or group.” (Gopalakrishnan, 2011). Students gain these abilities when schools and educators provide and teach representative, multicultural texts.
So how do we do this?
There are many resources, here are some shared by the generous presenters from the conference (these can also be found in the Shared Google files for sessions 1A and 2B):
The Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature: https://www.csmcl.org/
They publish a “Best Books” list every year, with an amazing array of literature for different reading levels, age groups, etc.
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/booklists/
Their booklists page has topics organized by theme, topic, and grade level
Literature Awards: Paying attention to race-based literature awards
*this idea credited to Jonda C. McNair (The Reading Teacher, Vol. 70, No.3)
Coretta Scott King Book Award www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards
Pura Belpré Award www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards
American Indian Youth Literature Award www.ailanet.org/activities/american-indian-youth-literature-award
Schneider Family Book Awards ( www.ala.org/awardsgrants/schneider-family-book-award
Evaluate the books you already have in your library by using this tool from Howlett and Young:
Credit: Howlett and Young, 2019. Multicultural Education. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1239626.pdf
I have really just begun my own multicultural literature journey, but these are a few of my favorites:
Your Name is a Song, by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and illustrated by Luisa Uribe
The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi
Eid Breakfast at Abuela’s, by Mariam Saad and illustrated by Chaymaa Sobhy
In conclusion, I would like to end with the words of Dr. Bishop herself:
“Those of us who are children’s literature enthusiasts tend to be somewhat idealistic, believing that some book, some story, some poem can speak to each individual child, and that if we have the time and the resources, we can find that book and help to change that child’s life, if only for a brief time, and only for a tiny bit. On the other hand, we are realistic enough to know that literature, no matter how powerful, has its limits. It won’t take the homeless off our streets; it won’t feed the starving of the world; it won’t stop people from attacking each other because of our racial differences; it won’t stamp out the scourge of drugs. It could, however, help us to understand each other better by helping to change our attitudes towards difference. When there are enough books available that can act as both mirrors and windows for all our children, they will see that we can celebrate both our differences and our similarities, because together they are what make us all human.” (Bishop, 1990).
Works Cited
Bishop, Rudin Sims. Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, v6 n3 Summer 1990. Accessed at: https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf
Gopalakrishnan, Ambika. Multicultural Children’s Literature : A Critical Issues Approach. SAGE Publications, Inc, 2011. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=474536&site=eds-live&scope=site
Howlett, K. M., & Young, H. D. Building a classroom library based on multicultural
principles: A checklist for future K-6 teachers. Multicultural Education, v26 n3-4 p40-46 Spr-Sum 2019. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1239626.pdf
International Literacy Association. Characteristics of Culturally Sustaining and Academically Rigorous Classrooms. n9424, 2017. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-culturally-sustaining-classrooms-brief.pdf?sfvrsn=7b80a68e_8
Hello, thank you so much for writing this blog post.
ReplyDeleteI attended the same session as you did over the weekend and thought it was equally as amazing. But, I would she would have included ways to tell if a textbook was being bias. Most of the time being a high school social studies teacher we do not use books, and even if we can use them we are often told what we can and cannot read. I think we need to also use resources that include all different perspectives. Not just primary resources from one point of view. I really try in my class especially my U.S. History classes' to use such resources. They are often very hard to find! I think a lot of teachers fall into the trap that just because it is written about a different perspective they use it. I really liked how she emphasized that we should use books that are written about a different perspective by a person of a different perspective.
I also thought it was interesting that she told us to read some of these books even if they do not have anything to do with what we are teaching. I was very lucky to grow up in a very diverse community. But just because I grew up with people of different ethnicities does not mean I really understand what they are going through. I remember when Hair Love came out a celebrity I follow over in Brittan was posting about it. It just goes to show you how books can really make an impact on people all over the world.
Stephanie
Hi Jen,
ReplyDeleteI actually attended the same first session as you and I found it very interesting and informative. I think its very beneficial to take an inventory of your own life, readings, and what you teach in the classroom, so that way you can be aware of how you can benefit your students. Over the last year, I have been trying to read more books that are both culturally diverse as well as ability diverse. For example I've read "A Woman is No Man", "Red at the Bone", "Being Heumann", and others. The concept of a book being a window or mirror is really important to remember when picking out the literature for our class and how it will relate to our students. Thanks for including all of the resources!
Hi Jen,
ReplyDeleteI attended Kori Krafick’s session at the Literacy Conference as well; it was so great! As teachers, it is our responsibility to make sure all students are able to make connections to what they are learning, as well as see themselves represented in literature and other content. Carefully curating a diverse classroom library is an important step when creating a classroom environment that is culturally relevant. ‘
I love that you shared resources for finding multicultural literature that we can include in our classroom libraries! When exploring the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s booklist, the “LGBTQ Lives in Selected Children’s and Young Adult Books” caught my attention. This is a topic that I could definitely add to my classroom library, as I do not yet have LGBTQ representation. While all of the books on this list look great, I was drawn to the picture books “An Ordinary Day” by Elana K. Arnold and “Real Sisters Pretend” by Megan Dowd Lambert. I will definitely be adding these books to my library!
-Colleen Konkol
Hi Jen,
ReplyDeleteYour article outlines how important it is for our students to have opportunities to connect with literature in order to grow and learn. While it is true that reading can't feed the hungry or end violence it can teach us empathy. Sometimes that is all people need to try and make a positive change in the world. It's valuable for our students to see characters they can relate to. Whether they look like them or share their culture, that connection is a powerful one. It's also just as important to expose them to books and characters that don't conform to the norms they are used to. Characters may hail from a country we aren't familiar with and eat food we have never heard of. They may not look like you and may celebrate a different religion. Sometimes these differences are enough to foster fear and resentment in people. Reading from a diverse library can give students the opportunity to look past our differences to see all the similarities that we share beneath the surface. Teaching our students to feel empathy for the people around them and to celebrate our diversity is one of the best things we can impart on them. Your article has collected some great resources for doing just that.
-Bob
Hi Jen,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this great blog post! It is incredibly important for our classroom libraries to represent backgrounds and identities for every student we teach, as well as the backgrounds and identities of students we aren't currently teaching. The statistics you shared were shocking, and it is very evident that we need to try harder as educators to foster learning environments as diverse as the world that we live in. The resources you shared were very helpful, and I believe they can really benefit us as so many of us are getting ready to teach, and therefore prepare our own classroom libraries. I plan on using the Howlett and Young evaluation tool when I get my own classroom. I also plan on checking on the books you recommended. Thank you again for writing this post!
-Shawna Zeisner
I too learned a lot from the 8th Annual Literacy Conference on April 10th. I completely agree that it is important for students to relate to the literature they are exposed to in the classroom and in the library so it is important that it is inclusive and multicultural. Multicultural literature, to me, literature about different people, places and social differences that does not use offensive literary canon or misrepresents a culture or a person, especially through a single story. I said I would go to the multicultural section of the library and making sure that the books touch on race, ability, gender, age, and sexuality as multiculturalism is not just one aspect. I will also looking deeply at the texts that I provide to ensure that everyone feels equally recognized. It is important critique books preexisting in the library and classroom because there should be appropriate multicultural literature in these places. Multicultural literature, according to Bishop, should include words and illustrations that accurately depict a character and their culture. These books also touch on the uncomfortable and make people think as they present social issues accurately and in a raw way.
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this post. Unfortunately, this was not one of the sessions I attended so I am glad I got to read about it from your post! I did a project in undergrad focusing on diversity in children's books and found that so many students are disengaged from reading because of the lack of seeing themselves in children's book characters. This is something that needs to change quickly. I was glad to see in your post that the percentages of other ethnicities was rising, however we are nowhere near the numbers we need to be at! Thank you so much for talking about the mirrors, windows and doors concept. This is something that should be known by all educators. We need to celebrate everyone for each of the attributes that make them unique, and the perfect way to do this is by incorporating books in our classroom that deal with each and every topic, not just the common ones. The uncommon ones are what is most important. We need to make that change and allow every student to feel seen and heard in the classroom. Children's books have the power to make this change!
Great post. Thank you!
Ali Lombard
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post! One sentence that really stands out to me is, "Embracing multicultural literature helps develop a more holistic view of the world - after all, literacy is more than just the ability to read and write." I couldn't agree more with this viewpoint. I think it is extremely important to allow opportunities for students to read a wide variety of texts and be exposed to all different kinds of cultures through literature. Part of teaching is to create inclusive, collaborative, welcoming classroom environments and one way to achieve this is through stories and sharing of opinions and perspectives. I personally fell in love with literature because I could see myself in the characters from the stories that I read or relate on a personal level to some of the literature. Therefore, it is so important to choose wisely and carefully when you are thinking about what books/stories to read in the classroom. Right now, my 9th graders are just ending a unit on race and segregation. We just finished reading Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals and this was my first time teaching this book. It is a nonfiction memoir where Melba actually talks about her experiences integrating into Central High School in the late 1950's. This memoir is surrounded with many real issues that are still prevalent to today so we focused a lot on making connections to what is happening today. I felt like this book was great in being able to celebrate diversity and acknowledge the harsh realities of the past and our current reality in a way. I think it was a very eye opening unit for many students and also allowed some students to relate to Melba on a personal level, which is really important.
-Thanks for sharing your insights here!
Best,
Jaclyn Servillo
Hello Jen,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this blog post. It is extremely well-researched and well-written. I appreciate the time and thought you put in to this important topic.
I have not yet had the opportunity to build my own classroom library. Unfortunately, in order to avoid materials being shared amongst multiple students during COVID, libraries have been removed from classrooms in my school, so I have not had the opportunity to peak at other teachers' libraries this year.
I teach in a very diverse school district, and I want to be sure I reach each one of my students. Literature is a great way to do this. It is important for every child to read mirror and window books. And I have not heard of the sliding glass door before! It is an excellent addition to the metaphor.
When it is time for me to build my classroom library, I will certainly return to this blog post and the resources you shared. Thank you again for such an informative post!
Best,
Kate
Hi Jen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such great information about this session from the Literacy Conference. I did not attend this was so it's great to hear what it was all about. I enjoyed hearing your insight on the importance this has in a classroom and the ways you can evaluate your own. It's hard to imagine what a student might feel like not seeing themselves represented in the literature we use and have. There are so many good books now a days that teachers need to understand the importance of having variety in the room, especially in diverse districts, but not only there!
Exposing children to multicultural topics and resources, at a younger age can be very beneficial. A great and easy way to do that, is through books.
Thanks for sharing this, Jen!
Amanda Orvis
Hi Jen!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this post with us on such an important topic. The statistics you shared at the beginning really helped put the reality of the situation into perspective. I loved all of the resources you provided, I know I'm always looking for ways to incorporate multicultural educational experiences with the kids that I teach. The check list that you added to help teachers re-evaluate their classroom library is great! It's important that we have texts in the classroom that talk about culture in an appropriate and respectful way. It was so clear that you are committed to immersing yourself into creating a learning environment that embraces a multi-cultural approach which made your post so powerful.
Thanks again!
- Grace