Date: Fri 30-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-ethnic-diversity

Full Text:

with cut: Ethnic Heritage Course Designed To Increase Awareness Of Cultural

Diversity

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

Move over United States government, American Studies and Economic Theory,

there's a new course in the Newtown High School social studies curriculum.

Titled "American Ethnic Heritage Studies," the elective, one-credit course is

being offered to 10th, 11th and 12th graders and has already attracted 45

students for the first semester.

By the end of January when the course is completed, social studies co-chairs

Gwen Parks and Bob Dilzer hope enrollees will know a good deal more than they

do right now about our society's diverse ethnic cultures - specifically, about

the anthropology, geography, history and modern culture of Native, African,

Hispanic and Asian-Americans.

Most important, the students will be learning from those who are best-suited

to teach this subject, namely, individuals from each ethnic group who have

volunteered their time to meet with the students in their classrooms and share

cultural perspectives.

For example, the first speaker scheduled to represent Native-American culture

is Trudie Lamb Richmond, a Schaghticoke Indian associated with the Institute

for American Indian Studies in Washington.

"They'll believe better" in the truth of what they're hearing, said Ms Parks,

"if the presenter isn't Caucasian. The students' sensitivity and level of

respect will be higher," she predicted.

The experienced social studies teacher, now beginning her fifth year in the

Newtown school system, has spent several years developing the new course. She

believes that the rigorous, districtwide process of presentation, evaluation

and feedback that had to be followed before it was approved for addition to

the curriculum should result in an educationally valuable course that will

contribute understanding of multi-cultural issues, one that "fits the

community."

"I wanted to see it happen in the way the town needed it to happen," Ms Parks

said.

Superintendent of Newtown schools, John Reed, is a strong supporter of the

Ethnic Heritage course - not only of its content, but also of the careful

manner in which it was designed.

"It was really well thought-out," Dr Reed said last week at his middle school

office.

He also noted that although plans for the course pre-dated this summer's state

Supreme Court decision on the need to address ethnic diversity issues in

public schools, this course would undoubtedly answer one aspect of that need,

fitting into district goals, as well.

Bob Dilzer, a teacher in Newtown for 32 years, also welcomes the addition of

the Ethnic Heritage course to the social studies curriculum.

"The K-12 committee has been looking at ways to introduce multi-culturism. We

encouraged Gwen to go forward with this when it was first suggested several

years ago," Mr Dilzer said.

Students See A Need

One important step in the approval process was a student questionnaire given

two years ago during the 1994-95 school year to 225 students at Newtown High.

It seems the questionnaire drew an enthusiastic response.

"Students are always more than willing to express their feelings," Mr Dilzer

said, with a wry smile.

When asked "Is there a need for such a course at Newtown High School?" 94

percent of the students answered "Yes" according to Mr Dilzer.

He added there was an 88 percent favorable response to the question, "Would

you take this course if it were available to you?"

"Some students commented it would be difficult to fit the course into their

schedules because they were already filled with required college

requirements," he added.

The course's innovative format was another reason students seemed eager to

sign up, Mr Dilzer said. This would not be the usual classroom experience

bound by four walls, he explained, where a teacher lectures and students take

notes and answer homework questions from a standardized textbook.

Instead, he described the class as "experiential learning at its best," in

which students learn first-hand from primary sources about different ethnic

groups - by listening to the Native-American, African-American, Hispanic and

Asian presenters who will be visiting the classrooms and teaching from their

own perspectives.

Ms Parks said that beyond presenting the initial "orientation and

sensitization" period at the beginning of the course, she plans to step aside,

acting "only as a facilitator."

There will be textbooks for each unit that were selected by the ethnic groups,

themselves, Ms Parks explained.

"We asked them first and they made suggestions for the reading list. They told

us, `Yes, you can tell our story from this text,'" she said.

Work In The Field

In addition to hearing lectures by guest speakers and examining authentic

documents, relics and texts, the students will take part in an off-site

learning component. Four weekend overnights per semester, termed "field lab

experiences," are scheduled.

For example, the weekend of September 27-28 students and faculty chaperones

will camp out in a restored native village at the American Indian Institute in

Washington; November 8-9 they will be overnight guests in African-American

family homes in New Rochelle, N.Y.; December 13-14 they will stay overnight in

Hispanic-American family homes in Newtown and at the Congregational Church of

Danbury; and January 24-25 they will visit the Asian-American Center at Yale

University in New Haven.

Four ethnic meals with area families will also be shared throughout the

semester course.

"Not only will they acquire knowledge, they'll gain actual experience," Mr.

Dilzer said, noting that the new course was designed to give Newtown students

more realistic appreciation for the complex ethnic heritage that comprises

American society today.

"There is more ethnic diversity out there than most Newtown students know

about. They'll be finding this out for themselves when they go to college or

join the work force," Mr Dilzer said. "Now, we hope they'll be better

prepared."