Teaching Tolerance

EDUCATOR AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE IN A DIVERSE ENVIRONMENT

Diverse Learners

Inclusive School Environment

Concerned Adults

Concerned Adults

Inclusive School Environment

This presentation is geared towards educators who work with learners in grades 7-10. y The material in this presentation is also useful for educators at other grade levels. y Today’s presentation is designed for 15 educators who teach 7th and 8th grade. y

Objectives Participants will understand the structure of the “Teaching Tolerance” site. y Participants will know how to obtain materials from “Teaching Tolerance.” y

Outline 1. 2.

Overview of “Teaching Tolerance” site Types of content available a) b) c) d) e) f)

3. 4.

Classroom activities Kits and Handouts Web Exclusives Magazine “Mix it Up” Program Grants

Sample Activity Refences

Organizational Grid Activity

Time

Introduction of Teaching 3 minutes Tolerance

Grouping Whole Group Lecture

Overview of Teaching Tolerance Site

10 minutes

Whole Group Lecture

Bias Activity: Seeing the Whole Person

10 minutes

Small Group Discussion

Question and Answer

5 Minutes

Whole Group Discussion

y

y

Teaching Tolerance (http://www.tolerance.org) is part of the Southern Poverty Law Center an organization founded during the U.S. civil rights movement. “Teaching Tolerance is dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation's children.”3

What kind of content is available? Classroom activities Kits and Handbooks Web Exclusives

Magazine “Mix it Up” program Grants

Activities are searchable by grade, subject matter and “tolerance topic” (i.e. race, religion, etc.) y Activities include discussions, lesson plans and group. y Some activities offer enrichment for other items while others deal with more general issues such as the US presidential election. y

All the kits and handouts are free to educators! (order form) y Materials include documentaries, ready made lesson plans, and activities for a wide range of learners. y Sample kit about the Holocaust: One Survivor Remembers y

There are lesson plans and activities which can be downloaded. Example, Gender Based Bullying. y There are a variety of activities which discuss hidden biases. y Links to related websites which may be of interested. y

Free subscriptions to their magazine, published twice a year, are available. y Some of the magazine’s content is also available online y

“Mix It Up at Lunch Day is a simple call to action: take a new seat in the cafeteria. By making the move, students can cross the lines of division, meet new people and make new friends.”3 y y

Activities for grades K-12 on interacting with different groups, prejudice, and bias. Includes information from individual schools who have sponsored a “mix it up day.”

Contains a searchable database of grants offered by the Southern Poverty Law Center. y Also includes spotlights on projects which have received grants. y

Writing for Change Example of an activity at tolerance.org y Part of guide which has over 50 activities of different lengths about bias in written language. y Activity: Seeing the Whole Person y

Questions?

References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Stills from “Twilight” on slides 3-5 from http://twilighters.org/gallery/index.php “Teaching Tolerance” logo from tolerance.org http://www.tolerance.org/about/index.html, accessed 12/9/08. http://www.tolerance.org/about/index.html, accessed 12/9/08. http://www.tolerance.org/teach/mix_it_up/about.jsp, accessed 12/9/08. Mt. Rushmore image on slide 15, from http://www.tolerance.org/teach/magazine/index.jsp Stills from “Twilight” on slide 16 from http://twilighters.org/gallery/index.php Monopoly image on slide 18 http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddmuir/2125697998/ Still from “Twilight” on slide 20 from Stills from “Twilight” on slide 16 from http://twilighters.org/gallery/index.php