When life hands you a lemon, peel it
We often think that teaching our children about diversity is a long and difficult task.
However as the following exercise shows, it can be as simple as peeling a lemon:
Gather a group of young children and give them lemons, one lemon for each child. Tell
them to `get to know your lemon." The children will examine their lemons-smell them,
touch them, throw them in the air, and roll them around. After a few minutes, take the
lemons back and collect them in a big basket. Next, ask the children to find their lemons
from among the bunch. Remarkably, most recognize their lemons at once. Some will
even get protective of them.
Next, ask the children to describe how they recognized their lemons. The responses are
always varied. "My lemon was a big lemon," one might say. "My lemon was a perfect
lemon," says another. And another, "My lemon had dents and bruises." This launches the
discussion about how people are like that-different sizes, different shapes, different
shades of color, different "dents and bruises."
After exploring those ideas, collect the lemons again. This time, peel the lemons and
return them to the basket without their protective skin. Now tell the children to again find
their lemon. Presented with this quandary, the children's reactions are always precious.
"But the lemons all look the same!" they'll exclaim. This opens the door to a discussion
of how people, much like the lemons, are pretty much the same on the inside.
While it may take only 15 minutes and a bowl of lemons to teach young children about
diversity, it takes a conscious effort and a lifetime of attention to ensure that lesson is
remembered. As parents, we must provide that commitment.
Teaching Diversity: A Place to Begin
By Dora Pulido-Tobiassen and Janet Gonzalez-Mena
We all want children to grow up in a world free from bias and discrimination, to reach for
their dreams and feel that whatever they want to accomplish in life is possible. We want
them to feel loved and included and never to experience the pain of rejection or
exclusion. But the reality is that we do live in a world in which racism and other forms of
bias continue to affect us. Discrimination hurts and leaves scars that can last a lifetime,
affecting goals, ambitions, life choices, and feelings of self-worth.
How can we best prepare children to meet the challenges and reap the benefits of the
increasingly diverse world they will inherit? We can raise children to celebrate and value
diversity and to be proud of themselves and their family traditions. We can teach children
to respect and value people regardless of the color of their skin, their physical abilities, or
the language they speak.
How to Begin
As our nation grows increasingly diverse, there has never been a better opportunity for us
to learn to live respectfully together and benefit from one another's wisdom and
experiences. But sometimes fear, uncertainty, or discomfort prevent people from talking
to each other. This is especially true when it comes to the topics of race and racism,
cultural differences, language and bilingualism, and the myriad questions that arise in a
world where these issues have such a powerful place in children's lives. As professionals
who partner with families to nurture young children, parents often regard us as a resource
on a wide range of issues connected to diversity. We are in a unique position to engage in
conversations that ask us to consider important questions such as:
What does it mean to be a parent raising a child in this diverse world?
What does it mean to be a young child growing up in this diverse world?
Almost every aspect of child-rearing — including feeding, diapering, and toilet training
— is influenced by cultural beliefs and values. How we talk to young children, touch
them, bathe them, dress them, and see to their napping needs are all cultural behaviors.
Over time, children learn who they are and what to do through these experiences —
absorbing a sense of their routines, traditions, languages, cultures, and national or racial
There are many equally valid ways to raise healthy children who thrive in the world.
Professional knowledge and experience are important, but we must never forget how
much we can learn from the families we work with. For example: Rose comes to pick up
her daughter, Pia, at their child care program and asks the teacher why her 13-month-
old's shoes are in the cubby instead of on her feet. She requests that Pia always wear her
shoes except when she is taking a nap.
The teacher explains that she believes that the best thing for a child who is learning to
walk is to go barefoot because her little feet need room to grow, and bare feet are better
for balance and control. The nurse practitioner at the clinic where Rose takes Pia and her
other children has mentioned this too. He recommends flexible soft leather booties
instead of the stiff dressy shoes that Rose has selected. Though both the teacher and the
nurse practitioner have good points, what might they learn if they put themselves in
Is Rose an immigrant to the United States who worries that Americans will think
her ignorant if her child is not wearing shoes?
Does Rose choose dressy shoes for Pia because she does not want anyone to think
she cannot provide the very best for her child?
Is Rose receiving government financial assistance as she tries to raise her family
and worrying that bare feet will stigmatize her daughter as a "welfare child?"
Is Rose from a part of the world where children contract parasites through their
feet if they do not wear shoes?
In Rose's culture, do people believe children catch colds from bare feet? As you
know, diversity is a complex concept, and there is not one single set of right
answers for any one person or family. Only by understanding each other can Rose
and the professionals who are concerned about Pia agree on how to resolve their
differing points of view. The outcome depends on dialogue–a discussion with the
goal of understanding each other's perspectives.
Learning to Appreciate Differences
Because young children form ideas about themselves and other people long before they
start kindergarten, it is important to begin teaching anti-bias lessons early. If we reinforce
these lessons, children will learn to appreciate, rather than fear, differences and to
recognize bias and stereotypes when they see them. Children learn early on — from
television, books, magazines, photographs, and, of course, interactions–how others view
people like themselves. Uncomfortable reactions can alert children to the negative
significance some people put on differences. In other words, the differences in eye or skin
color can simply become a category of human variation — or those differences can take
on a particular negative significance.
If what children do at home is never mentioned or, worse, is considered strange by other
children and adults, children may refuse to speak their home language, eat certain foods,
wear certain clothes, follow certain religious practices. As some children begin to
compare their appearance or life with others, they may start expressing their concerns
about being different. We know that children need to be reassured that differences are
fine. More than that, we need to work with parents to help bridge the norms, the attitudes,
and the ways of doing things in children's cross-cultural worlds — and to counteract any
demeaning and harmful messages.
The following suggestions are designed to help you teach children to not only value
diversity but also to resist prejudice and discrimination.
Teach children to be critical thinkers, specifically about prejudice and
discrimination. Critical thinking is when we strive to understand issues through
examining and questioning. Young children can begin to develop these skills, to
know when a word or an image is unfair or hurtful.
Respond to children's questions and comments about differences even if you're
not sure what to say. Children often interpret a lack of response to mean that it's
not acceptable to talk about differences. If you're unsure about what to say, try: "I
need to think about your question and talk to you later." Or, you can always go
back to a child and say: "Yesterday you asked me a question about… Let's talk
about it." Another useful response: "I don't really like what I told you this
morning. I've given it some more thought, and here's what I really should have
Listen carefully to what children are saying. Ask a few questions before
answering to get a clearer idea of what they really want to know and the ideas
they already have on the subject.
Shape your response to the child's age and personality. Generally, children want
to know why people are different, what this means, and how those differences
relate to them. Remember that children's questions and comments are a way for
them to gather information about aspects of their identity and usually do not stem
from bias or prejudice.
Share with families and colleagues ideas for responding to children's questions.
You'll gain new ideas and insights as you exchange experiences, and you can
clarify what works best for you and your children.
If children are nonverbal, observe and respond to their curiosity. For example, if a
child is staring at or patting the head of a child whose hair is very different from
hers, you can say, "He has straight hair, and you have curly hair."
Model the behaviors and attitudes you want children to develop. Pay particular
attention to situations that can either promote prejudice or inhibit a child's
openness to diversity. Make sure your program reflects diversity in books,
magazines, dolls, puzzles, paintings, music, and so on.
Don't let racist and prejudicial remarks go by without intervening. It's important to
let children know from a very early age that name-calling of any kind, whether it's
about someone's religion, race, ethnic background, or sexual orientation, is hurtful
Try to create opportunities for children to interact and make friends with people
who are different from them. As you know, children learn best from concrete
Involve families in sharing their traditions. In fact, instead of deciding yourself
which tradition you would like to expose children to, ask families what they
would like to share.
Try to expose children to role models from their own culture as well as to those
from other cultures. Remember: Seeing adults developing positive relationships
with people who are different offers an important model and teaches children to
value such relationships.
As professionals who work with families, our willingness to talk openly about identity
and to help foster a positive sense of self in children can make an enormous difference in
affirming the rich diversity of our human community and helping children make bridges
across cultures and traditions. Some people fear that by affirming children's identities in
terms of home cultures and traditions, we may be promoting separatism. That is not the
case. The more that children have a solid grounding and understanding about who they
are and where they came from, the more they learn to move with grace and confidence
among communities different from their own, and the closer we get to building a world of
respect, curiosity, sharing, and humanity.
An Approach for Teaching Diversity
A Dozen Suggestions for Enhancing Student Learning
by Jim Winship
The key word in this title is ―An‖—this is ―an approach‖ not ―the approach‖ to teaching
about diversity. The dozen suggestions here were derived from an extensive literature
review, conversations with a number of people nationwide who are knowledgeable about
the subject, the contributions of a dozen UWW faculty during a LEARN Center
discussion group on ―Teaching about Diversity, Teaching in Multicultural Contexts‖ in
the Spring of 2003, and my own twenty-five-plus years of college teaching, twenty-two
of these at UW-Whitewater. At UW-Whitewater, I teach a diversity course that draws
students from all four colleges at the university and I also integrate diversity-related
content and skill development in the social work courses I teach.
The following list of twelve suggestions is not exhaustive. They are ones that are
supported by published literature on teaching for diversity, on effective college teaching,
and are ones that both colleagues here at UW-Whitewater and I have found effective in
teaching our undergraduate students. Faculty are encouraged to adopt those that fit with
their discipline and teaching style, and adapt the exercises, simulations, and other
materials on this website to their specific courses. The twelve suggestions are roughly
sequential—starting with course planning and the start of a class, followed by ideas and
approaches that can be used throughout a semester, ending with the importance of
providing and receiving feedback.
Become increasingly aware of our own identities, fears, and biases as we
teach about diversity issues. Our own identities—racial, gender, social class,
and others—are more present when we treat topics of diversity in a course
than when dealing with less controversial issues. As the subject matter is both
broad and also emotionally charged for students, faculty members often
question their own abilities teach about and manage diversity-related
Differentiate between your goals for the class and learner objectives, and
be clear with students on the objectives and grading. Students'
apprehension about diversity-related learning is partly due to their concerns
that they need to have a perspective on issues that mirrors the instructor's.
Clearly stated objectives and transparent grading can reduce the level of this
Work on developing the students' ability to reflect and use higher order
thinking skills as much as possible. Studying diversity-related material and
remembering/repeating it on exams may not lead to students being able to
meet diversity-related objectives. Reflecting on readings, discussions, and
exercises can Students are more likely to internalize course learning when
they compare and contrast situations across groups, time, or geography, apply
course contents, and use course material to critique statements or positions.
Create a safe and engaging classroom climate. Students will not (and
should not) engage in open discussion in class if they fear what will happen.
Clearly written ground rules for discussion and modeling both openness and
safety leads to more honest interactions.
Use building blocks and key concepts as a basis for consideration of
diversity issues. The word ―diversity‖ for many white students is interpreted
as ―them.‖ Concepts such as culture, identity, communication, power and
privilege, stereotypes and prejudice, and discrimination and oppression can
provide a framework for students to understand difference. The concepts can
be used to comprehend the impact of attitudes, laws, and other societal forces
on the treatment by society and opportunities for advancement on members of
Structure the course so that students learn from interaction with course
material, not relying on minority students to educate their peers. In a class
with both majority and minority students, it is not the job of minority students
to help other students understand issues such as prejudice, exclusion, and
discrimination. The instructor can focus student attention on Information on
demographic realities, selected reading, or a video segment can be the starting
point for students to analyze or respond to the information, an author's point
of view, or a character's actions.
Connect when possible to students' experience and interests. There are
separate and connected ways of knowing. When students apply course
concepts to their personal and family life and/or to their proposed career,
course learning is more likely to be appreciated and applied.
Use relevant exercises and simulations to engage students. Exercises and
simulations can allow students to ―step outside themselves‖ and see things
from a different perspective. The experience of a class in a simulation or
exercise can be used as a reference point during the semester during the
presentation/discussion of course concepts.
Move from lower risk to higher risk activities during the semester. Some
diversity-related topics are more highly emotionally charged than others. Plan
a course so that students acquire needed content and concepts and the class
becomes accustomed to talking about diversity-related issues before moving
to ―hot button‖ issues.
Plan classroom discussions at least as carefully as lectures controversial
situations. Discussions are more likely to be effective when the teacher is
clear on the reasons for conducting discussions, adopts approaches for making
the discussions productive, and is comfortable with the various roles that the
teacher must play in discussions.
Be prepared for conflict and/or reluctance from students as they are
being asked to examine long-held beliefs. Some issues are controversial
because they concern the distribution of valuable resources, such as
employment in the case of affirmative action. Other issues address strongly
help beliefs values. Resistance by some students to some diversity-related
learning should not only be expected but can be seen as valuable for learning
by both individuals and for an entire class.
Receive and provide feedback both to individual students and to a class.
Classroom Assessment Techniques can be used to provide the instructor with
important ongoing information on what students are learning and how they are
reacting to course material. Written feedback (aside from grading) can
increase faculty-student communication.