Respect for Diversity

         Respect for the ethnic and cultural diversity, civic education supported by full and widespread citizenship, the relevance of the curriculum to different social and cultural realities that are children to schools, as well as the promotion of communicative practices based on respect for the other and reciprocity in the understanding, are basic elements that must have school today.

        It is necessary to respect the cultures and traditions of the different ethnic groups, but  the nursery school has to integrate divesity education. That means that children must be very early educate in respect for diversity.

      Today in class we were talking about the culture in India and we compared it with our country, but I realized that some of us were saying a word again and again, it was the word DIFFERENT because we are all different. We can not compare two different countries because the whole world has many cultures and all of its are DIFFERENT.

      But I want to know, What do you think about teach cultural diversity to children?

Why is Elizabeth I important for Education? 

In the first classes of this year, we covered the life and work of Elizabeth I, who became Queen of England in 1558. This period was known as The Golden Age because of the efforts made during her reign. This led to her country to achieve several triumphs, to obtain the position as one of the world’s major powers and to give England a great prestige around the world and throughout the history. All this created in us the memory of a queen with perfect skills and great ideals which remain until today.

Based on this historical facts and the success reflected by the image of Elizabeth, it is possible to have a necessary and very useful example to insert it and relate it (in a positive way) to the contemporary education. But… why is Elizabeth so important for education? The answer to this is what is going to be explained in this report, analyzing several authors and showing important factors related to the topic.

First, Flores (1994) quoted by Bazán (2008, p.21), says that "education is the social process whereby society incorporated or assimilated to its members according to its own rules, values, ideology and knowledge shared by the majority of society". You can found all these factors in the story of Elizabeth I that is mentioned above so we can say that she is part of big culture. We must learn from it and make our students and ourselves to do it also; to incorporate their values to education such as confidence, certainty, decision and perseverance, which are very important to educate and learn, too. 

What I propose is that Elizabeth can become a role model for students; to discuss this idea in more detail it is necessary to begin by sorting the elements involved in this education and how she is related to.

It doesn’t mean that the idea is not to forcing students to believe in a stereotype of person to imitate and take their ideology but to take from her the ideas and values. The main “actors” involved are the teachers and the students so we'll see how it can affect both roles.

Firstly, it is useful for teachers to introduce Elizabeth to students as content, given that we know that our profession is devalued and we need to add new strategies to teach and motivate students. It is necessary to motivate them, because learning is the responsibility of both the teacher and the student; if the latter does not feel interested in the matter, their results will not be optimal neither in the acquisition of knowledge or in skills. 

This idea has existed for many years. Rousseau (1762) proposed that “a child should receive education from their senses”, for example, stimulating the need to learn. So I believe that presenting a model guide would be a very good alternative, considering all the positive aspects that the personality of Elizabeth I has.

Here is where we find that teachers “could teach” something but most of the times they “have to teach" something, which is determined by the educational establishment in the so-called "curriculum". Defined as the selection of the knowledge and skills to be transmitted through the educational Act (Bazán, 2008), it is what is expected for students to learn, planning the content to teach, processes in which the teacher has the main role, must be attentive to different processes of learning for each student and should be able to innovate and to recognize possible problems.

As Boggino (2006) proposes that the curriculum always must be open and flexible. For example, it must always be possible to include other content not provided. Then it is a feasible option to include the personality of this Queen, as a guide.

Elizabeth, whose strong personality led her to defend her ideals and who knew how to deal with all the problems that were submitted resolving them successfully, is, without doubt, a perfect example of overcoming and perseverance for pupils in times when the education becomes complicated. And it is also for teachers an innovative tool to teach, giving also a new chance for learning teachers.

Education is not only transmitting knowledge, but also forming people of integrity. Education is to create culture for our students. And the primary responsibility for this, are we as future teachers. 

Elizabeth I was a Queen of England who made a memory of her based on their attitudes and skills. She became part of the culture, shifting borders.

She is the subject of historical research, films and political studies that includes the relationship between the female gender and power. In a time where everything was more complicated for women, she learned how to succeed.

She had the courage to face their enemies, make decisions that sometimes not liked but she knew he was right, and that made it succeed and became part of the story.

It is under this point of view that I relate the need to study and to include it in our own education as a positive example for students and as a tool for teachers.

Following the thoughts of many authors throughout history, I made sure it is necessary to motivate children to learn in a positive way. It is also essential that teachers investigated and renew the teaching methods.

With the purpose of improving the quality of the people we educate, transmitting not only knowledge, but also values which we can rescue on the life of Elizabeth as the decision, perseverance and confidence in oneself.

In this way the students and teachers began to create their own identity and create culture for all. Because the responsibility that the education is optimal, it is not only on a master or a student, is both and the society, and are appropriate the teachers who guide their students to rescue only the positives offered by the world.

As Bazán (2008, p.27) says, "…and this teacher should be a professional to promote integral development (read intellectual, emotional and social values of our children and young people)." 

Finally, because of all this I make the invitation and recommendation for future teachers who include Elizabeth I, a very interesting topic, within their content, and link it with the skills of their students and their environment, with the society in which they are, and with which intended to live.

Bibliography:

·         Elizabeth I, Biography

http://www.elizabethi.org/contents/biography/

·         Domingo Bazán Campos, (2008) “El oficio del Pedagogo: aportes para la construcción  de una práctica reflexiva en la escuela”. Rosario. Homo Sapiens Ediciones.

·         Norberto Boggino (2006) “Diversidad, Aprendizaje e integración en contextos escolares”.  Buenos Aires. Homo Sapiens Ediciones.

·         Jean Jacques Rousseau ( 1762) “ Emilio, o De la Educación”.  

   Gabriel Vega. 

Sheila Ki Jawani

I chose this video because it shows a little about the Indian topic we have been talking about this last days.  

It's quite a catchy song with a very good choreography and rhythm. As you may notice, the lyrics are very shallow, talking about wealth and beauty as the most important things. We can tell that she would only be with someone if he has money and luxuries, not love. 

The marriage, fixed or not, and the relationships are always based on the notion of convenience, for both parts. Therefore, depends on the economic situation and whether their future will economically prosper with that person.  

This conception shocks me because in our society we're not used to see women married at such early stages of their lives, but when they're older or even sometimes they don't get marry at all.

It surprises me the fact that such a young woman thinks this way, when the logical thought is that she should enjoy the aspects of her youth according to her age. The way the world has changed, making people believe this wrong conceptions, it just doesn't go with me. Nowadays when we watch the TV, read the papers, the magazines, etc, we see that every single thing is related to money, beauty or the physique, when actually, this is the least of our problems as individuals and as human kind.

Australian government faces the stolen generation.

I'm really concerned about the stolen generation. I came across it when I was looking up information to start working on my written reflection. For those who don't know about the topic, I'm going to explain it. 

A government policy made in 1910 was aimed at removing aboriginal children from their families, in an attempt to civilize them and stop the breed of black people in the country. The “stolen” children were left under foster parents’ care or in orphanages, where they were often mistreated, and even sometimes sexually abused. Besides, these children suffered from social dislocation that often led to alcoholism, violence and early death. They were released when they got to be the age of eighteen.

 In February 13^th, 2008,The prime minister, Kevin Rudd, delivered a speech expressing, in the name of the government, their sincere apologies to all the people who suffered during those times.

Do you think that the apologize is enough to resolve the whole issue?

Felipe Gómez Lizama.

We watched a nice movie called “Ben it like Beckham”, a story about an indian girl from a very strict and traditional indian family, living in the UK. The big issue in the story was about the girl’s love for football, something that her parents couldn’t stand. So she passes the whole movie trying to make them understand how important this was for her life, as a big part of her personality, and trying also to break some stereotypes from her surrounding people.

I think the big message in the movie is about your own beliefs.  In life, you always have to fight for your convictions, and the support from the family is so important. I think this can be easily related to all cases of intolerance in the world and how important for a kid or any person, is the family and friends support against discrimination. And also, the fact that you always have to fight, and try your best for what you believe.

Even if it’s a funny movie, it has a great message, very positive.

Somewhere over the rainbow

In our class with Dr. Suzan Kobashigawa, I learned a lot of Hawaii and Hawaiian people, I never thought that they were so respectful with nature, and that makes me realize that all native inhabitants of any place have the same care about nature, that is something that shocks me.
I like the fact that they want back to their roots, and speak Hawaiian, dance, sing, etc. And I think that this is a global phenomenon with most nations, excepting us.
I love this song, its makes me feel free, in other place, over the rainbow, and I think that Israel Kamakawiwo'ole shows to their people that their essence never will be destroyed, and they have to fight for their believes, costumes and traditions. Like Martin Luther King, they never thought that they were wrong, and they always defend their ideals. I never heard about history of Kamakawiwo'ole, so I look it up, and nobody says anything about he than his music.
The last thing that shock me about this video is that people were celebrating his death, that wasn't a sad moment, it was full of energy, music, happiness and good wishes. May be we should learn from they.

Freedom Song

It´s a movie about “the story of the Civil-Rights Movement as seen through the eyes of a teenage Owen Walker growing up in bigotry laden Mississippi in the 1960s at a time when black segregation laws were legal. Owen regrets his father's passive behavior against racism and joins the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) as they struggle to reeducate black citizens and gain basic human rights, predominately the right to vote.”

In that movie I can see clearly how white people abused towards Afro-American people: black people couldn´t entry in libraries, order a sandwich at a restaurant, sit calmly in a bus, or register to vote. Those were ordinary acts of everyday citizens. I think that the movie is the perfect example of the racist conflict in USA and it may help everyone who wants to know more about the Civil-Rights Movement.

Another great event in the movie is the beginning of the “sit-in” and how the young Afro-Americans try to help to their community teaching to black people to pass the exam, register to vote and reach the opportunity to be equal with white people.

From 3:40 min of this video we can see how the Kukuxklan threat black people and how non-violent protest were becoming more popular.

I do like this movie and I recommend it, and for those who have seen it or at least who saw the video that I left here. Finally I invite to think about this.