THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS PERTAINING TO RACE AND CULTURE IN AMERICAN LIFE.

N

222

CRP-H-199

American Culture; Behavior; Black Influences; Cultural Differences; Curriculum Development; Elementary Education; Ethnic Groups; Human Relations; Individual Differences; Instructional Materials; Intergroup Relations; Material Development; Race; Religious Cultural Groups

THIS CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT WAS CONDUCTED TO ADJUST ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS TO INCLUDE INFORMATION AND CONCEPTS ABOUT RACIAL-CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN AMERICA, INCLUDING THE LIFE ON THE AMERICAN NEGRO. ITS PRINCIPAL EMPHASIS WAS ON LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR PREPARING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN THIS AREA OF HUMAN RELATIONS. SPECIALISTS FROM BOTH THE SOCIAL SCIENCE AND EDUCATIONAL FIELDS WERE CALLED INTO THE STUDY TO REVIEW PATTERNS OF INSTRUCTION AND PROMISING CURRICULUM DESIGNS IN SOCIAL STUDIES AND THE HUMANITIES. PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS ON POTENTIAL NEW MEDIA FOR PRESENTING PROGRAMS IN RACE-CULTURE DIVERSITY WERE PROPOSED. "WORKING PARTIES" OF 6 TEACHERS WERE THEN ESTABLISHED TO TEST THE MOST PRIMISING INSTRUCTIONAL ITEMS BY ACTUAL CLASSROOM TRYOUTS AND EXPERIMENTATION WITH APPROXIMATELY 330 CHILDREN IN THE K-6 LEVEL. DIAGNOSIS OF ATTITUDES FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CHILD, UNDERTAKEN BY THE TEACHERS IN THE "WORKING PARTIES," CONFIRMED THAT CHILDREN FORM ATTITUDES TOWARD RACIAL DIFFERENCES WHETHER OR NOT THEIR CURRICULUM IN SCHOOL DEALS WITH THE SUBJECT. THUS, ATTITUDE DIAGNOSIS WAS BELIEVED TO BE A FUNDAMENTAL PREREQUISITE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEQUENCES OF INSTRUCTION DEALING WITH RACIAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY. DIFFERENCES IN THE TEACHING APPROACHES AMONG RACIAL AND CULTURAL GROUPS WERE ALSO SUGGESTED SINCE THE HISTORY AND CURRENT SITUATIONS AMONG THESE GROUPS OFTEN DIFFER WIDELY. (GC)

1966

ED010029