Alexa DAuria

EDUG 733 Final Growth Statement

6/10/14
Dr. Nicholson

This course began with a discussion that required us to reflect on the five things
that have shaped us, followed by a discussion on the five most influential things in our
lives. This allowed for a smoother transition into writing my autobiography. The outcome
that correlates to this assessment is: Students will be able to identify and discuss factors
that may have influenced individual perceptions and expectations. This was the first
paper I had ever written about negative stereotypes I used to have about specific groups
of people. It allowed me to analyze and reflect on what people or places in my past have
influenced me to think differently about these groups of people. For example, my mother,
nanny, and community/schools had the most impact on my perceptions of others. This
discussion also made me realize, and partially feel ashamed, that I do not know a lot
about my familys history, especially my fathers side. However, it encouraged me to find
out more about them. Furthermore, I am more comfortable sharing my life story with my
peers. I think that after I heard other peoples stories, and realized that we had some
common stereotypes and family origins, it allowed me to feel not judged and safe. In my
future classroom I will definitely require an All about me presentation. The final
reflection/discussion that we had after everyone sharing our autobiographies made me
further recognize similarities and differences we have in terms of ethnicity, influences,
and things we are proud of.
I learned different strategies for classroom instruction on individual differences.
For example, I will have a celebration or feast at the beginning of the school year to

introduce the different cultures represented in the class, as well as to acknowledge that we
learn from each other. Therefore these differences have a positive impact on our learning.
I will also provide a diverse selection of books to introduce different cultures that are not
only represented by the students in my classroom, but also in our school, community,
country, and world. Another strategy that I will incorporate in my classroom is giving my
students a variety of choices to complete for a project. This will allow them to make
discoveries on their own and then learn from each other by sharing. After the field trip
(assignment), I realized the importance of an immigration lesson or even unit. Field trips
are extremely necessary for children, especially in poverty so they get to see the world
outside the barriers of the neighborhood. These strategies meet the courses learning
outcome of students will be able to identify strategies and design activities to use in
classrooms to support equity. Each strategy will be related to the appropriate NY State
Learning Standard.
The second objective, Students will read, discuss, and reflect upon concepts,
issues, and dilemmas related to a multicultural society from both historical and
contemporary perspectives, was assessed through class discussions on two articles. The
article by Tienken made me realize that enabling multicultural education is a policital
issue. Moreover, standardized tests emphasize the struggles we have with language
barriers and cultural differences in our society. The Matthews effect, where the poor get
poorer and the rich get richer, and the poor are less motivated and less educated than the
rich, really sums up the huge gap between social classes.
More specifically, we focused on margins and objections to a multicultural
society. We first discussed groups on the margins, as stated in the Banks article. We

mentioned Jewish people, Native Americans, Muslims, and Gay/Lesbian. I learned that if
you stay with one group, that group does not have a conscience. This means that margins
are all these possibilities available for one to find empowerment and renew themselves.
The group activity that followed this discussion really opened up my eyes to the different
perspectives we have on the world with margins. The assignment was to create a visual
that represents a developing center, but maintains the margins. Two groups had the most
impact on my perspective. The first group drew a crayon box with all of the different
colors representing people and their ethnicities. The second group drew a flock of birds,
all different colors, some following the line or margin, while others flew away from it.
These groups used an object/other living things to represent such greater concepts and
this fascinated me. I never thought that way about it.
The group powerpoint presentations were very educational and beneficial to our
teaching career. We were able to discuss the impact of race, ethnicity, gender, social
class, disability, language differences, and sexual orientation on behavior (actions) in the
classroom. The activities that went with each presentation were not necessarily ones we
could use in our classroom because they were solely meant to make us see as teachers the
stereotypes against groups of people, like Jews, Italians, and Hispanics as mentioned in
the ethnicity powerpoint. The discussion we had about stereotypes made me realize how
greatly it may affect a student of that ethnicity. It may hinder their test performance,
motivation, and learning. The examples of stereotypes that were given were clips from
television shows and commercials. This alarmed me because some people were laughing
and I cannot believe how people in the media can make people believe or feel a certain
way about a group of people so easily. I loved their activity with the monarch butterfly

because it integrates both science and history. I can definitely see myself using this lesson
in my future classroom.
The presentation on sexual orientation was extremely prevalent in todays society.
A large percentage of bullying is because of ones sexual orientation and the effects of
bullying can be detrimental. The debate that we had on whether we think that sexual
orientation is something we are born with or learn was very interesting to me because
how can one really know when it is acquired. I learned that as a teacher it is necessary to
establish an anti-bullying policy. Also, teachers should make everyone feel accepted by
creating a safe classroom environment.
The presentation on gender made me realize how much I dislike sexist
stereotypes. For example, pink is for a girl and blue is for a boy. This encourages me to
stick to gender neutral colors in my classroom. I can use the example that I am a girl, my
favorite color is blue, and that does not mean I am a boy to my class. I learned that
teachers pay more attention to boys because they are more likely to disrupt a lesson. A
strategy that can be used to support gender differences would be for students work in
heterogeneous groups and be assigned specific jobs/responsibilities in that group that can
be rotated each time the group meets.
The last presentation that had a major impact on me was the language differences
powerpoint. This group made me realize the struggles that people who speak a language
other than English face in this country. As a teacher, it is important to realize that
gestures, facial expressions, and voice should not always be taken negatively. Also, that
standardized tests are racially bias.

I think that the objective which states that, Students will examine and analyze the
implications of cultural pluralism and diversity for education and schooling applies to
the entire course work. I realize that we learn from each other and have ultimately come
to this country for freedom and for a better life. Also, I learned that we are all shaped by
different influences in our lives. Therefore, it is important for people to understand,
appreciate, and respect where they come from. Furthermore, it is essential to accept
others as individuals, not as a group. I expect to continue to learn and grow as a teacher. I
know that I will experience new opportunities that will allow me to learn about others
and appreciate our differences.