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Browsing College of Education and Human Development by Author "Ndura, Elavie"
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Item Book review: From digital divide to digital opportunity by Appu Kuttan and Laurence Peters(Haworth Press, 2003) Ndura, ElavieThis article reviews the book From Digital Divide to Digital Opportunity, byKuttan and Peters (2003). After providing a brief summary of the authors' backgrounds, the reviewer presents a systematic overview of the book's six chapters and accompanying CD. She concludeswith an overall assessment of the book content as it relates to issues of equity and social justice. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: © 2003 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]Item ESL and cultural bias: An analysis of elementary through high school textbooks in the Western United States of America(2004) Ndura, ElavieThe content of instructional materials significantly affects students’ attitudes and dispositions towards themselves, other people and society. This is particularly so with students of English as a Second Language (ESL) whose success in a new environment is conditioned not only by their mastery of the new language, but also, and especially, by their ability to negotiate the new culture. Building on the argu- ment that learning a second language cannot be separated from the acquisition of the culture that it embodies, this paper argues that the design and adaptation of ESL textbooks and other instructional materials should reflect multiple perspectives inherent to a pluralistic society in order to engage students in a process of uncover- ing and confronting cultural biases and facilitate intercultural learning. The paper presents the findings from an examination of selected ESL textbooks for stereotypes and other cultural biases and discusses the potential impact of these biases on students. It posits that instructional materials that do not integrate students’ diverse life experiences in the teaching and learning process fail to empower them to ident- ify the missing, misconstrued and misrepresented voices. The paper suggests five strategies for dealing with stereotypes and other cultural biases in ESL textbooks and other instructional materials.Item Exploring the Self and the Other: Achieving the Empathic Goals of Teacher Preparation Through Multicultural Education(2004) Ndura, Elavie; Lafer, StephenEffective multicultural education courses require both instructors and students to examine their own cultural backgrounds and philosophical underpinnings in order to understand their societal dispositions and behaviors. In this article, the authors share effective strategies for teaching about race and racism in a college multicultural teacher education course. They discuss ways in which they assess the impact of this process on the course participants.Item Reflections of teachers’ culture in the classroom: Beginning to see and hear(2006) Ndura, ElavieThis qualitative study investigated practicing teachers’ characterization of their classroom practices and relationships with culturally different students after being engaged in three weeks of reflective activities surrounding cultural identity development and how culture shapes our worldview, dispositions, and behaviors. The study showed that through such engagement, the participants began realizing that they and their students were human beings whose experiences and perceptions are shaped by their cultural backgrounds. The study revealed that while teacher-student relationships were portrayed mostly as nurturing, they were hampered by tension resulting from a clash of cultures.Item Teachers' Discoveries of Their Cultural Realms: Untangling the Web of Cultural Identity(Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc, 2004) Ndura, ElavieEducators need to explore and understand their own cultural identities before they can comprehend and appreciate their students* cultural backgrounds. In this article, the author presents the findings from a qualitative study that investigated in-service teachers1 awareness of and characterization of their culture. She also discusses the importance of affording educators opportunities to reflect on and make the connection between culture and their worldview. The author concludes by recommending useful and practical next steps once teachers have a better understanding of their cultural identities.Item The Role of Cultural Competence in the Creation of a Culture of Nonviolence(Culture of Peace Online Journal, 2006) Ndura, ElavieUsing stories from her personal experiences and drawing on historical and contemporary voices of non-violence, the author discusses the importance of developing cultural competence in order to build a non-violent society. She posits that cultural competence is a corner piece in the puzzle of a culture of non- violence because it fosters cross-cultural communication, validates people’s lived experiences across different cultures and groups, and empowers them to work together to reclaim their humanity.Item Transcending the majority rights and minority protection dichotomy through multicultural reflective citizenship in the African Great Lakes region(Taylor & Francis, 2006-05) Ndura, ElavieIn this paper, the author examines how colonial racist policies and western-bound post-colonial educational practices have contributed to the recurring ethnic conflicts in the Great Lakes region of Africa. After defining democracy and reflective citizenship within the African context, she discusses how teachers' roles should be redefined and pedagogy revamped within a multicultural perspective in order to prepare students to become reflective citizens who are empowered to reframe interethnic relations in the region beyond the pervasive majority rights and minority protection discourse.Item Western education and African cultural identity in the Great Lakes region of Africa: A failed case of globalization(Blackwell Synergy, 2006) Ndura, ElavieThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the identity crisis that has resulted from the Western-bound educational system prevalent in the Great Lakes region of Africa, particularly in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Rwanda. Four main points will guide the discussion. First, I will argue that Western-bound education is an overt tool of assimilation. Second, I will relate Western assimilation to the pervasive African identity crisis. Third, I will discuss the destructive divide between the educated elite and the illiterate masses. Fourth, I will propose strategies for reclaiming the African spirit of empowerment. The paper will conclude with some general reflections and recommendations.