November 16, 2004
Purdue and Lafayette students to celebrate their diversity
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A semester-long outreach project in which Purdue University education students worked with Lafayette students from low-income families will culminate in two celebrations of culture and diversity.
Students in the School of Education's "Multiculturalism in Education" class have spent the semester volunteering at area elementary and middle schools, as well as local charities, as a way to both learn about their own cultural identities and help those who are less fortunate.
The project culminates with the fifth Cultural Palooza, which for the first time will feature two events that are free and open to the public. The first event, which takes place Friday (Nov. 19), includes a lecture on teaching practices, and a cultural celebration on Nov. 30 will close out the program.
Joe Kincheloe and Shirley Steinberg, professors of popular culture at the City University of New York Graduate School and Brooklyn College, respectively, will present "What the Hell is Critical Pedagogy?" from 6-7:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 19) at University Church, 320 North St. The program will be followed by a performance by Tony and the Hegemones, a blues and rock band made up of education professors from around the country.
"Understanding critical theory can help students in the School of Education to teach their classes to think critically and not simply regurgitate information they are told," said Rochelle Brock, an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction who organized the project. "The talk would also help local teachers develop strategies to encourage their students to be more active learners."
The second public event will take place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Purdue Memorial Union North Ballroom. It will include art projects that the more than 300 students in the multicultural education classes made to describe their cultural identity.
There also will be displays of art projects made by the Lafayette students, as well as video presentations and musical performances. Purdue dance clubs will teach attendees dances from different parts of the world, including the tango and traditional African dances.
"This is a way for both the Purdue students and the community to demonstrate what they have learned about both multiculturalism and themselves," Brock said. "More importantly, it will give the campus and the community a chance to reflect on the same issues in their own lives."
Brock said one purpose of the class is to educate future teachers about the different types of students they will encounter in their careers. Brock said that most of her students are white women from Indiana who do not think they have experience in diverse environments and often do not understand the different experiences their future students will bring into the classroom.
"There is more to diversity than just race," Brock said. "There is diversity in religion, in sexual preference, in family background, in income level. Just because a teacher has a class full of white students doesn't mean that each one of those students isn't different, and it is important for our future teachers to understand that."
To that end, the Purdue students have done service work in five Lafayette schools: Murdock, Washington and Miller elementary schools, and Tecumseh and Sunnyside middle schools. Projects included helping students with artwork that explored their own cultural identities, staffing after-school programs, and organizing a food and clothing drive. Other students worked with local organizations that serve at-risk children.
Brock said that many of the children the students worked with come from low-income families. At each of the elementary schools, more than half of the students live in poverty.
"Many people don't understand that there is poverty and homelessness in Lafayette," Brock said. "Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. One thing that separates good teachers from great ones is the ability to see the obstacles these students are facing and help them overcome them. The goal of this project is to help our future teachers see the importance of that."
CONTACT: Brock, (765) 494-9735, rbrock@purdue.edu
Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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