Dear Shalom.
I would like to address Deborah Anstandig's request for educational materials that promote appreciation for diversity. I very much appreciate Deborah's distinguishing between Hesed programming and educating for diversity. I do not argue with the focus that our Jewish schools put on hesed, helping individuals who are in need, a cornerstone of our Jewish experience. I do feel/think, though, that that emphasis is at the expense of diversity education. The goal of hesed education is to educate to help. The goals of diversity education is to educate to acceptance. Our Kaleidoscope approach does just that.
Kaleidoscope is a community-based approach aimed at helping educators, students and parents to appreciate diversity and to be accepting of each other. The approach is founded on studies on the roots of discrimination and tolerance that suggest that among the channels for addressing these challenges are “formal educational methods, contact and acquaintance methods, and group retraining methods.â€(Allport, Gordon W. The Nature of Prejudice. New York. Addison-Wesley, 1979. 480). Kaleidoscope includes these elements in professional training and student and parent workshops that combine experience with reflection so that what was learned about self, others, and community, can be applied in other experiences. . The foundation of these experiences is the development of social and emotional skills such as problem solving and collaboration, proven by studies to form the basis of identity, respect for differences. The approach is implemented as stand-alone activities and is infused, as well, in ongoing developmentally appropriate learning experiences that begin in early childhood settings and continue through high school. Literature and stories, for example, are chosen based on the competencies and diversity education that they promote. Tefilla and tanakh is connected to these competencies and sensitivities and their affect on our daily behavior.
Kaleidoscope is first applied in the classroom to promote respect between its students. It is then applied in interactive programming between students of different cultures, e.g. Arab and religious and secular, students of the special and general education tracks and those of Ethiopian origin and native Israelis.
Although our work is primarily conducted workshops over the years in the US and in England and have just launched a two-stage program as such:
Stage 1 includes school-based workshops conducted at the schools by a representative of the Israeli “otherâ€, e.g. an Ethiopian or Palestinian. The individual will discuss her/his culture, what it means to be a minority in Israel and will facilitate a workshop on a topic related to multiculturalism, e.g. how to respond to stereotypes. We hope to enhance the participants' knowledge of and connection to Israel while educating for diversity.
Stage 2 includes the implementation of Kaleidoscope activities in the school and community. It will be developed together with school staff, individualizing it to meet the particular needs of the school/class. Together we will develop an action plan that will answer those needs with professional workshops, stand-alone activities, interaction with diverse populations from their communities, parent workshops and curriculum infused learning. This stage will be implemented by school staff and with Kaleidoscope facilitators.
I will be in the US from March 11-26 and would be happy to meet or speak with you then about Kaleidoscope and your school.
Chana Zweiter
chana@kaleidoscope.org.il
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2016 07:46PM by mlb.
