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Senior Thesis An Ethical Approach to Perspective Taking: A Hot New Strategy in the Multicultural Classroom By Joshua Beal Submitted to Dr. Theda Wrede In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for English 4700 At Dixie State University Due 4/11/13

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An Ethical Approach to Perspective Taking: A Hot New Strategy in the Multicultural Classroom Throughout America, there is a growing population of minorities, and in some areas, of immigrants. Because of the continuing growth in diversity, it is important for middle and high school students to gain several perspectives of what it means to be an immigrant or member of an ethnic or cultural minority culture in America. For every individual teen in America, adulthood will likely take him/her into settings that are unfamiliar in the sense that diversity will be present. Because diversity is a reality as well as an ever growing characteristic of American society, reading multicultural literature is important and useful in helping students become more familiar with other cultures and peoples. When teaching multicultural literature, teachers often employ the teaching practice of reader response as a means of helping students analyze texts. Unfortunately, research has shown that reader response rarely facilitates a change in a students perception of diversity (Thein 317). Because of the limitations of reader response, an ethical approach to perspective taking should be used instead of reader response when teaching multicultural texts because it can help high school seniors to foster their perceptions of diversity, while also giving them an expanded perspective in regards to social issues, thus preparing them to be good citizens. Over the past few decades, multicultural literature has found its place in high school curricula throughout America. According to Amanda Thein and Deanne Sloan, professors in the field of education, one of the primary aims of teaching multicultural literature is to provide instruction on multicultural texts [which] include more than just rote knowledge of literary conventions or authoritative contextual interpretations and should instead provide students with mirrors for understanding their own lives and widows for understanding the worlds of others (Thein 313). In endeavoring to accomplish such an aim, reader response has been used for

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decades. However, studies have pointed out that reader response can be ineffective for several reasons. Paradoxically, minority students often do not make connections or even relate to characters from multicultural texts that have a comparable cultural background because The situations depicted in the text are emotionally difficult to manage (Thein 314). Furthermore, Thein explains that personal response for dominant culture students rarely inspires change in their perception of diversity because such students go on to dismiss racial difference depicted in texts as exceptions to the norm, rather than alternative realities, resist engagement with multicultural texts, in order to avoid shame, guilt and anger associated with white privilege, or over-identify with unfamiliar characters, serving to simplify or universalize complex experiences of discrimination and oppression (Thein 314). Due to greater awareness of the limits of reader response, some educational experts have pointed toward other teaching strategies to help teach multicultural literature. One contemporary teaching strategy that has shown great potential but is not yet used widely today is known as Perspective Taking. According to education.com, Perspective Taking is defined as Perceiving physical, social, or emotional situations from a point of view other than one's own. (Perspective Taking). Additionally, Perspective Taking has been defined as a teaching strategy that encourage[s] students tentatively and temporarily to consider alternative perspectives in the interest of better understanding a diversity of value stances (Thein 314). Through perspective taking, students can become more familiar with diversity and different points of view. In using this practice, teachers have students write, role-play, and act out drama to help them take on the perspective of characters in the literature they are reading. An example of a perspective taking activity would be to have the students in the classroom write about how they

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perceive the ocean, using the five senses in their description. The teacher would then have the students get into groups and share with those in the group what they wrote down (Classroom Activities on Perspective Taking). The goal of this activity is for students to gain a better understanding about how everyone perceives the world differently. Though this teaching strategy shows potential, some have suggested ways to make it even more effective. When teaching multicultural literature, perspective taking can be used with greater success in the classroom when it is grounded in a larger effort towards an ethical approach to [how students respond to the texts] (Thein 313). After conducting a study in several different classrooms to glean how students respond to perspective taking, Thein and Sloan discovered that unless perspective taking is grounded in an ethical approach to response to multicultural texts, students will interpret this strategy to be a rhetorical tool teachers use to persuade them to be polite and politically correct when discussing various aspects of multicultural literature. Various African American students even interpreted perspective taking as a means to get them to act white. Thein and Sloan go on to argue that the central goal of perspective taking is not to teach students how they can kindly or plausibly support their opinions. Additionally, they also state that the purpose perspective taking is not even to ease conflict and encourage an uncritical tolerance of all perspectives (Thein 321). On the contrary, the goal of perspective taking is to furnish students with an opportunity to genuinely contemplate perspectives beyond their own with the purpose of developing views and positions that are malleably situated next to the views and positions of others. (Thein 321). Furthermore, in respose to Theins and Sloans findings which showed how students can misinterpret the purpose of perspective taking, it can be maintained that teachers should implement this teaching strategy only as a component to a

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larger project towards a pedagogy of ethical reading and response (Thein 321). This, of course, begs the question of how to define ethical reading and response? Ethical reading and response has been defined in various ways. Wayne C. Booth, a prominent American literary critic as well as the author of The Company We Keep: an Ethics of Fiction, holds that ethical reading means becoming answerable to othersincluding authors, characters, and other readerin developing interpretations (qtd. in Thein 321). Patricia Enciso, a professor at Ohio State University and author of the article titled Negotiating the meaning of difference: Talking back to multicultural literature submits that ethical reading is defined by encouraging students to situate their own positions towards texts in relation to potential positions of others (Thein 321). Finally, James Phelan, an English professor at Ohio State University and author of the article Reading across Identity Borders, stated that ethical reading means getting beyond [ones] own subjectivities and encountering anothers (qtd. in Thein 321). So essentially, ethically reading and responding to multicultural texts is valuable because students can gain insight and experience though the insights and experiences of other students. Students will be given the chance to evaluate their own understanding or perspective of diversity in relation to the perspectives of others instead of authoritatively or moralistically assuming that [their] beliefs are universally held beliefs (Thein 321). This is valuable because such a strategy helps them to grow and become more prepared to be good citizens, which is one of the goals of education. Ultimately, getting students to become good citizens is an important part of the purpose of education. Becoming a good citizen means fitting a certain type of ethical mold and teachers should help students catch a vision of what being a good citizen means. John Ruskin may have been on to something when he said, to make [young people] capable of honesty, is the

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beginning of education (qtd. in Holland). In an article titled Public Goods, Private Goods: The American Struggle over Educational Goals, David Laboree makes the point that there are three primary goals in education. He states the first two goals as being (1) to train students to become good workers and (2) to teach them how to compete for social positions. The third goal of education is to prepare students to become good citizens. In regards to such a purpose, he had this to say: The best single explanation for the founding and early diffusion of the common schools in this country is that they were seen as an essential to the process of nation building and the related process of training for citizenship. [Horace Mann said,] It may be an easy thing to make a republic, but it is a very laborious thing to make republicans; and woe to the republic that rests upon no better foundations than ignorance, selfishness, and passion. From the perspective of the common school founders, the new American republic in the mid-nineteenth century was still on shaky ground, and its survival depended on a citizenry with a fully developed sense of civic virtue. They felt schools could help counteract the growth of selfishness by distilling in their charges a personal dedication to the public good. They could make republicans who would be able to function in a market economy without losing their sense of citizenship in the commonwealth. (Laboree 44) This quote highlights the fact that our educational system was meant to instill civic virtue or a desire for the public good. The founders of the American educational system believed that producing individuals concerned with civic virtue would be beneficial to American culture as a

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whole. Schools today still pursue this goal. The question that arises, however, is how perspective taking helps students to become better citizens? Perspective taking can help students to become better citizens because it will help them to better understand and negotiate cultural diversity in America today. Just consider that in America, according to DVera Cohn and Tara Bahrampour, Nearly half of children under 5 are racial or ethnic minorities, and the percentage is increasing (qtd. in Norton 1). This statistic shows a need for students to gain more exposure to an ever increasing multicultural America. Gaining such exposure will help them develop socially and become more comfortable and familiar with diversity and people who are different from them. Donna Norton, writer of the book Multicultural Childrens Literature, may have said it best: education should encourage children to accept and be sensitive to cultural diversity, to understand that similar values frequently underlie different customs, to have quality contact with people of other cultures, and to role play experiences involved with other cultures. (2). When coupling perspective taking with ethical reading and response, teachers will be able to help students have the experiences Norton highlights in the above quotation, which will expand and build upon their previous experiences and thus prepare them to become good citizens. Another reason perspective taking can be so valuable is because it gives students the chance to see people of diversity in a new light. This can especially be helpful to students who have grown up hearing xenophobic or racist comments from family and friends. Because it is the microsystem of family and mesosystem of friends and extended family that play such a large role in the crafting of ones ideology and social attitudes, students who grow up hearing racist and xenophobic attitudes will no doubt be affected in various ways (Eggan 65). In this case, perspective taking will provide exposure to diversity and the multicultural world. Having

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students analyze multicultural literature with the tentative language of perspective taking can provide them with an opportunity to acknowledge [their] initial response, [get] a genuine consideration of ideas beyond [their own], [and then get to] return [to their] initial response to consider revisions and perhaps subsequent re-readings (Thein 321). Having this experience will give students the chance to discuss topics such as racism, xenophobia, bigotry, and social class issues, which are topics that manifest themselves scrupulously in multicultural literature. More importantly, however, is that ethical reading and perspective taking, as stated above, will give students the opportunity to consider and tentatively voice their own views on these topics, get beyond their views by considering, those of another, and then come back to their views and contemplate if there are revisions they feel they need to be made, which will help prepare them for a diverse and ever growing multicultural social landscape. Additionally, activities with the stamp of perspective taking and ethical reading and response will help students to develop the traits of good citizenship such as respect, compassion, and courage. Respect and compassion will be fostered as students position themselves in the shoes of ethnic and cultural minorities as well as immigrants. Implementing this approach for teaching seniors in high school would yield the greatest results, because students are more capable of getting beyond egocentrism and they also can think more abstractly and philosophically about ideas. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the years of later adolescence are years where students have Increased concern for others, interest in moral reasoning, [and the] ability to think ideas through from beginning to end. They also tend to engage in the examination of inner experiences (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). All of these reveal that students in their years of later adolescence are more ready to, get outside themselves, consider complex social issues, and embrace social

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conflict rather than look for easy resolutions (Thein 321). Additionally, they are more prepared to think critically about their views in relation to the views of others. In short, the years of later adolescence are years where students are more capable of ethical reading and perspective taking. It isnt that students wouldnt benefit from such a course as juniors, sophomores, and even freshman, but rather it is merely that they stand to benefit from this curriculum most as seniors due to greater brain development. So then, how could a teacher use an ethical approach to perspective taking to teach multicultural literature to high school seniors? Teaching Multicultural Literature with an Ethical Approach to Perspective Taking: How It Can Be Done In teaching texts with an ethical approach to perspective taking, a general format of how to teach texts could be established. Instructors should first formulate questions from the text that relate to social complexities/issues, which when analyzed can provide students with a greater understanding of their world and diversity. After giving students time to answer such questions, teachers could then break students up into groups and instruct them to share their responses, one at a time, to the questions the teacher asked. Because this is an activity meant to provide students with additional perspectives beyond their own, groups should be comprised of no less than four students. Teachers should establish rules and guidelines as they see pertinent to the class. Additionally, educators should make it clear that respecting the opinions and ideas of other students is mandatory to the activity. After giving students time to share their thoughts and opinions with their group members, teachers could give students three to five minutes to write down one or two things they learned from the perspective of another student, which seems unique to them. Teachers could then give

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three or four of the students the opportunity to share what they have recently learned with the entire class. This entire experience will give students the opportunity to consider their own opinions, then consider the thoughts of others, and then come back to their own opinions and contemplate if any revisions need to be made based on what they have just learned from their peers. Teachers could even phrase a question, as a part of their post writing, in the flowing manner: What point or perspective from one of your group membersdifferent from your ownwould you consider adopting into your own perspective or belief system? This could be a valuable experience for students. Spokane Indian Sherman Alexies The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian lends itself well to an ethical approach to perspective taking, partly because it is written by a Native American who grew up on a reservation. This story is about a Native American boy named Junior who, early on in the book, comes to the realization that if he ever wants to live the life he wants, he will need to go to school away from the reservation. He learns this after his teacher at the local reservation high school, Mr. P, comes and tells him that there is no hope left among the people of the reservation. Mr. P tells him, If you stay on this rez theyre going to kill you. Im going to kill you. were all going to kill you. You cant fight us forever youve been fighting since you were born you kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope (Alexie 43). After the main character, Arnold, begins to understand what the teacher is trying to convey, he asks him where hope is as well as who has hope. Mr. P responds by saying, Son Youre going to find more and more hope the farther and farther you walk away from this sad, sad, sad, reservation (Alexie 43). This part of the story strongly conveys the negative influence of living on this particular reservation. Furthermore, when Arnolds mother and father get home, Arnold asks them an interesting question: Who has

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the most hope? (45). After initially being surprised, they answer by saying, simply, White people (45). Inherent in this passage of the book is an opportunity for a rich discussion on social issues. This part of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian presents an important social point in regards to Native Americans, which can lend itself to perspective taking. There are questions to be asked here: 1- Why do you think Mr. P thinks it is important to live where other people have hope? 2- Why did Alexie have the parents say that it is White people that have the most hope? 3- In your experience, do you feel that white people have more hope than other ethnicities? Why or why not? Teachers can use question such as these to begin engaging in an ethical approach to perspective taking. As stated above, educators would give students time to write down their responses to these questions and then break them up into groups, to have them share their responses with other class members. The experience of sharing answers in small groups is the essence of perspective taking. This will give students the opportunity to get beyond their own opinions and encounter the opinion of another. Because every student has different experiences and may come from a diverse background, this will give them the opportunity to consider various viewpoints of what it means to be a Native American from a reservation. Furthermore, an in-depth conversation about the social and psychological factors that play a part in the lives of Native Americans has the potential to increase awareness and empathy, which are both desirable traits for a strong citizen.

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Another worthwhile topic that can be used with perspective taking in The Absolutely True Dairy of a Part-Time Indian could be Indians and alcohol. In the book, several people die, and every death is strongly related to alcohol. Alexie highlights alcohol several times as a focus in the book. He illustrates it clearly as one of the cultural problems of Native Americans. Just after Mary dies (Juniors sister) Junior and his parents go to the cemetery to clean the graves of several of their loved family and friends. While there, Arnold cries as he thinks about his recently deceased sister and how alcohol killed her. He thinks the following to himself: It all made me cry for my sister. It made me cry for myself. But I was crying for my tribe, too. I was crying because I knew five or ten or fifteen more Spokanes would die during the next year, and that most of them would die because of booze. I cried because so many of my fellow tribal members were slowly killing themselves and I wanted them to live. I wanted them to get strong and get sober and get the hell off the rez...I wept and wept and wept because I knew that I was never going to drink and because I was never going to kill myself and because I was going to have a better life out in the white world. (Alexie 216-217) Teachers could use this part of the book to discuss alcohol as one of the cultural scourges for Native Americans. The following are questions teachers could use when teaching this part of the book with perspective taking: 1- Besides the fact that characters are killed because of alcohol, in what other ways does alcohol affect Native Americans adversely; what are the consequences of being an alcoholic?

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2- How did Alexie choose to portray those in the text that were alcoholics? What is significance about the way they were portrayed? Using perspective taking to teach this portion of the book could be valuable for various reasons. Having discussions about alcohol and the adverse effects and consequences thereof will give students an opportunity to internalize some of the problems associated with becoming an alcoholic. Additionally, the second question can be valuable for them to analyze simply because some of the most likable characters had problems with drinking. Here, teachers could guide students to recognize that the alcoholics in the text are more or less victims of a flawed system. To conclude with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, another important concept that Alexie highlights in his book is the difficulty one must face in moving away from ones culture and toward that of another. In going to school off the reservation, Juniors best friend and tribe turn on him and for a while, he becomes an outside in both worlds. Also, from passages in the book, it becomes obvious that he is conflicted about his choice to attend school away from the reservation. At the end of the book, Junior says I would always love and miss my reservation and my tribe. I hoped and prayed that they would someday forgive me for leaving them. I hoped and prayed that I would someday forgive myself for leaving them (230). From this passage and throughout the entire book readers can sense the internal struggle with which Junior must struggle. Furthermore, readers can also gain insight into the courage he has: I realized that I might be a lonely Indian boy, but I was not alone in my loneliness. There were millions of other Americans who had left their birthplaces in search of a dream. I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants (217). Teachers could use these passages and several others like it to demonstrate the courage it may take for one to move away from their culture and thereby

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embrace the American culture. The following is a list of potential meaningful questions teachers could ask when having students engage in perspective taking: 1- Assuming that he does have courage, what would you say is the number one thing that makes Junior courageous? 2- Have you, or someone youve known, ever had to make a choice that caused the loss of a good friend? If so, in what ways was the experience difficult? 3- In what ways can you relate to Junior through the struggles he must face in his life? 4- On page 216, Junior says, I realized that I might be a lonely Indian boy, but I was not alone in my loneliness. There were millions of other Americans who had left their birthplaces in search of a dream. I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants How is this passage relevant to you or your ancestors? (Be as specific as possible.) From these questions, students will be furnished with the opportunity to identify the courage and sacrifice it may take to move from ones own culture and to embrace a new culture. They will also be given the opportunity to identify with the sacrifice Junior and other immigrants or minorities must make if they choose to assimilate to American culture. Another multicultural text that would work well with this this pedagogical approach is a novel written by Japanese author Cynthia Kadohata titled Kira-Kira. The novel is a coming of age story about a Japanese American girl named Katie .Throughout the book, Katies parents struggle to financially make ends meet and must wade through poverty stricken years of scrimping and saving so that they might be able to accomplish their dream of buying their own home. Additionally, Katies sister Lynn, one of the truly beautiful characters in the text, is

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diagnosed with lymphoma and each member of the family must deal with situations or moments of racism. Katies father, Masao Takeshima, is one character that teachers could center their questions around. At one point in the book, Katie and her Father encounter racism as they check into a hotel on their way from Iowa to Georgia. As they walk into the office of the hotel, the employee there to help them fails to even acknowledge their presence and continues a personal conversation on the phone. The text reads, She ignored us, so we waited. I kept looking at my dad to see whether if he was going to try to hurry her along. But he was the most patient man in the world (Kadohata 26-27). The receptionist continues talking for some time until finally she moves the phone from her mouth and says, Indians stay in the back rooms (27). Katie responds to this by saying that they are not Indians, to which the employee replies back by saying, Mexicans too (27). After Katie responds that they are not Mexican either, the woman ignores the comment and changes the subject. She goes on talking on the phone as Masao pays her for the hotel room. Just as Katie and her father are leaving the office the woman calls out to the father saying, Back rooms are two dollars extra (27). At this, Masao does not complain and simply pays the two extra dollars. His sense of honor though subtle, exists in this passage. Soon after Katie asks, How come you gave her two dollars extra? (29). He responds simply by saying, Because you need a place to sleep (29). Throughout the story, Katies father reacts this way toward racism. He never complains and always holds himself with dignity. Toward the end of the book, Katie recognizes that the reason her father maintained this disposition towards people who were racist was because he had learned to accept such behavior as a reality rather than let it bother him.

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Teachers could use the example of Masao to help illustrate the honor and other attributes in the Japanese culture. Additionally, it would be helpful to give students a cursory look into Japanese values and culture before reading Kira-Kira. This will help prepare them for the text. Questions I would use for this text are as follows: 1- What is honor and how is it manifested in Kira-Kira? 2- When confronted with racism, Katies father, Masao, often responds with meekness and dignity. Do you agree or disagree with Masaos response to racism? Why? 3- In your experience, how have you, or people you have known, responded to racism? 4- Describe Masaos relationship to his family. What is good about it? In asking these questions in their perspective taking approach, teachers would be giving students the opportunity to recognize, with the help of other students, various ways honor is manifested in Kira-Kira, and how this manifestation is a reflection of Japanese culture. Students will also be given the opportunity to consider various responses to racism, which may inspire them to revise their own response. Teachers can point out that Masaos response has value in that he remains rational and does not respond with hatred or even indignation. Instead, he endures it stoically so that he can protect or provide for his family. Of course, teachers need not propose that students should unequivocally seek to emulate Masaos response, but rather just point out that there is value in his example and perhaps even in the examples that emanate from other students. The House on Mango Street is another text that could be used well with an ethical approach to perspective taking. Written by Hispanic American Sandra Cisneros, this book highlights the experiences of a teenage girl, Esperanza, living in the poverty stricken Spanish

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quarter of Chicago. Told in a series of vignettes, this story reveals various aspects of Hispanic culture and offers a strong glimpse into the mind of a minority teenager. In one Vignette, Esperanza details her observations of a family living across the street from her. A Spanish man has just brought his wife and young son into the country from Mexico and Esperanza describes what she sees in the familys interactions. Particularly, Esperanza illustrates the mothers desire to preserve her Hispanic culture in the following passage: To break her heart forever, the baby boy who has begun to talk, starts to sing the Pepsi commercial he heard on T.V. No speak English, she says to the child who is singing in the language that sounds like tin. No speak English, no speak English, and bubbles into tears. No, no, no as if she cant believe her ears (Cisneros 78). This passage could be used with the following questions: 1- Does this account influence your feelings about immigrants or even minorities who live in the United States but do not speak English at all? Why or why not? 2- Why do you think it was emotionally distressing for Mamacita to see her son singing in English? 3- What is the significance of this passage? How is it relevant to us today as readers? These questions could be used to help students analyze racial intolerance that is seen at times in our society. Students would be able to consider Mamacitas internal struggle to preserve her culture for both her and her baby boy. Additionally, this passage could be used as a springboard for a discussion about the difficulties associated with assimilation. Furthermore, students would be given the opportunity to see many different perspectives in relation to culture preservation as well as the issue of assimilation vs. multiculturalism.

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The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez is another book that could be used well with perspective taking. The autobiographical account portrays Jimenezs early life and the struggles he and his family faced in migrating from Mexico to America. Essentially, there are various accounts in this text that could be used to help students develop a positive or healthy view of diversity. One account in the book has Jimenez describing his perception of coming to America as a young boy: I heard it for the first time back in the late 1940s when papa and mama told me and Roberto, my oldest brother, that someday we would take a long trip north, cross la frontera, enter California, and leave our poverty behind. I did not know exactly what California was either, but papas eyes sparkled whenever he talked about it with mama and his friends. Once we cross la frontera, well make a good living in California life will be better there. (1-2) This quotation captures the spirit of Jimenezs book. This is a story about a family who, looking for a better life and future, immigrate to the United States in hopes of breaking the chains of poverty and deprivation. Essentially, this is a story about a family seeking the American dream. This text could be used to both analyze and make students more mindful of xenophobia. Teachers could preface this text with the poem by Emma Lazarus titled The New Colossus, which, inscribed on a plaque at the statue of liberty, invites the tired, poor [and] huddled masses yearning to breathe free. to immigrate to America. The following are questions teachers could ask students: 1- How has The Circuit influenced your perception on people immigrating to America? 2- How is the American dream manifested in The Circuit?

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3- How does this text influence your perception of xenophobic tendencies? 4- In what ways can xenophobic tendencies be a hindrance to society? Having students answer such questions along with having them tentatively discuss their responses with the peers in their assigned groups would give them the chance to become more knowledgeable about immigrants, especially if students have family or friends who have immigrated to the United States. Because of this, teachers should make groups as diverse as possible. Additionally, juxtaposing this text with The New Colossus and then letting students discuss it in groups may help them to relate to immigrants, both in and outside the classroom, seeing that their ancestors likely immigrated to the U.S as well. Night, written by Elie Wiesel, is another text that could be used. The book is an account of Wiesels personal experiences in a Nazi concentration camp when he was but a teenager. At one point in the book he writes about being driven from Auschwitz to another concentration camp in the winter of 1944. Wiesel recounts that the cold was so bad that at every step [of the march], somebody fell down and ceased to suffer (Wiesel 110). After marching in the cold for hours on end, the prisoners finally reach the new camp and are forced into a small barracks. Wiesel points out that both living and dead bodies were thrown on top of him inside the barracks. After clawing and fighting his way from the bottom of the heap of bodies, Wiesel recounts that he heard a violin playing. Recognizing it as his friends, Julieks, he listens in the darkness as Juliek plays a fragment of Beethovens concerto. He concludes the account with the following words: The darkness enveloped us. All I could hear was the violin, and it was as if Julieks soul had become his bow. He was playing his life. His whole being was

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gliding over the strings. His unfulfilled hopes. His charred past, his extinguished future. He played that which he would never play again I dont know how long he played. I was overcome by sleep. When I awoke at daybreak, I saw Juliek facing me, hunched over, dead. (113) This is a powerful passage dealing with human suffering. Essentially, this passage reflects not only the spirit of Juliek, but of countless millions who also did not survive the concentration camps of Nazi Germany during World War II. Teachers could use this passage with questions relating to human suffering and dehumanization. The following questions could be used to help generate the change in perception that can come with perspective taking: 1- How is humanity manifested in this passage or throughout the book? 2- What is it about this passage that transcends race, religion, and ethnicity? 3- What do you think are the effects of dehumanization on both the dehumanized and as well as the dehumanizers? Why do you think it is inherently wrong to dehumanize another person? Asking questions such as these would give students the opportunity to discuss human nature and the universality, or likeness, of man and womankind. They would also be able to discuss humanity and thus see various perspectives of what it is or how it is manifested. Finally, students would also be given the chance to analyze dehumanization and the effects thereof on those involved. American Born Chinese is another book that would work well in a pedagogical approach to perspective taking. The book is a graphic novel wherein the lives of three characters (Jin,

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Danny, and the Monkey King) are woven together. The message of the story is being happy about who you are, no matter what your race, ethnicity, or species. From a specific standpoint, Jin becomes discouraged that he cant fit in with some of the white kids, which leads to him turning into the white version of himself, Danny. At the end of the story, the Monkey King, who himself had at one time been ashamed to be a monkey, comes to Jin/Danny to help teach him a valuable lesson. The Monkey King tells him, You know, Jin, I would have saved myself from five hundred years imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey (Yang 223). By the end of the story, Jin grows to be proud to be Chinese. Teachers could use the following questions when teaching American Born Chinese with perspective taking: 1- What is it about your race, religion, culture, or ethnicity that you are you most proud of? Why? 2- Why is it valuable to take pride in your race, religion, ethnicity, and culture? 3- Should ethnic Americans be proud of their culture? Having students share their answers in groups would be beneficial for a few reasons. For starters, giving students the chance to hear how what makes a particular student proud to be Hispanic, Jewish, or whatever, would give them a chance to see diversity in a positive light. Additionally, giving students the chance to voice what they are proud of would in the cultivation of their identity. Using an ethical approach to perspective taking to teach multicultural literature to high school seniors will be a beneficial experience for them. Through this pedagogical approach,

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students will be given the opportunity to become more familiar with diversity and develop a greater understanding of the social dynamics of the United Stated. Such familiarity and understanding will help them to see the big picture and have a greater understanding diversity. Furthermore, their ability to see the big picture will improve their readiness for active citizenship un the United States . Ultimately, educators would do well to endeavor to bring about such results. An ethical approach to perspective taking should be seriously considered, no matter what stage of their career teachers find themselves in. Bell Hooks may have said it best: All of us in the [teaching] academy and culture are called to renew our minds if we are to transform educational institutionsand society (34). Ultimately, a renewal of pedagogy in the classroom may certainly be the right step toward educational and societal transformation.

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Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Boston: Little, Brown And Company, 2007. Print. Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Print. Classroom Activities on Perspective Taking. Conflict Resolution Education. CReducation.org, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Eggan, Paul and Don Kauchak. Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms. 8th ed. New Jersey: Merrill, 2010. Print. Francisco Jimenez. The Circuit. New York: University of New Mexico Press, 1998. Print. Holland, Jeffery R. Oh, Lord, Keep My Rudder True. Byu Speeches. Brigham Young University, 21 Jan. 1986. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Hooks, Bell. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. New York: Routledge, 1994. Print. Laboree, David F. Public Goods, Private Goods: The American Struggle over Educational Goals. American Educational Research Journal 34.1 (1997): 39-81. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 March 2013. Lazarus, Emma. The New Colossus. Virginia University, n.d. Web. 1 Apr 2013. Perspective Taking. Glossary of Education. Education.com, n.d. Web. 4 Mar. 2013.

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Norton, Donna. Multicultural Childrens Literature: Through the Eyes of Many Children. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson, 2009. Print. Thein, Amanda Haertling, and DeAnn Long Sloan. "Towards an Ethical Approach to Perspective-Taking and the Teaching of Multicultural Texts: Getting Beyond Persuasion, Politeness and Political Correctness." Changing English: Studies In Culture & Education 19.3 (2012): 313-324. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. What is Adolescence? Office of Population Affairs. United States Government, n.d. Web. 2 March 2013. Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. Print. Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. New York: Square Fish, 2006. Print.

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