The American Indian Education KnowledgeBase : Element 4 : Activity 1 : Task 2: Avoid Biased Teaching and Stereotypes
Guideline: Misperceptions of American Indians abound in western culture. Some such stereotypes have carried over into educational practices and curriculum. Images such as American Indians wearing feathers, living in a tipi, making whooping sounds, and being associated with Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims do not present children with an accurate portrayal of native people. For this reason, it is important for educators to study American Indians in a way that allows students to see the diversity and uniqueness of the individual tribes.
A checklist of "Do's and Don'ts" with approriate methods to use when teaching about Native Americans.
From McREL, "this self-reflection journaling tool is intended to provide teachers and their colleagues with the opportunity to reflect on cultural differences between themselves and their students and to consider alternative interaction styles and contexts for learning."
A teaching resource from Tolerance.org highlighting the Public Agenda research report Walking a Mile. "The research explores Indian's perceptions of their place in contemporary American society and how non-Indians view American Indians, what they know (or think they know), the generalizations they make and stereotypes they hold, how their perceptions were formed and their interest in learning more." The classroom activity is oriented towards secondary level students.
This article from the Council on Interracial Books for Children provides guidance in selecting bias-free reading materials for children.
This article by Cornel Peweward in the April 1998 issue of Equity & Excellence in Education discusses how Indians are often presented in a stereotyped fashion in classroom curriculum.
Developing and maintaining an environment that enhances diversity and tolerance requires an informed staff members. Including content on diversity and tolerance is an important part of a staff development program. Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, offers staff development suggestions and resources in their guide "Responding to Hate at School." School district staff members responsible for harassment issues will find the content useful with their program planning.
This website offers for suggestions and resources for how to fairly and accurately select American Indian books for libraries, schools and homes. This page has been compiled Kay Marie Porterfield and Emory Dean Keoke, authors of The Encyclopedia Of American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of Inventions and Innovations.
Developed by the Department of Teaching and Learning Technologies at the University of Nevada, Reno this resource provides information on the typical stereotypes associated with Native Americans.
Orignally authored as part of an ERIC Digest, "this digest gives teachers realistic information about this growing population. It identifies some of the common myths about American Indians and Alaska Natives that contribute to curriculum bias. The concluding discussion suggests activities and resources to help elementary students--and their teachers--understand the realities of how Indians live today and how they lived in the past."
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