Race & learning: Introduction

How does My Skin Affect My Brain?
—A Self-Exploration on Race/ethnicity & Learning of Hispanic College Students

Introduction

By

Maricela Gonzalez (Undergraduate student)
Alma Hernandez (Undergraduate student)
Dr. Dengting Boyanton (Instructor)
EDCI 4322-01 Human Development & Instruction

Race/ethnicity affects learning in many different ways. These personal qualities make up our uniqueness. A person's race/ ethnicity is at the very core of who we are in this world. Within the social structure of the world, it is by our race/ethnicity that we have been categorized, and we tend to behave and react based on that even in the classroom. For example, if you are the only black student in a classroom full of white students- you may experience social isolation. Once that isolation manifests, it may inhibit your thinking which could effect the learning process and block you from gaining further enrichment.

It appears that our society does have different expectations for certain race/ethnicity of students and these are guided or influenced by the racial stereotypes. I believe race/ethnicity highly influences learning to some degree. Certain ethnicities are expected more of when it comes to academic progress, while other races give little if any expectations. Below are several examples:

Asians

Asian students are stereotyped to be smarter and good at math.

…the Asian are very smart people. They are always very discipline when it comes to learning. Even though this may not be true, the society has implement that way of thinking. –Tyra, February 19, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

Asians are drilled about education since the very beginning. They see education as the highest priority. They don’t let anything come between education and themselves. Since Asian society sees education as a top priority, they have many resources available to them so they can succeed. –Shirley, February 18, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

Caucasians

Caucasians are said to be well spoken.

Does society have different expectations for different races. I truly believe it does it has always been a white mans country. White people are always treated different. They are always with greater incomes. I think its all stereotype but it still affect our society.–Tyra, February 19, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

Caucasians also value education. However, I believe they are not as strict about it as the Asian community. Seeing it as a top priority, they also try to advance and progress. They also have many resources at their disposal. —Shirley, February 18, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

African Americans

The African Americans are seen as the lazy and always on welfare people.
…

How do these stereotypes affect students such as their confidence, expectation, and motivation to learn? Do these stereotypes affect their learning? The answer is yes.

Race and ethnicity definitely effects learning because it can create obstacles or open doors to opportunities in life. I believe that race and ethnicity can affect people differently depending on their attitudes and self identity about life. One can take race and ethnicity in a negative or positive way towards life.—Jacky, February 15, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

We live in multicultural place, referring to the huge diversity of people that we can find around us, but sadly we are not able to understand it and to accept it. Without knowing we may be causing a great damage in the educational and self development of a person by labeled it with some characteristic that we do not have.—Nanynka, Feb 13, 2008, EDCI 4322-01

Unfortunately we all tend to stereotype without really knowing the person, we judge by first impressions our by what we have heard from certain races or ethnicities. People tend to only acknowledge or point out bad things about others, it's sad but that how it really goes.

"Prejudice, do we all have these misconceptions or hatred toward those that are different from us? I’d like to think not but unfortunately this is not a perfect world and there are imperfect people all around us and even within us,” said Joshua Price, an undergraduate student from 4322-60 class

Then we started talking about diversity and its complicity. Diversity can be as complicated as a labyrinth, especially here in the United States where there is a big mixture of cultures. Thankfully all humans are different and not only physically. Humans are different in the way they think, in what they believe, how they learn, how they communicate, sexual preferences, etc. Diversity should enrich a country, but not the opposite of it. All it takes is respect of one another. People have been immigrating to the United States looking for freedom and territory, but basically most of them come in search of a better life. I don’t understand how some people can possibly think that their race is better than any other one. We are all equal, yes different but we all have the same value. It does not matter if you are a woman; belong to a minority ethnic group, if you are gay or lesbian, or if you have any kind of disability: we all deserve equal treatment.

This week, we will explore the effect of race on our learning through reflecting our own ethnicity as being Hispanics. Several questions we will explore through this issue are:

1. How aware are we of our ethnicity and its stereotypes?
2. What are the stereotypes about Hispanic?
3. How do those stereotypes affect us?
4. What can we do to fight against the racial stereotypes?