Becoming a Multicultural Faculty Developer: Reflections from the Field

Abstract

Becoming a rnulticultmal faculty developer: Reflections from the field. In M. Kaplan (Ed.), To Improve the Academy, Vol. 17 (pp. 15-34). Stillwater, OK: New Fonnns Press and the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education.

9: Operational Diversity: Saying What We Mean, Doing What We Say

“…As we sought to implement this organizational change, it became very important to identify and acknowledge the organizational structure and culture of our center so that the process we had embarked upon would not only reflect and affirm that organization, but would also illuminate areas for change. This notion is congruent with much of the diversity, multicultural education, and organizational change literature, which argues for both institutions and individuals to begin their work in this arena by first examining themselves (Gay, 2000;Gillespie, 2000;Kardia, 1998;Laylock, 2000;Marchesani & Adams, 1992;Senge, 1990;Watkins & Marsick, 1993).…”

“…To paraphrase social activist and educator Myles Horton (1990), we felt we knew the basic reasons for our problems, but we wanted to get further than that. As a result, we began to take intentional steps to expand our knowledge, skills, and understanding of ourselves (Kardia, 1998;Marchesani & Adams, 1992), and also to articulate our assump-tions and document our efforts so that they are subject to review and critical examination (Banks, 1998). Without a singular measure of inclusiveness as a basis for assessing our work, we began assembling our expressed beliefs, records of actions taken, assessments, and reflections into the Inclusive Practices Portfolio.…”

13: The Role of a Teaching Center in Curricular Reform

“…Instructional consultants can also provide assistance with multicultural teaching and learning, such as fostering an inclusive classroom climate, teaching students with a variety of learning preferences or needs, and handling sensitive topics and emotional discussions in the classroom (e.g., Border & Chism, 1992;Cook & Sorcinelli, 1999;Kardia, 1998;Ouellett & Sorcinelli, 1998). CRLT often provides assistance of this nature, as indicated in the anonymous school example above.…”

3: On the Path: POD as a Multicultural Organization

“…Equally important is to engage in candid dialogues with peers or students who have traditionally been seated on the "outside aisles" of our institutions. Lower-risk activities could involve expanding our knowledge base (Kardia, 1998) by bringing the scholarship of diversity into conversations or attending a workshop.…”