Anti-arab https://www.morningsidecenter.org/ en Ahmed & the Clock https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/ahmed-clock <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Ahmed &amp; the Clock</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>Gathering</h4> <p>Ask students to turn to a partner and talk about something they're good at.&nbsp;&nbsp; How does it make them feel to do this thing well?</p> <p>Ask students to share their feelings about the things they are good at with the larger group.&nbsp; Create a word web by writing "What I'm good at" at the center of the board or chart paper, circling it, and writing the various feelings words radiating out from the center in one color.&nbsp; Draw lines from the feelings words to the center circle to create the web.&nbsp;</p> <h4><br> Check Agenda and Objectives</h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> Muslim Teen Arrested: &nbsp;Feelings Web</h4> <p>In small groups invite students to first read the tweets in <strong><u><span style="color:#000000;"><a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/files/%231%20%20TWEETS%20ABOUT%20AHMED%20MOHAMED.pdf">HANDOUT 1</a></span></u><span style="color:#000000;">,</span></strong> then discuss:</p> <ul> <li>What do they think these tweets are about?</li> <li>What story in the news are they referring to?</li> <li>How do the people in the tweets feel?</li> <li>How do you feel about what happened?</li> </ul> <p>Elicit and explain that on September 14, 2015, Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim boy from Irving, Texas, made a clock using a circuit board and a digital display that he put in a metal case. Ahmed has always loved building things and was part of the robotics club in middle school, where he won awards for his inventions.&nbsp;</p> <p>He brought the clock to school in the hope of finding like-minded people during his first few weeks of high school.&nbsp; Instead, his engineering teacher told him to put his invention away and advised him not to show it to anyone else. Then his English teacher confiscated the clock after it beeped in class. The teacher took the clock for a bomb and alerted the school's administration, who sprang into action and called the police.&nbsp;</p> <p>After being questioned at the school about the device, Ahmed was taken in handcuffs to a juvenile detention center, where he was fingerprinted and interrogated further by five police officers about what some officials called a hoax bomb.&nbsp; Throughout it all Ahmed insisted the device was a clock.&nbsp;</p> <p>After this incident, Ahmed's older sisters created a Twitter hashtag called #IStandWithAhmed. &nbsp;There has been an outpouring of support for Ahmed on Twitter ever since. &nbsp;Many of the quotes we read in the handout were from this hashtag.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Feelings Web continued</h4> <p>Having elicited what happened in Irving, Texas, ask students their thoughts and feelings about what happened. Ask:</p> <p>How do you think Ahmed Mohamed felt when he was building the clock and first brought it into school in the morning?&nbsp;</p> <p>Add these feelings words to the chart from before, using the same color.&nbsp;</p> <p>Then ask students how they think Ahmed felt when the teacher first told him to hide it and not show anyone.&nbsp;</p> <p>What about when the other teacher confiscated it?&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>And then when he was questioned at school ... put into handcuffs ... and taken to the juvenile detention center?&nbsp;</p> <p>Chart the feelings words in a different color around the words already charted on the board.&nbsp;</p> <p>Now ask students to look at the feelings web.&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What do they notice about the web?&nbsp;&nbsp;</li> <li>Any similarities, differences, surprises?</li> <li>Has anyone in this class ever been made to feel bad about something they were good at or something they were proud of?&nbsp; What was that like?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> <strong>Wider issues</strong></h4> <p>Tell students that it's important to support people, young and old, who have been the target of discrimination and injustice. &nbsp;We also need to consider how these instances of discrimination relate to wider issues we need to address as a society. Ask students to read the tweets included in <u><strong><span style="color:#000000;"><a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/sites/default/files/files/%232%20TWEETS%20ABOUT%20AHMED%20MOHAMED.pdf">HANDOUT 2</a></span></strong></u><span style="color:#000000;">.</span></p> <p>Then ask students to discuss the following:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about these tweets?</li> <li>Can anyone relate to the tweets in any way?</li> <li>Has anyone ever heard the term Islamophobia?&nbsp; What does it mean?<br> &nbsp;</li> </ul> <hr> <h4><br> Defining Islamophobia</h4> <p>Take the word apart if needed: Islam + phobia.&nbsp;</p> <p>What is Islam? According to Merriam Webster, Islam is:</p> <p class="rteindent1">"the religion which teaches that there is only one God and that Muhammad is God's prophet: the religion of Muslims."&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>What is a phobia? &nbsp;According to Merriam Webster, a phobia is:</p> <p class="rteindent1">"an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something<strong>:</strong>&nbsp; an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation."</p> <p>Based on these definitions, ask students to try to come up with a definition of Islamophobia as you keep in mind some of the definitions below:</p> <p>According to CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) <u>Islamophobia</u> is closed-minded prejudice against or hatred of Islam and Muslims. An Islamophobe is an individual who holds a closed-minded view of Islam and promotes prejudice against or hatred of Muslims.</p> <p>According to Oxforddictionaries.com, Islamophobia is "dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force."</p> <p>Islamophobia, then, is an attitude or belief about Islam and Muslims. Attitudes and beliefs often determine our actions.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students to think about how some teachers, administrators, and police behaved in the case of Ahmed Mohamed.&nbsp; Ask:</p> <ul> <li>What do you think might have been the underlying beliefs and attitudes of the teachers, administrators and police in this incident?</li> <li>Do you think Islamophobia was displayed in this case? Why or why not?&nbsp;</li> <li>Can you identify discriminatory actions in this case? If so, what are they?</li> <li>Can you relate this to any other beliefs and attitudes that people have about other groups in our society?&nbsp; Who are the groups?&nbsp; What are the negative beliefs and attitudes called?&nbsp; (Examples could include people of color and racism, women and sexism, Jews and anti-Semitism, gays and homophobia, young people and ageism, etc.)</li> </ul> <p>Invite students to raise their hand if they've ever been at the receiving end of discriminatory actions. &nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students to turn to a partner to talk about the experience - or talk about a time in their lives when they've witnessed a discriminatory action.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ask some volunteers to share out their experience.&nbsp; What do students think were the assumptions and/or beliefs that the people who discriminated had in these situations?&nbsp; &nbsp;How do such assumptions and/or beliefs come into being?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>I'm Muslim, But I'm Not ...</h4> <p>Invite students to watch this 2-minute video clip, which aims to challenge stereotypes and biases against Muslims:</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedVideo/videos/1828085753998965/?fref=nf">https://www.facebook.com/BuzzFeedVideo/videos/1828085753998965/?fref=nf</a></p> <p>Then ask students to discuss some or all of the following questions:</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this clip?</li> <li>How does this relate to what happened to Ahmed Mohamed?</li> <li>What did you notice about the people in this clip?</li> <li>What stood out for you about this clip?</li> <li>Did anything in the clip surprise you?&nbsp;</li> <li>What did you learn from this clip?</li> <li>How do you think this clip relates to what we just talked about regarding Islamophobia?</li> </ul> <p>Alternatively, have students view and discuss this 1-minute clip of Ahmed Mohamed speaking to reporters.</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/910489299041195/?fref=nf">https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/910489299041195/?fref=nf</a><br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students:&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>What are your thoughts and feelings about this clip?</li> <li>What stood out for you about this clip?</li> <li>What surprised you about this clip?&nbsp;</li> <li>How do you think Ahmed Mohamed is feeling in this clip?</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>I Stand With Ahmed and Then Some</h4> <p>Have students work with a partner or small groups to create a tweet in which they either stand up for Ahmed Mohamed or stand up against Islamophobia. Invite students to read out their tweets.</p> <p>After students read their tweets, ask the rest of the class to share how listening to these tweets made them feel. Create a new feelings web, or add to the one you created earlier, using another color.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Closing</h4> <p>Ask a student to read the following quote from the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/17/ahmed-mohamed-is-tired-excited-to-meet-obama-and-wants-his-clock-back">Guardian</a> out loud:</p> <p style="margin-left:.25in;"><em>"It's worth it, once you realize what you're fighting for," says Ahmed Mohamed. And what is he fighting for? He looks around the room, and like any American 14-year-old grappling with issues beyond his control, he answered with the rising inflection of a question. "Not just for Muslims?" he said. "But for anybody who has been through this?"</em></p> <p>Invite students to take a deep breath and think about one thing they learned today.&nbsp; Ask a few volunteers to share.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2015-09-19T10:59:05-04:00" title="Saturday, September 19, 2015 - 10:59">September 19, 2015</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Sat, 19 Sep 2015 14:59:05 +0000 fionta 441 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Countering Anti-Muslim & Anti-Arab Bias in School https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/countering-anti-muslim-anti-arab-bias-school <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Countering Anti-Muslim &amp; Anti-Arab Bias in School</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p class="byline">As educators, it's our responsibility to act boldly and courageously to ensure that our schools are safe places, physically and psychologically, for all of our children.&nbsp;</p> <p>Below are guidelines first developed in the wake of 9/11 that continue to be useful in making sure that students who are Muslim, Arab American or South Asian do not become targets of bias and misunderstanding.</p> <p>The suggestions address two related and immediate challenges: to make our schools safe and supportive environments for youngsters with these backgrounds; and to prevent and counter expressions of bias against these groups in any school.</p> <div align="center"> <hr align="center" noshade="noshade" size="2" width="100%"></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4 class="byline"><strong>STOP OPPRESSIVE BEHAVIOR</strong></h4> <p class="byline">Oppressive behavior can take many forms, ranging from hurtful remarks made in ignorance to insults, threats, and physical violence. The appropriate adult response depends on the behavior and its intent. Below are some things to keep in mind:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Don't let offensive behavior go by.</strong>&nbsp;No one deserves to be insulted, threatened or mistreated for any reason, including his ethnic or cultural background, religion, or beliefs. As discussed above, Arab American, Muslim, and South Asian American youngsters may feel especially vulnerable at this time.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Interrupt inappropriate behavior in a positive, matter-of-fact way.</strong>&nbsp;If you make a big deal out of a minor incident, you may further embarrass the targeted student and induce guilt and defensiveness in the student responsible for the offending behavior. Neither of those outcomes will be helpful long-term. Normal school policies and practices (for example, rules against put-downs or fighting) apply to most of the situations that will arise, and should be invoked as appropriate. Whenever possible, try to give the impression that you are going about business as usual.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>See the incident as a teaching opportunity.</strong>&nbsp;Your first responsibility is to protect the targeted student by stopping the behavior or supporting the student in standing up for herself. Your second task, equally important, is to educate the student who made the offending remark or action (and any other classmates who might have observed the interchange).</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>No shame, no blame.</strong>&nbsp;We all have misinformation and uninformed attitudes about people from other cultural backgrounds. None of us were born with these attitudes. We've learned them from growing up in our society. It isn't our fault that we have these biases. But it's our responsibility to educate ourselves and others so that our views correspond as closely as possible to reality.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Maintain a positive and non-judgmental tone.</strong>&nbsp;A student who has made an offending remark will be most likely to learn from your intervention and change his or her behavior in the future if you don't appear overly serious or agitated.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Use strategies to reduce defensiveness.</strong>&nbsp;If it seems appropriate to have a discussion with a student who has made an offensive remark, try to have the talk at a time and in a setting where the student will feel most comfortable. For example, a one-on-one chat in a private setting at a later time may be more productive than a confrontation in the heat of the moment where the student may feel the need to save face in front of his peers.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Listen actively.</strong>&nbsp;To help a student who is acting inappropriately toward other students because of their background, you need to establish rapport with the student and find out where he or she is coming from. To do this, you need to open up communication. This may involve acknowledging the student's feelings ("I can see you're angry"); asking the student to share more ("Please tell me more about what you're feeling"); probing gently ("Why are you angry at your classmate _______?") If the student is willing to open up and give you insight into what motivated the behavior, you'll be in a better position to give her a hand and ensure that the behavior doesn't occur again in the future.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Be firm in asserting that students must treat each other with respect.</strong>&nbsp;By listening actively, you will communicate that you care about the student and his feelings. You will understand better why the student acted as he did. But understanding where someone is coming from doesn't mean you accept the behavior.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Recognize your own need for support.</strong>&nbsp;Feelings will come up in your students and in yourself. Feelings go with the territory when you deal with issues of diversity. In the wake of traumatic events, we all need extra emotional support from family, friends, and colleagues, we'll be better able to deal well with children's feelings—and with the misbehavior that may sometimes be related to them.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Don't be paralyzed by fear of making mistakes.</strong>&nbsp;In working on issues of diversity and developing relationships with people whose backgrounds are different from our own, we will inevitably make errors. We'll say things that we wish we could retract. But most people are eager to look beyond our mistakes and give us the benefit of the doubt if our interest in them is genuine and our minds and hearts are open to understanding another culture.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Share experiences with colleagues.</strong>&nbsp;Don't work in isolation. The work is too challenging to go it alone. Let your colleagues know about what's happening in your classroom. Share your feelings. Brainstorm effective solutions to problems.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Educate yourself</strong>&nbsp;about the underlying issues raised by the latest news.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div align="center"> <hr align="center" noshade="noshade" size="2" width="100%"></div> <p class="byline">&nbsp;</p> <h4 class="byline"><strong>PREVENT HARASSMENT</strong></h4> <p class="byline"><strong>1. Convene a meeting to engage staff in addressing the issue</strong></p> <p class="byline">At a meeting of all adults in a school (or after-school program), the principal or program director should make a strong statement that innocent people must not be blamed for the acts of others and that it's the responsibility of all adults in the school to ensure that the school is a safe place for all children. Harassment, insults, and hate speech are not acceptable responses to a tragic event.</p> <p>The staff might then share any incidents that have already occurred. If time permits, the staff might discuss these incidents. For example, the adult sharing an incident might describe how she handled it. Then staff might work in pairs or small groups to discuss their ideas for dealing with the incident. Following their conversations in pairs, the staff might discuss the pros and cons of various approaches.</p> <p>The meeting should produce agreement on concrete steps the school will take to prevent harassment. These steps might include communicating a clear message to students, engaging student leaders, reaching out to parents, and mobilizing community support. (See below.)</p> <p><strong>2. Communicate a clear message to students</strong></p> <p>The principal might appear in each classroom, make a brief statement, and co-lead a discussion with the teacher. Or teachers might make the statements and hold discussions with their classes. The particular needs of the school will determine the best approach. It's tricky: You don't want to put ideas in students' heads; but you don't want to wait for a negative incident to occur before you do something.</p> <p><strong>3. Engage student leaders</strong></p> <p>A student council already in place may or may not be the best vehicle for mobilizing student leadership. We heard of a middle school with a large Arab American population in which a dean brought together a representative group of student leaders after September 11 to engage their classmates in raising funds for victims' families and creating a "wall of peace" of students' artwork. The group included Arab American students, but also, intentionally, some "negative leaders" ("my troublemakers," as the dean called them). The dean's approach was excellent, for research shows that one of the best ways to overcome bias and stereotypes is for people of different backgrounds to work together toward a common goal.</p> <p><strong>4. Reach out to parents</strong></p> <p>The principal can write a letter to all parents expressing the school's commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students, outlining the steps the staff is taking, and asking for the parents' support.&nbsp;The principal, teachers, and guidance counselors might also organize a school-wide parent meeting to hear parents' concerns and discuss these and other issues arising from the tragedy.</p> <p><strong>5. Mobilize community support</strong></p> <p>We have heard of instances in which Arab American children were harassed on the way to school, not by other students but by members of the community. To address this kind of harassment, the principal, parent leaders, and school staff will have to reach out to community leaders, storekeepers, police officers, local clergy, and other people influential in the community, and enlist their support to ensure children's safety.</p> <p><strong>6. Provide opportunities for learning more</strong></p> <p>Schools are natural places for young people (as well as school staff, parents, and members of the community) to learn about political and social issues that affect them. Schools can organize teach-ins, forums, and video presentations, drawing on experts from local universities and community leaders of Arab, South Asian, and Muslim backgrounds.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2013-04-24T01:00:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - 01:00">April 24, 2013</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 +0000 fionta 586 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org