Title: Students Thinking About Citizenship in Canada and Russia
1Students Thinking About Citizenship in Canada
and Russia
- Alan Sears
- Faculty of Education
- University of New Brunswick
- Fredericton, NB
- Canada
- asears_at_unb.ca
2The Burgess Shale
3Intelligence Testing
4The Cognitive Revolution
- Individuals do not just react to or perform in
the world they posses minds and these minds
contain images, schemes, pictures, frames,
languages, ideas, and the like. - Many early representations are extremely
powerful and prove very difficult to change. . .
If one wants to educate for genuine
understanding, then, it is important to identify
these early representations, appreciate their
power, and confront them directly and
repeatedly. - Howard Gardner
5The Spirit of Democracy
- A few years ago, we witnessed a compelling
appeal from some Argentinean educators working to
foster an emerging democratic culture in their
country. Dont teach us about the structures of
democracy, they said, we know all about the
structures of democracy teach us the spirit of
democracy. Their appeal captured the essence of
concerns that we had been exploring with our
colleagues in the Russian Association for Civic
Education. Thus, was born the organizing idea
for this project to focus not on sterile
mechanisms such as how elections are conducted or
bills passed, but on the ideas and principles
which underpin them and infuse them with
vitality to develop an approach which will
foster the democratic spirit.
6Key Ideas
- Privacy
- The consent of the governed and the right to
dissent - Respect for diversity
- Equality/Equity
- Due process
- Fundamental freedoms
- Loyalty
- Responsibility
- The common good
- The goal is to assist students understand the
ideas to consider their origins and their
evolution the tensions between and among them
their relevance in the structuring and
restructuring of civic life their value in
molding the principles of how we might live
together in neighbourhoods, national states and
the global community.
7The Centrality of Diversity
- In Public Policy Canada is distinctive in the
extent to which it has not only legislated but
also constitutionalized practices of
accommodation. Kymlicka, 2003 - In Education The program of studies emphasizes
how diversity and differences are assets that
enrich our lives. Students will have
opportunities to value diversity, to recognize
differences as positive attributes and to
recognize the evolving nature of individual
identities. Alberta Learning (2003)
8The Russian Context
- Emerging democracy in Russia few democratic
institutions, weak civil society - Soviet heritage of submerging ethnic differences
- Desire for recognition/accommodation by ethnic
groups - Shortage of trained teachers and good materials
for teaching democratic civic education
"The Russian Federation has significant ethnic
diversity. Twenty-eight million people belong
to more than 100 different ethnic groups. One
hundred twenty million people identify
themselves as Russians.
One can conclude that modern Russia can be
characterized by growing ethnic tensions and a
lack of critical public discussion of these
tensions and government strategy in the field.
Froumin, 2004
9Diversity Meets Standards
- NCSS standards
- Students will be able to
- Explain and give examples of how language,
literature, the arts, architecture, other
artefacts, traditions, beliefs, values, and
behaviours contribute to the development and
transmission of culture. - Articulate the implications of cultural
diversity, as well as cohesion, within and across
groups. (p. 79)
10Diversity Meets Standards
- Atlantic Provinces standards
- By the end of grade 6 will be expected to
- Describe the influences that shape personal
identity - Identify examples of informal and formal groups
to which they belong and describe the function of
those groups - Use examples of material and non-material
elements of culture to explain the concept of
culture - Discuss why and how stereotyping, discrimination,
and pressures to conform can emerge and how they
affect and individual - Describe how culture is preserved, modified and
transmitted and - Describe the multicultural, multiracial and
multi-ethnic character of Canadian society.
11The Study
- Purpose
- To discover and illustrate the range of
conceptions about ethnic diversity held by
students in grades seven and eight in Canada and
Russia.
- Research Question
- What are childrens conceptions of ethnic
diversity?
When we actually ask students what they think,
we often find that our premises are in serious
need of revision. Barton and Levstik, 2004
12Subsidiary Questions
- In what ways do children understand ethnic
diversity? - Do children make distinctions between different
ethnic groups in Canada and Russia? - What are the conceptions that frame these
distinctions? - Do their understandings of ethnic diversity
include conceptions of accommodation? - Are children open to different levels of
accommodation for different ethnic groups? - Do children make distinctions, in terms of rights
or privileges, between different ethnic groups in
Canada?
13Phenomenograpy
- Phenomenography is an empirically based
approach that aims to identify the qualitatively
different ways in which different people
experience, perceive, conceptualize and
understand various kinds of phenomena (Marton,
1986, 1988).
14Semi Projective Stimuli
- In most cases, the phenomengraphic interview is
structured around a concept-specific stimulus or
springboard. - Sometimes participant produced drawings, written
responses to stimuli, or dramatizations are used
in conjunction with interviews. - The reason for using a stimulus is to provide a
situation that makes some connection to the
participants life world.
15Canadian Stimulus 1
These girls were told that they are not allowed
to wear their headscarves in school.
16Canadian Stimulus 2
These boys want to be exempt from their schools
No Hats rule.
17Canadian Stimulus 3
Coach Fired for not Speaking French
A championship basketball coach was fired from an
all-French school near Moncton because he
couldnt speak French. The principal told
reporters that hed rather see the sports
program die than hire an English coach.
18Canadian Stimulus 4
Native-only fishery sparks protest Dozens of
non-natives were charged with illegally fishing
in the Miramichi Bay during a native-only lobster
catch. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans
set aside two days this weekend exclusively for
the Burnt Church band. The policy has pitted
non-native commercial fishermen against native
fishermen for several years.
19Russian Stimulus 1
(Sourcehttp//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/17
51223.stm)
Moldavians protest compulsory Russian in schools
20Russian Stimulus 2
(Source http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/not_in_website
/syndication/monitoring/media_reports/1335632.stm)
Jewish boys celebrate the reopening of a
synagogue in Moscow
21Russian Stimulus 3
(Source http//www.friends-partners.org/oldfriend
s/asebrant/life/2002/apr_2002.html)
(Sourcehttp//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/18
51088.stm)
Orthodox Christians protest a visit by Pope John
Paul II to Ukraine
22Russian Stimulus 4
Top banner reads, Russia for Russians.
23Data Collection
- 44 Canadian students interviewed in one rural
and one urban setting in New Brunswick. - 100 Russian interviewed in five locations in
Western Russia. - Interviews lasted between 20 60 minutes
- Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed
24Russian Sites
Ryazan
Orel
Samara
25Categories of Description For Canadian Data
26Emerging Categories from Russian Data
- A Strong Sense of Our
- Natasha (Moscow) I dont know about these events
and dont know how many Krishnaites there are in
Moscow, but I am not against their temple. Only
not downtown, but somewhere in the outskirts,
maybe out of town. If their faith is strong, they
would go far. Although I understand the feelings
of Orthodox believers. Not all of our churches
have been restored, and here we have Krishnaites.
Where do they come from? If from India, they
could make a praying house on the territory of
their Embassy, and if they are Russians they
dont need such religion. No, tomorrow the
Chinese would like some kind of pagoda, and the
Vietnamese. No. Jews have lived for a long time
in Russia, and Muslims too. Let their temples be
here, but we dont need others. - Teacher But you yourself spoke about freedom of
faith, how to forbid then? - Natasha Nothing should be forbidden, but it is
not possible to build temples for all those who
want. - Teacher Why?
- Natasha Its not in our tradition. There are
three world religions, let there be temples for
those three religions, we dont need others. Or
if some people want it, then somewhere far.
27Emerging Categories from Russian Data
- Knowledge Confused and Superficial
- Alexy (Orel) Knows that Muslims regard the Koran
as a sacred book then says, I know less about
Buddhism than Islam. I know they profess the God
Buddha. This is the faith of India. This God is
pictured with an elephant head and horns. - Natasha (Orel) When asked what characterizes
Islam They believe in Allah, they read the
Koran. - Dimitry (Orel) Muslims have a big lent.
28Emerging Categories from Russian Data
- Knowledge Confused and Superficial
- Food, Fun and Festivals
- Irina (Orel) Asked about traditions of the
peoples who live in Russia They celebrate
different holidays probably. - Tatiana (Kinel-Cherkassy) I like to socialize
with Armenians. They are merry, I am never bored
with them. I like to visit them when they
make pilaf. - Ludmilla (Moscow) Asked how Tartars might be
different from Russians, They have more carpets
in their apartments. - Peter (Moscow) Every people has its pluses and
minuses. The Japanese, for example, make cars
better than anyone else in the world the
Georgians sing wonderfully. - On Shrovetide People make pancakes.
29Emerging Categories from Russian Data
- Hostility to Accommodation
- Marina (Kinel-Cherkassy) Every country has one
nationality. - Victoria (Moscow) Asked about a Russian speaker
born and brought up in Moldova where Russian has
been an official language He should learn the
Moldavian language or He can emigrate - Natasha (Moscow) I am sorry for my own
language, but Moldova is an independent state.
They have their own language, why should they
need Russian? Let them study Moldovan. She
goes on to argue that Russian is the language of
great artists and thinkers and says, If they
(Moldavians) want to be culturally backward, let
them be so.
30Emerging Categories from Russian Data
- Hostility to Accommodation
- Ludmilla (Ryzan) When a Russian person comes to
another country, he feels like a guest there and
if they come here they feel like hosts. . . .
If he came as a quest, he is not a citizen of
this country. He should live like a guest, be
modest. - Peter (Moscow) The majority of people are
Orthodox, so the country is Orthodox too. - Teacher And should other religions have the
same rights as the Orthodox Church? - No, they can believe, they have this right, but
there are more Orthodox believers here, their
interests are more important for the country . .
. I am not against it. I dont impose my faith
on them, but I dont want to have in my city more
mosques than churches. - Yuri (Orel) Asked if Russian should allow
immigrants, Yes, but not too many of them.
31Emerging Categories from Russian Data
- Hostility to Overt Intolerance
- Gregori (Moscow) I live by a code and one
provision in it says not to respect neo-fascists
and to fight with them. - When asked what the state could do about
neo-fascists, It can forbid fascist parities.
For instance the Radical National Party. It
takes roots in fascism. During the Second World
War there were Hitlerjugend teams in Berlin. So
the radical national party just took the idea.
32Other Emerging Categories from Russian Data
- Ethnic conflicts exist elsewhere in space and
time are expressed in large scale conflicts
Chechnya insurgency, Catholic and Protestant
conflicts in middle ages. - Diversity is intellectually and socially
interesting. - Separation of Islam and the bandits who
perpetrate terrorism. - Ethnic differences are superficial and conflict
should be easy to resolve. - The root of cohesion/conflict lies with
individuals not groups.
33Concerns
- Ignorance
- Diversity as Foreign
- Hostility to Diversity and Accommodation
34Approaches to Accommodation
- Passive accommodation if it doesnt cost me/us
anything - Pragmatic accommodation if I/we can avoid a
fight - Principled accommodation flowing from some
sense of principles or rights
35Conclusion Early Maps
Peck, Carla, Sears, Alan Donaldson, Shanell
(2008). Unreached and Unreachable? Curriculum
Standards and Children's Understanding of Ethnic
Diversity in Canada. Curriculum Inquiry, 38, 1,
63-92. Peck, Carla Sears, Alan (2005).
Uncharted Territory Mapping Students
Conceptions of Ethnic Diversity. Canadian Ethnic
Studies, XXXVII, 1, 101-120. Sears, Alan,
Voskresenskaya, Natalia, et al. Nurturing the
Spirit of Democracy in Russia and Canada A
Collaboration in Civic Education. Presented at
the Annual Meeting of the American Educational
Research Association, San Diego, California,
April 12-16, 2004