What an amazing social psychology experiment done by Jane Elliott, who at the time was a teacher in a small rural town in Iowa. Iowa itself reminds me of the musical The Music Man; in which the main character tries to sale band uniforms and instruments under the idea that he is a band leader. However he is not a real band leader, he uses the people from Iowa because they were naïve enough to believe his con. With this is mind, I think Jane Elliott knew her 3rd grade students and possibly their parents were naïve to what it was like to be discriminated against, based off of a characteristic.
I was really surprise to see how long Jane Elliott was teaching about inequality. I saw a video of her teaching college students, in which she posed a simple question to the white students in her class. She asked who was willing to trade their skin with the skin of a fellow black student. She went farther indicating that the student wouldn’t trade their skin because they are aware of the unfair treatment of black people in general. Everything she had done makes me think about intergroup attitudes about discrimination. However I wonder if education is really the key to solving intergroup attitudes about discrimination? Or does being educated about discrimination serve a weapon to continue making sure the social dominate group stay the social dominate group?
Studies on racial integration and education reveal that racial attitude among whites’ have changed larger due to education (Wodtke 2012). According to the enlightenment theory, intergroup attitude that are negative develop from narrow-minded, poorly informed, undemocratic world. Under this theory advance education provide people with information about historical, social and economic facts that allow them to combat discrimination (Wodke 2012). Unlike the enlightenment theory, the ideological refinement perspective argues that an advanced education cannot be seen as an enlightening agent because it does not liberate individuals from their group interests (Wodtke 2012). However, education does provide the tools needed for the dominant group to promote their interests more astutely (Wodtke 2012).
Looking back on the work done by Jane Elliot after having this new knowledge I wonder how much of a difference is it really making. Are we all just as naïve as the people from the musical The Music Man thinking that education is the band leader when it’s not.
Reference
Wodtke, G. (2012). The Impact of Education on Intergroup Attitudes: A Multiracial Analysis. Social Psychology Quarterly, 75(1), 80-106. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/stable/23120530
https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1802487/modules/items/21234183
Frontline. (1985). A Class Divided. Retrieved online at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/ (Links to an external site.)
Discrimination in education is still present. However I would like to touch up on teaching strategies that are used in institutions that are aimed for an entire audience and the rest is on them, no race is involved.Brainstorming is another strategy used in learning institutions as it gives various thoughts in which conclusion is poised awaiting utmost figure of thoughts are given. It is all the way through these thoughts when options are analyzed, a most excellent answer is recognized and a plan of act is developed. This aggressively develops gaze knowledge and come up with synergy, promotes serious thoughts, help learners to have advanced levels of accepted wisdom and help groups arrive at an agreement. For this strategy to be effective, it might have need of a small group as great groups may perhaps not be efficient. Moreover it requires that learners are closely controlled to their inputs in conversation in relation to making of thoughts and creation of judgments. Thus for this strategy to be flourishing participants are supposed to make certain observance to the set of laws, be resourceful, use inspire opinion, bestow comprehensible instructions for how the course of action works.
Jane Elliot’s study was both controversial and amazing. I think the majority of White students in that era were rather clueless about what it was like to be discriminated against, and I thought her use of eye color was very clever. I do believe that education is critical when dealing with issues such as discrimination. I’m sure there are people out there who would use certain information to maintain social dominance; however, I ultimately feel that education would be more beneficial then harmful. I would definitely agree with enlightenment theory in this scenario.