LEARN NC

1.4 Avoiding bias

By Kathryn Walbert

Provided by The North Carolina Humanities Council.

The following web-based resources provide resources for teachers to help them teach about American Indians in accurate and respectful ways, including some resources for students and guides to choosing appropriate materials for classroom use.

Understanding Prejudice
Understanding Prejudice is a website supplement to McGraw Hill’s anthology Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination designed for teachers and learners interested in learning more about prejudice. The site includes self-tests to help you understand biases, demonstrations of various kinds of prejudice and bias, a slide tour of prejudice using advertisements, and more. Of particular interest to teachers is the article “Teaching about Native Americans” in the Teachers’ Corner area of the site. It features a list of “Dos & Don’ts” for teaching about American Indians and also provides a link to an interactive test of knowledge about American Indians that may be useful in the classroom.
Countering Prejudice Against American Indians and Alaska Natives through Antibias Curriculum and Instruction
This article, by Deirdre A. Almeida, focuses on the need to be aware of the possible biases against American Indians and Alaska Natives in curriculum materials and makes suggestions for identifying biases in instructional materials and for developing an antibias approach. The list of suggested resources at the end of the article, which includes useful sources for books, videos, and journals that teachers may find useful, is particularly helpful.
Authenticity and Sensitivity: Goals for Writing and Reviewing Books with Native American Themes
This article, by Debbie Reese, focuses on portrayals of American Indians in children’s literature and makes some good suggestions for ways of determining the authenticity and sensitivity of books that teachers and media specialists might consider for classroom use or library acquisitions.
Oyate
Oyate is a Native organization that offers workshops, evaluates books and curricula, and sells recommended books on Native American topics. Of particular interest is their list of books that the organization does not recommend, including many popular and/or award-winning books that may already be used in the classroom such as The Indian in the Cupboard, The Sign of the Beaver, The Courage of Sarah Noble, Little House on the Prairie, and Brother Eagle, Sister Sky. Type “books to avoid” in the search box to get the list. Each book has a review explaining why it is not recommended.