How can teachers help students identify biases, stereotypes, and omissions in literature, media, and curriculum?

photo by Nicole Warner 1976

The purpose of education is to empower students to become excellent functioning individuals in a diverse multicultural environment (Lin, Lake & Rice, 2008). The world at present is beset with political and economic issues rooted from racism, discrimination, biases and prejudices. Hence, if the next generation is meant to survive, then it is imperative to teach the young of today the tenets of fairness, justice and harmony. However, it is sad to note that as the world changes and a great paradigm shift of cultural and racial thoughts have emerged, the current governance clings to the old concept of “Anglo-European” historical perspective to the detriment of the existing populace.

Bennet (2015) stated that in order to effect change, school’s curriculum must be transformed and veer away from the traditional one which is primarily Anglo-European in scope. One can never defeat the evil of racial…