Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught, but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating a shared atmosphere emphasizing achievement. Both approaches have been shown capable of fostering positive relations among classmates and improved academic achievement and motivation. We will engage in an online discussion in which we will explore the ways in which cooperative classroom activities and collaborative learning can be valuable in promoting respect and understanding and in reducing stereotypes and prejudices. In addressing this, please consider the work of Gordon Allport, a distinguished social scientist whose work, published over 40 years ago, examined the development of prejudice during childhood and adolescence. Allport found that from a startlingly young age children begin learning the lessons of tolerance or intolerance.
Parents are often unaware of their own role in shaping children's perceptions.
By age 6 or 7, children recognize that social status and positive or negative qualities can be ascribed based on people's race, gender and ethnicity. Students are also requested to download and view the videoclip linked to these Teaching and Learning Notes. The Nature of Prejudice . Facing Racism In Education. Harvard Educational Review, Reprint Series No. 21.