Using Immersion Experiences to Shake Up Preservice Teachers' Views about Cultural Differences:

Multicultural education researchers and educators agree that preservice teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and understandings are important: foci in multicultural education coursework (Cochran-Smith, 1995; Grant & Secada, 1990; McDiarmid & Price, 1993; Pohan, 1996). Teacher attitudes and beliefs influence teaching behaviors, which affect student learning and behavior. Pohan (1996), in research involving 492 preservice teachers, found their personal and professional beliefs regarding diversity issues closely linked; students with more coursework involving multicultural themes attained higher scores on assessments of these beliefs. Others (Hollingsworth, 1989; McDiarmid & Price, 1993) conclude that preservice teachers tend to maintain their beliefs and understandings throughout their teacher education program. McDiarmid and Price (1993) believe most teacher-education students have not had the opportunity to explore their own beliefs about student differences and the role these play in teaching and learning (p. 50). They contend that the issue is a pedagogical one and argue that students should gain knowledge and understanding in specific contexts. They should learn to act upon this information rather than merely amass generalized cultural content. Hollingsworth (1989) identified one means for helping students challenge their preprogram convictions--an opportunity and expectation to apply concepts learned in class. Grant and Secada (1990), reviewing the research on preparing teachers for diverse learners, conclude that experiences with representatives from diverse populations are worthwhile for teachers (p. 418). Many advocates of multicultural education suggest that field experiences be included in preparing teachers to work with diverse student populations (Pohan, 1996; Sleeter, 1995; Tellez, Hlebowitsh, Cohen, & Norwood, 1995). Sleeter (1995) describes some investigations, such as miniethnographies, that her students conduct: I regard extended contact with another group on its own `turf' as essential in the education of White teachers. In my own life, this has certainly been the case. In the courses I teach, prior to community-based field experiences students tend to comprehend material at an intellectual level only, and their discussions are often rather sterile. After spending some time in a community setting dominated by another sociocultural group, students begin to confront their own fears, misconceptions, and ignorance (p. 26). Tellez et al. (1995) found involving teacher education students in community-based, social services field experiences led them to positive insights and perspectives. Critical reflection on firsthand experience is crucial for learning to mesh behavior and beliefs to achieve the important goal of acting with understanding (Cochran-Smith, 1995; Feiman-Nemser & Buchmann, 1986; Goodman, 1991). Many recommend firsthand or field experiences in preservice teachers' professional development, but they apply the terms to different types of experiences, including activities in regular school settings, community-based organizations, and more informal settings. The length, purpose, and content of these experiences vary. More extended field experiences are more effective than shorter or less involved ones (Grant & Secada, 1990), and experiences with greater structure are more common than the converse. Nevertheless, I have found that a short, more informal, intense cultural immersion experience can strongly influence preservice teachers and have far-reaching effects. The Cultural Immersion Project The cultural immersion project is an assignment I gave to students in my Sociocultural Concerns in Education class for the past three semesters at the University of Nevada, Reno. The purpose of the assignment is to help students gain knowledge about another culture and insight into how it feels to be a member of a minority culture, one with subordinate status in society (Bennett, 1995). …