Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching - National University

Stephanie: “I learned that some people think that black people are bad people and they are called
stereotype and it means that someone doesn’t like another race or something else.”
Teacher: “What does that mean for you”
Britney: “It left me thinking about how the world would be like if everyone judged each other by
how they look.”
Angelo: “I wonder why some people hate themselves because of the color of their skin and didn’t
judge themselves by what is inside”
Matt: “I learned that some people are stereotyped that means when you think all people of one
color or race are bad or good.”
Christie: “What I feel and think is that I feel I should treat people with the golden rule.”
Derrick: “You should never be stereotyped because it doesn’t matter if the person is black or
white and the person has a scary face it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside you have to look at
what’s in the inside.”
Students expressed a change of thinking toward others along with a commitment to
tolerance and personal non-prejudicial actions. Students moved from mere acceptance of
differences to levels of avoidance of prejudicial behavior. Students expressed this understanding
of prejudice as a sense of not judging people through visible features. As Laura clearly stated: “It
doesn’t matter what you look like just how you play and if you have a good heart.” Comments
by Thomas mirrored those of Laura: “I think the author wrote this book to tell people to not
judge other people or themselves by the color of their skin, to judge them by what is inside and
to always believe in themselves.” Angelo reiterated this thinking and included connections to
racial and religious differences: "I learned if someone looks different you should not judge them
by their color or religion. You should always treat people the way you want to be treated. You
cannot judge them on their outside, but on the inside." Cindy also voiced this thinking as she
expressed: “I think the author wrote this book to tell people to not judge other people or
themselves by the color of their skin, to judge them by what is inside and to always believe in
theirselves.”
Finally, through listening to and responding to various multicultural picture books read
aloud to them, students were motivated in the direction of an increased understanding of and
stance toward tolerance. As a final activity, the teacher asked the students to share what they had
learned and how they had changed from reading all of these books. At this invitation, Christie
expressed tolerance as a change of heart: “I think that what tolerance means is let people that are
different into your heart instead of shutting them out.” Jason made a clear connection between
tolerance and an elimination of hate: “I think that tolerance could be a good thing for people
because they don’t want hate in the world and do what’s right in the world.” Hilary expressed her
thinking as accepting and allowing those who are different to be included in her circle of friends:
“Tolerance means that you are including people that might be different to be your friends and it
means to be tolerant of someone or not be mean to different people.”
Although there was no method in place in this study to record any specific changes in
student behavior, students strongly believed the reading of stories resulted in a change in their
behavior. Amanda shared a strong link between the reading of stories to personal laws that guide
behavior. “Everyone should treat each other with kindness and respect for everyone of all races
and to say everybody can play and do what they want to do no matter what laws because you
have your own laws, laws of yourself.” Sophia made the enthusiastic case for how the reading of
books changed her personally. She expressed the changes in her knowledge and subsequent
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