According to Mintzes and Wanderse: “Our perceptions of objects and
events in the natural world are strongly dependent on our store of prior
knowledge we view the world through
a pair of ‘conceptual goggles’.” 3 These
goggles are heavily influenced by culture. The process for seeing the value
of diverse perspectives and diverse
cultures begins early, usually through
learning about multiple cultures in
the school system where many social
perspectives are formed. Teachers
who understand the historical origins
and present circumstances of different social groups help students to understand these issues as well. Understanding must go beyond what Moll
and Gonzalez call “tangible surface
markers,” such as dance, food, language, folklore, and ethnic heritage
festivals. Understanding takes into
account the everyday lived experiences of diverse cultures represented by
students and their families. 4 Teachers
should enter their students’ households and communities as “learners,”
seeking to understand the ways in
which people make sense of their everyday lives. Teachers of multiple cultures should have direct experience in
the communities they discuss.
Higher education and the professional workplace have a number of organizations that serve the important
role of providing support mechanisms
and programs to increase the participation of particular cultures in science
and engineering, including IT. These
organizations include the Society for
Advancement of Chicanos and Native
Americans in Science (SACNAS), the
National Society of Black Engineering
(NSBE), the American Indian Science
and Engineering Society (AISES), and
the National Federation of the Blind
(NFB). We announce a new, complementary effort in which groups, companies, and organizations focused on
underrepresented cultures in IT have
a forum to develop synergistic activities and leverage from each other—the
Center for Minorities and People with
Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT), launched
in March 2010.
CMD-IT was created by five people
experienced with enhancing diversity
within the IT field: Ron Eglash (Rens-
selaer Polytechnic Institute), Ann
Gates (University of Texas in El Paso),
Richard Ladner (University of Wash-
ington), Bryant York (Portland State
University), and the author. CMD-IT
facilitates synergistic activities among
industry, established organizations,
and local projects related to ethnic
minorities and people with disabili-
ties in IT. The organization grew out of
an NSF-sponsored meeting on Diver-
sity in IT held at Texas A&M University
in April 2008. That meeting identified
the following goal for CMD-IT: To en-
sure that underrepresented groups are
fully engaged in information technolo-
gies, and to promote innovation that
enriches, enhances, and enables these
communities such that more equitable
and sustainable contributions are pos-
sible by all communities. That goal is
made operational through the follow-
ing objectives:
References
1. CRA Taulbee Report, http://www.cra.org
2. Korkki, P. Internet, mobile phones named most
important inventions. New York Times, (Mar. 7, 2009).
3. Mintzes, j. and Wanderse, j.h. Reform and innovation
in science teaching: A human constructive view.
In j.j. Mintzes, j.h. Wandersee, and j.D. novak,
eds., Teaching Science for Understanding: A Human
Constructivist View, Academic Press san Diego, CA,
1997.
4. Moll, l.C. and Gonzalez, n. Teachers as social
scientists: learning about culture from household
research. In P.M. hall, ed., Race, Ethnicity, and
Multiculturalism: Policy and Practice, Routledge,
1997.
5. Rogof, b. The Culture of Human Development. oxford
university Press, new york, 2003.
6. umbach, P.D. The contribution of faculty of color
to undergraduate education. Research in Higher
Education 47, (2006).
7. u.s. Census bureau; http://www.census.gov
Valerie E. Taylor ( taylor@cse.tamu.edu) is the holder of
the Royce e. Wisenbaker Professorship and Department
head of the Department of Computer science at Texas
A&M university.