Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - 11180340
12/95/
ERIC TITLE NUMBER: ED239487 AUTHOR: Garrott, Carl L.
TITLE: Cognitive Dissonance as Activities in Teaching
French
Values and Culture.
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1983
NOTE: 12 p.
ABSTRACT: It is possible to change negative or biased
attitudes of American secondary and college students
studying French by using "cognitive dissonance" to infuse
conflicting ideas or cognitions into the curriculum and
help students resolve the resulting anxiety. Students will
then
become aware of the diversity of ideas and cultural
practices, and Francophone traits will be rendered less
stereotypic. The most useful classroom techniques using
cognitive dissonance involve: (1) offering students
nonjudgmental information over a sustained period; (2)
group task assignments such as listing positive attributes
of the
French, finding French-made items, or finding local
businesses with French clients overseas; (3) exploratory
small-group discussions on attitudes toward the French; (4)
skillful interrogation allowing students to reveal biases
against the French; (5) values clarification requiring
students to list values, assign priorities, make choices,
and respond to hypothetical situations; and (6) counter
attitude advocacy, having students support a position and
attitude that is the opposite of the one they actually
hold. The more effort and time students spend on these
activities, the more likely that their attitudes will
change. (MSE)
KEY DESCRIPTORS: Bias-; Classroom-Techniques; Cultural
Differences; Higher-Education; Negative-Attitudes;
Secondary Education
KEY DESCRIPTORS: *Attitude-Change; *Cultural-Education;
*Cultural-Pluralism; *French-;
*Second-Language-Instruction;
*Values-Education
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