Abstract

Stereotyping is a destructive human habit that judges people before knowing their true qualities. It can slow or even stop community understanding, work place success, or student achievement. Stereotyping starts with one individual’s harmful perception about another individual’s religion, race, sexual orientation, differently-abled (disabled), socio-economics, language, age or educational opportunities. This method takes students through content study, group and one-on-one experiences, interviews, group discussion and written reflections. Student-centered university courses allow education majors the freedom to discover their stereotyping behavior using this methodology. It is critical that future teachers learn how to avoid passing on their personal stereotypes to students. Ethnic Discoveries methodology requires four months of listening, content study, critical reflection, writing and group sharing about community experiences like: ‘being a temporary minority ’.