Introduction
Teachers have an obligation to build a safe learning community. To motivate their students, they need to make meaningful decisions. This has a great impact on how the students learn their relationships with one another and the classroom atmosphere (Sapon-Shevin, n.d, p. 99). From research, tokenism as a means of motivation has a negative impact on the students.
Theories of Cognitive Development
Poor decisions are unsustainable and have a negative impact on the students. According to Skinner, some of the behaviors in pupils are caused by stimuli, while some are inborn. Skinner argued that most of human behaviors are as a result of the environment. Learning environment is important because it greatly affects the behavior of the students (Pai, 1973, p. 1). Learning conditions can speed up the occurrence of behavior, which would probably take long to happen or fail to happen at all. Thus the teacher is the one who builds up the behavior of the student by behaving appropriately to certain occasions (Pai, 1973, p. 1). Piaget believed that intelligence was as a result of a baby’s repeated actions and this had an effect on a child’s behavior. Vygotsky was more concerned with social and cultural factors in development of one’s intelligence (Thomas, n. d, p. 1). These two concepts are important because they greatly influence student behavior. A repeated action of tokenism will make a student to always have the same perspective in subsequent arising of similar issues. Social cultural factors are also very significant in shaping a student’s behaviors.
Effects of Tokenism
Tokenism happens when a teacher gives favor to a certain individual or group of individuals so as to give evidence of representation. However, this reduces the importance and significance of the contributions and roles of a group. It also does not bring any transformation to a culturally responsive setting (Melendez & Beck, 2009). Teachers choose this as a shortcut when they fail to find time to transform the classroom environment. Tokenism comes as a result of lack of awareness among teachers on the importance of establishing appropriate settings for diversity (Melendez & Beck, 2009).
From analysis of classroom management practices, tokenism has a negative impact on the children’s behavior. When teachers use tokenism in their classrooms it has adverse effects on all the students. The ones who are favored become psychologically programmed that they will gain without merit. The others despise them because they see that whatever they get is not out of their efforts and feel superior over them.
Building of safe Learning Community
It is recommended that teachers find time and appropriate materials to plan and design an environment that promotes multiculturalism. This will help to avoid token diversity (Melendez & Beck, 2009, p. 326). From research experiments, use of tokenism has been found to have no impact on changing an individual’s action or improving an individual person’s behavior. Though individuals become identified in a certain group, they do not reflect this in their actions. The salience of the in-group remains low. Tokenism hinders the progress of a pupil and it is used as a criterion to prevent individual mobility. It is thus discriminatory and illegitimate. It is a paradox of what it was initially meant to bring (Jost & Major, 2001, p. 231).
Tokenism has a problem, for it does not uphold merit as criteria for success. If all the members of a class are disadvantaged, individual merit is the partial criterion for success. Participants in a tokenism condition perceive greater injustice than those in open condition (Jost & Major, 2001, p. 232). Tokenism creates lack of enthusiasm both to students and schools administrations (Thrupp, 2005, p. 98).
Building a safe community for learning is far much effective than concentrating on tokenism. Teachers’ concern on the students by the way of treating them opens up their concentration. When teachers show concern for the absent students and teach the students to appreciate one another, it makes them stay as a community. An activity like singing can be used by teachers to break the tension and builds sense of community in the class. Time spent in community building is never wasted time. A healthy learning environment is psychologically and emotionally safe. It appreciates every student for what they are and helps them to deeply know each other by encouraging their interactions (Sapon-Shevin, n.d., p. 102).
Teachers who appreciate their students genuinely are sure to get good returns at the end of their labor. This is achieved by creating confidence among the students. The environment in which they study allows them to be proud of what they are and can share confidently about what they have in their minds. This does not only mean the positives but also the negatives they have without embarrassment (Sapon-Shevin, n.d., p. 106).
Teachers should ensure that they do not focus on differences or similarities alone while teaching students with differences or disabilities. Students must be made aware of ways in which they are different, characteristics, needs and fear they share. Sharing differences alone creates separation amongst the students. The student feels lonely because no one else is like him or her. On the other hand, when a teacher concentrates only on similarities, it does not bring out the uniqueness of the students which should be the basis of appreciation (Sapon-Shevin, n.d., p. 107).
Teachers should ensure that the classroom is bias free in all areas. Equal presentation of different groups in the class can help to stop tokenism. Teacher’s activities should reflect a cross cultural perspective of what each group has contributed. There should be no stereotypes, in presentation e.g. where whites are portrayed as professionals and the blacks as poor, women discrimination or across social-economic and religious classes. The teachers should also avoid over representation of a certain group of people. Inclusion of different available native language materials in the class contributes to equality in the classroom (Melendez & Beck, 2009).
Conclusion
Tokenism is a poor method of motivating children. It has a negative impact on the students and administration because it leads to loss of enthusiasm. When merit is not a criterion of success, injustice arises and the people involved have to face the consequences. Teachers should work towards creating a favorable learning environment without favors.
References
Jost, J. T., & Major, B. (2001). The Psychology of Legitimacy. United Kingdom:UK Cambridge University Press.
Melendez, W. J., & Beck, V. (2009). Teaching Young Children in Multicultural Classrooms. New York: Cengage Learning.
Pai, Y. (1973). Behaviorism and the Technology of Teaching. Web.
Sapon-Shevin, M. (n.d.). Building a safe Community.
Thomas, M. (n. d). Cognitive and Language Development.
Thrupp, M. (2005). School Improvement. Lodon, UK: Continuum International Publishing Group.