Anna and Taylor lead discussion Ch 10 and article

This chapter and follow-up article "Islam: The Fundamentals Every Teacher Should Know" discusses ways of supporting Muslim students in the classroom, especially throughout their creative endeavors. As art teachers, we want all students to feel as though they have a safe space in our classrooms where they are free to express themselves and their identity. As teachers in training, we need to take time to learn about the diverse students who will enter our classrooms to better support our curriculum and pedagogy.

1. The chair exhibit discussed in the chapter received great attention (both positive and negative). Have you ever experienced your art being vandalized or shamed? If yes, explain the situation and how it made you feel. If not, explain what you would do if you were placed in this situation or if this happened to you as a teacher of students (like the author of this chapter).                            
2.     “For many non-Muslim students, the only exposure they get to Islam is through the news media and the associated stories of terrorism, war, and issues regarding the violation of women's rights” (Mirza and Bakali, 2010). How will you, in a future classroom, whether you have any Muslim students or not, help to debunk stereotypes and expose your students to Islam?                                                                                                                                               
3.    Imagine that a future student of yours has a controversial piece and other students did like it. Could you support them in the same way? How would you go about supporting them? Write a short paragraph about how you would support that student, or why you wouldn’t support that student.  Post a reputable artist who might be introduced in your curriculum to help all students see Muslims in a positive light. Here is Shirin Neshat's Ted Talk as an example.