As we proceed further into the 21st century, multiculturalism becomes more relevant to obtaining a truly global society. Dr. James A. Banks defines the meaning of multicultural education and its potential impact on society when it is truly integrated into American classrooms. In his lecture, Democracy, Diversity and Social Justice: Education in a Global Age, Banks (2006) defines the five dimensions of multicultural education that serve as a guide to school reform when trying to implement multicultural education (Banks 2010). The goal of multicultural education is to encourage students to value their own cultures and the diverse cultures of those around them without politicizing their differences but rather, as Banks passionately explains in his lecture, “to actualize the ideals stated in the Constitution” (2006) forming “civil, moral, and just communities.” The first of the five dimensions of multicultural education is content integration. Teachers can identify exemplary people and information from diverse cultures and integrate it in a nontrivial into the curriculum so students can learn the effects of all cultures on the content they are studying. At the beginning of the school year in my Algebra class, I do a brief activity on the history of numbers. The students learn that we currently use the Arabic number system but there were many other number systems that existed in the history of numbers. We explore and try to represent quantities using various number systems such as Roman, Mayan, Chinese, and Egyptian number systems. The students are able to see the contributions made by people of diverse cultures to mathematics. The knowledge construction process, the second dimension of multicultural education, requires t... ... middle of paper ... ... and administrators alike—must unite in a common plan to weave into all aspects of student life the recognition of diverse cultures and social groups. Dr. Banks (2010) explains the latent curriculum being “defined as the one that no teacher explicitly teaches but that all students learn.” These are the lessons that students remember long after they have left the school system. References Banks, J.A. (2006). Democracy, Diversity and Social Justice: Education in a Global Age. University Faculty Lecturers Podcast. Retrieved May 9, 2012, from http://www.uwtv.org/video/player.aspx?mediaid=1580263790 Banks, J.A., & McGee Banks, C.A. (2010). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. (7th ed.) Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Rothstein-Fisch, C., & Trumbull, E. (2008). Cultures in Harmony. Educational Leadership, 6 (1), 63-66.
Robles de Melendez, W. (2010). Teaching Young Children in Multicultural Classrooms: Issues, Concepts, and Strategies (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
The multicultural movement in education is deeply rooted, and the movement as we know it today dates back to the 1960s, when the civil rights movement was in full swing. Stemming from the Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) decision and out of the demand by ethnic groups to be included in public schools, colleges, and universities, the main thrust of the mo...
The responsibility of the American education system is the instill into children the knowledge and necessary skills to be a productive portion of the society. Numerous studies have shown that high school drop outs are much more likely to have a criminal record than those who have received their diploma. I think that the success of a society as a whole is dependent on the core education of the individuals who make up that society. If you can't provide for your family you will do whatever it takes to get the things you need. This is why it is imperative to create a base of individuals who are capable of sustaining a legitimate living.
White savior mentality” is the perception of some white pre-service teachers, that they are going to be able to come into a classroom and save the “helpless” students of color from dropping out of school. Several pre-service teachers believe that they can help a child of color succeed in school because they, as a white teacher, are helping that student learn. As we all know, all children learn in different ways and sometimes it takes some extra help from a tutor or a teacher for the student to reach their full potential or understanding of the concept or lesson, but the pre- service teachers that Sherry Marx interviewed seemed to think otherwise. They believed that because they were tutoring Latino students, the students needed to be saved.
The world is made up of many different types of people, each one having his or her cultural background. Over the years, the United States has become increasingly populated with cultural diversity. This influx has prompted school administrators to recognize the need to incorporate multicultural programs into their school environment including classroom settings, school wide activities, and curriculum as it becomes more evident that the benefits of teaching cultural diversity within the school setting will positively influence our communities, and ultimately the entire nation’s future. The purpose of this paper is to share the pros and cons of multicultural education in the classroom. Additionally, I will express my views compared to those in the reading requirements for this assignment, as well as, new knowledge obtained through the research. Finally, I will share situations where I was challenged introducing a multicultural issue during a class.
Just because other perspectives are incorporated in the classroom, this doesn’t mean that everyone will become more understanding and appreciative of other cultures. When multicultural practices have rigorous standards, allow the advancement of social communications with other cultures, and allow the advancement social justice concepts both inside and outside of the classroom, this is when students will become more appreciative of other cultures (Ladson-Billings, 1995, p.162).
Multicultural education is a process of comprehensive school reform and basic education for all students. It challenges and rejects racism and other forms of discrimination in schools and society and accepts and affirms pluralism (ethnic, racial, linguistic, religious, economic, and gender, among others) that students, their communities, and teachers reflect (Nieto, 2000).
The cultural diversity in society, which is reflected in schools, is forcing schools not to solely rely on content-centered curriculum, but to also incorporate student-centered lesson plans based on critique and inquiry. This requires multicultural education to a dominant part of the school system, not just an extra course or unit. Further, it demands that learning itself no longer be seen as obtaining knowledge but rather, education be seen as creating knowledge. Multicultural education should be seen as affirming the diversity of students and communities, promoting the multicultural ideas of the United States, and building the knowledge and behaviors needed for students to be a positive and contributing member of society and the global community as a whole.
In class, we would always explore how other countries celebrated their holidays such as Cinco De Mayo and Hanukkah, We also had the opportunity to take foreign language,s and the foreign language classes you took also taught about the countries that speak these languages. The information we learned about other cultures was reinforced by our peers who were from these respective cultures through discussion. As much as what the teachers did to integrate diversity in the classrooms, much of our multicultural experiences was done outside the classroom. It sort of felt like a shadow you didn’t really notice until for some reason or another you looked right at it. The multicultural experiences took place everywhere. It took place in the lunchroom, when we were debating what culture had the best food (which is still debated to this day, I’m sure). It took place suiting up in the locker room for a football game, reminiscing about what it was like to celebrate the holiday season the year before. It took place in our hearts, when someone was sharing their pain regardless of what culture we affiliated ourselves with because human culture is
The world is currently undergoing a cultural change, and we live in an increasingly diverse society. This change is not only affect the people in the community but also affect the way education is viewed. Teaching diversity in the classroom and focusing multicultural activities in the programs can help improve positive social behavior in children. There is no question that the education must be prepared to embrace the diversity and to teach an increasingly diverse population of young children.
Throughout my research, family values, and experiences I will be able to be accepting and understanding of the culturally diverse children that I may have in my classroom. To make my classroom a welcoming and safe environment for those who are different I want to incorporate their culture into projects, lessons and crafts. In doing this I want the class to learn more about each other and their cultural
I can identify with the multicultural concept of the classroom because I am African American, a woman, and a soon to be a teacher. This subject is one that is of extreme importance. The multicultural classroom is a learning environment that should be most effective because of the simple fact that it should encompass everyone. As a future teacher one of my goals for my classroom is to make it as diverse as possible. Not only because it should be a standard operating procedure, but because I feel students will be able to learn more effectively in an environment where they feel that their heritage is included.
Parrish, Patrick, and Jennifer A. Linder-VanBerschot. “Addressing the Challenges of MulticulturalInstruction.” Cultural Dimensions of Learning 11.2 (2010): 10 pgs. Web. 8 June 2015.
According to Bennett (2015), “Multicultural Education is a complex approach to teaching and learning that includes the movement toward equity in schools and classrooms, the transformation of the curriculum, the process of becoming multicultural competent, and the commitment to address societal injustice” (p. 2). Teaching and learning in a multicultural system is designed around collaborative decision making, respect for all parties, and nurturing a cultural diverse society. Multicultural education recognizes and integrates cultural characteristics into the learning environment.
There are many factors that play a role in the learning process for every human being. Race, religion, language, socioeconomics, gender, family structure, and disabilities can all affect the ways in which we learn. Educators must take special measures in the delivery of classroom instruction to celebrate the learning and cultural differences of each of their students. As communities and schools continue to grow in diversity, teachers are searching for effective educational programs to accommodate the various learning styles of each student while promoting acceptance of cultural differences throughout the classroom. It no longer suffices to plan educational experiences only for middle-or upper class white learners and then expect students of other social classes and cultures to change perspectives on motivation and competition, learning styles, and attitudes and values that their homes and families have instilled in them (Manning & Baruth, 2009).