The challenges the United States faces are not unique. Countries around the world are facing similar challenges as people migrate across the globe due to economic, political, social and environmental reasons. The U.S. is a pluralistic democracy rich in diversity and the primary goal of multicultural education is to provide educational equality to all students. Schools must transform to meet these needs. James A. Banks lists five dimensions of multicultural education: content integration, the knowledge construction process, prejudice reduction, an equality pedagogy, and an empowering school and social structure (Banks, 2016, p. 4). Content integration seeks to enrich curriculum with content from a variety of cultures and groups across the content …show more content…
12). On my most recent trip back to the United States, one thing I noticed during a visit to a library with my daughter was the wide selection of children's books featuring characters representing a multitude of ethnic groups as well as books featuring non-traditional families. Readers like these can help reduce negative racial attitudes and values for young children. Cross-cutting or superordinate groups such as sports teams, Model UN, the chess club, and others can create cohesion if they are properly structured and monitored (Banks, p. …show more content…
16). Are punishments equal and predictable from one classroom to another? Do teachers model behavior that promotes equality? Does the composition of the school's gifted and talented programs have members from different racial, ethnic, gender, and social class groups? The school district I attended growing up had a two-track program for math: The math class students tested into at the beginning of sixth grade determined what math class students would be taking in twelfth grade. A handful of students may have dropped from the upper-track to the lower-track, but it was unheard of for a student to jump from the lower-track to the
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...
Zirkel, Sabrina, and Nancy Cantor. “50 Years After Brown v. Board of Education: The Promise and Challenge of Multicultural Education.” Journal of Social Issues 60.1 (2004): 1-15.
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.
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.
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).
Diversity in classrooms can open student’s minds to all the world has to offer. At times diversity and understanding of culture, deviant experiences and perspectives can be difficult to fulfill, but with appropriate strategies and resources, it can lead students to gain a high level of respect for those unlike them, preferably from a judgmental and prejudiced view. Diversity has a broad range of spectrums. Students from all across the continent; students from political refugees, indigenous Americans, and immigrants bring their cultural and linguistic skills to American classrooms. Students not only bring their cultural and linguistic skills, but they bring their ethnicity, talents, and skills.
In order for multi-cultural education programs to achieve their goals, they must aim at knowledge through engagement and inquiry-based activities that build on cultural similarities and differences and life experiences of students themselves. As Nieto and Bode (2013) stated, “True multicultural education both generates coherence and synergy from student and community diversity, and teaches students how to continue to thrive in, benefit from and contribute to the pluralistic world in which they will inevitably
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.
Students in the United States experience varying degrees of Multicultural Education. To my benefit, I was brought up in a learning environment that was culturally accepting and engaging. I was enrolled in the Franklin Pierce School District for my entire public education career and at Pierce College during my last two years of high school. Since the beginning of my academic career, I’ve been exposed to a learning environment filled with a rich amount of diversity among students which in turn produced well-roundedness in myself. In my experience as a FPSD student, I’ve shared experiences with fellow peers of different races, cultures, and socioeconomic standings. Pierce College boasts an even more specific type of diversity within the student
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.
Banks, J., and McGee, C. A. (Eds.). (1989). Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Content integration is the first dimension of multicultural education described by James A. Banks, this refers to the teacher’s ability to integrate examples and content from different cultures into the curriculum in an understandable way. Content integration should be applied to all subject matters including, math and science. Although, it is sometimes difficult to identify ways to incorporate ethnic and cultural content, to demonstrate important themes and principles into math and science lessons, there are still many opportunities available. For example, the contributions to mathematics made by the different cultural groups such as the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Indians can be discussed and incorporated into math lessons. Growing up as I minority in America, I understand first-hand the importance of content integration.
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).
In conducting her research, the author understood that she needed to describe key issues of culturally diverse students, recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected. In reading Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Issues in Education (2010), s...