Benefits of a Multicultural Education
In the United States, multicultural education is not a new idea. The concept has been around since the 1960’s, and is a movement to create a culturally equal opportunity education for all. It is the approach that by learning about one another culturally, through education, all culturally diverse societies will come together. A multicultural education is an education system designed to instruct, educate, and promote students into having a cross-cultural exchange; allowing students to learn and value the differences and similarities of other cultures. It is believed that through our educators, the citizens of today will be the culturally diverse citizens of tomorrow. However, the process of promoting
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The idea of a multicultural education would first need to be promoted in order to receive funding. Once funding is achieved, a complete revamping or redesign of the education curriculum would have to be done in order to accommodate the many cultural diversities. This change would include all subjects, redesigned to favor all cultures, not just the western culture. History, science, and other subjects would have to change, as well as text books, to include alternative points of view that would include other ethnic groups. All teachers would have to have specialized training and learn to accept and appreciate all cultures, religions, and gender differences or a “unity within diversity”. They would need to research and learn about other cultures in order to be culturally competent and understand their students. Also, they would need to be aware and have the knowledge and skill of maintaining their own attitudes and behavior, in order not to have a negative impact on the students and their attitudes, plus be able to handle any confrontation between ethnic …show more content…
One of the biggest stakeholders in multicultural education is the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, or the Federal Government. They have been working to build an academic education of cultural and professional exchanges in order to reflect the diversity of the United States. Their funding as well as other participants around the world are participating in making multicultural education a reality. There are also, several corporations and business who contribute as well, by way of scholarships. Many colleges, like Roane State, offer different group international trips at a discount, some colleges even have programs to study abroad. Other stakeholders are the educators or teachers. For they are the ones who working, training, and studying to see that t a multicultural education is a success, as it will take all, educators, parents, and students working together for multicultural education programs to
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...
Chapter one’s main idea was to provide a basic definition of multicultural education and provide the reader with insight on how the multicultural education movement has developed and progressed throughout the years.
When a child opens his (or her) first puzzle and the pieces fall to the
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).
Banks, J. A. (2013b). Multicultural education: Characteristics and Goals. In J. A. Banks & C. M. McGee Banks (Eds.). Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives (pp. 3-23). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Throughout much of the past century, the United States sought to stamp its cultural ideal upon almost all peoples who existed within its realm of influence. It is only through the relatively modern ideology of multiculturalism and the celebration of diversity that the United States has begun to make amends for the injustices it has committed on other cultures. Today, with multiculturalism entering into the classrooms and other realms, different cultures are finally getting the attention they deserve.
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.
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.
The definition of multiculturalism in Webster's Dictionary is "the existence, recognition or preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society." Therefore with this definition in mind a multicultural classroom is one that is the sum of all these things. A multicultural classroom is a learning environment that strives to reach all of its students, especially those of non-dominant ethnicities. In this environment students learn about the curriculum as well as their own cultural history. The aim of multicultural education is to ensure equity in education for all students and to help empower young people to make the world a better place both individually and collectively (Bigelow, 1993). Multicultural education is designed to help all students reach their full potential. Just about all teachers should have a desire to teach in a multicultural class because most classes in the United States of America contain at least one or two students of a different race or cultural background. This should not be considered a problem, but an asset because h...
We need to be aware of the diversity in the classroom. Cultural diversity includes: bi-racial, adoptive, immigrant, gay, and step-families. It is a large majority of the students today even in my generation. Focusing on making a balanced curriculum that exposes the students to all of these different backgrounds is very important. I know that it is likely that a teacher will not be able to cater to every student, but it is important to involve each of them. There is a large percentage of students that have dropped out due to the lack of having a connection with the curriculum. It is frustrating that we are lacking progress in our schools to help these children connect when studies show that each cultural group will soon be equal in numbers. We need to form a better
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).