Today people are living in a more culturally diverse society. It becomes imperative for a society to accept and recognise the cultural diversity prevalent in a society. Multiculturalism can be defined as the plurality of cultures. Diversity in India can be expressed in terms of different language, religion, region, gender, social class and more or less ethnic groups. Each group has its own culture. Therefore it provides a concrete base for India as a multicultural nation since it is culturally plural with one national culture along with several subcultures. Parekh (1999) stated that from a multicultural perspective the good society cherishes the diversity of and encourages a creative dialogue between its different cultures and their moral visions. Such a society not only respects its members’ rights to their culture and increases their range of choices but also cultivates their powers of self-criticism, self-determination, imagination, intellectual and moral sympathy, and contributes to their development and well-being. …show more content…
Students find acceptance and solace when their culture is represented and acknowledged within a text and also they begin to learn that there are other perspectives and outlooks on life. They also begin to understand that others ways of doing things that are just as valuable as their own. It also awakens students’ intelligence, strengths, and interest which can result in affirmation, enlightenment, and inspiration in them. Multicultural literature also affects teachers by enhancing their chance and ability to know their students’ background and cultures. Rachman (1993) highlighted the importance of cultural content in textbooks by stating “the best books break down borders. They surprise us- whether they are set close to home or abroad. They change our view of ourselves; they extend that phrase ‘like me’ to include what we thought was ‘foreign and
Cultural diversity is an important element. Often times we acknowledge cultural diversity but we don’t quite understand it simply because we do not live it. With this novel, readers can understand cultural
Fegar, Mary-Virginia. “I Want to Read: How Culturally Relevant Texts Increase Student Engagement in Reading.” Multicultural Education, 13:3 (Spring 2006): 18-19. [E Journal]
socially—giving them examples of different ethnicities and personalities and those particular ways of life; and these books also help readers cognitively—giving them
Convertino, C., Levinson, B. A., & González, N. (2013). Culture, teaching, and learning. In J. A. Banks & C. M. McGee Banks (Eds.). Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives (pp. 25-41). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
When looking at why multiculturalism in school and classroom libraries it is important to understand why there is the need. According to Ruth A. Oswald and Lynn Atkinson Smolen have multicultural books is “timely” because of the “increasing diversity in our schools”. According to the National Center of Education Statistics (2010), 45 percent of U.S. public school population enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade comes from diverse racial and ethnic background” (Multicultural Literature and Response: Affirming Diverse Voices pg.xi). Educators want to help develop children become empathic, understanding, and tolerant adults, by doing these things educators hope to lessen bullying and
As an educator one must understand that the children you will be teaching will all come from different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different homes with different values. No one student will be the same, and no one student will learn the same. The role of a modern educator is to harness this idea of diversity and channel it into a positive learning atmosphere for children of all backgrounds. “I define culturally responsive teaching as using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them” (Gay, 2013, p.50.). The hope for all teachers is to capture the minds of their children, as educators we must learn how our students learn, adapt to their skill set and channel our curriculum to their strength.
Americans Literature has an immense amount if history with in it. There are many lessons that we have learned from reading and reviewing the history along with Americans Literature. There are many questions asking what is American Ethnic Literature, and this literature centers on the voices that govern out country. These voices work hard be heard, and will continue to struggle to be heard at all.
Karen Patricia Smith discusses in her article “The Multicultural Ethic and Connections to literature for Children and Young Adults,” which was printed in Library Trends in 1993, the interest of identifying specific issues concerning the lack of multiculturalism in children and young adult literature. She also explains the relationship between literature and the multicultural perspective and the response to the need of multicultural books for children and Young Adults.
“Authentic children’s books that include a variety of cultures can help future generations view people in different parts of the world, or even those in their own neighborhood, as equal members of society” (Morgan, 2009, 187). According to Madsen (2012), children’s literature can have a powerful message about social and moral behaviors and ideas which can be an influential tool for Multicultural learning and teaching. As stated in Gopalakrishnan (2011), in classrooms today, there is diversity of students and having multicultural children’s literature, especially authentic from an insider’s perspective allows students to have a discussion with students’ experience and their learning. Morgan (2009) stated children’s literature has not been having authenticity in representing the experiences that many minority groups. Multicultural children’s literature is important and it allows the children to see
As an early childhood educator, I have a responsibility to create an inclusive, diversified and culturally supportive learning environment for these children. For example, generally there would be a wide range of different languages within a classroom. Providing literature in different languages will expand the children’s idea of diversity and will get them thinking about the differences or similarities between others. Books about other cultures, ethnic groups, and geographic regions build interest and inform the reader beyond his or her immediate ¬experience. For these reasons, children’s books that portray diversity are an essential part of any early childhood
Multicultural literature is a way of increasing cultural awareness. Through multicultural books many young readers are able to make a connection with their own culture
At a young age children believe almost everything that they hear. Parents and teachers need to be very careful and selective with what they talk about around children. One challenge that teachers and parents face is choosing the appropriate books to read for their young ones. One book genre that has caused a good amount of chaos and controversy are multicultural books. Adults are afraid of exposing their children to these kinds of books because they do not want them to be influenced by the negative stereotypes that many of these books contain. However multicultural books can help children to empathize with others and learn about different cultures, the right books just need to be selected. Parents and teachers need to find books that
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.
Culture is a powerful influence plays a big role in our interactions. Culture may also impact parenting style and a developing child. Having a strong sense of their own cultural history and the traditions associated with it helps children build a positive cultural identity for themselves. This also supports children’s sense of belonging and, by extension, their mental health and wellbeing. This class is crucial in understanding and working well parents, staff, and children. An effective educator understands how students’ cultures affect their perceptions, self-esteem, values, classroom behavior, and learning. As director, I need to use that understanding to help my students and staff feel welcomed, affirmed, respected, and valued. One way that I can do this is by using multicultural literature, especially children’s literature, to honor students’ culture and foster cross-cultural understanding. If cultural differences are not understood by teachers and management, it can lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings on both sides. It will be my job to do all I can to overcome both language and cultural differences to ensure a positive learning environment for
Britain is and always has been a mixed race society. Gradually over the years, millions of people all over the world arrive either through past invasion or come as an immigrant to escape their own country’s famine, persecution and seeking for better economic opportunities in the UK (Zafra, 2007). The history of immigration and invasion has produced today’s diverse community. However, for the past few years, there has been a dispute concerning whether multiculturalism has obstruct the goal of attaining a peaceful community and instead causing extremism in the UK. According to Michelle Wilkinson (2011), this is resulted by the notion that multiculturalism promotes segregation and different groups having different beliefs leading to heavy tension and radicalization. On the other hand, multiculturalism has also been praised for advancing equality and social recognition (Caroline Howarth & Eleni Andreouli, 2013). In the light of this controversial issue, both aspect of the pro and cons of Multiculturalism to the society will be covered in this essay, exploring as a whole whether the ideology of Multiculturalism in enforcing equality has worked in Britain or not.