Why is a Multicultural Classroom Library Important?
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
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There are different genres, lengths, topics and styles but when selecting multicultural children’s literacy there are important guidelines to follow. According to Bishop,
If our society is to meet the challenges of democratic pluralism, all students need to recognize the diversity that defines the society, learn to respect it and see it in a positive light. In schools that appear to be increasingly segregated along lines of color and class, literature, television, and other media may present some of the few opportunities for all students to encounter people of different racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups. Literature, then, becomes one of the ways in which schools can affirm pluralism” (pg.3). There are many different types of books in classroom libraries.
There are different genres, lengths, topics and styles but when selecting multicultural children’s literacy there are important guidelines to follow. Mei-Yu Lu included a list of guidelines list to follow when selecting multicultural books for classroom libraries. The guidelines were developed by Beilke (1986), Harada (1995), Harris (1991), and Pang, Colvin, Tran, & Yang (1992). They recommend that multicultural literature
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Our school is primarily white. According to WISEdash we had 364 students enrolled for the 2014-2015 school year. Of those students 88.2% were white, .8% were American Indian. 2.2% Black, 7.1% Hispanic. Student’s families are also extremely poor 56.9% of the students are considered economically disadvantage. Knowing those statistics, I am very aware of the students and their families and the backgrounds they come from. As an educator I want my students to reach their highest potential and part of that is being a well-rounded
Robles de Melendez, W. (2010). Teaching Young Children in Multicultural Classrooms: Issues, Concepts, and Strategies (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Cowhey’s book is broken down by the major themes and concepts she teaches her first and second grade students. Each concept relates back to her personal pedagogy of implementing a Multicultural Education. These major themes include empathy, freedom, peace, activism, community, and social justice. Cowhey’s pedagogy uses “language and literacy to teach about the world with rigor, depth, and challenge in a way that engages and
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]
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.
In today’s classroom, children come from various cultural backgrounds and diverse family structures; which makes having access to diverse books a must. The children need to be able to relate to the characters in the book. As a result, having characters that are prominently white, middle class families no longer fit the norm. Authors of various cultural backgrounds are now creating books that show the diversity in today’s society.
“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
Libraries should have a combination of books that reflects not only the group being taught, but also the diversity of the United States and the world as a whole. While there are more specific guidelines, a library or classroom should at least contain books that show a variety of ways of life, a wide range of family structures, and differently-abled and disabled people doing a variety of jobs and roles in family and society. If children cannot see themselves in the books they read, especially at a young age, they could get discouraged about reading as a whole which is the opposite of the goals of their teachers. Classrooms and libraries need to be changed so that one day good multicultural children’s books can just be considered good children’s
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
Literature serves a significant purpose in learning about what we could generally call citizenship, when educators are determined to communicate a sense of value and values to children. This refers to being a citizen of a sustainable world and not just being a citizen of a particular country. The idea of world citizenship is an important and essential factor of a global society. A global society must suggest having not only a physical connection between cultures but also a philosophical connection that surpasses ideas and politics. The classroom and stories read in the classroom can help provide opportunity for connection in this way, this is because story is a connector. All cultures have stories and these stories can fill schools and lives with opulent diversity. Opportunities for experiencing difference and engaging creatively in one’s own differences are what these stories can offer. Books read in class are able to incite, discuss and challenge about self and others, about unfami...
During the 2015-16 year, the percentage of white students in the Franklin Pierce School District was 36%, a drastic decrease. The diversity in the school district I attended allowed us to be exposed to different cultures and in turn, share learning experiences with the people who represented these cultures starting from a young age. This made interactions with people from different cultures more comfortable as we got progressed throughout our grades. In the 2015-2016 school year, 74% of students receive free or reduced lunch. As striking as this may sound, this in a sense created a sense of “belonging”. There was this mindset that if the majority of the cohort came from a rather “dystopic community”, it made it socially acceptable to come from a low-income or an unstable home. Alongside my schoolmates, it was never about being the person coming from an upscale background. It was well known among us students to refer to the people that were “Keeping up with the Joneses” as the people who went to Bellarmine Prep. We didn’t care if we were being politically correct. We just wanted to feel like we belonged and that what we were doing
The concepts included in providing a more diverse, multicultural education are requiring teachers to review their own issues and prejudices while expanding their knowledge of the many cultures that make up the classroom. These efforts help the educator recognize the various individual and cultural differences of each student, as well as gain an understanding on how these differences impact the learning process. The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon individual and cultural difference research and why diverse students struggle to succeed in school. Furthermore, I will share some instructional approaches I could implement in the classroom to accommodate diverse students. Finally, I will discuss the responsibility of educators in addressing the issue of how our o...
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.
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
Multicultural literature should play a significant role in a classroom, because it allows for students to see ideas and thoughts from a different perspective other than their own. Students will hopefully have learned some key attributes when it comes to what they world is like, and what different cultures are, but they learn it from, their families, and however it is portrayed in the media. These perspectives however, can be skewed and biased based on what the family and the media believes. Using multicultural literature in the classroom will open up not only a look into the information and ideas of a culture, but also the ideas and practices they perform, and what they believe in.
As a young teacher, I aimed to have my students read multicultural literature because I wanted to open my students’ eyes to the differences between people on this planet we share. I wanted them to see the differences as a beautiful, natural thing. However, looking back at those early years, I did little to enhance what my students were reading other than handing them a book and helping them read through it with some discussions that were not about controversial topics, only about character actions. That left my students to struggle on their own to understand the different perspectives and rich lives in which they were presented. With good intentions, I failed to get my purpose across, and I only left students with more questions. Reflecting on my teaching, and working to enhance the reading of multicultural literature, I found that I had to begin at the beginning-how I would define multicultural literature and what purpose it would serve.