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. What is multicultural literature? According to Mingshui Cai in his article, “Multiple Definitions of Multicultural Literature: Is the Debate Really Just “Ivory Tower” Bickering?”, the answer to this question is very complex. Cai brings to light the fact that this question is a debate with many possible answers depending on who you ask. He says, “It seems obvious that the focal point of the controversy is on how many cultures are included in multicultural literature” (pg. 1). In my own opinion, in which Cai supports, cultures that should be included are those who are not readily given a voice in society. I do not feel that multicultural literature means that all cultures are represented. I can find many, many books written from the dominant, Eurocentric society. However, there are fewer books re... ... middle of paper ... ...and cultural awareness from that text. Instead, I know that even before I hand my students a book, I need to evaluate it for authenticity and the author’s purpose. I also need to guide student thinking with discussions about preconceived notions. Using multicultural literature appropriately, I know that I can help break some of the stereotypes and give students a more accurate schema about a culture. It is another goal to have many books by and about various cultures represented in my classroom library. I am building this, but I still have work to do. With more careful thought and consideration, I can effectively make the impact on my students that I intend to have with multicultural literature. I take this job seriously as these will be people leading our world one day. I want them to be leaders who have respect and understanding for each other. Knowledge is power.
Cowhey’s uses a quote from the Dalai Lama that perfectly explains the difference between wanting a classroom with a Multicultural Education and actually having one. “Its not enough to be compassionate. You must act”. This book showed me that it takes more than understanding what Multicultural Education looks like, but how persistent you must be to achieve this type of education. Cowhey’s book is relevant to educators and the general public because it can inspire individuals from all walks of life to teach children how to be compassionate, empathetic, activists, critical thinkers, and so much more than what is usually expected of them. This book is relevant to my teaching practices because it made me realize how much more teaching is. Teaching is more than creating and implementing lessons, but so much more in
In A Woman Who Went to Alaska, students were introduced to the local culture that can be found in Alaska, particularly during the Gold Rush. In “Ruby Bridges: A Girl of Courage,” students were able to understand what it was like growing up as an African American in the Southern United States, particularly during the Civil Rights Era. While they don’t promote international cultural diversity per se, these two readings can still expose students to cultures (or rather, past mindsets) that they are not necessarily aware
Robles de Melendez, W. (2010). Teaching Young Children in Multicultural Classrooms: Issues, Concepts, and Strategies (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
I’m convinced that much learning has occurred in this course, both on your part and on mine. So I’m most interested in your telling me what you have learned, rather than asking questions on this exam that require you to demonstrate your learning. So, look back over the course and compose a page each on what you have learned about each of these course objectives.
Madigan, Dan. "The Politics of Multicultural Literature for Children and Adolescents: Combining Perspectives and Conversation." Language Arts. 70.3 (1993): 168-176. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
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]
Literature often covers real-world controversial topics such as “multiculturalism, sex-role stereotyping, religious tolerance, and racism” (Blair 1998, pg. 57). While these topics may not want to be approached by certain teachers, the students are still confronted with them on a daily basis. The teacher as a mentor in the students’ life should help the student learn how to properly deal with real-world issues in a safe environment, one way of safely approaching this topic is through Literature.
U.S. Latino literature is as important and historical as any other. We often refer and quote recent or current Hispanic authors but we forget that there is a whole timeline behind every word and idea. History itself was first of all recorded in people's minds and hearts and through oral tradition was it passed on, later marked through drawings and symbols and finally, and after thousands of years, reached formal written ground. This carriage of messages and form of expression evolved through time and the way it is delivered along with the language in it has too. We can see evidence of that in Latino literature, from the early accounts of explorers to the modern day authors who fight for the rights of humankind, it has an entire all its own.
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.
As stated in my Week 3 Journal Entry, at one point I was helping in a classroom with a child who speaks Spanish. Instead of trying to force the child to speak English, I tried to use some basic Spanish when I worked with them in order to make the child feel more comfortable. I believe by making this small effort to speak the child’s native language that the child was more willing to participate in class and try to learn English. An additional example of making a relation from the text to a personal experience is when I was in elementary through high school. I did not realize until reading Spring’s book how little cultural diversity was taught in my elementary, middle, and high school. I went to school in a very Scandinavian county, and we did not have a lot of diversity. There were several students in the district who came from Hispanic, Asian, or African decent—but they were very few. I cannot recall a day when a teacher spent time to discuss a one of these student’s cultures, which is utterly ridiculous. With the amount of time spent in school and the amount of diversity in the world, it seems illogical to barely speak of ethnic and cultural diversity. Even though there were only a handful of students in the district from different cultures, it would have been beneficial to learn more about the rest of the world because when high school is done we all go out into that diverse world. I know I will take the time and make the effort to teach my future students about the beauty of diversity and
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
During the course of this class, I have had the opportunity to read literature from authors who come from different backgrounds and places in the world. Some of the stories and poetry we read were straight forward while others were confusing and sometimes required a second look. But one thing is clear, it changed the way I think about literature in a few ways that I wasn’t expecting. Three works in particular stand out in my mind. “ I Wont Let You Go” by Rabindranath Tagore, “To New York” by Leopold Senghor, and Pedro Peramo by Juan Rulfo all had an impact on my thinking for similar yet different reasons. They all incorporate their cultural backgrounds into their work through the setting of their pieces. They also compose their pieces in a way that makes you want to research their history to find the deeper meaning. Finally, a couple of the authors write about things they are emotionally connected to. Some of the examples we will look at, really opened my eyes to going beyond a superficial understanding of literature.
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...
According to David O. McKay (2013), multicultural education is constructed to prepare pupils for citizenship in a democratic society by facilitating them to take into account the needs of all individuals; it shed light on how issues of language, ethnicity, culture, religion race, abilities/disabilities, and gender are entwined with educational content and processes. A multicultural curriculum is needed to accommodate for diverse learning and teaching styles of facilitators and pupils and to expose biases, stereotypes, and policies that can restrict achievement. What is more, a multicultural curriculum is also needed to help pupils, faculty, and staff become advocates for multicultural awareness, to ensure that content is fair, accurate, and inclusive, and to prepare pupils for diverse workplaces and multicultural environments. In writing this paper, the author will describe key issues of culturally diverse students, recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected. In addition, she will describe three key issues of male and female students recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected. In closing, she will describe three key issues of students with disabilities, who are mainstreamed, recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected.