Analyzing Hirsch's 'Preface To Cultural Literacy'

by pointing out that while getting the basics of a liberal education are valuable and that most should receive it, he believes that this should and can take place prior to the level of the college education. Murray states that “for most students, the place to provide those basics are elementary and middle school.” He then goes on to cite E.D. Hirsch Jr. in his 1987 book “Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know” as his authority on the topic. Hirsch builds his template around the concept of a “core knowledge” that most need to know. Murray cites three points of Hirsch: 1) full participation in any culture requires familiarity with a body

This paper is intended to explore and report upon the topics posited by Tyrone C. Howard in his book, Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap in Americas Classrooms. Closely examining each and every chapter as they come and how the structure of this book gives a detailed framework and guidance system for novice and experienced teachers to take their pedagogical skills to more diverse and multicultural levels. Also, this paper will review a few lessons or projects that can be adapted and used within my personal educational institute in order to create

The conversation and debates on cultural literacy should continue in every place in America since it helps us to understand and be tolerant of other cultures around us (Gay 2010). When we are familiar with all or some of the things that define America as a culture,

* Is there a need for unique pedagogy to meet the literacy development needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students?

In a compelling argument about the necessity of literature and arts, Dana Gioia, argues that not only has society, mostly the young adults of this generation, stopped reading, but the benefits in political and economic stances diminishes with the lack of reading. An intriguing persuasive passage is made to try to convince the reader as to why reading is so important and why young adults show reconsider it. Information from political to economic and social readings were useful to help support his claim. Using the knowledge of the National Conference of State Legislatures, Gioia wanted to prove what can happen if society as a whole doesn’t continue to read. With the lack of literature, is a lack of civic knowledge and to confirm it, the “2003 study of 15- to 26- year olds’ civic knowledge… concluded young people do not understand the ideals of the citizenship… and their appreciation and support of American democracy is limited.”

I decided to review an article by Martha J. Strickland titled, Storylines: Listening to Immigrant Students, Teachers, and Cultural-Bridge Persons Making Sense of Classroom Interactions. I found the article in National University’s library. This article describes a study in which “storylines” is used to capture and analyze how newly arrived immigrant students in U. S. classrooms make meaning of lessons with limited English and how their teachers, without prior experience with the cultures of these students, manage to educate them. Pursuing understanding (knowledge construction) of academic content is a multicultural education dimension.

Students without basic cultural literacy should attend a vocational school. He says people should get the basics of a liberal arts education in secondary school. He states, “more people should be getting the basics of a liberal education, the places to

In today 's ever changing world teachers need to understand the importance of a multicultural education. It’s becoming essential to provide opportunities for their students to learn about the many cultures represented in america and the world around them. Studies have shown that by the year 2040 as surveyed by the U.S. census bureau, that “white non-hispanics will make up less than half of the school aged population” (Smith) Our country is ever growing and it doesn 't seem right to exclude cultural education to students when our nation was built by immigrants. Building curriculums that acknowledge different cultures,

The need for basic literacy skills is vital in order for our nation to continue to operate successfully. With approximately 5 million students, graduating below the National Standard for Literacy and unable to read, we must take a look at the curriculum and teaching techniques to assess whether the current systems need to be revised to better assure ALL students are successful. (Adolescent Literacy: A Policy Research Belief p. 1) The issue begins first with the definition of “Literacy”, and the fact that there are several aspects of literacy which are not currently included in the curriculum. Another issue is the “old” standards which are in place do not support the level of diversity which is now seen in many school systems. Then

Hirsch begins his argument by defining what it means to be culturally literate. He further explains that being culturally literate is not confined to any defined culture or even to one specific social class. Hirsch states that cultural literacy is the only sure way to provide disadvantaged children the ability to rise out of the same social and educational conditions as their parents. He moves on to explain how cultural literacy relates to the current theories of education with Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Dewy, and Plato. Hirsch elaborates that they all were half way correct in their assumptions, but that when put together, their teaching ways equal literacy.

Pea Ridge High School (PRHS) has long prided itself of being a high achieving school in academics; it is number six in the state for the 2013-2014 school year. Since the implementation of the Common Core Standards, PRHS has found itself having to reteach educators to use the literacy standards because most in the non-literacy/math disciplines still use the Arkansas Frameworks. Not only has the literacy standards been an arduous task to implement in the literacy areas, the high school struggles with the concept of teaching literacy in the areas that are not necessarily considered literacy areas. According to the schools’ Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement Plan (ACSIP) of which the author of this essay and project is the literacy chair for the high school, two things that is essential and requires immediate implementation in all areas is the teaching of literacy and closing the achievement gap for the target groups which are considered lower socioeconomic (free/reduced lunch), minorities, and English language learners. In an effort to ease the minds of the educators and administration, this project was instituted to help those of history, science, art, physical education, and other areas to implement the literacy standards assigned by the state. It also gives assistance and clarification for those not only in the literacy

Race, Gender, Class, and ethnicity are the fabrics that form a Multicultural Society. As a teacher, it is important to think about my students’ various cultures and influences their cultures possess over their learning. After all, students are taught within the context of culture. Culture is what we teach whether it is explicit or institutional. Culture is integral to learning, considering culture is dependent on education for its survival. Culture is transferred from one generation to the next using informal or formal education (Convertino, Levinson, Gonzalez 27). As teachers, we should ensure our instruction is relevant to our students, otherwise they will lose interest, and then, they will never learn (Banks 2013). So, teachers should approach their students within a culturally relevant pedagogy.

Teaching in a school with a diverse student body can help you prepare your students for citizenship in a multicultural democracy. With the United States becoming more culturally and ethnically diverse, public schools are following suit. Teachers need to model the acceptance of a respect for all cultures in our nation. It shows students the importance of fostering positive self-regard to one’s culture and positive attitude and open-mindedness to the culture of others. While interviewing my colleague, I was hoping to pinpoint some resources to identifying teaching strategies and cross-cultural communication strategies that will allow

To promote a working level of cultural competence in the school, we would need to address the fact that minorities aren’t always granted the opportunity to receive high standards of education. Providing quality education should be universal, but that’s not always the case. Minorities are categorized by their socioeconomic status in relation to misconceived ideas about race. Being culturally competent is importance because it allows leaders

Education is one of the most important factors in every person’s life regardless of where they’re from, their race, or their culture. Becoming educated not only makes life easier for us but also can help people become more successful in all things. However with so many people of various races, ethnicities and backgrounds in the United States it is difficult to create an education system that attends to each student’s individual culture. Ones own culture influences their actions and lifestyle, therefore this can create conflict if it is different from their schools cultural teaching style. Multicultural and multilingual classrooms have become the norm in many educational and professional settings throughout the U.S. because of changing immigration patterns caused by globalization (Institute for Educational Leadership, p. 2). For teachers today, it is essential to understand the role of culture and have the ability to interact interculturally in the classroom to create an effective learning environment. Analyzing cultural issues or differences can help teachers to understand some of the unconscious processes that shape individuals’ actions and interactions, as well as their language use and communication. “Teachers who understand cultural diversity…are more likely to be successful in their multicultural classrooms” (Samovar, Pg.2).