Five Dimensions Of Multicultural Education

“Multicultural education is an essential component of school reform. Nevertheless, when it is mentioned, many people first think of lessons in human relations and sensitivity training, units about ethnic holidays, education in inner-city schools, or food festivals. If multicultural education is limited to these issues, the potential for substantive change in schools is severely diminished” (Nieto, 2012, pp. 40).

When I first started this class I was aware of multicultural curriculum but I was not aware of how important it was in a classroom setting. As the weeks have gone by in this class, I have learned that multicultural curriculum is important because it 's a way for teachers to include all children from diverse backgrounds. As we 've have progressed in the study of multicultural curriculum we have learned to address important topics such as biases, social justice, stereotypes, the development of identity and how to communicate with parents.

According to Sonia Nieto, the definition of multicultural education is defined in sociopolitical context and relates to comprehension of school reform. Namely, the multicultural education works in reforming schools and providing an equal and excellent education for everyone. Likewise, the author gave a definition of multicultural education based on her experience surrounding education environment. She divides multicultural education into seven basic characteristics: antiracist education, basic education, important for all students, pervasive, education for social justice, a process, and critical pedagogy (Nieto & Bode, 2012).

The story provided an excellent discussion of the many issues that surround race in schools, it centered on the topic about whether integrated schools were more beneficial than segregated schools. This book focuses on young children in the early grades, listening to parents and racial integration. The author wanted to find the truth that is surrounding multicultural classrooms from those that are involved in it. This book includes many side stories, which serve to explore the concepts, and displays them in a clear way; it also added depth to the book. This book was well written and shows all sides of multicultural education. It does not take one side in particular and it encourages people to explore multicultural education in a new light.

I have grown up with Education being my catapult through life; I love it. I love to study children and figure out how they learn and how our educational experiences shape us as adults. Five years ago, I found myself accepting a position as a Toddler teacher in a government facility. To describe it simply, I was a fish out of water. I had experience with children, but not with children so small. This experience taught me a great deal about learning in our great world. I was amazed to witness the pure relationships between children of all races in that little toddler room. All color aside, the children seemed to embrace each other's differences and celebrate in their dedicated

Public schools are beginning to see a shift in demographics in the United States. There is now a culturally diverse student population and educators need to respond to this shift in order to ensure an equal education for all students. Culture aids in determining how students learn, and culturally responsive teaching is a way teachers can educate culturally diverse students and provide an equal education for all. Culturally responsive teaching is defined by Geneva Gay as using the various characteristics, perspectives, and experiences of many cultures to effectively teach culturally diverse students (2000). Culturally responsive teaching prepares teachers to work with and teach a culturally diverse classroom of students and allows teachers to create a classroom environment that is similar to their students’ home environments so students do not have to assimilate to the dominant culture or change from their home culture to their school culture depending on their setting (Brown). Multicultural education is not only important for ensuring equal education for all students, but also creates youth who will be able to function and be effective citizens in a pluralistic society (Gay 2003). In order to implement culturally responsive teaching, teachers must acknowledge potential biases and reconstruct their attitudes, create a diverse knowledge base, be caring and empowering, and create a classroom environment that is conducive to a culturally diverse

Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, Seventh Edition, by Donna M. Gollnick and Philip C. Chinn. Published by Prentice-Hall/Merrill. Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc.

And, although preschool administrators have a desire to begin increasing the amount of multicultural materials in the center as well as train the staff on ways to incorporate a child’s culture into the learning environment, it has been found that teaching practices are notoriously slow to change (Hooven & et al., 2018). By conducting literature research, examining the current practices at Kiddie Academy, and meeting with the center’s staff, it is hoped that new and innovative ways to celebrate diversity will be found and agreed upon by staff members. Since collaboration is crucial to the implementation of anti-bias curriculum in order for students to learn about their own culture and those of people who are different from them, communicating the results of the study will increase the chances of finding additional ways to up productivity, provides access to new sources of information, present opportunities to learn and go beyond traditional ways of thinking, problem solving, and forming partnerships as teachers and administrators begin to see positive results from the trainings, acknowledgement and celebration of diversity, and anti-bias curriculum being put into action. It is critical for early childhood teachers to promote culturally inclusive classrooms and experiences and provide learning materials and other resources that help children develop a greater appreciation of

Through the article “Fostering Cross Cultural Competence in Pre-service Teachers Through Multicultural Education Experiences”, author Dr. Jared Keengwe discusses the growing conflict of diversity in American classrooms. Dr. Keengwe argues that 21st century educators are not properly prepared to teach, or communicate effectively with students of diverse backgrounds. In many examples provided throughout the article, Dr. Keengwe presents the negative attributes associated with such educators who lack experience in multicultural educational environments. With immigration into the United States increasing each year, the number of culturally diverse students entering the classroom appears to be overwhelming current educators. According to the author, these facts are linked to the failure of teacher educational programs. Dr. Keengwe believes there is a pressing need for teacher educators to increase hands on multicultural courses that incorporate cultural competence, in order for pre-service teachers to succeed in the classroom.

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

The article, Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners in FCS Classrooms, describes the changes in the ethnical make-up of today’s classroom and the challenges teachers face as they aim to teach children from different cultures. In addition, the article points out the different needs of multicultural learners in the classroom. Finally, the article also describes research based strategies and techniques teachers can use that prove to be effective for the diverse learner.

The multicultural curriculum has its roots in the history of multicultural education which follows the history of the US civil rights movement (Fillion, n.d). The desegregation practices during the 1950s were established in order to provide equal education for all individuals, regardless of race or any other demographic considerations. The 1960s and 1970s, desegregation practices expanded to include application in seeking equity of all students in terms of their human rights (Banks, 2000). With the focus on human rights, multicultural concerns in education were considered, recognizing the importance of establishing awareness in a culturally diverse community. The changes in the teaching curriculum came under the collective heading of multiculturalism. These changes were also apparent in Britain and in Australia just as they were unfolding in the US (Lynch, 1983). The educational authorities recognized the fact that the curriculum must come from the social and the ethical concepts being seen in the multicultural setting. Various references to the inherent value of all human beings were also highlighted, and this attached value was also seen in the human rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s (Lynch, 1983). In these states, the focus was on acknowledging the need for the multicultural curriculum and for teachers to support and promote such a program. Research was then carried out and workshops with teachers implemented. Such actions were able to establish that even as

While completing coursework at CSUMB for the Liberal Studies program, the researcher was inspired by its classes to be a Diversity and Multicultural Scholar and a Social Justice Collaborator. By evaluating their own and others’ experiences as influenced by social identities, socialization practices, and societal institutions from both historical and contemporary perspectives it helped the researcher open their eyes in how they want to be in their classroom as an educator. In the researchers LS 380: Teaching for Social Change, LS 394: Multicultural literature , and LS 398: Social Foundations of Multicultural Education classes, the researcher critically examined the value of diversity and multiculturalism which interested her in the teaching

During the late 1960’s, America had entered into a period of cultural definition especially with the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement. Although the term “multicultural education” had not come into play yet, the idea that the U.S needed to reexamine their efforts of educating diverse groups was emerging. During this time inequality especially among minority groups in comparison to the white dominant culture became a social issue (Banks 1999). Before the arrival of this reform multicultural education was displayed in the classroom as having minorities adapt to the predominant culture. Teachers during this time felt it would be more beneficial for minorities to adapt. However, many parents of these minorities begin to argue that the

and curriculum. The discussion of the historical and philosophical background of multicultural education teaches educators how race and culture influence educational policy and programs. Multicultural teaching and curriculum is also crucial for the development of equitable education for diverse students. The author asserts that multicultural education can lessen biases while also furthering democratic beliefs and practices among students. The text’s discussion of multicultural education is significant to the field of multicultural education as it demonstrates how multicultural educational practices help students become culturally literate and prepared for today’s diverse and globalized world.