Multicultural Education : Integrated Diverse Learners

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).

Currently, general education classrooms have increasingly become diverse with both disable students and students from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In order for educators to ensure that they effectively teach these classrooms, meet the needs of each student both successfully and individually, effective research that is based on strategies need to be implemented. The U.S. Department of Education suggest that, the current school-age population is becoming more diverse as time passes, yet, majority of the teachers in these schools are white non-Hispanic women. According to another report by The Condition of Education in 2006, American schools are portraying increased diversity and growth. The report suggested that, forty two percent of students in public schools were ethnic or racial minorities in the year 2003; this increased from twenty two percent since 1972. Owing to these reasons, teachers in these schools are expected to educate a diversified class of students including those that come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Teachers are therefore, required to implement a number of key strategies that will ensure that every student in specific classroom feels that he or she belongs there (Worrell, 2010).

Within a school, equality, diversity and inclusion is very important. It is their duty to make sure all children have equal access to the curriculum. Whether they are a different race, culture, gender or have a special need or disability, it is important that they are supported and have a right to participate and be treated equal; this is known as inclusion. As part of this it is important that schools and other professionals support and promote cultural diversity in schools and the wider society, breaking down any discriminatory barriers to learning.

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

Diversity encompasses numerous characteristics including socio-economic background, ethnicity, special needs, gender, and giftedness (Cazden, 2001). Today, classrooms are getting more varied and diverse with students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and students with a disability. It appears that teachers must meet the needs of all students successfully and individually to effectively teach a classroom of diverse students. This paper will first identify three challenges involved with ensuring that teaching strategies are

The diversity found in public schools are those who speak another language other than English, come from different cultural backgrounds, are different socioeconomically, have learning disabilities, physical conditions, have different sexual orientations or genders. Students that are not straight, European American, and come from a comfortable or high socioeconomic status, resulting in private schools or have accessibility to paid for tutoring, are not always at arm’s reach for help or proper resources regarding their education at home or school, in some cases. These students face challenges and overcome them in a plethora of ways.

The United States school districts have transitioned into a multicultural learning center supportive in the role of teaching students, families, and communities about the benefits of embracing diversity and the positive impact it stimulates in promoting equality. Schools share the responsibility to assist in preparing student development for life after school in a multicultural society. The involvement of schools to provide successful integration for students from all ethnic backgrounds will prove supportive as school’s diversities continue to increase further into the 21st century. In this paper, a discussion of my school’s affirmation for diversity will be included. The next section will include how affirming diversity impacts multicultural education. Third, I will include some of the ways in which teachers and schools can support students for whom English is not a native language. Fourth, I will include an explanation of why schools that serve economically disadvantaged and culturally marginalized students are more likely to have arts programs cuts, including what researchers say about this trend, and how it affects student achievement. Fifth, explain why the choices between assimilation and affirmation are somewhat different today than 100 years ago. Finally, include some of my ideas for affirming diversity in PK-12 settings.

The ways knowledge or lack of thereof of diversity can affect my roles as a special education educator is comprehending learners will originate from various distinctive background. For this reason, I should obtain compassion ahead of communicating with the families about the student’s inadequacies challenges, apprehensions acquire prior to an enhance instructional learning environment. Moreover, understanding diversity in these specific areas will assist in delivering the appropriate accommodations for individuals and their families. For example, premise I cognize the family doesn’t articulate English a translator will be provided before communicating with the parents. Therefore, important to understand learner’s lifestyles

As we have learned this week, the meaning of the term diversity has evolved throughout the years and has a plethora of different definitions. Diversity can include students that are exceptional learners; multiple intelligences and learning styles; different ethnicity, race, and culture; different gender and religion; and even different socioeconomic status (“Notes On Diversity,” n.d.). According to Florian (2012), “the increasing cultural, linguistic, and developmental diversity of today’s classrooms demands more inclusive approaches to schooling, but classroom teachers often report feeling unprepared for inclusive education”. The articles’ findings that I read, Preparing Teachers to Work in Inclusive Classrooms: Key Lesson for the Professional

Our schools are full of a variety of children who are diverse in their own ways. What comes to mind when you hear the word diversity within schools? Many people think of race or culture, but diversity in our schools is more than that. Diversity can include race, religion, culture, and even learning styles in a classroom. In the past classrooms where not that diverse consisting of white protestant students. Currently diversity in classrooms is on the rise big time. Today’s classrooms are more effective in diversity, learning styles, and influences than past years.

Diversity in classrooms can open student’s minds to all the world has to offer. At times diversity and understanding of culture, deviant experiences and perspectives can be difficult to fulfill, but with appropriate strategies and resources, it can lead students gaining a high level of respect for those unlike them, preferably than a judgmental and prejudiced view.

School leaders strive to create the best learning environment within the school they operate; however, the teachers are the ones to implement the grand educational plan. In their journey to achieve excellence, the teachers must consider multiple factors that will have an effect on students’ psychological and social development. In addition, the issue of minorities is changing the dynamics of education. While student populations were never really homogeneous, the past couple of decades of exceptional growth in student diversity, plus the widening economic gap among students have produced even larger and increasing academic and cultural differences among students. Often times, diversity is being neglected and even looked down upon. “Teachers must be prepared to assist culturally and economically diverse students to ensure their academic and social success” (Ormond, 2006, p.16). One of the goals of education is to provide all children with equality of opportunity.

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.

There are many factors that play a role in the learning process for every human being. Race, religion, language, socioeconomics, gender, family structure, and disabilities can all affect the ways in which we learn. Educators must take special measures in the delivery of classroom instruction to celebrate the learning and cultural differences of each of their students. As communities and schools continue to grow in diversity, teachers are searching for effective educational programs to accommodate the various learning styles of each student while promoting acceptance of cultural differences throughout the classroom. It no longer suffices to plan educational experiences only for middle-or upper class white learners and then

There is an unspecific amount of human population that inhabit our planet and each and every person have their own distinct culture and ethnic background. In Australia, there are statistics that show more than 30 percent of households speak another language beside English (ABS, 2011). Many people in the world can also have a combination of these cultures, which gives them the ability to communicate in more than one language. This would mean that they are considered either to be bilingual or multilingual. Being bilingual is a formidable skill that is primarily used to communicate with others, but it can also provide power and opportunities in certain social fields. There are those who discourage their children from learning another language because of many reasons. This could include not being able to pay for these lessons, availability of competent teachers and may reduce the child’s focus in other subjects. Conversely, there are free educational programs in Australian schools that give children an opportunity to study their family language because it demonstrates the country’s strong support for cultural diversity. This is because multiculturalism promotes cultural awareness, which includes having a diverse range of cuisines, beliefs, interests and traditions shared across the country.