Multicultural Teaching Competencies Inventory

On page 238 in chapter 8 of Becoming a Multicultural Educator, by William A. Howe and Penelope L. Lisi, it states that, "culturally relevant education (CRE) was coined by Gloria Ladson-Billings (2009) to describe "a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes"". The five principles that are discussed on page 239 are used to guide teachers in the direction of having a culturally relevant classroom for their students to learn about how to participate in a democratic society. Each principle offers educators insight as to how they can use culture within their classroom and lessons they teach in order to help their students become culturally

Guideline 1: Psychologists are encouraged to recognize that, as cultural beings, they may hold attitudes and beliefs that can detrimentally influence their perceptions of and interactions with individuals who are ethnically and racially different from themselves (American Psychological Association, 2003). I agree that psychologist can hold many different beliefs concerning others. The beliefs can sometimes hinder a person from growing emotionally, and cognitively. In my opinion it is important for the professional to be familiar with the diversity that may exist in their patients and remain professional in their

Cultural consciousness must flow from faculty development. Culturally responsive faculty development should assist educators in developing cultural consciousness; in other words, understanding one’s own culture and how it affects his or her interaction with others (McCalman, 2007). Faculty should learn that class and race differences are not solely the problem between them and students; professors must be able to acknowledge power imbalances are pervasive in society, institutions and policies,

For this assignment, I have chosen to reflect on both my school site and the district.

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

Over time, society has become increasingly diverse and globally connected. In order to meet the needs of an interconnected society, the American Counseling Association (ACA) endorsed the creation of multicultural and social justice competencies (Ratts, Singh, Butler, Nassar-McMillan, & McCullough, 2016). The Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC) were developed in order to showcase the importance of integrating MSJCC into all aspects of the counseling profession. Originally, these competencies were geared more toward majority professionals working with minority clients. However, it has become more clear that the range of diversity is endless and it is not uncommon for privileged clients to be counseled by minority counseled (Ratts, et al., 2016).

Teaching in racially diverse classrooms often leaves educators feeling uncertain about how to proceed and how to respond to historically marginalized students. There is pressure to acknowledge and accept students of color with different perspectives, to diversify the syllabi, be more aware of classroom dynamics, and pay attention to how students of color experience the learning process.

From the reading on page 254 in chapter 9 of Becoming a Multicultural Educator, by William A. Howe and Penelope L. Lisi, there are myths stated about the failure of bilingual students and bilingual education. In table 9.2 on page 254 it is stated that, “it is a myth that all immigrant groups were successful [with learning the English language]. There were many low-skilled entry-level jobs that did not require advanced language skills.” My question is what is the considered success for immigrants learning the English language? Would it be considered successful if an immigrant learned enough English to obtain a job and earn a living within the United States or does an immigrant need to meet a specific level of mastery in the eyes of educators

Since Bobby is Hispanic, comes from a poor upbringing, did not finish his education, and is unable to hold a job as an adult; treatment must be dealt with according to his ethics and culture. Information found under the APA Guidelines, Policy Statements, and Resolutions the discussion of proper procedure in ethnic background treatment and diversity (APA, 2010). The recommendation of a Hispanic psychologist will only assist in allowing Bobby to open up to treatment. The cultural similarities will assist in Bobby understanding that his parent’s life style was not appropriate; and if he continues on the same path he will not change the cycle that has caused him so much pain. Any language difference would be more accommodated with a Hispanic psychologist (APA, 2010). At this time Bobby has been able to correspond on an pragmatic level of English that was understandable. The treatment plan laid out for Bobby under Research and Evaluation allows for civil commitment. This will give Bobby time to gain control of the substance abuse and take control of the trauma from his past. The Hispanic intervention will allow for a more comforting environment. This part is important because Bobby suffered from abuse and neglect from his parents (Zalta, et al., 2014). His desire was to please his mother, no matter her requests. Although he now understands that instead of his parent’s protection he was abused and left

from the context of the personal culture of the client (Sue, Arrendondo & McDavis, 1994; Sue &

In order to study the need of a racially and culturally diverse college campus, the journey and battles fought must be dicussed. While there is a lack of diversity on college campuses today, they are not completely devoid of people of color. However, there was a time when college campuses were one hundred percent Caucasian. Jonathan R. Alger, Jorge Chapa and a team of researchers conducted studies on various college classrooms. They then went on to publish their findings in a book titled Does Diversity make a Difference? The purpose of their paper was to discuss the importance of diversity and reveal the effects of non-diverse campus. They begin their book by taking a look into the history of diversity in America. The start of the Civil Rights movement along with President Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty took place in the mid 1960s. These events forced the country to face the reality of the people of color in America. These Americans of color did not have equal access to education, jobs, housing, or other valued resources (Alger et al. 2000). College administrators and faculty were starting to understand the necessity of a diverse campus. The realized that people of color had just as much to offer to the United States as the Caucasian majority. During that time, “many higher education faculty members and administrators were deeply concerned that abandonment of race sensitive admissions and hiring, at a time when most minority groups continue to be unrepresented in higher education, will severely limit campus diversity and would undermine the learning environment for all students.” (Alger et al. 2000). Additionally, a lot of the traditionally white colleges and universities were provoked and questioned by the concerns of their students. The universities and colleges began to notice their inability to extend the same educational

The first step for me to become a culturally responsive teacher is to learn not to judge others. Working with students from diverse backgrounds requires us to question our reactions to families and students. We need to stop judging different as “abnormal” and embrace what the differences can teach us (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011). Embracing the differences

However, there are questions as to whether or not teachers possess biases that would influence their teaching methods and curriculum. Taking a class in educational diversity is only a start in addressing those biases that may have been unconsciously created. It is the writer’s sincere hope that researching and writing a paper on multicultural education will be a stepping stone toward the critical examination of biases and practices in regards to diversity in the classroom that will continue to influence the readers throughout their educational

I would identify myself as White, although my ethnicity is Irish, English, German, and Native American. I was born and raised on the island of Hawaii, which has allowed me to be immersed in a culturally diverse mix of people and practices. This has given me the opportunity to appreciate and value others’ views, values, and beliefs. Other parts of my culture include that I am an only child and I was brought up in a middle-class family that was not religious.

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.