Schools And Multiculturalism In Schools

Just exactly what is multicultural education and how do we as educators incorporate it into not only our classes, but into our curriculum and even more, our everyday lessons? The education system is made up of a wildly diverse group of people. Students are sitting in classrooms from all types of backgrounds, plus coming to school with a wide variety of needs. Where at one point in time it was taboo to discuss one’s differences, we were to focus on how we are all alike. We as a group have come to acknowledge that it is okay to be different. We don’t have to be like everybody else.

The purpose of this paper is to inform our readers of how a multicultural education benefits children. How can teachers create a multicultural learning community, and how can teachers help guide children

Racism is present in Australian schools. Racism can be directly seen in the acts of racist abuse, harassment and discrimination. It can also be seen indirectly, in the form of prejudice attitudes, lack of recognition of cultural diversity and culturally biased practices (New South Wales Government, 2017). Teachers do not often realise the bias mind they can bring to a classroom. If teachers do not realise and do not address their own bias, they cannot be a skilful and effective teacher to students.

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.

This paper will be discussing a recent fifteen hour field experience I participated in which I observed a classroom which included many students of diverse ethnic and cultural groups. I will discuss any prejudices/discriminations I observed in the classroom based on ethnic and cultural diversity. I will also describe how this experience has made me determined to try to create a positive learning environment for students of diversity in the classroom.

My findings can be useful to implement new social policies to create a more diverse educational classroom setting. In the beginning of the year, school administration may not focus on the racial diversity in a classroom when choosing classes, but I believe this should also be another factor when dividing students, to create an equal diverse classroom. While creating diverse classrooms will aid in the ethnic knowledge of children, organizing school-wide ethnic cultural celebrations can also help expand and introduce different cultures and ethnicities to children who may not otherwise be introduced to a different ethnicity and race, other than the ones they are surrounded with. In relation to personal experience, I grew up in a social setting where my ethnicity was the majority, but when I started college at Dominican University, I was sectored as a minority since most students were white, but I was not affected by this cultural shock as I had a close connection to my ethnic roots and did not let the change of environment affect me. Growing up in an environment where you are the majority, but then radically being introduced to an environment where you become the minority can easily affect the cognitive state of a person, if that person was not well-prepared

Significant learning can only occur in a setting based upon mutual trust and understanding within a culture of inclusiveness or to put it simply “Seek first to understand, then to be understood (Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion | TED Talk | TED.com, 2013) The Australian Curriculum has been designed with the specific goal of addressing the needs of all students and their individual learning needs (ACARA, 2010) while the Early Years Learning Framework lays out ‘cultural competence’ however the specifics are left to the classroom teacher and their school to decide. Australia claims that it is a multicultural society, tolerant of differing views and cultures, however the reality is quite different with the Index of Social Cohesion report by Scanlon Monash finding that attitudes toward different cultures has worsened in the last four years( Ewing, R p 75) . With forty four percent of citizens either immigrants or the first generation of immigrants without consideration and integration of different cultural norms into the classroom room learning experience these children may be left behind (Lawrence, Brooker & Goodnow, 2012 p 75), . Children of low socio-economic backgrounds fare worst of all in all measurable outcomes including lower literacy and numeracy skills, reduced higher education enrolment and graduation rates (Gorski, 2013 p). The Australian Curriculum has been designed with the specific goal of addressing the needs of all students and their individual learning

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

There has been a clear notion on what is needed in today’s education and that is diversity in the classroom to include material in the curriculum that openly addresses diversity. Teachers need to be aware that being multicultural is important, adaptation is required and ability to provide students with a safe environment. Meanwhile, also understanding the student’s interest, culture, and background is vital in the student’s learning. For example, according to Karmeen (2013), “21st Century Teacher Educator” and “Teachers as “Healers”: 21 Century Possibility? Or Necessity?” by authors Whitfield and Klug (2004); both promote the ideas of including multicultural materials in the curriculum. They both agree that the reduction of prejudice and promotion of social justice is key. One should obtain the knowledge to understand and recognize what is unique among different groups that each student represent.

A major change that needs to take place in order to accommodate the change in population is one in instruction. Teachers and supervisors need to be instructed in gearing education more toward children of different cultures. Because of disparities that still exist between students of color and their white counterparts, teachers will need to understand their own culture and the power functions of society as they relate to learners of all creeds. These power functions of society define learning and communication styles, participation structures and cultural responsiveness (Page, 163). Often, the reason culturally diverse students fail to engage in their own education stems from lack of motivation and the influx of negative influences. These negative influences often offer students a

The integration of multicultural issues with the current educational structure needs to be met with caution and the upmost care is one of the messages I got from our class and it’s true. These decisions can cause irreparable damages to the students’ lives and could further distance the divide between achieving cultural understanding and continual ignorance. However, if certain components are taken into consideration, there is hope for a bright and culturally-rich future. First, there are various multicultural issues including stereotype threat and the lack of conversation about race and culture at a young age that should be addressed. Secondly, understanding the power of open-discussions with multicultural issues for I experienced it first-hand

Diversity is what makes each person in a classroom different from each other, even though you could be the same color of the person sitting next you, does not mean you are the same. The classroom environment should look and feel welcoming for all children. So it can show the diversity of the world in which we live in. Children should be provided with essential information about who they are and what is important, making an effort for this to happen creates a setting that is rich in possibilities for exploring the diversity of each student in a classroom across the world. A few of the educational practices today is geared towards supporting and eliminating ethnic differences between students in classrooms today.

Effective instructors must understand the issues that impact multicultural education in the United States. The significance of providing an eminence instruction in an unbiased approach to all of their students is essential. The tide of demographic changes in the United States has affected most classrooms in our schools. As a result, some classroom teachers realize they must quickly acquire a comprehensive understanding of ethnic, cultural, and social-class diversity present in today’s schools. Otherwise, these teachers will face difficulty in classrooms comprised of fifty-one percent minority students. (Texas Education Agency, 1993) Nonetheless, traditional teachers with no experience in multicultural

Multicultural education is a philosophical concept built on the ideals of freedom, justice, equality, equity, and human dignity as acknowledged in various documents, such as the U.S. Declaration of Independence, constitutions of South Africa and the United States, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations. It affirms our need to prepare student for their responsibilities in an interdependent world. It recognizes the role schools can play in developing the attitudes and values

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