Multicultural Education

1. Multicultural Education multikulturelle Ausbildung éducation multiculturelle formazione multiculturale educación multicultural многокультурное образование James MacKenzie

2. Definitions and Goals • Multicultural education • Is a progressive approach for transforming education that holistically critiques and addresses current shortcomings, failings, and discriminatory practices in education. It is grounded in the ideals of social justice, education equity, and a dedication to facilitating educational experiences in which all students reach their full potential as learners and as socially aware and active beings, locally, nationally, and globally. It acknowledges that schools are essential to laying the foundation for the transformation of society and the elimination of oppression and injustice. • A point of view that cuts across all subject areas, and addresses the histories and experiences of people who have been left out of the curriculum. Its purpose is to help us deal equitably with all the cultural and racial differences that you find in the human family. It allows us to get at explanations for why things are the way they are in terms of power relationships, in terms of equality issues. • Is a philosophical concept built on the ideals of freedom, justice, equality, equity, and human dignity. It recognizes the role schools can play in developing the attitudes and values necessary for a democratic society. It challenges all forms of discrimination in schools and society through the promotion of democratic principles of justice.

3. History • Multicultural education emerged out of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s. It grew out of demands of ethnic groups for inclusion in curriculum in the schools. • Multicultural education also has its roots in the ethnic studies movement of the late 1800s and early 1900’s and is linked to such scholars as W.E.B. Dubois, George Washington Williams, and Carter G. Wilson. • A major turning point occurred in 1977 when the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) issued new standards for all member institutions (about 80% of teacher ed programs in the US) to implement components, courses, and programs in multicultural education.

4. Approaches to Multicultural Education • There are many different approaches • Perhaps the best known are from James A. Banks Dimensions of Multicultural Education • 5 distinct dimensions • Content Integration • The Knowledge Construction Process • Prejudice Reduction • An Equity Pedagogy • An Empowering School Culture and Social Structure

5. Dimensions of Multicultural Education • Content Integration • Deals with the extent to which teachers use examples and content from a variety of cultures and groups to illustrate key concepts, principles, generalizations, and theories in their subject area. • This can be easier or more difficult depending on which subject area is being discussed. • Social Studies, Language Arts, and Music are all areas in which content integration can be easily implemented. • Mathematics and the Sciences are not as easy to implement, though not impossible • The Knowledge Construction Process • Describes teaching activities that help students to understand, investigate, and determine how the implicit cultural assumptions, frames of references, perspectives and biases of researchers and textbook writers influence the ways in which knowledge is constructed. • Helps teachers and students to understand why the cultural identities and social positions of researchers need to be taken into account when assessing the validity of knowledge.

6. Dimensions of Multicultural Education continued • Prejudice Reduction • Seeks to help students develop positive and democratic racial attitudes. • Helps students to understand how ethnic identity is influenced by the context of schooling and the attitudes and beliefs of dominant social groups. • An Equity Pedagogy • Exists when teachers modify their teaching in ways that will facilitate the academic achievement of students from diverse racial, cultural, socioeconomic, and language groups. • This includes using a wide variety of teaching styles and approaches that are consistent with the range of learning styles within various cultures and ethnic groups.

7. Dimensions of Multicultural Education continued • An Empowering School Culture and Social Structure • This involves restructuring the culture and organization of the school so that students from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and language groups experience equality. • This requires the creation of qualitatively different relationships among various groups within schools. Relationships that are based on mutual and reciprocal respect for cultural differences that are reflected in school-wide goals, norms, and cultural practices.

8. Has it worked? • Although much has been written about multicultural education over the past 20 years not much actual research has been done. • In order for multicultural education to succeed in schools it needs support from all people involved in the education process. • Teachers, Parents, Students, Administrators, and the Community,

9. Discussion • At your tables try to think of examples from your own educational experience that you now realize were or were not part of multicultural education. • For example “Columbus discovered the new world.” or “Columbus did not discover the new world because there were already native inhabitants.”