In today's culturally diverse classrooms, Multicultural Education offers a strategy for addressing cultural diversity in school and ensuring that students have equal educational opportunities irrespective of their individual backgrounds. It is imperative that the future generation of teachers develop an understanding of what Multicultural Education is and what it entails if they are to empower all students for academic success.
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
What is Multicultural Education?
It is a process of large-scale school reform that entails seven characteristics. It is 1) antiracist education, 2) basic education for all students, 3) important education for all students, 4) pervasive education, 5) education for social change, 6) a process, and 7) critical pedagogy.
Anti-racist Education
As anti-racist education, Multicultural Education invites administrators and teachers to reflect on the discriminatory practices of school, including their own prejudiced attitudes and behaviors, and to fight discrimination and racism by discussing these topics with students. Multicultural Education also invites teachers to teach content that reflects a comprehensive view of reality, rather than a partial, mono-cultural view of reality.
Basic Education
Multicultural Education should also be conceptualized as basic education for all students. In today's world, it is necessary for all students to develop multicultural literacy, including cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity, as well as some fluency in a second language, in order to be able to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds and to effectively participate in the workplace and society at large.
Important Education for All Students
Multicultural Education is also important education for all students. Although many among the public erroneously believe that Multicultural Education is solely for minority students, it is not. This type of education is not only important but also critical for all students, both majority and minority students as all students need to be taught a comprehensive view of reality and to be aware of the multiple perspectives that make up reality.
Education that is Pervasive
True Multicultural Education is also pervasive. As such, it should permeate the entire micro-universe of school from the curricula, teaching techniques, educational materials, textbooks, and relationships among people to the hiring practices, educational policies, and overall climate of school.
Education for Social Change
Multicultural Education should also be thought of as education for social change. It should prepare students to not only reflect on and apply democratic principles in their life, but also to critically analyze and solve problems in society. This can be achieved by discussing social justice and inequities with students, as well as how to change the status quo.
Process
Multicultural Education is in fact a long-term and ongoing process that aims at changing the entire world of school, not just educational programs, curricula and resources, but also deep-seated beliefs and attitudes. To help bring about change, teacher preparation programs must develop prospective teachers' understanding of numerous diversity issues and train them to effectively teach students who are culturally diverse.
Critical Pedagogy
Multicultural Education is also critical pedagogy. This means that teachers should include students' experiences and viewpoints into teaching and discuss all sides to any issue if their students are to understand that reality is not one-dimensional but entails multiple viewpoints. This will encourage students to question what they hear and read and ultimately equip them with sound critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. It will also validate students' experiences and empower them for academic success.
HOW TO ACCOMMODATE STUDENTS' LEARNING STYLES
What is a learning style? It is a particular channel through which students like to receive, process, and learn information.
Although different learning styles have been identified by various scholars, we will examine the learning styles proposed by Fleming and Gregorc. According to Fleming, there are four major learning styles, including visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and read/write learners. Visual learners learn via graphical representations (e.g., charts, diagrams, films). Auditory learners learn by listening (e.g., lectures, stories, audio clips). Kinesthetic learners learn from performing tasks (hands-on projects, experiments, fieldtrips) and read/write learners learn from written text (notes, textbooks, definitions, websites).
Gregorc proposes yet another perspective to learning styles. In his view, students are either concrete sequential, concrete random, abstract sequential, or abstract random learners. Concrete sequential learners like to take in information through their senses and to be taught through a step-by-step logical progression. They benefit from demonstrations, lab and workbook exercises, as well as virtual tours. Concrete random learners, on the other hand, like to learn by using their intuition, experimenting, and solving problems. They enjoy to study independently, to use simulations, and to play games. Abstract sequential learners learn through abstract thinking and logical reasoning and need a structured learning environment. They like to listen and read and benefit from using multiple media. Abstract random learners learn by using their imagination, being actively engaged in activities, and collaborating with others in an unstructured learning environment. They benefit from group work and having access to audio and video clips.
How can teachers accommodate the various learning styles of students in the classroom?
Teachers need to use a variety of classroom activities, media, and assessments (both traditional and authentic) to empower today's students for academic success. They should require their students to think critically, to learn through different sensory channels, to exercise multiple forms of intelligence, to build on their strengths & weaknesses, to participate in active hands-on learning, to collaborate on groups projects, and to acquire skills that are necessary in the real world.
FOSTERING A POSITIVE CLIMATE IN THE MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM
What does the term "classroom climate" refer to?
It refers to the atmosphere that reigns in the classroom. Teachers should strive to establish a positive climate in the classroom.
What are the characteristics of a positive classroom climate?
In this type of environment, there are positive relations between teachers and students and amongst students. Teachers and students all embrace diversity and positive values about diversity permeate the classroom. Teachers are supportive of multicultural education and view the communities of students as rich educational resources.
What should teachers do to establish a positive classroom climate?
First, teachers need to reflect on themselves and to find ways to overcome their own biases. They must then learn more about their own culture, as well as that of other cultural groups They must learn not to judge or to compare other cultures with their own. They must learn to accept other cultures as being simply different. They can achieve this by practicing cultural relativism, namely by learning to understand the cultural norms of different groups from the perspective of those who practice them.
In a positive classroom climate, teaching is also responsive to the individual needs of students, including their preferred learning styles. This means that teachers deliver content and assess learning via different sensory channels, instructional and assessment methods, and media.
HOW TO CHOOSE CULTURALLY BALANCED TEXTS & MATERIALS
Not all textbooks and educational materials reflect multicultural perspectives. More often than not, they are one-dimensional, reflecting the perspectives of the dominant culture. Prior to using textbooks and educational materials in the classroom, teachers should review them to verify that they present multiple worldviews and are free of biases. Textbooks and materials should be free of the following biases: invisibility, stereotyping, selectivity/ imbalance, unreality, fragmentation/isolation, linguistic bias, and cosmetic bias.
Invisibility
Invisibility is reflected in textbooks and educational materials when minority cultures are under represented in writing or in pictures. This sends the message that minority cultures have less importance in society than the majority culture.
Stereotyping
Stereotyping is the case when different cultural groups are portrayed in fixed and predictable roles (e.g., women as nurses). This presents an unrealistic picture of society, suggesting that there are no individual differences between people.
Selectivity/Imbalance
Selectivity/imbalance occurs when content is presented according to one perspective, typically that of the majority culture. This conveys the idea that other perspectives do not have validity.
Unreality
Unreality is the omission of contemporary social problems and controversies from textbooks and educational materials. This denies students the knowledge and competencies that they need to solve problems in daily life.
Fragmentation/Isolation
Fragmentation/isolation is when minority cultures are discussed in separate chapters or units of textbooks. This conveys the message that minority groups and their contributions are insignificant and have little influence in society.
Linguistic Bias
Linguistic bias is the use of linguistic expressions that fail to reflect diversity (e.g., mankind vs. humankind).
Cosmetic Bias
Cosmetic bias is when minority groups are portrayed in textbook pictures without being discussed in the text.
REFERENCES
Cochran-Smith, M. (2004). Walking the road: Race, diversity, and social justice in teacher education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Darling-Hammong, L., French, J., & Garcia-Lopez, S. (2002). Learning to teach for social justice. New York: Teachers College Press.
Fleming, N. (2001). Vark: A guide to learning styles. Retrieved on November 17, 2010 from http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.as
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, & practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
Gollnick, D. & Chinn, P. (2021). Multicultural education in a pluralistic society (11th ed.). London: Prentice Hall.
McClanaghan, Mary. (2000). A strategy for helping students learn how to learn. Education, Vol. 120 (3), p. 479.
Ross, J., & Schulz, R. (1999). Using the world wide web to accommodate diverse learning styles. College Teaching, Vol. 47 (4), p. 123.
Sadker, M. & Sadker, D. (1982). Sex Equity Handbook for Schools. NY.: Longman.
Seidel, L., & England, E. (1999). Gregorc's cognitive styles: College students' preferences for teaching methods and testing. Perceptual and Motor Skills, Vol. 88 (1), p. 859.
warrenerica1. (2010). Learning styles do exist: Understanding the 12 ways of learning. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TXuWzcwioU
Information from this post may be used provided credit is given to Dominique Charlotteaux
