Fostering Multiculturalism and Bi/Multilingualism in the ... · PDF fileDifference between bilingualism and multilingualism o Hyperpolyglots . Benefits • Better cognitive abilities

Fostering Multiculturalism and

Bi/Multilingualism in the Age of the Hidden

Curriculum

Abir Eldaba Dorota Silber-Furman

Rufaro A. Chitiyo

Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN USA

Multiculturalism

• A demographic description of a society

• An ideology on the part of individuals or

governments that celebrates cultural, ethnic, and

religious diversity

• Particular policies or programs undertaken by

institutions or governments

• Political theory that lays out principals for

governing diverse societies

(Bloemraad, Korteweg, & Yurdakul, 2008, p. 159)

Multicultural Education

• All students have the right to learn equally in

schools.

• It acknowledges the beliefs, values, experiences,

and perspectives of marginalized groups who are

not usually represented in academia.

• It emphasizes the common traditions that unite us

as well.

Why Multicultural Education?

• Changing demographics of public schools

o White students will represent less than half of the

school-aged population by 2040.

o Hispanic students are anticipated to increase by 64%

over the next 20 years.

• Develop a just society where all diverse groups

are empowered and represented.

• Improve all students’ academic achievement.

• Preparing students to function effectively within

diverse national and global communities.

Challenges of Multicultural Education

• High-stakes testing

• Teachers’ academic preparation for

multicultural education

• Textbooks that reflect Eurocentric

perspective

• Culturally inadequate classroom

Dimensions of Multicultural Education

• Content integration

• Knowledge construction

• Prejudice reduction

• Equity pedagogy

• Empowering school culture Banks (2007)

Characteristics of Multicultural Classrooms

• Have high expectations for all students

• Connect abstract content to students’ real lives

• Teaching styles that meet learning styles of all

students

• Testing procedures that result in representing

marginalized students in the gifted classes Banks (1999)

Outing the hidden curricula!

• Hidden Curricula is an umbrella term:

• Hidden, unspoken “imperatives” of a school where most of

the learning rules or guidelines reflect the 'white' dominant

culture values and practices, and separates those who

don't have the cultural match-ups that schooling requires

like minority students, who face the most educational

disadvantage and who are left behind.

• Jackson (1968): The unspoken 3R: Rules, Routines, and

Regulations all needed in order to be successful in

schooling.

Outing the hidden curricula!

Outing the hidden curricula!

• Sydner (1971): hidden curricula = “covert tasks which

produce unplanned lessons that students must master in

order to cope with daily classroom demands.”

• Vallance (1980): researchers should explore hidden

curricula through the lens of sexism and racism.

• Hemming (2000): “ hallways, lunchrooms, bathrooms, and

other corridor spaces; places most lessons were

conveyed” (p.4)

Outing the hidden curricula!

Outing the hidden curricula!

• Messages that are conveyed in an informal way but

they put weight on underlining the importance of

culture, values, practices, and religion of a dominant

social group

• “Because Texas buys textbooks for more than 4

million students, publishers tend to write textbooks

designed to capture the Texas market. They then

sell the same textbooks in other states” (Kopplin,

2013)

Outing the hidden curricula!

Outing the hidden curricula!

• "The State of Texas is failing to provide many of its

minority students with equal educational

opportunities” (Graczyk, 2010).

• “Implementation of the curriculum changes and

new standardized tests have to be stopped for

being racially or ethnically offensive or historically

inaccurate” (Graczyk, 2010).

• Recent changes in the Texas Board of Education

Outing the hidden curricula!

Recommendations:

• Be aware and be critical of information in the textbooks.

• Be reflective of equal representation of students in classrooms’

libraries and classroom art.

• Provide educational materials that represent all the students.

• Tests written without cultural and gender bias.

• Encompass students with a cosmopolitan curriculum that fosters

multiculturalism.

Conclusion:

Teachers, educators, & administrators should be aware of hidden

curricula and reflect if all of our students are equally and fairly

represented in textbooks, materials, classrooms, and hallways.

Outing the hidden curricula!

Bilingualism/Multilingualism

• Background o 1 in 5 children in the U.S and 21% of U.S population

are bilingual

• What? o Sign language + spoken/written language?

• Difference between bilingualism and

multilingualism

o Hyperpolyglots

Benefits

• Better cognitive abilities o Cognitive flexibility

o Concept formation

o Creativity

o Logical reasoning

o Classification skills

• Handle distractions better

o Multitasking

Cons/Myths ???

• A person is not truly bilingual unless he is equally

proficient in both languages.

• Bilingualism causes language delay.

• When children mix their languages it means that they are

confused and having trouble becoming bilingual.

• Parents should adopt the “one parent-one language”

approach when exposing their child to two languages.

• If you want your child to speak the majority language, you

should stop speaking your home language with your

child.

• An individual must learn a second language as a young

child in order to become bilingual.

Fun Facts

• More than ½ the world is bilingual

• Rich people hiring bilingual nannies

• Infants born to bilingual parents can cry in their native

language

• Music can be successful in helping children acquire a 2nd

language

• Most adults can sing in another language, but cannot

speak the language

Recommendations

• Allow children to use their native language in

schools

• Provide systematic exposure to both languages

• Avoid radical changes to child’s language

environment

• Collaborate with families

• Respect & value (language and power)

• Speak child’s language

• Provide transitional programs as needed UNESCO (2011)

References

Banks, J. A. (1999). An introduction to multicultural education. (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Banks, J. A. (2007). Educating citizens in a multicultural society. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teaching College Press.

Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. (2007). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Bloemraad, I., Korteweg, A., &Yurdakul, G. (2008). Citizenship and immigration: Multiculturalism, assimilation, and

challenges to the nation-state. 34, 153–179.

Cavaluzzi, M. (2010). Promoting cultural and linguistic diversity: Supporting bilingualism in the early childhood

classroom. Texas Child Care.

Huval, Rebecca. "Revising The Revisionaries: The Texas Board of Ed Loses Power over Textbooks." PBS. PBS, 24

Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

Kazanjian, Christopher. "Finding a Worldly Curriculum: Utilizing a Cosmopolitan Curriculum in a Global

Community." Journal of Global Responsibility 3.2 (2012): 187-97. ProQuest. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

Kopplin, Zack. "Creationists Are Choosing Texas' Science Textbooks." Slate Magazine. N.p., 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 16

Mar. 2014.

Smith, E. B. (2009). Approaches to multicultural education in preservice teacher education: Philosophical frameworks

and models for teaching. Multicultural Education, 16(3), 45.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2011). Enhancing Learning of children from diverse

language backgrounds: Mother tongue-based bilingual or multilingual education in the early years.

Wren, David J. "School Culture: Exploring the Hidden Curriculum." Adolescence 34.135 (1999): 593-6. ProQuest. Web.

12 Mar. 2014.

Presenters’ Contact Information

Abir Eldaba: [email protected]

Dorota Silber-Furman: [email protected]

Rufaro Chitiyo: [email protected]