Multicultural education

Multicultural Education

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities”

― Stephen R. Covey

What the term means?

• Multiculturalism is a term often used by the

critics of diversity to describe a set of

educational practices they oppose. They use this

term to describe educational practices they

consider antithetical to the western canon, to the

democratic tradition, and to a universalized and

free society.

Why multicultural education curriculum is required?

• The racial crisis.

• Large number of immigrants entering the nation each

year.

• The widening gap between rich and poor.

• Changing characteristics of the nations students.

• Increase in population with diverse cultures.

• To solve unemployment problems within the country.

• To prepare students to live and function effectively in the

coming century.

Multicultural education and school reform

Multicultural education consist of three major components:

an idea or concept, an educational reform movement and a

process (Banks 1993a).

1. Idea or concept

Multicultural education maintains that all students should

have equal opportunities to learn regardless of the racial,

ethnic, social class. Or gender group to which they belong.

It also describes ways in which some students are denied

equal educational opportunities because of their racial,

ethnic, social class, or gender characteristics.

2. An educational reform movement

Multicultural education is an education reform movement that tries to reform schools in ways that will give all students an equal opportunity to learn.It describes teaching strategies that empower all students and give them voice.

3. Process

Multicultural education is a continuing process. One of its major goals is to create within schools and society the democratic ideals that values such as justice, equality and reform.Within a democratic, pluralistic society, multicultural education is a continuing process that never ends.

To effectively conceptualize and implement multicultural

education curricula, programs and practices, there is

development of dimensions (Banks, 1993a, 1995a). They are

1. Content integration

2. The knowledge construction process

3. Prejudice reduction

4. An equity pedagogy

5. Empowering school culture and social structure.

The dimensions of

Multicultural education

1. Content integration

Describes the ways in which teacher use examples and content from a variety of cultures and groups to illustrate key concepts, principles, generalizations, and theories in their subject area or discipline.

2. The knowledge construction process.Consists of the methods, activities, and questions used by teachers to help students understand, investigate and determine how implicit cultural assumptions , frames of references, perspectives and biases within a discipline influence the ways in which knowledge is constructed.

• When the knowledge construction process is

implemented, teachers help students to understand how

knowledge is created and how it is influenced by the

racial, ethnic and social-class positions of individuals

and groups.

3. Prejudice reduction

• Relates to the characteristics of students’ racial attitudes

and strategies that teachers can use to help them

develop more democratic values and attitudes.

4. An equity pedagogy

• Exists when teachers modify their teaching in ways that

will facilitate the academic achievement of students

from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural and gender group.

5. An empowering school culture and social

structure.

• It conceptualizes the school as a complex social system,

that is larger than any of the constituent parts such as

curriculum, teaching materials and teacher attitudes and

perceptions.

• The systemic view of schools requires that in order to

effectively reform schools, the entire system must be

restructured, not just some of its parts. Reform may

begin with any one of the parts of a system (curriculum

or staff development), the other parts of system

(textbooks and assessment program) must also be

restructured in order to effectively implement school

reform related to diversity.

References

• Parkay, F.W. & Hass, Glen . (2000). Curriculum Planning - A Contemporary Approach. United States of America: Allyn & Bacon.

• Parkay, F.W., Anctil, E. J. & Hass, G. . (2006). Curriculum Planning: A contemporary Approach . USA: Allyn & Bacon .

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