Multicultural Education

Multiculturalism has been a hot button topic in the past two decades in education. During elementary school there not much diversity in the curriculum, however my teachers did attempt to implement some multiculturalistic views into the classroom. According to Banks (1999), there are four approaches to a multicultural curriculum and they are: contributions, additive, transformation and social action approaches. My teachers in elementary and high school used the contributions approach (e.g. discussing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in January or during Black History month). So as one can see my initial experiences with multiculturalism was very limited.

            I agree that schools are usually the first place where children can learn about different cultures and how to become “good and productive“ citizens. According to Hirsch (1992), the schools of a modern nation are the chief institutions through which children become members of a wider national community. Children will become adults who cooperate and sustain one another only if the school-based culture they gain makes them feel that they truly belong to the larger society. This is definitely something to think about because what if a child is not around any other cultures besides their own, he or she views of the world would be very limited because once that child becomes an adult he or she would have to encounter people from different backgrounds and having a multicultural curriculum a child would at least have an opportunity to learn about and respect other cultures.

            I also agree that cultures should be taught together rather than separately. According to Waxler, all cultures should be taught throughout all the units in order to be  truly multicultural education. Having separate months for different cultures is exactly the opposite of what true multicultural education should be trying to achieve. I understand that in the past decades having separate months for different cultures (e.g. Black  and Hispanic History) was due to the limited and restricted means in our country for a more diverse historical curriculum, but I do see his point now in how all cultures should be taught together.

            As a child I can remember that the curriculum was very traditional and it was mainly based on the dominant culture. The only time I can remember seeing the curriculum relating to me was during Black History month when the teachers would discuss different influential African-American figures in American history which were limited to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. If it was not for my parents supplementing what my teachers missed I would not have probably heard of Nat Turner or Crispus Attucks. The structure and policies of the schools in my hometown when I was growing was very rigid and limited. I can remember them doing a tracking system (which is very arcane and wrong I might add) to see the ones who were struggling academically and had behavioral issues. 

References:

Banks, J.A. (1999). An Introduction to Multicultural Education (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Hirsch, E.D. (1992). Towards a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary Schools. Core Knowledge Foundation. Charlottesville, Va.

Kyriakou, N. March 29, 2006. Organizers See "New Civil Rights Movement" in Immigration Protests. http://www.oneworld.net.

Waxler, A. Multiculturalism in School Curriculum. https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2611260&tId=20625470

Multiculturalism

The result of multicultural education is social change. By transforming yourself, schools, schooling and society, social change can occur. I understand as a future educator, that I have to come to terms with how I was socialized and my biases. If I want to become a good educator I would also have to keep my biases in check and be in constant reminder of them as well. I also would need to make learning active, interactive and relevant for my students as well. According to Groski (2010), there must be a student-centered pedagogy. Traditional teaching approaches must be deconstructed in order to examine how they contribute to and support institutionalized oppression. (Groski 2010)

There is also another side of multiculturalism that I do not totally agree with. According to Paul Treanor, he made the point that a multicultural society oppresses migrants and is a way for conservatives to have political power. (http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/multicult.html) 

I can see how some politicians could use this as a means of gaining power, but in my opinion the essence of multiculturalism is the awareness of every culture, not just the dominant one. Although in this country, history was not considered "multicultural" in the past.

Also according to Taylor, (http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v12/v12p159_Taylor.html), history in this country was fine as long as it was depicting the dominant group in a positive light meanwhile leaving the voices of other minorities in the dark.  I can remember from elementary and middle school, where the only time African-Americans were discussed was during African-American history month. If I did not have the supplement of my parents teaching me about different cultures and how they contributed to our country, I would not have known any other way. In high school, I was given the opportunity to get a better view of American history because I was enrolled in a honors course. I can remember my friends who did not take that honors course telling me how their history class was basically a repeat from middle school and how they did not learning anything new. In spite of the increase workload I was thankful to actually learn new things in that class. 

The Pithissippi Burning article was basically centered around a white nationalism and how white nationalists see multiculturalism as an end to their culture. I think that it is not the end, but that it is just an addition to our culture. For years our culture and even our society standards has been based on the dominant group, so it is only fair for everyone's culture to be honored in this country.

Overall, I believe that multiculturalism is an ongoing process and that the only way for social change to occur is to first acknowledge our biases in order to be respectful and aware of other cultures.

References:

Groski, Paul. April, 14, 2010. The Challenge of Defining "Multicultural Education". Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/initial.html

Taylor, Samuel. The Challenge of Multiculturalism in how Americans view the past and future. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v12/v12p159_Taylor.html

Tobia, P.J. February 23, 2009. Pithissippi Burning: Race, White Nationalism, and American Culture. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2009/02/23/pithissipi-burning-white-nationalism-and-american-culture.html

Treanor, Paul. Why Multiculturalism is Wrong. Nation Planet. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.web/inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/multicult.html