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