Western Governors University
Diversity & Inclusion: Cultural Awareness, Understanding, and Acceptance
Definition of Culture:
Culture, as is applies to education, is what makes a student unique. It is the set of beliefs, languages, ideas, and influences that motivate student actions. Put another way, culture is "the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group" (Wikipedia, 2011). The Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute says that culture is a collection of various influence including languages, arts and sciences, thought, spirituality, social activity, and interaction (Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, 2001). A person's race is not their culture. Race is just one part of what makes up a person's culture. Essentially, culture is a social snapshot of a particular group of people at a given point in time.
Define Multicultural Education:
Multicultural Education means allowing all students equal access to learning opportunities. It means not representing one cultures ideals as being right and others as being wrong. It is respecting the cultural differences among students and educators and celebrating those differences not inhibiting them. Paul C. Gorski, on his web site Edchange.org, defines multicultural education this way:
"Multicultural education is a progressive approach for transforming education that holistically critiques and responds to discriminatory policies and practices in education. It is grounded in ideals of social justice, education equity, critical pedagogy, and a dedication to providing educational experiences in which all students reach their full potentials as learners and as socially aware and active beings, locally, nationally, and globally (Gorski, 2010).
The concept of multicultural education extends further than ethnicity and race. All aspects of social life are affected by the idea. Students with disabilities or with a particular sexual orientation fall under the protection of a multicultural education. Providing a multicultural education means not putting every student under a labeled umbrella. It means allowing them to self-identify with cultures of their choosing and respecting that choice.
Multicultural Education, Cultural Differences, and Cultural Bias:
One way that multicultural education can address cultural differences and biases is by providing accurate information about cultures in order to help eliminate the generalizations caused by stereotyping. One issue facing this idea is, as the Council for Exceptional Children states, that "much of the literature describing individuals from minority groups reinforces existing stereotypes" (Council for Exceptional Children, 1991). A good way to combat this is by creating an environment in which parents of students of varied cultural backgrounds are encouraged to get involved in the learning process. Having these parents involved will provide the first-person point of view that is critical in portraying each culture in the most positive light possible.
By "providing comparative and contrasting cultural information," parents that engage in the teaching of their children will foster a more relaxed attitude within the classroom (Council for Exceptional Children, 1991).
Another way cultural biases are addressed through multicultural education is by incorporating "a variety of different viewpoints and perspectives in the curriculum" (Burnett, 1994). A problem facing any culture is creating a bias toward that culture within education. Indeed, history is taught from the perspective of the victor.
In reality, there are far more than two sides to every story. Being proud of ones heritage is acceptable and should be encouraged. However, teaching from the perspective that one single culture is "correct" leads to oppression. By striving for multicultural educational institutions, mainstream cultures can be help more accountable while allowing for minority cultures to have a positive voice.
Finally, multicultural education addresses biases not only in ethnic culture but in all social cultures as well by developing "sensitivity to and understanding of others" (Gollnick & Chinn, 1991). An example of a social culture affected by this idea is students with disabilities. Multicultural education is a necessity for all students because it develops an "understanding of the process of stereotyping, a low degree of stereotypical thinking, and pride in self and respect for all peoples" (Gollnick & Chinn, 1991). That understanding is highly important in an American society that continues to grow in diversity of all kinds because students are going to encounter people culturally different from themselves. This is a fact of American life and knowing how to properly deal with and respect these differences is crucial to any success we hope to have as a nation.
Comparison
My preconceived notion that I would need to research the cultural background of my students was enhanced by the idea of getting parents involved (Council for Exceptional Children, 1991). Learning about the various cultures through interactions with the parents is a good way to remain authentic in my treatment of these cultures. Obviously, there needs to be some foundation of cultural knowledge on my part but the parents will be an invaluable resource. The idea that I should only portray the positive aspect of a culture was also reinforced by research in avoiding stereotypes (Gollnick & Chinn, 1991). Too often, we use stereotypes to pick on, or make fun of, members of a group when, in reality, it is those differences that are usually worth celebrating.
As ways of avoiding bias and respecting diverse cultures, I thought simply decorating the room, allowing students to display culturally significant items, and not making fun of them would be enough. However, that is not proactive enough. There needs to be "open communication between diverse teachers, students, parents, other school personnel, and community liaisons" (Coballes-Vega, 1992). This will ensure that we do not simply stay put with the exposure of varying cultures but move forward.
Finally, my idea of knowing the cultural motivators that my students have was confirmed. "Student behaviors such as attention-getting strategies, ways of responding to questions, and ways of interacting are examples of actions which are influenced by cultural background" (Coballes-Vega, 1992). Motivators such as these will heavily influence how I respond to each individual student. Knowing these motivators will help me to create an environment in which I can use them to get the desired student reactions.
Reflection
The research I conducted confirmed a lot of what I already thought about multicultural education. However, I have come to realize that decorating and allowing students to show their cultural pride is not enough. I must develop authentic, personal relationships with my students in order for them to feel that my efforts on the multicultural front are worth absorbing. If they think I am a phony, then there will be no getting them to be real with me or each other.
Impact on Teaching Practices
As I mentioned earlier, parental involvement will be critical to the success of my multicultural educational practices. Even though children attempt to be individuals, they do what they see their parents do. If the parents are on board, then the students are more likely to be as well. This will open up avenues for the relational development I mentioned. This relational development will allow for a greater level of comfort for the students and that will lead to greater ease of communication.
Some specific examples of how a classroom might incorporate multiculturalism are:
• A choir teacher picking a Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa songs for the holiday concert. The teacher may also teach music in multiple languages.
• A history teacher teaching events of World War II from multiple perspectives instead of just focusing on U.S. involvement.
• A math teacher grouping students in culturally diverse groups for a project.
• An English teacher teaching a lesson on metaphor by using a poem by Maya Angelou.
• A social studies teacher presenting a lesson on the significance of Mexican emigration on the U.S. food scene culminating with a Cinco de Mayo feast.
Not focusing on one culture above another is what is most important. Some people may think that multicultural education means not playing up White culture. As I said before, race is only one aspect of culture. The key is to show how varying culture may be similar while allowing them to celebrate their differences. For example, when celebrating St. Patrick's Day, it is obvious that students will learn about Irish culture. However, this would be a great opportunity to compare the history of how the holiday came into being with how other cultural holidays, like Cinco de Mayo, came into being.
This would be a great use of multiculturalism.
References
Burnett, G. (1994). Varieties of multicultural education: an introduction. New York: ERIC Publications.
Coballes-Vega, C. (1992). Considerations in teaching culturally diverse children. ERIC Publications.
Council for Exceptional Children. (1991). Communicating with culturally diverse parents of exceptional children. Reston: Council for Exceptional Children.
Gollnick, D. M., & Chinn, P. C. (1991). Multicultural education for exceptional children. Reston: Council for Exceptional Children.
Gorski, P. C. (2010, April 14). Multicultural education definition. Retrieved April 15, 2011, from Edchange: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/initial.html
Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute. (2001). Definition of culture. Retrieved April 15, 2011, from Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute: http://www.roshan-institute.org/474552
Wikipedia. (2011). Culture. Retrieved April 15, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture
No comments:
Post a Comment