Accomodating Differences - Essay

Running head: ACCOMMODATING DIFFERENCES

Accommodating Differences
Asia Jones
Grand Canyon University
Educational Psychology
EDU 313N
Janet Prouty
January 08, 2012

Accommodating Differences
As the student population in the United States continues to become more ethnically diverse, the education system is faced with challenges on how to provide equal education opportunities and academic success for all students. Today’s teachers must possess knowledge on how to accommodate cultural diversity in the classroom. There are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration when being responsive to ethnic groups and their cultural values. Many ethnic groups have distinctive and similar values when dealing with teaching and learning. However there are ways to emerge diversity and curriculum into educational settings, while being respectful and aware (Ormord 2008). In order to effectively accommodate students, teachers should possess culturally responsive teaching combined with experience and cultural characteristics. This type of teaching method requires knowledge about all cultures, constructing learning communities, integrating cultural diversity into curriculum and using multicultural instruction strategies ( Gollnick & Chin 2009). This can be achieved by performing in depth cultural analyses of textbooks and multicultural literature because there are many contributions that have been made by various ethnic groups and teachers need to be aware of these accomplishments.
Another way to integrate cultural diversity into classrooms is through symbolic curriculum. A great way to introduce this method to students is by honoring all cultural holidays, in the form of posters, signs, banners or a decorated bulletin board or pot lucks. The advantage of doing this is so teachers can educate their students on the different cultural holidays and the meaning of its importance. Due to misleading information displayed by the media and music industries, teachers may have to clarify inaccurate portrayals of cultural groups.
Cultural scaffolding can be another way to accommodate students in a culturally diverse classroom. This can be paraphrased as using student’s cultures and experiences to increase awareness and improve academic success, while working in group settings learning about each other. Character education may also be a good route to take in order to accommodate differences in diversity. Implementing a character education program in schools can help educate students and teachers on ethnic cultures. This can include workshops, lesson plans, books, posters, videos, articles, workbooks, etc. These lessons can be integrated into curriculum and should be taught over the course of the school year ( Ormord 2008).
One of the most obvious issues in multicultural education has to do with dealing with stereotypes. Everyone can fall victim to believing stereotypes, including the staff in schools. Some common stereotypes are that Asians are really intelligent and African Americans are only talented in music and sports but are not as talented in academics, and Hispanics are under achievers. The book, Culturally Responsive Teaching for American Indian, African Americans, Hispanic Students, relays that, according to the self-fulfilling prophecy, if an educator believes the stereotypes, then they most likely will have lowered expectations of Hispanics and African Americans in the classroom, and high expectations of Asian Americans. This usually affects students’ performance in the classroom negatively, directly related to the expectations of the teachers. If an educator believes any negative stereotypes, they can directly influence a student’s academic course in a negative way. . These negative attitudes that some teachers carry can be considered a reason why there is such an increase of high school dropouts. There are so many teachers who often have a fear of teaching or building positive relationships with minority or under privilege students (Vang 2005). In this American society we have witness stereotypes being used to label students in the classroom by teachers who just have some underlying issues that need to be addressed. Teacher’s resistance and negative attitudes can affect the way students perform academically. Everybody should be entitled to the receiving the best education possible with their beliefs and cultural preferences respected.
The primary goal of multicultural education is to use positive methods to educate everyone about cultural diversity, so we all can acknowledge similarities between us and learn to accept them. As a future teacher, I am not too concerned about what subject to teach and strategies on how to teach it to students, but my primary concern is how to obtain ideas of how to teach cultural diversity and make it an active role in my classroom. I have come to realize that cultural diversity has a needed purpose in schools and accommodated in classrooms, and should be respected and involved on an everyday bases.
A great way to incorporate these methods into the classroom and educate students on diversity is to add multicultural ideas to lesson plan, activities and curriculum.

Lesson Plan
This lesson plan is designed for grades first through fourth grade and may be used to educate elementary school students on diversity and multicultural effects. The objective of this assignment is to give students a better understanding of cities, states, cultures, the languages they speak and the food they eat. This is a group assignment. Teachers should pick students from different cultural backgrounds for this activity.

Assignment:
1. Step one is to supply each child with a map of the world international or United (grades my vary selection). For first graders, the names of states should be filled in but for second and third grades it is optional.
2. Have students select a state, country or the teacher can select states pertaining to the diversity of individuals in the classroom (varies by grade level).
3. After selections have been made, each child is directed to investigate there state or country.
4. Each student is responsible for answering the three to five of the following questions.
A. What language do the people in this state speak?
B. What color is the flag that this state represents?
C. What type of food do the people in this state prefer?
D. What religion does this state prefer?
E. Which holiday is of importance to this state and why?
F. How is this state’s lifestyle similar or different from yours?
G. What is the state or country famous for?
5. After all information is collected, students should write a summary on what they found?
6. Students should search the internet for pictures or images correspond with the summary?
7. Decorate a poster board with pictures or images found and the summary detailing information provided?
8. Each group will present their completed project in front of the classroom?

References
Gollnick,D., & Chinn, P. (2009). Multicultural education in a pluralistic society (8th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill
Vang, C. (2005) Minority Students are far From Academic Success and Still at Risk in Public
Schools, Multicultural Education, 12 (4), 9-15. Retrieved on January 7th, 2012 from: http://ctserc.org/library/bibfiles/At-Risk
Pewewardy, C. Hammer, P (2003) Culturally Responsive Teaching for American Indian, African American, Asian American and Hispanic students, Eric Clearing-house on Rural Education and small schools, Charleston, WV.
Retrieved on January 7th, 2012 from: http://www.mendeley.com/research/culturally-responsive-teaching-american-indian-students-eric-digest/
Jeanne Ellis Ormrod ,2011, Educational Psychology: Developing Learners, Seventh Edition, by Pearson Education, Inc, retrieved on January 7th, 2012 from: My.gcu.edu./ebooks

References: Gollnick,D., & Chinn, P. (2009). Multicultural education in a pluralistic society (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Vang, C. (2005) Minority Students are far From Academic Success and Still at Risk in Public Schools, Multicultural Education, 12 (4), 9-15. Retrieved on January 7th, 2012 from: http://ctserc.org/library/bibfiles/At-Risk Pewewardy, C. Hammer, P (2003) Culturally Responsive Teaching for American Indian, African American, Asian American and Hispanic students, Eric Clearing-house on Rural Education and small schools, Charleston, WV. Retrieved on January 7th, 2012 from: http://www.mendeley.com/research/culturally-responsive-teaching-american-indian-students-eric-digest/ Jeanne Ellis Ormrod ,2011, Educational Psychology: Developing Learners, Seventh Edition, by Pearson Education, Inc, retrieved on January 7th, 2012 from: My.gcu.edu./ebooks