Cultural Diversity Reflection

Journal Reflection The key points in the assigned reading are as follows: * 5 Dimension of multicultural education (Banks, pg 31-36) * Content Integration: teaching multiple cultures and perspectives in each lesson. * Knowledge Construction Process: establishes methods teachers use to encourage student learning in order for students to understand. * Prejudice Reduction: there are no racial barriers. Teachers are bias to any one culture, ethnic, race, and/or social group which will help develop students with positive racial attitudes. * Equity Pedagogy: modifying of teaching methods to allow students from diverse racial, cultural groups and both genders to succeed. * Empowering School and Social Culture: viewing the school as a whole not just as individuals for fairness regarding culture. * 8 Characteristics of Multicultural School (Banks, pg 37-38) * School staff and administrations attitudes and expectations for students * Curriculum to be for all cultures, ethnics and both genders * Teaching and learning style coincides with the cultural diversity * Respect for first language and dialect * Instructional materials are to be transformed so they are not pertaining to one social class * Assessment and testing procedure: multicultural students are not classified as mentally retarded they are classified as gifted and talented * Hidden curriculum is never taught but the students learn it. * Counseling program allows multicultural students reach their goals by the counselors assisting with choices to make. * 4 Elements of creating a partnership between school and diverse families (Wegmann and Bowen, pg 9) * Approach-staff reaching out to families * Attitude-communicating with the families and knowing the students * Atmosphere-structuring a welcoming environment * Actions/Activities-creating support systems for teachers and families to better communicate within the school and outside the community.

Based on this week’s readings, there are three major things that I have come to a conclusion about and that is as educators not only do we need to have the knowledge, we need to care, and take action. We need to educate our students, parents, and community, on the diversity of culture in order for us to become one nation. We need to care about one another no matter what culture, ethnic, racial, sexuality, or gender they are. We all need to take action to make the difference. Society is not going to change if one person accepts diversity, we all need to. Remember, from last week, lesson, balancing unity and diversity will create the multicultural community in the classroom as we are all equal. The key words there are “WE ARE ALL EQUAL.” Where does the knowledge come from? Educators can read multicultural literature to have more perspectives on issues that may arise. Educators need to know the cultures of their students and understand their students. This week lesson reminded me of a movie, “Pay It Forward” when this boy wanted to make a difference so he brought in a homeless man fed and bathed him and told him that he had to pay it forward. Throughout the movie the student helped five people and those five had to help five. Well, at the end, the student died however, he left a legend throughout the US because many states were “paying it forward” thanks to him. I believe that as an educator if we know, care, and take action, we can develop the unity in the classroom and start the pay it forward process with the world in hopes of having one nation of equality.

Reference
Banks, James. (2008). An Introduction to Multicultural Education, 4th Ed. Pearson.
"Strengthening Connections Between Schools and Diverse Families: A Cultural Capital Perspective," by Wegmann and Bowen (2010) Retrieved July 12, 2013 from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=79d36998-14b5-4b2f-bdf3-fbaa8a4501cc%40sessionmgr11&vid=2&hid=3