Multicultural Education

Multicultural Education: Respecting Differences and Avoiding Bias
Jennifer Brearley
Western Governors University

Culture can be characterized by how a group of people interpret the world through spirituality, social customs, dress and communication (Gargiulo 2012). According to Richard M. Garguilo, author of Special Education in Contemporary Society (2012) culture is also defined by the attitudes, values, behaviors, belief systems, and traditions shared by a particular race, social group, class, or age. As our country’s demographics change, our schools are changing (Gargiulo 2012). Cultural diversity is most noticeable in our schools (Gargiulo 2012). Schools are some of the first places tend to recognize heterogeneous cultures (Gargiulo 2012). Schools should “work together to overcome fears, misconceptions and myths” about our differences (Gollnick 2009). Thus came about the idea of a multicultural education. Gargiulo states that a multicultural education gained popularity in schools in the 1960’s (2012). Before multiculturism was accepted into schools children were expected to leave their “family and cultural backgrounds at the schoolhouse door” (Cole 2008). Multcultural education is closely linked to the growing diversity of our schools (Gargiulo 2012). Multiculturism is defined as “more than one culture” (Gargiulo 2012). Gargiulo says schools should “acknowledge basic commonalities” and “appreciate the differences” of all children, no matter their culture (2012). Educators should look at a student’s heritage as a “strength rather than a weakness” (Gargiulo 2012). The “student’s ethnic heritage” should be “valued and prized” (Gargiulo 2012). Donna M. Gollnick, author of Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society agrees, stating multiculturism empowers students and teachers. Gollnick goes on to state that schools should “value diversity rather than fear it” (2009). Additionally she writes that “race, ethnicity, class and gender” should be interrelated in the curriculum as this will acknowledge the diversity of our country (Gollnick 2009). According to Gargiulo the goals of a multicultural education is equal education for all children, to respect and honor diversity, to share knowledge of other cultures, the integration of ethnic groups, to confront and reconstruct beliefs, and lastly to build empowerment (2012). Gollink concurs and writes the “classroom should be models of democracy, equity and social justice” (2009). A multicultural education supports and celebrates our diversity, our histories, our experiences, our traditions and our cultures (Gollnick 2009). One way to encourage appreciating differences in the classroom is reality based learning. Robert W. Cole author of Educating Everybody’s Child” We Know What Works – And What Doesn’t, suggests that the teacher engage students in a reality based learning by valuing “the student’s community and personal experience” (Cole 2008). For instance Cole suggests that when a teacher assigns a group essay on the same topic, it is a mindless project (2008). Instead the teacher should have the students compose a “personal letter to an editor, a local politician or community activist to express a heartfelt compliment” complaint or inquiry (Cole 2008). According to Cole, data and scientific studies clearly state that teaching language arts using the student’s personal schema helps students grasp knowledge more readily and “bridges the school, home and classroom” (2008). Gollnick agrees that reality based learning validates experiences and promotes academic achievement (2009). She presents an idea from an educator that incorporates his students’ cultures into math word problems by using the students’ experiences (Gollnick 2009). This educator uses familiar locales in distance problems and rewords problems so cost problems are authentically related (Gollnick 2009). Gollnick also writes that giving students a “hand’s on community project” helps students “understand the big ideas” (2009). Cole concurs that community projects involving real issues have a way of bridging cultural differences and fostering appreciation (2008). Gargiulo also believes reality based learning can benefit the student. Gargiulo shares that cultural bound test items should be avoided and gives an example of a student from Alabama being unfamiliar with ice fishing and thus not meaningful (2012). All these ideas avoid cultural bias by acknowledging and respecting the student’s culture. Cole explains that personal facts “are best perceived, learned and understood” (2008). Reality based learning in the classroom can make learning more “meaningful and satisfying” to the student (Cole 2008). Another way to respect diversity is that the educator constantly reflects on her practice ((Gollnick 2009). Teachers should critically examine their treatment of their students (Gollnick 2009). Teachers should be conscious that they do not keep double standards for minority children and treat students differently based on their group membership (Gollnick). Gollnick explains that it is the teacher’s responsibility to make sure diversity is understood and that teachers should not devote superficial attention to diversity with just an hour, month or unit that is historically set aside for celebrating multicultural holidays, food and festivals (2009). Instead Gollnick says students should “know the contributions of both the dominant” culture and all other groups every day (2009). The teacher should learn about other groups and confront colleagues and students who don’t treat each other with respect. (Gollnick 2009). The teacher can read about different cultures and attend ethnic films or plays (Gollnick 2009). She can participate in celebrations, visit community churches and ethnic groups (Gollnick 2009). Lastly the teacher knows that “effective teachers are sensitive to the cultural heritage of each student” (Gargiulo 2012). Another strategy the teacher can implement in her classroom is to model behavior for the students to follow (Cole 2008). She delivers appropriate social cues and reminders of respectful behavior in the classroom (Cole 2008). She can demonstrate this by thinking out loud and trying “out ideas in front of the class” (Cole 2008). Gargiulo explains that something as simple as the teacher using “some, many or most” when describing and discussing cultures avoids ethnocentrism (2012). These tactics not only gain the students trust but also lets the students know the teacher cares about them (Gollnick 2009). While caring for her students is important the teacher should also hold high expectations of all her students (Gollnick 2009). Gollnick states that lowering academic expectations based on racial or ethnic profiling can be a self fulfilling prophecy (2009). “Cultural group membership cannot be an excuse for lack of academic achievement” (Gollnick 2009). Gollnick writes that students behave in a manner expected from them (2009). In a nutshell, the educator needs to be an empathic and caring role model and always have integrity in the classroom to avoid biases (Gollnick 2009). Another way the teacher can promote a multicultural education is to set up a democratic classroom (Gollnick 2009). The students should be actively involved in their education and the teacher can “incorporate the students voice” into the lesson (Gollnick 2009). Gollnick suggests that students’ keep a journal on classroom current events happening in the classroom (2009). She says this will facilitate open communication and discussions should be without criticism (Gollnick 2009). Additionally the students can help establish classroom rules and regulations as well as the consequences and resolution for breaking the rules (Cole 2008). In a democracy students learn to manage themselves and when students take “ownership and responsibility for their own behavior” they are actively involved in their education (Cole 2008). These ideas can help the students feel they are part of a group and will “engender general appreciation and understanding of how individuals differ from each other (Gollnick 2009). The teacher should recognize that not all students learn in the same way and she should accommodate for those differences by “matching instruction with learning style” (Cole 2008). The effective educator needs to be sensitive to each students learning style and adapt the lessons to fit the needs of her students (Cole 2008). One way to adapt lessons is when the educator places students with “varying levels of performance” into groups where they work toward a common goal (Gollnick 2009). She can use the jigsaw method (Cole 2008). In the jigsaw method small student groups each have a separate piece of the lesson (puzzle) and must teach their piece of the “puzzle” to the other groups to form the big picture (Cole 2008). Another type of collaborative learning is the “circle of knowledge” (Cole 2008). The teacher would divide the class into groups and pose the same question to all groups to answer; the group with the best answer wins (Cole 2008). Cooperative learning such as peer tutoring has also been shown to improve academic performance (Gollnick 2009). Gollnick also notes that cooperative learning helps with student self esteem and intergroup relations (2009). The teacher should remember to group students into flexible heterogeneous groups to foster mutliculture acceptance (Gollnick 2009). With the “changing and expanding population of learners” today’s educator cannot escape a diverse classroom (Gargiulo 2012). America’s heritage is more than a melting pot of cultures melded together; it has grown to a unique patchwork quilt of many races and ethnicities (Gollnick 2009). An effective teacher embraces all of her students’ unique backgrounds and cultures and opens minds to real world connections.

References
Cole, R.W. (2008), Educating Everybody’s Children: We Know What Works – And What Doesn’t. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum

Gargiulo, R. M. (2012), Special Education in Contemporary Society. (4th ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Gollnick, D.M. and Chinn, P.C. (2009), Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society (8th ed,), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

References: Cole, R.W. (2008), Educating Everybody’s Children: We Know What Works – And What Doesn’t. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Gargiulo, R. M. (2012), Special Education in Contemporary Society. (4th ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. Gollnick, D.M. and Chinn, P.C. (2009), Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society (8th ed,), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.