PST311L Assignment 1 Sumaya Moodley

SECTION A:
Question 1: Theoretical background
a) Describe the following concepts and give examples:
i) Prejudice
Prejudice is a pre-held negative opinion, perception, or judgment a person holds or expresses against something or someone, without justification or analysing facts. For example, mostly in America when one sees someone dressed as a Muslim on a flight, one automatically assumes that he or she is a terrorist, and is suspicious or unreasonably “sure” that the Muslim person intends blowing up the plane. The negative perception was based purely on perception based on the actions of select few, and not by knowing the person personally thus prejudice is based on unjustifiable feelings towards someone.

ii) Stereotypes
Stereotyping takes place when we create categories where one categorises people, items or events. Stereotypes are formed as a result of the experiences we have, the media and peers. Stereotyping sometimes amounts to a rigid overgeneralised description of a person or group. When a stereotyped description is attached to a racial, cultural, or national group, it often implies that the characteristics are genetically determined and so cannot be changed. Stereotypes influence people’s perceptions of and behaviour towards groups other than their own. Examples, “fat people are lazy”, or “skinny people have eating disorders”, or “Jews are stingy”, or “Indians are rich”.

iii) Racism
Racism is the belief that one’s race is superior to another. This belief is based on the preconception that the physical attributes of a racial group determine the group’s intellectual characteristics as well as social behaviour. In many societies racism became institutionalized by way of established laws and practices. E.g Apartheid in South Africa.

iv) Discrimination
Discrimination refers to unjust perception of people which leads to unjust treatment of them.
Discriminated people are treated differently through prejudice. It is unfair treatment of one person or group, usually because of prejudice about race, ethnicity, age, religion, or gender. E.g. woman are inferior to men and shouldn’t have high positions in the workplace.

v) Multicultural education
Essentially multicultural education is about changing the nature of teaching and learning in order to create a suitable learning environment for learners from diverse backgrounds. Multicultural education refers to the recognition and inclusion of our diverse races and cultures into the education system in a just manner. It is an umbrella term which strives for equality in education for every racial, ethnic, and social class or group.

vi) Culture (3)
Culture is a complex human phenomenon often associated with material goods and artifacts; or with obvious visual aspects such as food and dress; or in reference to a particular group’s music, art, or literature. The term culture is most often used in the place of society, termed as e.g., “African culture “ which refers to African society and its culture.

b) Discuss five factors to illustrate the influence of culture on education.

(i)Gender: Educators should take into cognizance the gender of learners when planning educational experiences since males and females allude to individual and different thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. Which influence their learning process.

(ii) Barriers To Learning: learners who experience barriers to learning, e.g. physical disabilities are now included in mainstream education; and would not be able to achieve successful learning if they are not afforded due attention to assist them in addressing and overcoming their barrier. Learning programs must be adapted to suit specific abilities.

(iii) Socio- economic class: Socioeconomic factors play a significant role in determining the behaviour of a person, how they think, live, and relate to others. Educators who come from middle- or upper-class backgrounds may have difficulty understanding the social and economic impact learners from lower socioeconomic homes endure.

(iv) Language: The de-segregation of schools has resulted in a linguistically diverse learner population. Learners speak different home languages and have different levels of competence in the language of teaching and learning. Although the learner and educator population may be multilingual, for historical reasons the majority of the schools have only one language of learning, which in many cases is not the majority of learners first language.
This creates a disadvantage to such learners.

(v) Family Structure: Learners are either a part of a nuclear family, with a mother, father, and a few siblings; or they may be part of a single parent family; or many are part of an extended multigenerational family which includes maternal or paternal grandparents, and even aunts, uncles, cousins and close family friends or a structure where the adult in the learner’s lives are caregivers but not biological parents. Other learners may be part of homosexual partnerships or where adult partners are living together. Often educators who are used to a nuclear family structure issue concerns about the guidance and involvement and adult supervision in the lives of learners living in circumstances other than nuclear or single family units. In any case educators need to familiarize themselves with learners from all kinds of family structures in order to address issues that generally stem from them.
Informed educators can as such handle learners with sensitivity.

c) Answer the following five questions in no more than four lines each.

(i) Is it important for teachers to study different cultures?
Yes it is; the major reason being importance of sensitivity and understanding of learners’ cultures in order to prevent misunderstanding, and forming a bridge of informed communication between teacher and learner, which would have a positive impact on leading and achieving the goals of learning, leading learners progressively.

(ii) Which aspects of the learners' different cultural backgrounds should teachers know about? The learners’ socialization, communication, learning preferences, social values, and world-view must be determined in order to guide learners in acquiring necessary skills to become well integrated into society.

(iii) How does cultural knowledge about groups help teachers work more effectively in the classroom? (2)
Teachers need to be informed about cultural diversity in order to base their teaching on learner’s cultural background, offering different ways of organizing and presenting learning experiences, and to facilitate understanding, without compromising expectations and standards, nor basing learning on cultural differences nor support of cultural inferiority.

(iv) Give examples of how variables such as race, gender and class influence the behaviour of learners and their educational needs.
The potential for cultural conflict increases when learners and educators or other leaners don’t share the same cultures. Such conflict can have a negative impact on interpersonal relations. Male and female learners may experience gender conflict due to sexist viewpoints, or they may undergo physiological attraction as they enter their teens which can disrupt the learning process.

Question 2: The history of multicultural education

a) What was the causative factor leading to the emergence of multicultural education globally?
Most societies throughout the world have become heterogeneous as a result of various social, economic, and political developments. Consequently education policy –makers had to deal with the challenge of dealing with such diversity. The earlier responses of assimilationist policies have now been replaced with multiculturalism.

b) Compare the emergence of multicultural education in the USA with the situation in S. Africa
In the USA multiculturalism emerged as a reaction to the ideology of assimilation in an attempt to preserve cultural diversity and recognize the rightful existence of different cultural groups, which it views as an asset and source of social enrichment rather than a problem. In South Africa the few schools that pursued the policy of de-segregated schooling prior to 1994, generally followed an assimilation approach, as “learners of a dominant grouping saw ‘minority group’ pupils as the ones who had to change and adapt to the school”. This approach was adverse to the democratic dispensation in South Africa for equality in education for all races, across the colour and creed divide lines, whereas multiculturism rightfully acknowledged cultural diversity in the new South Africa without any ethnocentric tendencies.

c) Name and discuss five (5) dimensions of multicultural education.
Content integration: Is the length that teacher would go to use example and content from a variety of cultures and groups to illustrate key concepts.
The knowledge construction process: the method, questions and activities that the educator uses to assist leaners in understanding the content and how cultural assumptions is created.
Prejudice reduction: educator help leaners become positive towards different ethnic, racial and cultural groups by reducing prejudice. Interventions to modify leaners attitude should have dual purpose: to change current perceptions and add positive attitude.
Equity pedagogy: this is when educators modify their teaching methods in a way that will facilitate academic achievement from all groups.
An empowering school culture: this involved restructuring the culture and organisation of the school so that learners of diverse groups experience positive equality.

d) Name the six (6) categories of Castagno’s synthesis of the different approaches to multicultural education.
Educating for assimilation
Educating for amalgamation
Educating for pluralism
Educating for cross-cultural competence
Educating for critical awareness
Educating for social action

e) Read the following and arrange them in order of priority.
i) We need multicultural education in mono-cultural schools because:
learners should be prepared for life in a multicultural society
learners need to learn about other cultural groups
learners have little experience of other cultures
learners need to be less racist

ii) Do you think that a multicultural approach is appropriate for monocultural schools? Motivate your answer.
Yes as it is away of readdressing the issues of the past political injustice. This is only possible if we advance mutual understanding and respect between our peoples and the only way to achieve this that we need to learn about each other’s cultures in a spirit of tolerance and equality, which is addressed by the multicultural approach.

f) Name and discuss three policy documents which outlawed discrimination in education.

(i) The South African Schools Act 84 of 1996
This Act Provided for the democratic transformation of schools in South Africa in order to redress past injustices in educational provision and to provide education of progressively high quality for all learners. In so doing it is hoped that education will lay the foundation for the “Development of all our people’s talents and capabilities, advance the transformation of society combat racism and sexism and all other forms of discrimination and intolerance.(RSA 1996: Preamble)

(ii) Report on the Study of racism in schools by the S.African Human Rights Commission (1999)
This report studied racism and racial integration in S. African public secondary schools detailing incidents of racism in S. African schools and exploring the lack of racial interaction in many schools. It also indicated that much still needs to be done to ensure multicultural education in
South African schools.

(iii) Report of the gender Equity Task Team (1997)
This report studied gender equity in education, and set the parameters for tackling the gender inequity in the education system. The Task Team found evidence of child abuse, sexual harassment, and violence against women, as well as deeply held ideologies on gender differences that legitimate girls’ and women’s subordinate roles in schools and society. Since the formative years of a child are the most crucial in developing non-racist and non-sexist attitudes, the Task Team suggests that these issues be addressed in all phases of education.

Question 3: Cross-cultural communication

a)Name four categories of barriers to effective communication. Give two examples for each category.

(i) Physical Barriers : physical noise such as sound of heavy traffic passing the school building or lack of proper lighting in winter months.
(ii) Physiological Barriers: poor health or specific disabilities, such as a hearing impairment or a stammer.
(iii) Psychological Barriers: a negative attitude such as the dislike of a particular school subject or emotions such as fear and punishment
(iv) Perceptual Barriers: differences in age and background,interests or education and gender.

b) Discuss the implications of cultural differences for the educator in the culturally diverse classroom.
Educators who are ignorant about their learners’ cultural background can misinterpret learner’s behaviour. Also, cross-cultural understanding leads to tolerance during classroom communication. It is advisable to note forms of address used in communication with learners, pronouncing their names as accurately as possible. It would be imperative to recognize etiquette of the different cultures respectively with regards to customary behaviour of learners and what they expect from authority also who need encouragement to participate or to provide feedback to the educator and in class.
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c) Suggest guidelines for effective communication in the culturally diverse classroom.
Listen: the educator should listen with the intent to understand the learner and shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Verbal and non-verbal messages have to be noted and listened to.
Check perceptions: check with the learner if what you think they are saying is correct and has the same meaning.
Seek feedback: clarify if you have been understood. Should try and be aware of different culture in regard to answering a question. Should make sure that what is said is mutually understood.
Resist judgemental reaction: avoid stereotyping or being judgemental, check perception and understanding.
Develop self-awareness: be aware of how you are communicating check your communication style.
Take risk: take emotional risks, ask for feedback. Crate trust between learner and educator. Question 4: Multilingual teaching
a) Who is responsible for limited English proficiency (LEP) learners in the school?
The educator

b) Discuss the difference between BICS and CALP.
_ BICS= Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills, are acquired casually through conversational interaction, and is an informal grasp of the language. They consist of “visible aspects of language, such as pronunciation, basic vocabulary and grammar, which allow learners to converse fluently in demanding everyday situations.
_ CALP= Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency, is a formal grasp of the language necessary to understand academic concepts and to perform the higher cognitive operations necessary to achieve in school. Learners learning new language often experience difficulty with academic concepts and terminology because of the more abstract nature of these terms.

c) Name and discuss in no more than four lines each four aspects that should be incorporated in the school policy to support LEP learners.
(i) Class Environment
Educators should integrate learners’ diverse cultural experiences and backgrounds into meaningful language learning within the classroom and provides opportunities for authentic communication within the classroom.
(ii) Formal Language Learning
Teaching formal English as a core subject is a key area for effective language acquisition by learners who are not proficient in English. Guidelines for oral, listening, reading, and writing skills should be implemented to assist learners to become proficient in a language that is not their first language. (iii) Content Area Instruction
Instructing learners who are not proficient in English in the literacy skills needed to achieve in all learning areas across the entire curriculum is an essential component of a strategy aimed at supporting these learners.
(iv) The Classroom As an Environment for Language Learning
The educator has to create a rich literal environment which is supportive, non-threatening, and encouraging in making the learners participate in speaking, reading, and writing activities.
Educational material must be relative to the child’s understanding and interests to create enthusiasm for learning the language. Planning of lessons must entail a progressive scheme with continuous evaluation as direction for progress. Group activities in particular are encouraged to achieve these aims.

SECTION B of Assignment 02 :
1) Discuss in no more than one page if you agree with the argument in the article or not.Motivate your answer.
I would tend to agree with the observations made in this article, but would also add some objective comments on the reality of grass roots education in South Africa. Firstly, it would be naïve for us to think that multicultural transformation could be achieved within a few decades into democratic SA, considering the scale of influential socio-economic factors that need addressing and correcting for it to mirror a change in educational environments of schools. Also the vast population of the country is still isolated, i.e. rural schools, and are as such still mono-cultural environments of education. The only differences in post-apartheid educational institutions would basically be the right to an equally rendered, free quality education; the influx of state funds to these schools; an attempt at fixing physical building structures; and provision of educational material, but all of this is by far too meagre to turn the tide towards quality education so to speak. Also these schools have no chance at tasting multiculturalism due to poverty and circumstance. Also, their lives have not changed much with regards to basic necessities like food and homes. Most of these children suffer from the insecurity of family units, as family structures lay at the peril of HIV/AIDS, joblessness, and other social ills. As long as the gap between the haves and the have-nots seems to be widening instead of decreasing, social integration will be hindered with racial perceptions and stereotyping by the “have-nots” against the “haves”. This in effect mirrors a gloomy outlook on democratic progress at grass-root levels on all fronts, be they social, educational, or economical. In public primary and secondary schools, social ills are stemming from social & economic problems to be the worst problem in classrooms causing havoc in behavioural problems and lack of academic enthusiasm.
Overcrowded classrooms; the inclusion of inappropriate ages of learners into classrooms, lack of learning materials and the vast domination of one culture over others, all proved to be serious hindrances in providing quality multicultural education. Educators could not give learners due attention or individual assistance when necessary due to large classes, and many serving schools in the lower income bracket were at the mercy of older learners in classes, and even subjected to threats of violence and vandalism of their vehicles. I think a natural multiculturalism transformation depends on the sturdiness of the foundation and core of a learner’s pyramid, in order to reach the tip of a truly democratic multicultural education. Learners whose foundation of home, family, and status of basic necessities display a form of security, are more likely to benefit from multicultural education and attaining academic success. Another reality is that educators stemming from education degrees attained during pre-democracy, are still a strong feature in most schools, blended with newly qualified educators who have been trained in the new educational system. I’ve found in my research that whilst all educators are zealous in creating a non-racial society, be it in a classroom or in general, the methods used to accomplish this aim differ widely between the two. Many older teachers still find it difficult to adopt the new methods of teaching. They are informed about the new teaching systems; try to execute teaching accordingly, but are easily disillusioned when results aren’t ideal, and easily revert to their own tried and tested ways of achieving academic success for their learners. I’ve also noted that when it comes to dedication the “pre multicultural era “ teachers are the ones prepared to and make sure they go the extra mile to help their learners’ achieve academic success, in comparison with the new breed who may have noble intentions but few manage to undertake such dedicated initiative. Also, many teachers are now engaged in the “tuition industry” where charges for out of school tuition far outweigh any extra fees a teacher may be offered by a governing body for extra tuition for pupils within the school. It is not only teacher perception, but an overall low morale stemming from root issues that is hindering the gateway of multicultural education.

2) Indicate what recommendations you can add.
I think that every effort to fight the root cause of socio-economic problems must be made to narrow the financial divide amongst cultural groups. More has to be done in schools to address learners’ social problems which are created at home and social groups. Encourage leaners to export different cultures, to root out perceptions and discredit them. Leaners have a way of influencing their parents to a certain point. All state funding must be transparently accounted or in order to root out corruption and loss of funds which are supposed to benefit the education cause. It would take a few more decades before natural integration and multicultural education becomes ingrained into all classrooms, and learners can wholly benefit from multicultural education.