Multicultural Education inA World of Change

Bill Stout, Ed.D.

Major Goal of Multicultural Education

To provide all students with the skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed to function within their community cultures, within and across other ethnic cultures.

A Changing World

In the 19th century, most immigrants came from Europe. Today, most immigrants come from nations in Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is the largest influx of immigrants since the 1900’s.

A Closer Look

It is projected the Hispanic population will grow by 187.9 percent between 2000 and 2050.

White population 32.4 212.9 percent for Asians 71.3 for African Americans (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000)

Diversity in Classrooms and Schools

Minorities constitute the majority of students in more than 20 of the country’s largest school systems

The average achievement of minority students is lower than their European-American peers

Minority children are disproportionately referred to programs for children with learning disabilities, mental handicaps, and emotional and behavioral disorders

Food for Thought

If you could fit the entire population of the

world into a village consisting of 100 people,

maintaining the proportions of all the people

living on Earth, that village would consist of:

57 Asians21 Europeans14 Americans (North, Central

and South) 8 Africans

Food for Thought, (cont.)

There would be: 52 women and 48 men 30 Caucasians and 70 non-

Caucasians 30 Christians and 70 non-Christians 89 heterosexuals and 11

homosexuals

Food for Thought, (cont.)

6 people would possess 59% of the wealth and they would all come from the USA

80 would live in poverty 70 would be illiterate 50 would suffer from hunger and

malnutrition 1 would be dying 1 would own an computer 1 (yes, only one) would have a

university degree

Food for Thought, (cont.)

If we looked at the world in

this way, the need foracceptance andunderstanding would be

obvious.

Getting Started

In making multicultural education a reality in

schools, a change process may need to take

place. Dr. Jody Spiro in her book, “The Leader

Change Handbook: Concepts and Trends”,

gives us insight into the change process.

Getting Started, (cont.)

Action steps to be considered in the change

process: Be clear and specific as to the desired

outcome Start from where you are and analyze

all stakeholders Build in an early win Anticipate resistance Use collaborative planning Build in on-going monitoring

Problematic Barriers

Lack of awareness of services Reluctance on the part of the

students to communicate their needs to others

A lack of classmate acceptance A general suspicion that culturally

diverse students are being deceptive about their needs

The Eight Characteristics of Multicultural Schools

Banks (1999) described the following as characteristics of multicultural

schools (p. 17)

1. The teachers and school administrators have high expectations for all students and positive attitudes toward them. They also respond to them in positive ways.

2. The formalized curriculum reflects the experiences, cultures, and perspectives of a range of cultural and ethnic groups as well as both genders.

The Eight Characteristics of Multicultural Schools, (cont.)

3. The teaching styles used by the teachers match the learning, cultural, and motivational styles of the students.

4. The teachers and administrators show respect for the students’ first languages and dialects.

5. The instructional materials used in the school show events, situations, and concepts from the perspectives of a range of cultural, ethnic, and racial groups.

The Eight Characteristics of Multicultural Schools, (cont.)

6. The assessment and testing procedures used in the school are culturally sensitive and result in students of color being represented proportionately in class for the gifted and talented.

7. The school culture and the hidden curriculum reflect cultural and ethnic diversity

8. The school counselors have high expectations for students from different racial, ethnic, and language groups and help these students to set and realize positive career goals.

Things to Consider about Cultural Characteristics (Diaz-Rico & Weed, 1995)

Time

Work

Goals

Space Dress and FoodRituals and Ceremonies

Leisure Gender Roles Status

Education InteractionCommunicatio

n

Linguistic Diversity and Second Language Acquisition

A growing number of students entering school are learning English as a second language

Teachers hold four common misconceptions about how to reach these students Exposure and interaction will result in English language

learning All ELLs learn in the same way and rate Good teaching for native learners and ELLs are the same Effective instruction means non-verbal support

Increasing Academic Success Through School Reflections (Cummins, 1992)

Minority students’ language and culture are incorporated in the school program

Minority community participation is encouraged

Instruction is used to motivate students to use language actively to generate knowledge

Professionals involved in student testing are advocates for minority students

Academic problems are located outside of the student instead of within the student

Things to be Considered(Banks, 1981, 1997)

School policy and attitudes

School staff School culture Formalized

curriculum Assessment and

teaching procedures

Instructional materials

Learning styles for the school

Teaching styles and strategies

Language and dialects of the school

Counseling program

Community participation and input

Diversity Classrooms and Schools

Understanding U.S. Macroculture (Banks & Banks, 1995) Equality of opportunities for individuals in

society Individualism Social Mobility through individual effort and

hard work Individualistic attitudes toward values and

behaviors Belief in nation’s superiority Orientation towards materialism

Multicultural Planning Questions1. Do the lesson content and strategies promote

educational equity? For example, does the lesson content help to create an inclusive curriculum, one that attempts to maximize student participation in the overall class curriculum?

2. Do the lesson content and strategies make us of, or help to develop, collaborative, empowering relationships among parents, students, and teacher?

3. Do the lesson content and strategies promote cultural pluralism in society or intergroup harmony in the classroom?

Multicultural Planning Questions, (cont.)

4. Does the lesson content help to increase the students’ knowledge of various cultural and ethnic groups, including their own?

5. Do the lesson content and strategies increase the students’ proclivity and ability to see and think with a multicultural perspective?

6. Does the lesson content (a) help to correct distortions in the historical, literary, or scientific record that may stem from the historical racism or other forces linked to the oppression and exploitation of specific ethnic and cultural groups, and (b) present material in a manner that suggests that racism related distortions are or may be part of the historical and scientific record the class is studying?

Multicultural Planning Questions, (cont.)

7. Does the lesson content provide knowledge or skills, or promote attitudinal development, that will leave the students better equipped and more inclined to participate in, help improve the democratic institutions of their society?

8. Does the lesson content contribute to the students’ willingness to cross ethnic and cultural boundaries to participate and/or learn about different cultural ethnic groups?

Guidelines for Teachers (Chamberlain, 2005)

Develop cultural consciousness

Be aware of your cultural background

Develop cultural variability

Set high expectations Resist the blame game Reflect on teaching

practices Gather information about

students Understand first and

second language acqusition

Understand the interaction among language, culture, and disability

Respect student’s cultural background

Use integrated approach to instruction

Build trust Use a variety of

instructional strategies

Guidelines for Teachers, (cont.) Alternative test formats Extended time Alternative access to oral and written

material, and course substitutions Work with the student and ask what

accommodations they had in the past and which ones worked the best

Take time at the beginning to develop a rapport with the student you will be working with…get to know the student

Guidelines for Teachers, (cont.) Encourage the

students to highlight directions

Make lists of important facts

Use index cards (summarize chapter sections)

Highlight key terms/phrases in the chapters

Teach the student to recopy their class notes before the end of the day

Break reports into smaller sections

Guidelines for Teachers, (cont.) Develop a

homework schedule

Encourage the student to ask a peer if they could make a copy of their class notes

Help the student make an outline of the chapter

When giving explanations/reviewing the assignments, give one direction at a time (need time to process the request and their answer)

Guidelines for Teachers, (cont.) Keep instructions

simple Ask the student to

repeat the directions

Be concrete when giving examples

Talk to the student, not “down to the students”

Kentucky Teacher Standards (KTS): Diversity Profiencies

1.2 Connects content to life experiences of student.

2.2 Uses contextual data to design instruction relevant to students.

2.4 Plans instructional strategies and activities that address learning objectives for all students.

3.3 Values and supports student diversity and addresses individual needs.

4.2 Implements instruction based on diverse student needs and assessment data.

Kentucky Teacher Standards (KTS): Diversity Proficiencies, (cont.)

5.4 Describes, analyzes, and evaluates student performance data to determine progress of individuals and identify differences in progress among student groups.

6.3 Integrates student use of available technology into instruction to enhance learning outcomes and meet diverse student needs.

8.1 Identifies students whose learning could be enhanced by collaboration.

One Last Thought:

IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME

THE FUTURE IS HERE - ALMOST

Resources

Banks, James A. (2008). An Introduction to Multicultural Education (pp. 91 – 93). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Burnette, Jane, & Warger, Cynthia (August 2000). Five Strategies to Reduce Overrepresentation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education. Council for Exceptional Children. Retrieved August 8, 2009 from: http://www.cec.sped.org

Language Support for Students in the Home and in School. The Education Alliance. Retrieved August 8, 2009 from : http://www.alliance.brown.edu

New Strategies to Help Diverse Students Succeed. Council for Exceptional Children. Retrieved August 8, 2009 from: http://www.cec.sped.org

Strategies for Teaching Culturally Diverse Students. Teacher Vision. Retrieved August 8, 2009 from: http://teachervision.fen.com

Resources

www.eric.hoagiestgifted.org/Strategies to reduce overrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education

www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/resources/Strategies for Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

www.maec.org.instprac.html. Effective Instructional Practices for Language Minority Students.

www.ericdigests.org/pre-9220/problems/empowering culturally and linguistically diverse students with learning problems