Running Head: MULTICULTURALISM 1

Multiculturalism
Melinda Chapple
Introduction to Multicultural Teaching
Dr. Julie Bilz
March 9, 2014


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Abstract
Multiculturalism has a large effect on the education system and society. Teachers have a
responsibility to teach students in a positive, inclusive, and safe environment. Teaching students
about diversity and how to accept each other based on differences and similarities builds a
foundation for future success. Families can be included in the process of teaching students about
other cultures and teaching students to value their own culture. With an ever growing diverse
world, multiculturalism will continue to be an important part of our education system and
society. Teachers will need to continue to evolve their teaching skills, standards, and strategies to
be successful in teaching diversity and multiculturalism.
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Introduction
Multiculturalism: the condition in which different cultural groups can maintain their unique
cultural identities while participating equally in the dominant culture (Gollnick & Chinn, 2013).
Students in schools and communities are strongly affected by multiculturalism. Schools have a
mix of students who are from different cultures, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds. These
students learn how to socially interact as well as learn academically together in school. When
they learn how to socially interact with one another this has a direct effect the community and
how they accept each other with their individual similarities and differences. How these students
communicate and function together in school and in the community directly relates to the
cohesiveness of all diverse relationships. Accepting and understanding each others diversity
promotes multicultural relationships, this is important in school, socially, and in working
environments. It is the responsibility of the teachers and the community to foster acceptance of
diversity in culture, ability, and ethnicity while still functioning in the dominant cultural
practices. Using different teaching styles and classroom designs, teachers can teach diversity and
multiculturalism more effective.
Multicultural Curriculum and Teaching Strategies
When implementing a multicultural curriculum and teaching strategies in a classroom, a teacher
needs to keep in mind what multicultural curriculum is, how it should be taught, and why it is
important. A multicultural curriculum supports and celebrates our diversity in the broadest
sense; it includes the histories, experiences, traditions, and cultures of students in the classroom
(Gollnick & Chinn, 2013). Teachers are responsible for teaching the students to value all people
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and their cultural diversity. Schools and teachers need to provide a learning environment for
students to learn respect, responsibility, and gain knowledge while experiencing and exploring
multicultural diversity. Fear can cause uneasiness and uncomfortable feelings, knowledge and
willingness to accept and value diversity will ease those feelings.
Parents often turn to teachers as a resource for issues such as diversity. Teachers and parents
need to work together to understand the cultural needs of the students (Gonzalez-Mena & Pulido-
Tobiassen, 1999). Through open communication, teachers can understand more about the
learning style and goals of the students and their families. Students need to learn how to embrace
their culture while also learning to incorporate other cultures. Students families could be invited
into the classroom to help teach cultural diversity. The families can work with the teacher to
determine what would be discussed and taught instead of the teacher choosing. There is not one
right answer for all multicultural situations and lessons. They must be handled on an individual
basis with care and compassion. Students and their families need to feel their culture and
customs are valued while learning new cultures and giving them the same respect. As a teacher,
knowing the families of the students and taking the time to allow them to express their goals will
allow for a valued relationship.
Teaching multicultural curriculum is more than just teaching about customs, language, and
geography. Multicultural curriculum includes teaching value and respect of diversity. Students
should be taught differences are acceptable not to be feared. Lesson plans to teach students about
differences can be introduced while learning standard core curriculum. For example, when a
kindergarten class is learning about adjectives, they could do a writing lesson to describe the
differences of other students choices of shoes or shirt color. This gives the students the
opportunity to see the differences and accept them while at the same time they are learning
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vocabulary and practicing writing skills. Standard core lesson can be used with various themes to
teach the students about different cultures. When grouping students together for station or group
work, the teacher can divide the students into groups based on diverse backgrounds. Students
could be grouped according to their culture, ethnicity, gender, or academic ability. They will
learn how to work together in different situations. Students are gaining academic knowledge as
well as how to handle social situations when working together in a group. Social interaction is
important when teaching students to have an inclusive approach to cultural diversity.
Multiculturalism in the Classroom
Providing a learning environment that represents multicultural diversity will help to give students
a sense of comfort, acceptance, inclusion, and safety in the classroom. Students should see a
diverse representation of culture, ethnicity, class, and gender in the classroom. Multicultural
educations means an educational concept that address cultural diversity and equality in schools.
It incorporates the different cultural groups to which individuals belong, with an emphasis on the
interaction of race, ethnicity, class, and gender in students lives (Gollnick & Chinn, 2013).
However this way of thinking has not always been the case.
A brief history of multicultural educations begins in the 1960s when schools became integrated
and discrimination based on race, religion, and gender was being protested against. The groups
of under-represented and minority groups began to band together to change the educational
system and make it more multicultural diverse. In the 1960s and 1970s these groups worked to
add multicultural curriculum to the traditional curriculum being taught in schools at the time. In
the 1980s James Banks, a leader in the multicultural education movement, felt in order to
provide students with a multicultural school system all aspects of the school had to be examined
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and transformed, including policies, teachers' attitudes, instructional materials, assessment
methods, counseling, and teaching styles (Gorski, 1999). More educators got involved during
the 1980s and helped to expose the issues with the education system and the lack of diversity.
Multicultural education systems are still not where they need to be currently because they point
out the inequality of those who are under-represented and culturally diverse. This system is
always changing and educators and supporters of multicultural education are continuing work to
improve the system.
Teachers need to teach inclusion and accepts of all diversity in the classroom. Learning by
example and teachers being role models for their students is of the utmost importance, they
should always be thinking about their actions and lesson plans. When a student asks a question
that the teacher is unsure how to answer it is vital that something is said because silence can be
regarded as fear or lack of acceptance. For example, if a student asks a teacher about a current
event related to a cultural issue, if the teacher does not have an appropriate answer then simply
saying I need to think about your question so we will discuss this later because this shows the
student that the teacher is not afraid to discuss the topic but instead needs to think about the topic
first. Students need to learn critical thinking and this is away for the teacher to show how
important it is to think and reflect on a question before answering it. Critical thinking helps
student to look at a topic or question from different perspectives. Much in the same way they
would look at each others diversity and cultural differences and perspectives. Students should
not assume that because of a students ethnic, socioeconomic status, gender, or religious
background they will excel at a specific subject or sport. Learning more about the individual
student by asking questions and getting to know them will help determine their interests and
strengths instead of assuming based on cultural stereotypes. Understanding that everyone is
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different and accepting those differences will lead to a more welcoming classroom environment
both academically and socially.
Multiculturalism as a Teacher
As a teacher, understanding multiculturalism in the classroom as well as in the education system
as a whole is important to continue to improve the curriculum and learning environment for the
students. Teachers must learn how to provide an environment that reflects many cultural groups,
ethnicities, genders, and abilities for the students learn from and feel comfortable and safe.
Students being exposed to different perspectives and customs will help them to develop
acceptance, understanding, and value in their classmates. Learning to appreciate differences and
use them to build more successful learning and social relationships will give them necessary
skills for their future. Lesson plans can be varied to teach standard core skills while learning
about multicultural events, traditions, and experiences. Varied lesson plans and learning styles
will help to reach all the students and their individual strengths and abilities. This gives the
students the opportunity to share their cultures and develop pride in what they are as an
individual. Teachers can use social situations that arise between students to help them understand
how to treat each other with acceptable behavior and why we do not treat one another poorly. It
is the teachers responsibility to provide as safe, comfortable, inclusive learning and social
environment for the students.
When planning lessons and activities for the students, teachers need to consider the curriculum
they are teaching and to whom they are teaching it. Teaching students about history is a great
opportunity to provide different perspectives of one event. For example, when teaching about the
Native American and the colonist, the perspective of the events that took place are very different
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when accounted by both groups. The current textbooks and curriculum primarily tell the events
for the white European Americans perspective. Teaching students only one side of history gives
them a false understanding of the diverse cultures that were represented at that time. Having a
lesson plan telling more than one side of the events would be a way to use multiculturalism in the
classroom. This gives the students the understanding that every story has two sides and the
importance of having consideration for other thoughts and opinions. Addressing the differences
of each culture and how they worked well together and also how they did not work well together.
Teaching about different cultures within the community and how those groups work together for
the betterment of the community will promote unity in the community and classroom.
Multiculturalism has an effect on students not only in the classroom but in the community. When
students learn to appreciate and value each others differences and learn how to work together
they can use these skills throughout their lives. Students need consistency in their home, school,
and community when they are identifying themselves as individuals within their culture and
beliefs and learning to also incorporate the dominant culture into their lives. They need to know
they are accepted and can be proud of their culture instead of feeling they have to complete
discard their culture for the dominant one. When students are in school they need to know it is ok
to be different and they are valued as a person and part of the class. By working with the
students families, understanding the culture and goals of the students will provide a basis for
working together to reach those goals. Mere toleration of group differences is said to fall short
of treating members of minority groups as equal citizens; recognition and positive
accommodation of group differences are required to meet the needs of our schools and
communities (Song, 2014). Inclusion of all cultures, ethnicities, genders, religions, and abilities
is the way teachers, students, families, and communities need to think and work toward.
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Conclusion
Multiculturalism has a great effect on students, teachers, families, and communities.
Understanding how to provide a multicultural classroom and curriculum, teachers have a large
responsibility to students. Teaching the student how to appreciate, value, and accept each others
diversities will give them a strong foundation to continue to develop these skills in their future.
Multiculturalism will continue to be an important aspect of the education system and educators
need to work to make improvements in the future. The world is becoming more diverse all the
time, acceptance, understanding, and open-mindedness will be necessary for success in the
future. It was once said by Mary Astor, an American actress, real education should educate us
out of self into something far finer - into selflessness which links us to all humanity.

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Reference List
Astor, M. (n.d.). Social justice quips and quotation. Retrieved from
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/language/quotes_alpha.html
Gollnick, D., & Chinn, P. (2013). Multicultural education in a pluralistic society. (9th ed.).
Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Gonzalez-Mena, J., & Pulido-Tobiassen, D. (1999, November). Teaching "diversity": a place to
begin. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/teaching-diversity-
place-begin-0
Gorski, P. (1999, November). A brief history of multicultural education. Retrieved from
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/edchange_history.html
Song, S. (2014). Multiculturalism. In E. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(Spring 2014 ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/multiculturalism/#Bib