Dong Duong

ED 258 M9 Final paper

1. What does it take to be an effective multicultural educator? Using
articles by Noddings, Gorski, Peterson, Christensen, and Bigelow,
In order to be an effective multicultural educator, we should have an
opened minded, and treat all the students without any discrimination. We teach
them by our examples of loving, caring, and hard working. In addition, we let
the students have opportunities to give their voices, to show their role play in
educational system.
What specifically do each of these educators teach you about being an
effective multicultural educator?
I am interested the idea of Noddings in the aim of education that should
be to encourage the growth of competent, caring, loving and lovable people.
Noddings suggest that all children should be seen as the very possibility of
promoting their real, unique talents. (Page 2) The educators should
preparation for what a student want to do or to study. That can create many
genuine opportunities to human life.
One important aspect of immigrant educators is pronunciation. Gorski
puts pronunciation students name at the beginning of his 20 critical things.

When I pronounce their names correctly, it easier for them to follow my

direction, and I can get their good feeling in communication. Moreover, I feel
absolute agree with Noddings missions about continuing to educate myself, and
building coalitions with different identity teachers. These matters help me to
update the modern knowledge in my career, and have good relationship in
educational environment.
I am interested the idea of Peterson in curriculum grounded in the lives of
our students. This idea shows a strong relationship between teachers, students,
and families. By hearing their own voices, by having other students listen to
what they have to say, children become more self confidence in expressing their
own ideas, and feel more a part of the classroom community (Peterson, p. 30).
This attitude helps me get a good communication in classroom.
From Christensen, she doesnt grade the students works because she
wants to respond to students paper as part of her teaching process rather than
the evaluation process (p.148). This way of grading can push the students pay
more attention on their work, and they feel more confident in their study.
2. How would you define culturally-competent teaching?
Culturally-competence teaching is the role of the teachers to know the
diverse community in environmental education. From this point of view, the
teachers understand all people have a unique world view; therefore, educators

should arrange their curriculums that show the respect and relevant to the
students culture.
In terms of effective culturally-competent teaching, what stage or stages
of the DMIS should the educator be at? Where do you see yourself in terms if
dealing with difference.
In term of effective culturally-competence teaching, the stages of DMIS
the educator should be at Ethnorelative Stages because American society is a
diverse cultural environment. Our society creates an equal development for
people with all colors, race, religion, disabilities, and sex; therefore, educators
should be the pioneers who have opened-minded, and ready to welcome the
cultural differentiate.
In dealing with difference, I should be at the Adaptation phase on
Ethnorelative stages. I come from Vietnam, a developing country, and
Vietnamese society has less diverse than American society. I dont know much
about other cultural nation; however, when I had chances to contact with other
culture, I experienced each of national culture as beautiful as a flower.
Therefore, I attain the ability to shift perspective in and out of another cultural
point of view.
What specific stage of the DMIS? Consider Gary Howard's article.

In the possibilities of cultural competence conversation, I see the key

point respect - in Gary Howards article, perhaps the best we can do for and
with each other is to respectfully stand guard t the door of one anothers
solitude, defending and honoring the otherness of the other, while always ready
to join as one when we emerge from this solitude to meet on the threshold of
our separate realities (page 2). With respect, I have more power to serve for
the richly diverse children, families, and communities.
The specific stage in Gary Howards article is integration phase on
Ethnorelative stages. I see his point of view through the sentences This
dissolution of the rhetorical either-or dichotomy of sameness and difference is
the key to dissolving that other classroom conundrum, the achievement gap.
Without clear connection and conversation across differences, we have little
hope of building the respectful relationships upon which equitable learning
depends.
3. What are some areas we discussed in this class where you realize you
want to continue learning (white privilege, homophobia, sexism, classism,
poverty issues)? Focus on one of those issues and write why you think this
particular issue is so critical for educators. Use at least one article
from Multicultural Articles (within the module) and comment on the article as
part of this discussion here.

Poverty issue is an area I want to continue learning, and I think it is also

a critical issue for educators because poverty has great influence on human
development than other issues. People can die because of poverty. We know
the terrible consequences of famine from many poverty countries. In addition,
poverty can cause many social problems such as security, literacy, and
unemployment. I like the idea of Paul C. Gorski in 20 (Self-) Critical Things I
Will Do to Be a More Equitable Educator. His expressions are so practical, and
he shows his respect to the development of students.