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Multicultural Education
Multicultural education is an additional aspect to the education systems in schools. It is a vital aspect among students as it allows them to relate well irrespective of their racial and ethnic backgrounds. Multicultural education also establishes a comfortable environment for the students to share different ideals about teaching in their learning process. Geneva Gay stated that one of this ideals the ability to understand the contribution of people from different ethnic affiliation and their cultural characteristics. It is worth noting that different ethnic groups have different traditions and communication styles. Multicultural education helps students from different cultural affiliation to behave and communicate together without the adverse effects of such traditions and communication styles.
Teachers plays a great role in multicultural education process. It is therefore important for them to understand all of the different cultural traits so that they can teach their students well in class irrespective of the gender, culture and class they occupy in the society. In a multicultural classroom a teacher should show care for all students and his/her desire for all of them to succeed in all aspect of their academic pursuit (Nieto and Sonia 130). This is normally the first step of multicultural education because, if a teacher show concern for some students, others will feel discriminated and the education process flawed. Students are happy when they realize that someone truly believes in them and in this case, the teacher is that person whom they want express the trust.
If teacher express lack of faith in students, then the students will not trust themselves as far as their education is concerned. This therefore will lead to poor performance from the students. Teachers should understand that there are students who do not come from wealthy and intelligent families so that they may know how to handle students well irrespective of their backgrounds. According to Victoria Purcell, the fact that a student comes from a poor family does not mean that he/she do not have a capacity to excel in his/her academics (Gollnick et al. 38). Also, the fact that a student belongs to certain ethnic affiliation does not mean that he/she is limited to excel. Therefore, teachers should ensure that they do not perpetuate any cultural discrimination in their teaching process.
Providing a fair education with the aim of achieving social justice on of the major challenges in multicultural education. A fair education concerns the perspective of students from different cultural setting (Bennett et al. 240). It is therefore important for the education system to include a fair and inclusive curriculum where students can learn and excel irrespective of their difference culturally, economically and language wise. This calls for the participation from different education players such as political and education leaders for the process of multiculturalism to succeed. Teachers’ accountability is very crucial in the process they are the ones in close contact with the students. Therefore, they should identify the cultural characteristics of the students before teaching them. Teachers should be adequately trained on how to handle students from different cultures. This represent a major step towards multicultural education.
Multicultural education is established on three different development levels. Such levels includes, awareness, skills and knowledge of which all of them contribute to the success of the process as a whole. However, such factors are difficult to acquire in that they require preservice training which will allow teachers to understand the effects of cultural diversity on the learning capacity of students. The preservice training helps teachers to view cultural diversity as a vital resource in their professional practice and capitalize on it to drive all students to success in their academics (Banks, James and Cherry 160). Implementation of multiculturalism in schools encourage teachers to aim at achieving social justice and equity in the classroom setting thus ingraining the same in students.
The main aim of this study is to investigate the perception of teachers on multicultural education and the extent to which the professional training programs on multicultural education are effective. The study is absolutely significant has it shed light on the significance of preservice training in the process of teaching students from cultural diversities. Adequate preservice training of teachers changes their attitudes towards multiculturalism and this will be reflected in their classroom behavior as they teach the students (Sleeter and Christine 438). Also, it is going to be reflected in the acceptance of students from diverse cultural setting. Research shows that preserve training increase the awareness of teachers on the impact of cultural difference on the performance of students.
The multicultural perspective teachers have should take into consideration the power and privileges that the dominant culture possesses and streamline them in order to establish social equity among students through their professional practice. According to Jenks et al (100), there are three theoretical frameworks of multicultural education they include liberal, conservative and critical multiculturalism. Conservative multiculturalism framework expects students marginalized groups to assimilate into the dominant culture. This theory assumes that it is possible for equality to be achieved and can be adequately apportioned to students from diverse backgrounds in the school. Ladson (545) argued that the multicultural education stems from the intergroup education movement establish in 1950s to help African-American students to learn together in harmony at school.
Liberal multiculturalist accepts and celebrates cultural diversities and it is based on human relation approach that recognizes such diversities. Those who advocate for liberal multiculturalism argues that their major aim is to create conditions that promote equal opportunity to recognize and value cultural diversity, whereas liberal multiculturalism promotes programs that enhance the appreciation of different cultures, it ignores the contribution of such differences to the inequality among learners. According to McLaren (94), natural equality is observed among different groups of people. However, if the concept of equal opportunity is not upheld in the society, the natural equality will not flourish. This shows that the government has a significant role to play in promoting multicultural education. If the government fosters social equality in the country, the same will be reflected in schools because citizens have tendency of behaving as required by the law.
Critical multiculturalism on the other hand pose challenge on liberal multiculturalism due to the fact that the later do not emphasize on the underlying diversity that brings about inequalities in power, control and access. Critical multiculturalism celebrates democracy and it is transformative as it address the barriers that causes inequality among people from diverse cultural setting. It questions the educational system based on both critical and social justice perspective. This perspectives includes the classroom anti-racist practices that allow students from different races to relate well together. McLaren (100) defines teaching as the process by which both teachers and the students construct knowledge and develop criticism on inequalities and injustices that exists in the society.
Literature Review
Through a review of the previous research literature, this study explores the theory of he preservice preparation of teachers for the purpose of multicultural education. The literature reviews the multicultural curriculum approaches and the history and definition of the concept of multiculturalism. Different perspectives and implementation of multicultural education will be explored.
Multiculturalism history and definition
The struggle for power, economic integration and freedom during the period of civil rights movement give rise to the concept of multicultural education. The oppressed groups proposed that schools should include cultural and ethnic content. In the wake of 1970s, various movements were formed to advocate for equality in schools through educational reforms. Such reforms should make learning institutions opportunities and employment to people from all colors and ethnic groups. Many scholars proposed that the school curriculums should include the narratives concerning the minority groups and their experiences in the society. The aim the inclusion of this in the curriculum is that the other students will get to know more about the minority groups and cease from discriminating them.
Parallel to groups advocating for multiculturalism in schools, other marginalized groups including the elderly, people leaving with disabilities, gays and lesbians started organizing movements to fight for their rights. Universities and other institutions responded to the grievances of these marginalized groups, by revising their curriculum to so that their requests may be fully addressed. In 1980s the pioneer of multicultural education, James bank examined the education system in the light of multiculturalism and defined it as a philosophical position where gender, ethnicity, race, and cultural diversity of the society should be reflected in the education system (Gay and Geneva 82). He stated that the philosophical concept of multiculturalism should include staff, norms, values and the student body.
Banks (350) describes four approaches of incorporating ethnic and racial content in the education system. These includes transformative, additive, contribution and social action. These four concepts helps us to have a better understanding on how the above discussed theoretical frameworks can be integrated into the school curriculum. The contribution approach to multicultural education reflects the impact of the minority groups in the society. Therefore, it is clear that this approach contains elements of both conservative and liberal theoretical frameworks. In this approach, the stores about ethnic heroes and a special day to commemorate them are incorporated to the school curriculum.
There are situations in which various ethnic heritage themes are addressed in the school curriculum but there is no evidence of significant changes implemented. This is the example of additive approach which has the disadvantages of contribution approach because does not help learners to understand and appreciate other ethnic groups. The additive and contribution approach of multicultural education proposed the inclusion of information about the minority groups in the school curriculum. However, these approaches do not give students an opportunity to develop their thinking capacity against the inequalities around them. It is clear that these approaches possesses components of liberal and conservative theoretical framework. They are conservative if multicultural education is taken as the factor that brings about fairness in schools and liberal if multicultural education is taken as a substantive addition to examine the diversity of the students.
The additive and contribution approaches of multicultural education helps in identifying and teaching people about the cultural diversity in the society. The transformative approach on the other hand is focused on the internal changes in the school curriculum in order to incorporate various experiences of the different racial, ethnic and the minority groups. It makes students to examine and study the underlying cultural assumptions in the light of dominant culture. Social action approach is a form of critical multiculturalism which aims at teaching students on various thinking and decision making skills. Such skills will help students to critically think about the privileges, racism and stimulate them to act towards supporting social changes in the society.
The review examines the perception of teachers on the preservice training for multicultural education. Through the investigation of the perception of teachers on the preservice training, the educational researchers can gain insight into the effectiveness of the programs focused on multicultural education and the preservice training. Such programs should enable teachers to effectively teach students from diverse cultural status and have a clear understanding of the global society. Research reveals that many teachers lacks knowledge and experience to teach students from diverse cultures (Burnett and Gary 262). This findings therefore encourage teachers to participate in preservice programs so that they may create a fair and just education system. Also, the programs prepare teachers to understand how they can handle students from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Many teachers have knowledge on how to teach students from different racial minority. However, they are not well prepared to handle students from cultural and religious backgrounds different from those they are affiliated to. Another study reveals that the teacher’s education programs do not equip teachers with adequate skills to effectively teach in multicultural classrooms. Therefore the government needs to reexamines such programs in order to transform them to reduce inequalities in education system. Performance in schools in determines by both the relationship between teachers and students. Cultural diversity has the potential to interfere with such relationships therefore limiting students from performing well. Multicultural education is a factor that government should emphasize on to save the overall education system.
In this review, three major implications have risen that enables teachers to feel supported in the multicultural education. The first implication concerns the professional preparation of teachers as far as multicultural education is concerned. Institutions and universities should prepare teachers by providing them with skills that will allow them to integrate cultural diversity in the school curriculum. The second implication concerns the content contained in the courses prepared to train teachers. The curriculum used to train teachers should include the understanding of strengths and weakness of the the philosophical frameworks and specific multicultural models that are normally incorporated in to their courses (Gorski and Paul 312). With such kind of training that promotes multicultural education, teachers will view themselves as agents of change within the school environment.
It is worth noting that multicultural education is very crucial and essential concept in the school curriculum. The literature reviewed in this study reveals three forms of multicultural frameworks which are conservatives, critical and liberal. Conservatives involves integrating students to wider society in multicultural education. Liberals tries to promote diversity but makes no impact on the social order. Critical multiculturalism on the other hand concerns the addressing of the social inequalities perpetuated by race ethnicity and class. In order to provide equal education to student from diverse cultural backgrounds, teachers needs to understand multiculturalism. Highly develop multicultural training for teachers is crucial in changing their attitudes and preparedness towards multicultural education. The empowerment of teachers on multiculturalism will help them to create and promote a school environment that fosters social equality.
Works Cited
Nieto, Sonia. Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education. Longman, 10 Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606. 2012: 123-143
Banks, James A. Educating Citizens in a Multicultural Society. Multicultural Education Series. Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027 (paperback: ISBN-0-8077-3631-7; clothbound: ISBN-0-8077-3632-5). 2017: 345-353
Gollnick, Donna M., and Philip C. Chinn. Multicultural education in a pluralistic society. Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., 1300 Alum Creek Dr., Columbus, OH 43216, 2016: 34-40
Bennett, Christine I. Comprehensive multicultural education: Theory and practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2016: 230-245
Banks, James A., and Cherry A. McGee Banks, eds. Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. John Wiley & Sons, 2019: 156-162
Sleeter, Christine E. Multicultural education as social activism. SUNY Press, 1996: 430-442
Gay, Geneva. “Curriculum Theory and Multicultural Education.” (2015). 78-86
Banks, James A., and C. A. Banks. “Multicultural education: Characteristics and goals.” (2017): 46-55
Ladson‐Billings, Gloria. “But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy.” Theory into practice 34.3 (2015): 159-165: 540-548
Burnett, Gary. “Varieties of Multicultural Education: An Introduction. ERIC Digest 98.” (2014): 260-265
Jenks, Charles, James O. Lee, and Barry Kanpol. “Approaches to multicultural education in preservice teacher education: Philosophical frameworks and models for teaching.” The urban review 33.2 (2001): 87-105.
Gorski, Paul C. “What we’re teaching teachers: An analysis of multicultural teacher education coursework syllabi.” Teaching and Teacher Education 25.2 (2009): 309-318.