CHAPTER 3 LESSON 2MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION:A CHALLENGE TO GLOBAL TEACHERS

Reporter:Mr. Melijo Anthony Chan

"ALL men are pretty much alike. It is only by culture that they are set apart." -

Confucius

Definition of Terms:

Multicultural education- is a process ofcomprehensive school reform and basiceducation for all students. It challengesand rejects racism and other forms of discrimination in schools and society andaccepts and affirms the pluralism (ethnic, racial, linguistic, religious, economic, and gender, among others) that students, their communities, and teachers represent. (Valenzuela Ph.d)

Stereotype- over generalized image of a person; untrue fixed picture that has a value judgment attached to it. (Allport 1954)

Prejudice- a feeling favorable or unfavorable toward a person or thing prior to or not based on actual experience. (Allport 1954)

Racism- is the belief that one’s race is superior and others are inferior.

DIVERSITY OF LEARNERS AND,MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION According to James Banks (1975)

the major goal of multicultural education is to transform the school so that the male and female students, exceptional learners, as well as students coming from diversed cultural, social-class, racial and ethnic groups will experience an equal opportunity in school.

According to Haertel (1998) multicultural education enables teachers and educators to give value to the differences in prior knowledge, experiences of learners from diverse background and familiarity with student's histories of diverse cultures.

Accommodating Cultural Differences and Commonalities

Fraser-Abner (2001) Learn as much as about and become as

sensitive to and aware of racial, ethnic, cultural, and gender groups other than your own.

Never make assumptions about an individual based on their perception of that individual's race, ethnicity, culture or gender.

Avoid stereotyping. Get to know each student as a unique

individual: walk in the footsteps of yourstudents.

Look into your own consciousness and subconscious biases about the people who are different from yourselves in race, ethnicity, culture, gender or socio‑economic status.

Plan your activities within multicultural framework while making your classroom safe and secure haven for all the students

Infuse multicultural instructional material strategies in your teaching.

foster collaboration and cooperation among young learners, parents, and teachers.

As Multiculturalism has broadened and deepened, here are some fundamental concepts that will help in enhancing teacher development.

No two learners are exactly the same. Children in all classrooms are

heterogeneous. Strategies that work with one learner may

not work with the other. Student’s background and experiences

should be considered when teaching. Community members from various ethnic

groups can assist teachers in facing issues of ethnic differences and similarities.