Multicultural EducationBy Rachel Bartlett

What is Multicultural Education?Multicultural education is a form of education

designed to integrate the cultures of different races into an educational system. It provides students with knowledge of different cultural backgrounds, including beliefs, perspectives,

history, and values. It promotes critical thinking, while moving towards cultural

pluralism, and encouraging positive racial characteristics in the classroom.

Pros of Multicultural Education?Helps eliminate:Stereotyping

PrejudiceRacismBigotry

Pros of Multicultural Education (Continued)

Reduction of:Fear

IgnorancePersonal detachment

Increase in:Minority retention and classroom

performance

Cons of Multicultural EducationCauses students to feel atypicalResentment in changes of traditions and

curriculumRejects and defies the American goals of

assimilation and integration (The Great American Melting Pot)

Creating the ELL (English Language Learners) classroom

When it comes to teaching ELL’s (English Language Learners) and creating a positive learning environment for them, knowing your students background and being aware of social and emotional needs are vital. Doing everything you can to make them comfortable in the classroom to help ease the nerves of being submerged in a whole new culture is the key. This can be accomplished in a number of ways.

Teaching Multicultural Learners Keep your body language open and SMILE! Increase your knowledge of the English language and language acquisition

to help in pinpointing strategies that match the student’s language proficiency

Structure and clear goal expectations to help the student as they acclimate to their surroundings

Immerse students in the English language by keeping it accessible (books of various topics/grade levels in room, labels on items in rooms, vocabulary posters, word walls)

Allow peer assisted learning, which encourages language use, supports vocabulary development, comprehension, and social interaction

Welcome the students’ cultures and allow them to share their experiences with the class and connect classroom content to culture.

Establish communication with parents and family to foster a home-school collaboration and share information with other teachers to foster the school-school collaboration to ensure the students needs (emotional and social) are being met

Goals of Multicultural LearningCreating a safe, accepting and successful

learning environment for allIncreasing awareness of global issuesStrengthening cultural consciousnessStrengthening intercultural awarenessTeaching students that there are multiple

historical perspectivesEncouraging critical thinkingPreventing prejudice and discrimination

Three Teaching and/or Learning Strategies to Accommodate Multicultural Learners

#1Peer tutoring

This is a strategy that pairs two students of different abilities and backgrounds. It is

extremely effective in a Multicultural classroom. It promotes communication, motivates students, and helps learners

attain higher levels of achievement while developing inter-ethnic friendships.

Teaching strategies (continued)#2

Role PlayingAllows students to express their opinions. Students can trade places with another student or a character from literature. This will allow students to express and examine beliefs, attitudes, and feelings about prejudice and discrimination. Poetry, biographies, and powerful fiction are excellent sources for this.

Teaching strategies (continued)#3

Who I am PoemsStudents write short poems, starting each line with “I am,” encouraging them to describe in their own words who they are. This increases self-awareness and development. It is a safe way for participants to think about and share the influences that have shaped their identities. It will help form connections as students find similarities and differences between themselves and other classmates.