CULTURE AND

DIVERSITY IN THE CLASSROOM

BY: GIOVANNA YLLESCAS

“IMMIGRATION’S IMPACT IS OFTEN FIRST SEEN IN THE CLASSROOM. THE INCREASING DIVERSITY OF THE NATION’S EDUCATION SYSTEM IS THE MOST DETAILED MEASURE OF WHERE IMMIGRANTS HAVE SETTLED IN RECENT YEARS. VIEW THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN MORE THAN 17,000 SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE NATION — INCLUDING YOUR OWN” (THE NEW YORK TIMES, 2006).

Students, in 2006 48,504,876

White 27,394,435 56%

Black 8,288,264 17%

Hispanic 9,950,245 21%

Asian 2,282,149 5%

Native American 589,783 1%

CULTURE MATTERS• CULTURE ISN'T JUST A LIST OF HOLIDAYS OR SHARED RECIPES, RELIGIOUS

TRADITIONS, OR LANGUAGE; IT IS A LIVED EXPERIENCE UNIQUE TO EACH INDIVIDUAL. AS EDUCATORS, IT'S OUR JOB TO STIMULATE THE INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN, AND, IN THIS ERA, IT'S SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH TO OPERATE ON THE AXIS OF COLOR-BLINDNESS.

• TO TRULY ENGAGE STUDENTS, WE MUST REACH OUT TO THEM IN WAYS THAT ARE CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY RESPONSIVE AND APPROPRIATE, AND WE MUST EXAMINE THE CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS AND STEREOTYPES WE BRING INTO THE CLASSROOM THAT MAY HINDER INTERCONNECTEDNESS.

• WWW.TOLERANCE.ORG

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?• THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS PREDICTED THAT BY THE YEAR 2100, THE MINORITY

WILL BECOME THE MAJORITY, WITH NON-HISPANIC WHITES COMPRISING ONLY 40% OF THE U.S POPULATION.

• TEACHERS NEED TO INCORPORATE A MULTICULTURAL APPROACH TO LESSON PLANNING. IT'S VITAL THAT TEACHERS OFFER A RICH AND VARIED, MULTICULTURAL CURRICULUM TO ACCOMMODATE THE CULTURALLY DIVERSE, 21ST CENTURY CLASSROOM (BANKS, 1999).

TERMS TO KNOW• CULTURE IS DEFINED AS THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, RULES, TRADITIONS, BELIEFS,

AND VALUES THAT GUIDE BEHAVIOR IN A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE, AS

WELL AS THE ARTIFACTS PRODUCED AND PASSED DOWN TO THE NEXT

GENERATION.

• ETHNICITY REFERS TO GROUPS WITH A COMMON NATIONALITY, CULTURE, OR

LANGUAGE.

• RACE IS DEFINED AS MEN AND WOMEN WHO SHARE BIOLOGICALLY

TRANSMITTED TRAITS THAT ARE DEFINED AS SOCIALLY SIGNIFICANT.

(WOOLFOLK,2010)

TERMS TO KNOW•PREJUDICE CAN BE BEST DEFINED AS A PRECONCEIVED OPINION THAT IS NOT

BASED ON REASON OR ACTUAL EXPERIENCE; OR MAKING BIASED ASSUMPTIONS.

•DISCRIMINATION IS THE RECOGNITION AND UNDERSTANDING OF A DIFFERENCE; IT

IS ALSO DEFINED AS THE UNJUST OR PREJUDICIAL TREATMENT OF DIFFERENT

CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE OR THINGS, ESP. ON THE GROUNDS OF RACE, AGE, OR SEX.

(WOOLFOLK,2010)

JAMES BANKS• KNOWN AS “ THE FATHER OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION” IN THE UNITED

STATES.

• BELIEVED IN DEVELOPING A MULTICULTURAL CURRICULUM THAT IS MORE INCLUSIVE AND ACTION ORIENTED TO HELP ACHIEVE GREATER UNDERSTANDING TO DIFFERENT GROUPS.

• THREE PROPOSITIONS OF CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY, STUDENTS WILL:

• 1) EXPERIENCE ACADEMIC SUCCESS

• 2) DEVELOP/MAINTAIN THEIR CULTURAL COMPETENCE

• 3) DEVELOP CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO

(WOOLFOLK,2010)

JAMES BANKS • “THE MOST RECENT MANIFESTATION OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION IS ITS

GLOBAL FOCUS AND HOW IT IS IMPLEMENTED IN NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD ” (BANKS, 2006).

• IT IS A TEACHER’S COMMITMENT TO ENSURE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND GLOBAL EQUITY FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE ALREADY FACED WITH A GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE WORLD.

BANKS 4 APPROACHES •THE CONTRIBUTIONS APPROACH

• IN INSTRUCTIONAL PERSPECTIVES, THE CONTRIBUTIONS APPROACH IS A COMMON AND EASY WAY FOR TEACHERS TO INCORPORATE CULTURAL DIVERSITY INTO THEIR CURRICULUM. WITH THE CONTRIBUTIONS APPROACH, THE TEACHER INTRODUCES HOW SOMEONE OR SOMETHING CONTRIBUTED TO ANOTHER VARIABLE. FOR EXAMPLE, ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S BIRTHDAY, THE TEACHER WOULD CONDUCT A DISCUSSION OR SMALL ACTIVITY ABOUT HOW THE CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER CONTRIBUTED TO RACIAL EQUALITY IN THE UNITED STATES.

•THE ADDITIVE APPROACH

• WITH THE ADDITIVE APPROACH, TEACHERS ADD MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY TO THEIR EXISTING CURRICULUM. FOR INSTANCE, AN ENGLISH TEACHER MAY ADD AN INTERNATIONAL NOVEL TO THE CLASS READING LIST OR A HISTORY TEACHER MAY INCLUDE A DISCUSSION ON HOW MAJOR WORLD EVENTS AFFECTED VARIOUS ETHNIC GROUPS. THIS INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH DELVES DEEPER INTO DIVERSITY THAN THE CONTRIBUTIONS APPROACH, WHILE MAINTAINING THE FORMAT OF THE EXISTING CURRICULUM. THIS APPROACH IS APPROPRIATE FOR ALL GRADE LEVELS AND IS ESPECIALLY BENEFICIAL FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

(BANKS,2006)

BANKS 4 APPROACHES•THE TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACH

• WITH THIS INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH, THE TEACHER TRANSFORMS HIS OR HER CURRICULUM TO INCLUDE A VARIED AND CULTURALLY DIVERSE CURRICULUM. UNLIKE THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND ADDITIVE APPROACHES, THE TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACH WEAVES DIVERSITY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CURRICULUM OVER TIME. WHEN USING THIS APPROACH, THE TEACHER WILL ORGANIZE AN ENTIRELY MULTICULTURAL CURRICULUM. AS A STUDENT TEACHER, I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL SEASONED TEACHERS UTILIZE THE TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACH WITH THEIR CURRICULUM PLANNING. IN ANY CONTENT AREA, THE TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACH WILL CONSIDER DIVERSITY DAILY AND WILL OFFER A RICH AND VARIED CURRICULUM WITH MULTICULTURALISM AT ITS CORE.

•THE DECISION-MAKING/SOCIAL ACTION APPROACH

• WITH THE DECISION-MAKING/SOCIAL ACTION APPROACH, TEACHERS INSPIRE THEIR STUDENTS TO SOCIAL ACTION. THIS COULD INCLUDE COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS, PETITIONS, AND SCHOOL FUNCTIONS AND EVENTS. THIS INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH WORKS WELL WHEN COMBINED WITH THE OTHER APPROACHES AND ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO BE THE CHANGE THE WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.

(BANKS,2006)

GLORIA LADSON-BILLINGS

GLORIA’S 5 VARIABLES1. BELIEVES ABOUT STUDENTS MATTER

2. CONTENT AND MATERIALS MATTER

3. INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES MATTER

4. EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS MATTER

5. TEACHER EDUCATION MATTERS

(LADSON-BILLINGS, 2002)

WOOLFOLK• STEREOTYPING STUDENTS CAN BE DAMAGING.

• SOMETIMES STEREOTYPES NEGATIVELY CAST STUDENTS, CAUSING TEACHERS TO HOLD LOW

EXPECTATIONS.

• SOMETIMES STEREOTYPES POSITIVELY CAST STUDENTS, CAUSING TEACHER TO HOLD EXTREMELY HIGH

EXPECTATIONS.

• CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY

• STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING THAT ADDRESS THE CULTURAL NEEDS AND NORMS OF STUDENTS.

• MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION

• TEACHING ABOUT DIVERSE CULTURAL GROUPS AS THEY RELATE TO CURRICULA.

(WOOLFOLK,2010)

LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES

• ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

• STUDENTS LEARNING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) WHO HAVE ALREADY ACQUIRED A FIRST LANGUAGE.

• ELL STUDENTS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED A COMPREHENSION OF A FIRST LANGUAGE (E.G. GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY, PRONUNCIATION) AND ARE CHALLENGED WITH MAPPING ENGLISH ONTO THEIR PRIOR LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE.

WOOLFOLK,2010

HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM

• BECOME FAMILIAR WITH FEATURE OF THE DIALECT

• USE PREDICTABLE STORIES

• USE VISUAL AIDS

• INTEGRATE READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING SKILLS WHEN POSSIBLE

• USE COMPUTER IF AVAILABLE

• TEACH HOW TO SWITCH BETWEEN HOME AND SCHOOL DIALECTS

• GIVE PRACTICE WITH FEEDBACK AND CORRECTION.

WOOLFOLK,2010

GIFTEDNESS AND BILINGUALISM

•VERBAL ABILITY IS OFTEN CONFUSED WITH INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY.

•MANY BILINGUAL STUDENTS REPORT DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF THEIR SPEAKING AND WRITING ABILITIES.

• STUDENTS WHO ARE BILINGUAL MAY BE GIFTED INTELLECTUALS WHO SIMPLY REQUIRE SUPPORT ATTAINING THE PRIMARY LANGUAGE IN WHICH EDUCATION IS CONDUCTED.

WOOLFOLK,2010

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CLASSROOM• CHECK TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS FOR STEREOTYPING

• WATCH FOR UNINTENDED BIASES (GIRLS TO READ POETRY, BOYS TO READ ACTION)

• AVOID LIMITING OPTIONS BASED ON SEX

• USE GENDER-FREE LANGUAGE WHEN POSSIBLE (FLIGHT ATTENDANTS, NOT STEWARDESS; COMMITTEE HEAD, NOT CHAIRMAN)

• PROVIDE ROLE MODELS

• LET ALL STUDENTS HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TECHNICAL WORK

WOOLFOLK,2010

RAISE CULTURAL AWARENESS IN YOUR CLASSROOM• USE MUSIC, SHOW AND TELL EVENTS, INCLUDE ALL HOLIDAYS IN A CALENDAR,

HAVE GUEST SPEAKERS, ORGANIZE POTLUCKS.

• AROUND THE WORLD CALENDAR

• CHALLENGE THE MEDIA PROJECT

• EXCHANGING STORIES - NAMES

• FIGHTING PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES DISCUSSIONS

• FASHION SHOWS

CREATE YOUR OWN CULTURE• LANGUAGE

• FOOD

• CLOTHING

• ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

• ENTERTAINMENT

• ARCHITECTURE

• SYMBOLS OF NATIONAL PRIDE

• RELIGION

• SPORTS

• ANY THING ELSE THAT WILL SET YOUR CULTURE APART FROM ANOTHER

REFERENCES• BANKS, J.A. (1999). AN INTRODUCTION TO MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION (2ND EDITION).

BOSTON: ALLYN AND BACON.

• LADSON-BILLINGS, G. (2002). MULTICULTURAL RESEARCH FOR STUDENTS: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FOR MULTICULTURAL RESEARCH. EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, 22-26.

• "DIVERSITY IN THE CLASSROOM - THE NEW YORK TIMES." DIVERSITY IN THE CLASSROOM - THE NEW YORK TIMES. ED. THE NEW YORK TIMES. ROBERT GEBELOFF, TYSON EVANS AND ANDREI SCHEINKMAN, 11 AUG. 2006. WEB. 20 APR. 2014. <HTTP://PROJECTS.NYTIMES.COM/IMMIGRATION/ENROLLMENT>.

• WOOLFOLK , A. (2010). EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY. UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ:MERRILL.