RESEARCH ON MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
Educating minority people has been a
subjuct of multicultural education and is still practised in a framework of the
nation-state.Although multicultural education is on outgrowth of ethnic studies
in the 1960s is has dep historical roots in the African-American ethnic studies
movement that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centruis. Multicultural
education refers to any form of education or teaching that incorparates the
histories texts, values, beliefs, and perspectives of people from different
cultural backgrounds. At the classroom level, for example, teachers may modify
or incorporate lessons to reflect the cultural diversity of the students in a
particular class.
In many cases, “culture”is defined in
the broadest possible sense, encompassing race, ethnicity, nationality,
language, religion, class, gender, sexual orientation, and “exceptionality” a term applied to students
with specialized needs or disabilities. Multicultural education guarantees opportunities for minority people’s education
and tries to preserve their culture, but it is often a controversial point
between the majority and minority. In a multicultural society, nation-building
and national integration should be imminent tasks, as such, national education
plays a signifıcant role in creating a
“national culture”.
In this context, educators goals is to
teach self-acceptance, to instill in learner an acceptance and understanding of
both the positive and negative attributes of their cultural groups, and to
teach learners the importance of working foward social justice and an equitable
environment. However, while signifıcant changes to improve gender equilty have
been made, it would be unrealistic to say educators always treat male and
female the some way.
A
major goal of multicultural education, as stated by specialists in the fıeld, is to reform the
school and other educational institutions so that students from diverse racial,
ethnic, and social class groups will experience educational equality. Another
important goal of multicultural education is to give both male and female
students an equal chance to experience educational success and mobility.
Accordingly, what are some teacher behaviors that could encourage multiculturalism?
The fist step for any teacher is being aware at all times that they are addressing a classroom spanning language and culture.Everything they say, the examples they give, the issues they address, the opinions they express, and the stories they share should keep a higher perspective to avoid issues of prejudice in religion, culture and social structure. Self-awareness is a huge factor, as is being able to create a space where students feel their opinions are valid and accepted, and that there is no right or wrong answer. Experiencing the freedom to say thinks without fear, ridicule or judgment encourages the most interactive and enriching learning experiences for everyone. Educators have to challenge of molding a more humane and equitable society by providing responsive multicultural education programs that reduce racism, prejudice and ethnocentrism and promote social justice, For teachers with a classroom full of students of different backgrounds, the responsibility to connect with them goes beyond simply knowing where they are from, or what their favorite subjects are. These teachers must strive to understand their students in a more holistic way, incorporating their cultural traditions into lessons and activities, so students feel understood, confortable, and focused on learning.
Therefore, what is the position of multicultural education today?
Research has indicated that ethnic minority students are disproportionately poor, dropping out of school, being suspenden or expelled, and achieving for below their potential relative to the ethnic majority (Bennett, 1995).
Multicultural education has developed over the last several decades and it is becoming increasingly recognized as signifıcant educational issue and it is an approach to teaching and learning that is based on democratic values and affırms cultural pluralism within culturally diversesocieties. It is also viewed as a way of teaching that promotes the principles of inclusion, diversity, democracy, skill acquisition, inquiry, critical thought, value of perspectives, and self-reflection. This method of teaching is foundto be effective in promoting educational achievements among immigrants students and is thus attributedto the reform movement behind the transformation of schools. Educational philosophers argue for preservation of the minority group culture, by fostering children’s development of autonomy and introducing them to new and different ideas. This form of exposure assists children in thinking more open mindset. The increasing cultural diversty of the United States challenges elementary and secondary school educators to understand differing values, customs, and traditions and to provide responsive multicultural experiences for all learners. The melting pot theory, once thought to be a model of the assimilation of immigrants into the United States, obviously in not valid. People do not lose their differences when they immigrate to the United States. The melting pot theoryis no longer considered a model, much less a means of achieving a just, equal, and accepting society. On the other hand, political theorists advocate a model of multicultural education that warrants social action. Hence, students are equipped with knowledge, values, and skills necessary to evoke and porticipate in societal changes, resulting in justice for otherwise victimized and excluded ethnic groups.
Consequently,
multicultural education is predicated on the principle of educational equilty for all students,
regardless of culture, and it strives to remove borriers to educational
opportunities and success for students from different cultural backgrounds. In practice,
educators may modify or eliminate educational policies, programs, materials,
lessons , and instructional practices that are either discriminatory toward or
insuffıciently inclusive of diverse cultural perspectives.
Multicultural education also assumes
that the ways in which students learn and
think are deeply influenced by their cultural identity and heritage, and
that to teach culturally diverse students effectively requires educational
approaches that value and recognize their cultural backgrounds.
In this way, multicultural education
aims to improve the learning and success of all students, particularly students
from cultural groups that have been historically underrepresented or that
suffer from lower educational achievement and attainment.
REFERENCES
https://www.accreditedschoolonline.org
