SCHOOL AND SOCIETY: MULTICULTURAL

EDUCATION AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT TEACHING

By Jinger Stacy

• More than celebrating Cinco de Mayo

• Movement based on American values

WHAT IS MULTICULTURAL

EDUCATION?

• Helps to eradicate prejudice and racism

• Builds interaction between diverse cultures

ADVANTAGES OF MULTICULTURAL

EDUCATION

• Too often, students are misinformed and misguided

• Educational institutions are not prepared to implement M.E. in

classrooms

DISADVANTAGES OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION

• Increasing awareness of global issues

• Strengthening cultural consciousness

• Strengthening intercultural awareness

GOALS OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION

WHAT IS DIVERSITY?• Defined as being different from the

other• Different types of diversity exist in the

classroom• Examples include religion, culture, sex,

and race

BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY• Better Awareness

• Eliminates Racism

• Teaches students to be culturally aware and open-minded

WHAT IS CULTURALLY RELEVANT TEACHING?

• a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes

• Plays a role in shaping the thinking process of groups and individuals

WHY IS CULTURALLY RELEVANT TEACHING SO

IMPORTANT?• Culture is central to learning

• Culturally relevant teachers utilize students’ culture as a “vehicle” for

learning

ABSENCE OF CULTURAL RELEVANCE?

• Learning without the context of culture

• Alienation and further fragmentation of communication between ethnic groups

HOW DOES CULTURALLY RELEVANT TEACHING LOOK IN

THE CLASSROOM?

• Teachers use it as a bridge to academic learning through personal connections

• Helps students to develop a broader sociopolitical consciousness

REFERENCES

• Banks, J.A. (1995). Multicultural education and curriculum transformation. The Journal of Negro

Education 64(4), 390-400.

• Ladson -Billings, G. That’s just good teaching. Theory into Practice 34(3), 159-165.