Introduction
Culture has had many different definitions but it is generally “the way of life of a group of people” (Gollnick & Chinn, 2008, p. 3). Cultural diversity in schools has been on the increase due to the many students from different races that have their own distinct culture. The education process thus takes the multicultural approach.
The American schools have students from different cultural background. The main cultures taken into consideration in this study are the Spanish and Filipino cultures with analysis of how they influence the process of learning through the use of concept maps. This paper aims at providing an outlook and analysis of culture and multicultural education for the purposes of inclusion and diversity in education.
Further, it acknowledges the impact that culture has on education in terms of differences and biases and thus provides an analysis of how multicultural education can be used to address these differences and biases. The approach also being based on the personal career of teaching provides personal thoughts on the differences and biases in culture and how cultural information has changed my personal ideas. The applications of this to my personal teaching practice are also evaluated for more considerations for inclusion and diversity.
Concept Maps
Culture and Multicultural Education
Culture has had many different definitions but it is generally “the way of life of a group of people” (Gollnick & Chinn, 2008, p. 3). It is the basic way of life that is described by the manner of doing things, beliefs, traditions, and the general governing of a group of people. This is portrayed in the themes, concepts and ideas of that society.
It is manifested in the themes such as education in terms of how they perceive it and their levels of learning, religious beliefs; concepts of art such as music, literature, politics aspirations and attitudes of governance, societal interactions in terms of how close the people are to one another and how they relate among themselves and with other people; ideas of beliefs and traditions, language spoken, foods that are unique to them, entertainment modes and their perceptions towards it as well as the general racial matters which also encompass the history of the society.
Culture being so diverse and complex has differences and biases that determine the attitudes and interactions between people of different cultures. Therefore multicultural education is generally the education that is geared on incorporating all the cultures in the learning process and using culture as a tool of learning (Phelan & Davidson, 1993). The objective is to reanalyze and address the differences and biases in culture so as to ensure respect and appreciation for other people’s culture.
Multicultural Education in addressing the Differences and Biases in Culture
The diverse differences in culture do pose as a challenge to the multicultural education to ensure equal representation of the cultures in the learning process. The challenge further lies in the acknowledgement of the biases. This education however is very applicable in addressing such differences and biases.
Firstly, it is possible to include all the cultures in the learning process, instructions and objectives of learning where the learners get to learn about the other cultures (Phelan & Davidson, 1993). This thus expels all the biases, provides an appreciation of the differences and provides an opportunity for class discussions through which such differences and biases are tackled.
The type of content associated with a certain culture has the ability of either impacting a negative or positive effect on the learners. Multicultural education thus can make use of content that does not expose the negative aspects of certain cultures only, but where the content provides the positive aspects of each culture that are applicable in the society (Gollnick & Chinn, 2008).
This can be made possible through the appreciation of the uniqueness of each culture and their contributions to the welfare of the society. Additionally, it is necessary for multicultural education to provide opportunities for critical analysis of the biases that are present among cultures.
This is possible through analyzing the reasons for such biases and provides an opportunity for the learners to understand the cultural differences and the disadvantage of such biases. This can be enhanced through the inclusion of content that handles such societal issues and encourages peaceful coexistence such as the demerits of racial discrimination.
Further, renegotiation of the education process is necessary through ensuring equal representation of the cultures in the learning disciplines so as to avoid instances where certain disciplines are wholly associated with certain cultures (Phelan & Davidson, 1993). The education process further can encourage learners to have multicultural friendships and also encourage them to visit other towns and place associated with a culture different from theirs so as to learn and appreciate them.
It is worth noting that the administration of such multicultural education is very necessary in addressing cultural differences and cultures. For example, equal attention should be given to all the learners irrespective of their cultures while discrimination should be avoided through also encouraging admission of learners of a different culture (American Government, 2008).
It is necessary as Phelan & Davidson (1993) assert for the teacher to focus on improving his or her communication in a majority or all of the languages to some degree to be able to connect with each of the students at a personal level. The focus on the cultural elements of class, gender, religion, age, exceptionality, language and race is very necessary while also discussing the current issues as they relate to cultures (Gollnick & Chin, 2008).
This is also represented in engaging students on the issues of hate groups, violence in schools, social justice and their perceptions of culturally responsible teaching while upholding democracy (Phelan & Davidson, 1993). It is also recommendable for the teacher to make use of stimulating and captivating resources such as videos that stimulate cultural and social discussions for the correction and changing of these perceptions through more informed cultural knowledge (Gollnick & Chin, 2008)
Personal Thoughts on Culture and Multicultural Education
Personally, this information is very important in my career. Not only would it help me in maintaining professionalism in the work, but also ensure good teaching with the development of the instructions that caters for all the students. Additionally, it will improve the knowledge I have on these cultures for effective teaching on such cultural issues and help me to interact and understand my students so as to engage them in the teaching learning process.
Ideally, this information helps me to overcome the biases of culture that limit the cultural equality and understanding. These biases limit the attitude towards such students. As such, getting to understand them would help me overcome such biases. Additionally, this information forms a good basis for the teaching practice in disciplines such as history, arts, languages and sociology among others.
The thoughts and perceptions I personally hold is that cultures though different are related in some attributes and as such it is very necessary to respect and avoid cultural biases as much as possible. This is represented through a Venn diagram of how cultures are linked to each other thus lack of respect and biases affects all of the individuals involved while these cultures are equally represented despite the numbers.
In this case, if three cultures are represented in the classroom, they are different but related in some aspects and equally represented in the group of students not in terms of numbers but as an individual group. It is very necessary to avoid biases and lack of respect since due to their interconnectedness; this affects the whole class as a complete group and causes an imbalance.
A, B and C represent different cultures which the various students in class come from. They are interconnected though there are differences among them while multicultural education forms the connection among them with them being equally represented. Just as each circle is whole, it is necessary to respect each culture with the understanding of the role it plays in making the society and class complete.
Gollnick & Chin (2008) point out that the differences among the students are evident and these stem from their class, gender, religion, age, exceptionality, language and ethnicity or race. This is related through having some aspects that are similar and yet have others that are different. For example two girls in the same class are of the same gender but can be of different ages and race.
They do not provide an actual relation of cultures but rather that cultures are pluralistic. Phelan & Davidson (1993) agree on the differences in culture but that the teacher forms the role of connection of the cultures of the students through equality in the learning process. They further differ to the extent that they perceive that the cultures are not equally represented thus the minority needs to be considered. In this case dominance and influence is perceived in terms of numbers
Application to Teaching Practice
The analysis of these cultures is very important in the teaching and learning process. The research has not only strengthened my perceptions of the interconnection and relation between the cultures, but also my appreciations of the different cultures thus avoiding the biases as well as the emphasis on respecting the different cultures with a willingness to learn.
Additionally, the research has provided additional knowledge on the strategies to use in multicultural education and the ways of dealing with the biases that are present towards different cultures and the ways of encouraging cultural and social discussions to get to know the perceptions of the learners to be able to help them deal with such biases and differences. Further, it has increased my knowledge of the different applications to the teaching thus increasing my professionalism and cultural responsibility and sensitivity in the classroom.
This research is necessary in the choice of instruction that encourages multiculturalism, ensuring that racial discrimination is avoided and the approach of teaching. This is possible through ensuring that the examples and resources and other learning materials used does not represent a negative notion or present an opportunity that can cause some students of certain races to be discriminated.
Multiculturalism would also allow for the students to learn to appreciate and respect the cultures of the other students. The cultural awareness is also necessary in the choice of resources and materials for learning that is culture conscious. This also is likely to influence the personal attitude and interest of the learners in the learning.
This is also important in the making of policies such as the issue of students who have English as their second language who require special attention to make sure that they learn and to ensure equality in education (Phelan & Davidson, 1993). This is also necessary in helping the learners develop their own self identity and encouraging coexistence through an understanding of their cultures such as their history and learn to appreciate them.
The research is applicable in the teaching practice through the different strategies that are necessary to address the cultural differences and biases. It is applicable in emphasizing a culturally responsible approach to teaching.
Further, it is very necessary in increasing the focus on the learner differences so as to form policies of the different ways to enhance democracy and ensure that all the learners benefit from the teaching process. For example regarding the offering of more specific content to cater for the English language learners where English is the language of instruction, the policy makers and administrators can benefit from this research.
The research is applicable with the emphasis it lays on the teacher playing an active role in ensuring democracy in the learning process and encouraging the learning of such cultures. It offers encouragement for new teachers to focus on learning the cultures of their learners to be able to engage with them. It is also applicable with the need for focus on the current issues in the society to deal with the cultural biases and differences (Gollnick & Chin, 2008).
Conclusion
Cultural awareness is very crucial in the classroom. This paper has analyzed the definition of culture and multicultural education as well as the ways in which such education can be useful in addressing the differences and biases in culture. Further, it has provided my personal thoughts on the issue of culture and multicultural education. The applications of such knowledge to the teaching practice have also been addressed with appreciation of each culture and effective implementation of multicultural education.
Reference List
American Government. (2008). U.S. Schools Adjust to Growing Hispanic Population. Web.
Gollnick, D., & Chinn, P. (2008). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society. New York: Prentice Hall Publishers.
Phelan, P., & Davidson, A. (1993). Renegotiating Cultural Diversity in American Schools. New York: Teachers College Press.