Context
This paper aims to identify the building needs of students and create a multicultural education action plan for the teachers. This plan should help provide a cohesive and deliberate professional development of the staff. One of the Abha K-6 elementary schools with 230 students and 27 educators is chosen for the analysis. The main specification of teachers in general and special education. The demographics of the schools are as follows: approximately 10% of Indians, 21% of Pakistanis, and 33% of Syrians. About 36% of the students are representatives of low-income families.
Personal Statement
My experience as a professional development coordinator shows that professional development is a considerable part of a working process. I strongly believe that planned development must be incorporated into classrooms individually and in schools generally. The first step is to meet with administrators and discuss the peculiarities of the plan. Multicultural education has to be emphasized in the discussion to make it the core of a future action plan for the next academic year. The first meeting with the staff during which the concept of multicultural education should be identified will occur in March. The next step is information promotion. In April, the committee will be formed, with me in charge. I will rely on the opinions of educational leaders to plan sessions and implement them in classrooms. Any professional learning community is a chance to gather teachers, begin a dialogue, set the goals for improvement, and raise the student achievement level (Howe & Lisi, 2014). Monthly meetings will be established to support these goals and maintain a multicultural education foundation.
Action Plan
General Description
The action plan consists of five main steps. First, the assessment of the initial needs has to be developed through cooperation with local administrators. Second, a one-hour long professional development session with the staff should occur to discuss the concept of multicultural education, its peculiarities, and goals within the school. Third, a multicultural education committee will be formed to identify a timeline of the work with the team regarding the existing grade levels and objectives. Meetings will occur twice per month to identify the committee purposes (1st meeting), learn students’ needs (2nd meeting), develop a curriculum study (3rd meeting), introduce strategies and materials (4th meeting), discuss parental involvement (5th meeting), and evaluate the program (6th meeting). The next step is the analysis of meeting plans. Two committee representatives should run a meeting. A professional development coordinator has to check all preparations. It is expected to invite some honorary members, including parents and community representatives. The last stage is the assessment of the system. It will take place in December 2018. Further professional development steps will be discussed at the chosen school level.
Details of the Plan
Reflection
Evaluating the results of my work, I want to believe that this action plan can help influence the work of the school I have been working in during the last year. It is not an easy task to close the gap in professional development and multicultural education. According to Ladson-Billings (2007), the discourse of an education dept holds educators accountable and reminds them about years-long neglect and denial of cultural diversity. This plan is not only a step forward to improve the experiences of multicultural students in classrooms. It is a chance for teachers to recognize their roles in the cultural and spiritual development of the population. Educators have to take active roles in a learning process to encourage students and make them recognize their personal and professional needs. Such cooperation can help to introduce a shared vision of multicultural education in classrooms (Howe & Lisi, 2014). Professional development cannot be ignored in building trustful relationships between teachers and students.
The main roadblock of this action plan is personal willingness to participate in improvements. Though some teachers cannot find time to evaluate the worth of the chosen concepts, it is obligatory to underline that multicultural education is a part of good teaching. Learning communities should promote specific transformations among teachers so that they can influence their students in a meaningful way (Nieto, 2010). Teachers need additional explanations to prove that their professional development can bring benefits not only to the staff of the school but also to students, their families, and communities. Another challenge is the necessity to choose the correct materials. This plan contains a list of articles and studies to rely on during a learning process.
The impact of multicultural education in classrooms may also be observed in the instructions and teaching approaches. The decision to take the first step and organize meetings in April provides teachers with a chance to learn better about their future students and their cultural backgrounds. This activity helps identify multicultural education as a significant part of a learning process with the necessity to respect the racial and ethnic diversities of students. Collaboration, focus on student learning, and effective staff development is integral parts of professional growth and classroom improvements (Howe & Lisi, 2014). The goal of the learning community is to direct teachers so that they can recognize what their students may need to achieve high academic results.
In general, this action plan turns out to be a good source of inspiration and motivation for educators and students at the same time. Cultural diversity should never be a challenge for people. Schools and colleges must know how to recognize the multicultural needs of students and use this variety as an additional source of information and personal experiences.
References
Al Thowaini, M. A. (2015). Can I see me? A study of pictorial representations in Saudi elementary textbooks and teacher and curriculum developers’ perceptions of multiculturalism. Web.
Banks, J. A., & Tucker, M. (1998). Multiculturalism’s five dimensions. NEA Today Online. Web.
Howe, W. A., & Lisi, P. L. (2014). Becoming a multicultural educator: Developing awareness, gaining skills, and taking action. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2007). Pushing past the achievement gap: An essay on the language of deficit. The Journal of Negro Education, 76(3), 316-323.
Nieto, S. (2010). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning environment (10th ed). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.