This document discusses four levels of multicultural content integration in education: 1) The Contributions Approach focuses on heroes and holidays but can reinforce stereotypes. 2) The Additive Approach adds content without changing curriculum structure. 3) The Transformation Approach changes curriculum structure to include diverse perspectives. 4) The Social Action Approach involves students taking action on social issues. It also provides strategies for being sensitive to minority students when teaching multicultural content, such as avoiding labeling students and using materials that convey positive images of ethnic groups.

1. Approaches to Multicultural
Curriculum Reform
Chapter 9
Class notes

2. Learning
Outcomes
• What is content
integration?
• What are the 4 levels of
multicultural content
integration?
• What are some practical
guidelines for teaching
multicultural content?

3. Cultural, ethnic, racial, linguistic, and racial
diversity is increasing in the United States as
well as in the nation's schools.
The mainstream
curriculum and
textbooks today are
much more
multicultural than
they were when the
civil rights movement
began.
The dominant mainstream
- centric curriculum has
been challenged and
fractured in the last 5
decades, beginning with
the civil rights movement
of the 60's and 70's.
Educators are trying to better
integrate the school curriculum
with multicultural content!

4. Be sure to watch the video attached to learning
module. Bring in a written example of each.
5 pt.

5. Look in your book and highlight and take notes as we cover these. Page 164-165
Know 1 example of each.

6. Level 1: The Contributions Approach
• Focuses on heroes, holidays, and discrete cultural
elements related to ethnic groups.
• Quick and easy way to add ethnic content to curriculum.
• Gives ethnic heroes visibility in the curriculum
alongside mainstream heroes.
• Popular among teachers.
• Superficial understanding of ethnic cultures.
• Reinforces stereotypes and misconceptions.
• Examples: Studying African Americans during Black
History Month, studying Mexican Americans only during
Cinco de Mayo. Ethnic foods studied with little attention
to the cultures in which the food is embedded.

7. Level 2: The Additive Approach
• Content, concepts, themes, and perspectives are added to the
curriculum without changing the structure.
• Does not require substantial curriculum changes and staff
development.
• Can be implemented within the existing curriculum structure.
• Reinforces the idea that ethnic history and culture are not an
integral parts of the US mainstream culture.
• Students view ethnic groups from the mainstream-centric mindset.
• Examples: Adding the book The Color Purple without giving the
students the background needed to understand the book. Leaving
the core curriculum intact and just adding an ethnic elective that
focuses on an ethnic group. Teaching about the Westward
movement from the victor's viewpoint (White Americans) and not
from the loser's perspective. (Native Americans)

8. Level 3: The Transformation
Approach
• The structure of the curriculum is changed or transformed to
enable students to view concepts, events, issues, and themes from
the perspectives of diverse ethnic and cultural groups.
• Enables students to understand the complex ways in which racial
and cultural groups participated in the formation of U.S. society and
culture.
• Helps to reduce racial and ethnic stereotypes and bias.
• Gives students a balanced view of the nature and development of
U.S. culture and society.
• Empowers victimized racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.
• Requires substantial curriculum revision, staff development must
be continual and ongoing.
• Examples: A unit of 20th century U.S. literature includes works by
many diverse authors. A unit on the American Revolution describes
the meaning of the revolution to Anglo revolutionaries, Anglo
loyalists, African Americans, Indians, and the British.

9. Level 4: The Social Action Approach
• Students make decisions on important social issues and take
actions to help solve them.
• Allows students to improve their thinking, improve their data-
gathering skills and improve their skills to work in a group.
• Requires considerable amount of planning and duration of the
unit may be longer than normal.
• Problems and issues may be controversial by some members of
the staff and citizens of the community.
• Students may not see meaningful resolutions of the social issue
or problem.
• Examples: A class studies prejudice in their school and decides to
take actions to improve race relations. A class studies the
treatment of an ethnic group in the newspaper and write a letter
to the newspaper suggesting ways to improve the treatment of
ethnic groups in that newspaper.

10. Strategies for Minority Students• Have knowledge about ethnic groups before teaching.
• Be sensitive to your own racial attitudes, behaviors, and statements you make
about ethnic groups.
• Classroom should convey positive images of various ethnic groups( bulletin boards,
posters and guest speakers).
• Be judicious of your choice and use of teaching materials.
• Use trade books, DVDs, CDs, recordings to supplement textbook treatment of
ethnic, cultural, and language groups.
• Get in touch with your own cultural and ethnic heritage.
• Be sensitive to the racial and ethnic attitudes of your students and do not accept
the belief that kids do not see color.
• Be sensitive to the possibly controversial nature of some ethnic studies material.
• Be sensitive to the developmental level of your students when selecting concepts,
content, and activities related to racial, ethnic groups.
• View your students of color as winners.
• Keep in mind that most parents of color are very interested in education and want
their children to be successful.
• Use cooperative learning techniques and group work that promotes racial and
ethnic integration.
• Make sure school plays, pageants, cheerleading squads, etc. are all racially
integrated.
• Do not label students.