The document discusses multicultural education and its goals and benefits. It defines multiculturalism and multicultural education, noting that the latter aims to address diversity and shift power dynamics in education. The goals of multicultural education include creating an inclusive learning environment, increasing awareness of global and cultural issues, and preventing discrimination. Benefits include helping students develop positive identities and allowing multiple perspectives. The document also provides strategies for teachers to incorporate multicultural principles, such as embracing different cultures and adapting lessons for students with special needs.

1. MULTICULTURALISM AND
EDUCATION
By: Amanda Howard Waters

2. WHAT IS MULTICULTURALISM?
Multiculturalismis the state or
condition of being multicultural
(dictionary.com)

3. WHAT DOES MULTICULTURAL MEAN?
Consisting of, relating to, or
representing several different
cultures or cultural elements
(dictionary.com)

4. WHAT IS MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION?
 More than just celebrating Cinco de Mayo with
tacos and piñatas or reading about Martin
Luther King, Jr.
 It is an educational movement
 It is a set of strategies aimed to address the
diverse challenges experienced by the rapidly
changing U.S. demographics
 It is a beginning step to shifting the balance of
power and privilege in the educational system
(Garcia, Multicultural Education in Your Classroom)

5. GOALS OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
 To create a safe, accepting and successful
learning environment
 To increase awareness of global issues
 To strengthen cultural consciousness
 To strengthen intercultural awareness
 To teach students that there are multiple
historical perspectives
 To encourage critical thinking
 To prevent prejudice and discrimination
(Garcia, Multicultural Education in Your Classroom)

6. ADVANTAGES OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
 According to the National Association for
Multicultural Education, there are several
advantages of multicultural education
 Multicultural education:
 Helps students develop positive self-image
 Offers students an equitable educational
opportunity
 Allows multiple perspectives and ways of thinking
 Combats stereotypes and prejudicial behavior
 Teachers students to critique society in the interest
of social justice
(Garcia, Multicultural Education in Your Classroom)

7. EARLY EDUCATION TEACHERS
PLAY A HUGE ROLE
 What happens during a child’s early years
shapes whether they will be open to or fearful
of people with different backgrounds than their
own
 These years determine whether children will
feel proud or ashamed of their heritage
 You play a crucial role in laying these
foundations
 Your classrooms are one of the first group
environments students will encounter outside of
their homes.
 Your challenge: to make it inclusive and
respectful!
(Chang, Many Languages, Many Cultures)

8. NEW TEACHER EVALUATION TOOL
 Beginning in August 2008, North Carolina
began implementing the new NC
Teacher Evaluation Process (ncpublicschools.org)
 As of August 2010, every teacher in
North Carolina is evaluated using this
tool (ncpublicschools.org)

9. WHAT DOES THE NC TEACHER EVALUATION PROCESS
HAVE TO DO WITH MULTICULTURALISM?
 This evaluation process is composed of five
standards and each standard has goals
beneath them (ncpublicschools.org)
 Standard II is teachers establish a respectful
environment for a diverse population of
students (ncpublicschools.org)

10. STANDARD II GOALS
 Teachers provide an environment in which each
child has a positive, nurturing relationship with
caring adults
 encourage an environment that is inviting, respectful,
supportive, inclusive, and flexible
 Teachers embrace diversity in the school
community and around the world
 Demonstrate knowledge of diverse cultures
 Select materials and develop lessons that counteract
stereotypes and incorporate contributions
 Recognize the influences on a child’s development,
personality, and performance
 Consider and incorporate different points of view
(ncpublicschools.org)

11. STANDARD II GOALS CONTINUED
 Teachers treat students as individuals
 Maintain high expectations for all students
 Appreciate differences and value contributions by
building positive, appropriate relationships
 Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit
of students with special needs
 Collaborate with specialists
 Engage students and ensure to meet the needs of
students through inclusion and other models of
effective practice
(ncpublicschools.org)

12. STANDARD II GOALS CONTINUED
 Teachers work collaboratively with the families
and significant adults in the lives of their
students
 Improve communication and collaboration
between the school, the home, and the
community
 Promote trust and understanding and build
partnerships with school community
 Seek solutions to overcome obstacles that prevent
family and community involvement
(ncpublicschools.org)

13. HOW DO I MEET THESE GOALS?
 You may feel that attaining these goals is
impossible, but they really are not
 Through this presentation we will look at ways in
which we can successfully create multicultural
classrooms

14. SELF-QUIZ: WHAT
ARE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS?
 With your co-workers surrounding you, discuss the
following questions:
 What are the different cultures in our school? (include
categories such as ethnic groups, students with
disabilities, new immigrants, residents of public housing,
and any others that apply)
 What characteristics first come to mind when you think
of each group?
 Where did these impressions come from? (Peers, family,
media, religion, etc.)
 How do you treat people based on these impressions?
 Can you remember a time when someone made
assumptions about you based on a group you belong
to? How did it make you feel?
(Ross, Connect with Kids and Parents of Different Cultures)

15. WHERE DO OUR BIASES BEGIN?
 The way we react to those who are different than us is
influenced by many factors:
 Our own personal experiences with those who are
different than us
 What we’ve heard from our families, peers, the
media, popular culture, school, religious institutions,
etc.
 Whether we see ourselves sharing any values,
goals, ways of doing things, etc. with those who
are different than ourselves
 How much power we believe those who are
different have in our society and any laws or
special programs we know about that affect how
these people are treated
(Ross, Connect with Kids and Parents of Different Cultures)

16. HOW CAN WE BUILD A SHIELD
AGAINST BIAS?
 Be aware of your assumptions
 Notice when you make a judgment, then figure
out why and what it is based upon
 Invite an objective outsider to observe you in your
classroom
 Be aware of cultural differences
 Everything we do is shaped by our culture
 You can learn a lot about other cultures from your
co-workers
 Organize an after school gathering for all staff
members to bring a cultural dish and discuss some
of their cultures characteristics
(Ross, Connect with Kids and Parents of Different Cultures)

17.  Keep every student in mind
 Be sensitive to any cultural shocks that new students
experience
 Be direct and deal with any student biases right away
 For example, a kindergarten teacher shared a story of one of her students who
had brought her new purse to show and tell. She innocently said that on the
way to school her mom made her walk faster when an African American male
was walking behind them, because her mom was afraid he might try to steal
her new purse. In a situation like this, it’s important to ask the child why their
mom would have felt that way. Then start a class discussion about how people
who steal things come in many colors and why it’s a mistake to judge people
by their outer appearance.
 Establish expectations and clearly communicate them,
this way no one will feel superior or inferior
 Encourage students to be honest about their fears and
misconceptions
 Make sure your classroom reflects diversity
 Do the pictures on your walls include a variety of cultures?
 Do you have a multicultural curriculum?
 Familiarize yourself with all the holidays/traditions your
students celebrate or participate in
(Ross, Connect with Kids and Parents of Different Cultures)

18. A GREAT WAY TO START THE YEAR!
 At the first meeting between you and the parents of
your students, usually Open House, set the right
foundation in order to be as knowledgeable as
possible about your students
 Ask the following questions:
 How would you like us to recognize your child
ethnically?
 What family traditions would you like us to
acknowledge?
 What can we learn about your culture to help us be as
respectful as possible?
 What language, or languages, does your family speak?
(Chang, Many Languages, Many Cultures)

19. RELIGION IN THE CLASSROOM
 As a teacher, you must be careful not to ask a
student to participate in anything that may
have an effect on their religious beliefs
 Make sure you are aware of the different
religious beliefs of your students
 Best way to do this is ask the parents along with the
other questions at Open House
 Also, make sure that all students’ religions are
respected and not ridiculed in the classroom

20. STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
 It is also very important that teachers remain aware of
their students with special needs
 As a teacher you will be expected to make adaptations
to your lessons for your students with special needs
 A helpful printable that I found on teachervison.com
uses an acronym to help teachers before selecting
possible adaptations
 The acronym is the FLEXIBLE acronym:
 Feasible
 Lively
 Eliminated
 eXplicit
 Intentional
 Beneficial
 Limelight
 Evaluated
 Let’s refer to the FLEXIBLE handout you received

21. FLEXIBLE ACRONYM
 Feasible
 Successful adaptations must be feasible for the
classroom teachers to implement
 Lively
 Successful adaptations must be lively, engaging,
and/or fun
 Eliminated
 Successful adaptations must be developed with
the goal of working toward independence with a
gradual fading and eventual elimination of the
adaptation

22. FLEXIBLE ACRONYM CONTINUED
 eXplicit
 Successful adaptations must have a definite
purpose, a purpose that is made explicit to
students, other professionals in the classroom,
parents, and if necessary the students peers
 Intentional
 Successful adaptations should be part of a
comprehensive plan for the student with disabilities
 Beneficial
 Successful adaptations should benefit the student
with disabilities and either enhance or at least not
detract from the learning of other students in the
classroom

23. FLEXIBLE ACRONYM CONTINUED
 Limelight
 Successful adaptations do not place undue
attention on the student with the disabilities or put
the student in a potentially embarrassing situation
 Evaluated
 Successful adaptations are evaluated on an
ongoing basis

24. ROAD BLOCKS TO IMPLEMENTING
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION SUCCESSFULLY
 Not as easy as a yearly celebration or
supplemental unit here or there
 Require schools to reform their traditional curriculums
 Most curriculums focus on North America and
Europe more so than any other region
 Multicultural Education is most successful when
implemented as a school wide approach
 Unfortunately, most institutions are not prepared for
implementation
 Implementation requires:
 A diverse, culturally competent staff
 Educators must be aware, responsive, and embracing of
diverse beliefs, perspectives, and experiences
 Must also be willing to address issues of controversy
(racism, sexism, religious
intolerance, classism, ageism, etc.)
(Garcia, Multicultural Education in Your Classroom)

25. Let’s make it Eastern
Elementary’s goal to
multiculturalize our classrooms
and help each of our students
become what they most want
to be!
Go Beavers!

26. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chang, Hedy. “Many Languages, Many Cultures.” Scholastic. Early Childhood
Today, April 2006. 20 November 2010.
http://www2scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4278
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC, 2010. Web. 28 November 2010.
http://dictionary.reference.com
Garcia, E.K. “Multicultural Education in Your Classroom.” Teach Hub. n.p. n.d.
20 November 2010. http://www.teachhub.com/news/article/cat/14/item/203
North Carolina Public Schools. Department of Public Instruction, 2010. Web. 28
November 2010. http://www.ncpublicschools.org
Ross, Linda. “Connect with Kids and Parents of Different Cultures.” Scholastic.
n.p. n.d. 20 November 2010.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3638