Chapter 1 Notes: Multicultural Education
Although there is yet to be a clear definition of multicultural education, for the near term, Banks (as cited in Banks & Banks, 2020) suggests that multicultural education is an idea or concept, an educational reform movement, and a process. Furthermore, multicultural education incorporates the idea that all students should have an equal opportunity to learn in school. Sleeter and Grant and Nieto and Bode (as cited in Banks & Banks, 2020) define multicultural education as “a total school reform effort designed to increase educational equity for a range of cultural, ethnic, and income groups” (p. 6).
Historically, multicultural education grew out of the “ferment of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s” (Banks, as cited in Banks & Banks, 2020, p. 4). As a response to the demand for more ethnic equality in schools, schools and educators began to address the issue with some method of reform. The reform occurred mostly in the form of holidays, ethnic celebrations and courses that focused on one ethnic group. Single group studies (Sleeter & Grant, 2013, as cited in Banks & Banks, 2020) were frequented by those students of that ethnic group and were usually electives.
The 1960s and 1970s also saw the feminist movement lend support to the development of multicultural education. People with disabilities, senior citizens, and gay rights advocates also pushed for equal opportunities and rights. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was the most significant legal victory to get children with disabilities mainstreamed into education (Banks, as cited Banks & Banks, 2020).
he nature of culture in the U.S. suggests that the larger shared core culture of this country is the macroculture (or the mainstreamed culture) and the smaller cultures that are a part of this core culture are called microcultures.
Culture is commonly defined in either of two ways:
1. the heritage and traditions of a social group
2. a social group’s design for surviving in and adaptation to its environment
Bullivant (as cited in Banks & Banks, 2020) argues for the latter definition. He asserts that the knowledge, concepts, and values that enable a group to survive can be thought of as its culture or survival program. It also consists of shared beliefs, symbols, and interpretations within a human group.
The environment he sees cultural groups adapting to has three levels:
1. geographical environment or physical habitat
2. social environment or other groups with which they interact
3. metaphysical or spiritual environment, as they envision it
Teaching implications of group identification suggest that student behavior is influenced by several major variables of which a student may belong to at the same time. According to Banks as cited in Banks & Banks (2020) “knowledge of the characteristics of groups to which students belong, of the importance of each of these groups to them, and of the extent to which individuals have been socialized within each group will give the teacher important clues to the students’ behavior” (p. 12).
These variables include:
1. social class
2. race/ethnicity
3. gender
4. exceptionality
5. religion
6. other variables such as region or age
Again, Banks, as cited in Banks & Banks (2020) sees multicultural education as an idea, and educational reform movement, and a process whose major goal is to change the structure of educational institutions so that male and female students, exceptional students and students of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds will have an equal chance to achieve academically in school.
The Five Dimensions of Multicultural Education: (See Figure 1.4, p. 19)
1. content integration – the extent to which teachers use examples and content from different cultural groups to illustrate concepts within their discipline.
2. knowledge construction process – the extent to which teachers help students to understand, investigate, and determine how certain schools of thought within the discipline influence the ways in which knowledge is constructed.
3. prejudice reduction – the extent to which teachers use lessons and activities that help students develop positive attitudes about individuals who are different from themselves.
4. an equity pedagogy – the extent to which teachers modify their teaching styles to accommodate the diverse ways students learn.
5. an empowering school culture and social structure – a school culture and organization that promotes gender, racial, and social-class equity (Banks, as cited in Banks & Banks, 2020).
Question: Below is the question that need to answer toward the essay and cited from the book of chapter 1 or the reading
1. In your words, explain what it means to be equity literate.
2. Explain how being equity literate serves or does not serve a role or purpose in your life, career, or educational journey. Give at least one example.
