Untitled Document

TOPIC: Multiculturalism

Lesson Element .1: AIntroduction to Multiculturalism@

Four Major Themes in Terms of Multiculturalism:

The four themes:

The teaching of values.

The increased impact of diverse cultures on the mainstream.

The need to provide support for alternative and emerging lifestyles.

The encouragement of multilingualism and dialects.

The Definition of Multiculturalism in America has Changed Greatly from the Past.

We used to think of multiculturalism in terms of a melting pot.

That works well when you are dealing with people who look roughly alike.
Doesn=t work so well when you deal with people of different races.

We now recognize that there are lots of differences that have nothing to do with right and wrong.

The ultimate objective of society isn=t necessarily to melt everybody together so that we are like, but to recognize differences. More a salad than a melting pot.

Each part of the salad give its own flavor.

We live in a society in which many of the kids have multiracial identities.

While there is still some melting, there is more tossing. It=s important that we respect and appreciate both.

It is not only the white community that has trouble accepting multiracial relations:

There is racism and prejudice in all groups of people, and it is just as ugly wherever it is.

Some prestigious black colleges used to discriminate based on how dark a black person=s skin color was.
High-Yellow (light skinned) was more desirable than coal black.
Many scatterbrained theories of development of race in human population.

Teachers Have a Responsibility to Make Every Kid Feel That They=re Just the Way They Are.

Schools should be at the forefront of forcing a change in attitude.

Being a mixed race kid shouldn=t be a handicap.

Society may make it tough on them from time to time, but the school should not subscribe to this policy.

Teachers need to create an appreciation of the blended cultures our kids present us with.

The blending of cultures is the ultimate strength of our society.

We need to realize than in our society the objective is unity in diversity, not sameness.

Multiculturalism is something to be admired and sought rather than to be ignored or resented.

As in Dr. Allen=s example about a student by the name of Debbie, once you have been exposed to other cultures, we can realize that we share a commonness with the other people.

Example of Debbie being exposed to the San people of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana.
Despite the most unlikely background (no experience with multiculturalism), she eventually got her graduate degree, married, and now lives in Cameroon.
Exposure can indeed transform one=s life.

Remember, There is a Difference Between Athe way@ and Aa way.@

AA way@ is a powerful way to live.

However, remember that there are acceptable limits of behavior.
Not all behaviors are ratified by society.
You should not ratify all behaviors as an individual.
Whatever society accepts, it is your job as a teacher to appreciate it and to ratify it for your students.

Equality through sameness is impossible and undesirable. Fairness is the alternative. It is also Dr. Allen=s bias.

Scapegoating:

The Dr. Seuss story about the Sneetches is a perfect example.

We can either spend all of our time trying to create or ignore status, or trying to imitate what we think is status, or we can decide to just relax and be who we are.

The best solution: live how you would like, but have an appreciation for everybody else=s lifestyle at the same time.

Lesson Element .2: AMultiple Value Systems@

There Is a Lot of Disagreement on Social Values Because We Live in a Multicultural Society.

However, as teachers, we still have a responsibility to teach values.

We hold about two-thirds of our values in common. The other third is what causes problems.

The first step as teachers is to understand the difference between our values and the values of society.

There is a difference between not sharing a value, and not appreciating a value.
Also different is not liking a value and not liking letting others have the right to that value.

Societies are made of collections of different values, and often single societies contain conflicting value systems.

Although you may respect the right for others to have different values, it doesn=t mean you have to respect all values.
Members of societies with conflicting values have to constantly practice tolerance.

Every Individual has Their Own Personal Values.

These values may be different from the values in society.

There are values in the society that go beyond your values, values that you don=t share, but that society still accepts.

There is never entire consensus on every value held by society.

However, there is often consensus on values that society collectively rejects.

Society draws a line at one point, and values beyond that line are considered taboo.
Example: Human sacrifice, cannibalism are extreme examples.

Bigotry is an example of holding values that aren=t extremely rejected by society but aren=t accepted by society.

The bigoted values are prohibited from being privately held, but society has collectively rejected any demonstration of those values.

However, remember that society keeps changing and adjusting it=s lines.

What was once unacceptable may tomorrow become acceptable.
This never ending change and the conflict it brings, complicates our jobs as teachers.

Lesson Element .3: AMainstreaming Multiculturalism@

There is an Increased Impact of Diverse Cultures on the Mainstream Culture.

American families are no longer predominately white Anglo-Saxon Protestants.

America is a microcosm of the world.

There isn=t any culture or any people or any ethnic or racial background that isn=t American.
In the past, most of the immigrants were from Northern Europe and since they were Caucasian, they melted into the fabric of society.

However, today, this melting doesn=t occur and we are being impacted by the diverse cultures. We haven=t learned how to deal with this as of yet.

We have trouble dealing with multiple religions.

Sometimes we over react to the situations.

Example: Banning manager scenes in town squares during Christmas, because it might offend some people.
This is wrong. When the majority of people in the town are Christian, there is nothing wrong with putting up a manager scene.
Another example: Prayer in school.
There should be the option to pray if one desires. If people didn=t like that, they could exempt themselves or come late.
To eliminate prayer for everyone simply because there are some people who are offended by it, is wrong in Dr. Allen=s opinion.
There is a movement that would allow prayer in school, by creating a Federal amendment to permit it.

In a Multicultural Society, No One has the Right to Say, A I don=t want my kids exposed to other cultures.@

This is both not feasible, nor is it a correct value.

You cannot isolate children from other values that are legal values in society.

Instead, family and religious congregations have a responsibility to help their children understand the diversity of values.

This helps the children understand both what their values are, and how they are different from other peoples in society.

The reality of life is that we are a multicultural society, and we need to learn how to deal with it gracefully.

Lesson Element .4: ASupporting Emerging Lifestyles@

Supporting Alternative and Emerging Lifestyles is Very Controversial.

As teachers, we may not personally respect or encourage alternative lifestyles, but we must have an appreciation for different lifestyles that we wouldn=t personally pursue.

The single-parent is such an emerging lifestyle.

Dr. Allen admits that in some circumstances parents are forced to be single.

Such as getting out of an abusive relationship.

However, Dr. Allen still contends that a child is better off with two parents than one.

He may appreciate and admire the single parent, but won=t believe that their situation is ideal.

As a teacher, you need to be aware of the difficulties faced by the single parent family and support them, even if you personally do not approve of their circumstances.

Lesson Element .5: AMultilingualism and Dialects@

Standard English should be taught in school. But we must also make sure we don=t penalize kids for having other language patterns outside of school.

Dr. Allen believes in encouraging bilingualism, but not at the expense of standard English.

By de-emphasizing standard English in school, a skill which students need to survive as first-rate citizens in our society, we devalue their education.

This is also true of dialects.

Schools can successfully teach standard English as well as communicate that the students need not speak this way at home.

Example: Locker room slang versus standard English. Slang is ok in casual situations, but in a professional situation, more formal English should be used.

Lesson Element .6: AAddressing Ignorance@

Some of the Problems We Have with Multiculturalism Are Problems by Default, Not by Will.

We don=t know how to act simply because we don=t have the kind of experience that would allow us to act appropriately.

Example: Microteaching session.
Microteaching is a method pioneered by Stanford University.
You first teach a short lesson and then you receive critique. You then re-teach the lesson after you have the critique.
In this instance, Dr. Allen observed that the elementary teacher was affectionate when a white child would come up to her, but when a black child came up, she was very uneasy and remote.
When shown a videotape of her class, the teacher was amazed at her behavior, not at all clearly biased. She simply did not have any previous experience with minorities and wasn=t sure how to respond to them.
After being able to sit down and talk with them, she was able to change her method of response to be equitable with the other children.

Many people when you draw their attention to an unwitting bias, are able to effectively change their actions. Ignorance of the situation is usually the cause, and knowledge is the cure.

Lesson Element .7: AStereotyping@

Stereotyping Can Be Either Good or Bad Depending on the Circumstances, and Your Willingness to Abandon the Stereotype.

At McDonalds restaurants, the stereotype is that you serve yourself at the counter.

Yet there are no signs that say AWe don=t serve you.@
Thus, you know this because you have learned a stereotype for fast food cafes.
This is an example of a good stereotype. Otherwise you might go hungry waiting for service.
Yet some European McDonalds actually offer table service. So you must be prepared to change once the situation is known.

Stereotypes have one major flaw, they can never be relied upon.

You must be prepared to escape the stereotype.

However, many stereotypes, even negative stereotypes are correct.

Many negative stereotypes are the correct starting point, but not the appropriate ending point.

It is immoral to force people into a category that doesn=t fit, but it is reasonable to use a category as a starting point.

Dr. Allen=s story about Kurt illustrates this point.

Kurt was doing well at first, but his performance dramatically dropped off. However, he didn=t ask for help, or in fact, didn=t even communicate with Dr. Allen.
Dr. Allen assumed that Kurt was figuring him for a softie and gave him an AF@.
As the story turned out, Kurt=s parents were in the middle of splitting up and as a result, Kurt was under great stress which hindered his schoolwork.
Dr. Allen was operating under a stereotype, and his impression was wrong. He failed to seek out any information which would have revealed the truth and changed the sterotype.
Beware of falling into the trap that stereotypes can present. Sometimes they are right, and sometimes they are wrong. More information is needed to verify which is correct.

Lesson Element .8: AAbstract on Multiculturalism@

In Dr. Allen=s Class, The Four Main Themes for Teachers Working in Our Multicultural Society are:

The teaching of values.

The increased impact of diverse cultures on the mainstream way of life.

The need for teachers to provide support for alternative and emerging lifestyles.

The encouragement of multilingualism and dialects.

Teachers Have to Deal with an increasingly diverse classroom, and past ways of dealing with this diversity are evolving into new outlooks.

The melting pot theory is gone, the salad is more appropriate.

A good teacher should be able to preserve the students= individuality and culture through equality, not sameness.

Individuality is a key component to a healthy learning environment.

Teachers need to respect each individual=s right to having values, although they do not always have to agree with those values.

Society provides general values, and the individuals are then able to disagree on sub-values while still maintaining an attitude of tolerance.

The Increased Level of Multiculturalism in North American Society Leads to New Conflict of Interest and Expression.

Total avoidance of controversial issue is not necessarily the best answer to these conflicts.

Flexible solutions that allow for individual preferences are far more conducive to a richer experience for all students.

Teachers May Not Agree with the Multitude of Emerging and Alternative Lifestyles That Occur in Our Society, but They Still must Support the Students That Arrive from Those Lifestyles.

All children have the right and ability to learn, and it is a teacher=s duty to assist and guide this process.

Multilingualism and the Use of Dialects Are Wonderful Skills for Children to Develop. But These Language Patterns Should Never Jeopardize the Learning of Standard English in the Classroom.

Teachers Should Be Aware of the Influences of Stereotypes and Ignorance.

Stereotypes are not always totally negative.

Some sort of generalization is often a necessary starting point.

A teacher=s stereotype should never be allowed to become binding or restrictive.

When a teacher allows their preconceived ideas to limit and cause detrimental effects on their students, something is definitely wrong.

Ignorance is the biggest source of negative and fear-based behavior. Don=t let your own ignorance impede your ability to teach. Educate yourself.