0.4 Multicultural education  (Page 7/12)

This activity also provides an excellent opportunity to weave in the idea of the link between teaching well and multiculturalteaching practices. The various steps bring out the diversity of cultural dimensions, just within the room of folks you are working with. Thisillustrates how the most important multicultural education resources are students themselves. Instead of trying to define what is culturallyimportant to them through special celebrations or additive techniques, it is our responsibility to draw them into the conversation, allow them todefine themselves, and use that as a starting point in the development of multicultural education.

(adapted from Understanding the Depth and Breadth of "Multicultural" www.edchange.org)

Remember: Please provide a 4-5 paragraph journal response of your participation in this exercise.

Assignment 2: multicultural exercise

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Assignment 2: Multicultural Exercise

• Here's an exercise in which you can consider yourself a mentor teacher giving a workshop to your fellow teachers. You'll need togather a group of teachers to do this activity, or, if this is not possible, you can do this with a group of students.
• Please provide a journal response of your participation in this exercise. (4-5 paragraphs)

Purpose

The depth and breadth of "Multicultural" is designed to engage students in a process of defining "culture" and examining itscomplexity. Often, especially in a class about multiculturalism or diversity, "culture" becomes synonymous with "race" or "ethnicity." Thisactivity reveals the limitations of such a conceptualization and challenges the assumptions that are often made by educators about whatstudents identify as the important strands of the "cultural" in "multicultural."

Preparation

Preparation for this activity is very simple. You need only a chalkboard or large sheet of paper. At top, center, write"MULTICULTURAL." Make sure your students or workshop participants are positioned such that they can all see the chalkboard or paper.

Assignment 3: multicultural exploration

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Assignment 3: Multicultural Exploration

Choose one element of multiculturalism, and design a two-week unit around it. Who is your audience? Students? Colleagues?

• List the multicultural element.
• What is the subject-matter?
• What is the skill to be learned?
• What will you do to prepare the students?
• How is the room set up to make this work?
• How will the students be assessed?
  • Social skills (behavior)
  • Academic skills: (research)
  • Presentation skills: (clarity, artistry, compelling quality)
• How will you know your students were engaged? Made a contribution?
• What is your criteria for a succcessful project?
• How will you reward the group?