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Multicultural Education and Democratic Enhancement
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religion. Few if any purposeful attempts were made on the part of communist governments to teach their populations about the ways in which to view diversity. Thus these populations have emerged in the post-communist era with little or any knowledge about how to confront and accept diversity. This however, appears to be a necessary prerequisite for their future peaceful co-existence.
For the purpose of this paper, multiculturalism is understood as the realization and awareness that we are living in a multicultural, interdependent, global world that necessitates us to understand and comprehend peoples of other cultures, religions, and political systems so that we can be effective members of our own society.
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Furthermore, if we wish to confront and find solutions to international issues such as world peace, the environment and pollution, public health, corruption and the like, we must acquire the knowledge and skills which multicultural education attempts to provide all citizens with to be effective members of a democratic, pluralistic society.
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Multicultural Education: What it Means in Practice
Multicultural education like the term multiculturalism, is a slippery phrase, and has numerous definitions. For purposes here, Paul Gorski’s working definition of what multicultural education is about best suits a discussion of how this can be applied in SEE. He states that:
Multicultural education is a progressive approach for transforming education that holistically critiques and addresses current shortcomings, failings, and discriminatory practices in education. It is grounded in ideals of social justice, education equity, and a dedication to facilitating educational experiences in which all students reach their full potential as learners and as socially aware and active beings, locally, nationally, and globally. Multicultural education acknowledges that schools are essential to laying the foundation for the transformation of society and the elimination of oppression and injustice
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It is imperative that the essential tenets of multicultural education be adopted in a discussion of how this form of education can be utilized in SEE. The choice of curriculum, the classroom environment, and a student-centered pedagogy need to be examined to comprehend what multicultural education means in practice. Each of these areas of multicultural education will be discussed here briefly, drawing on the experience of their adaptation in a multicultural environment at a small American liberal arts college located in SEE.
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The selection of materials, that is the curriculum, is perhaps the starting point when deciding to adopt a multicultural educational pedagogy. Materials selected need to be approachable, understandable, and relevant to the students in the classroom. Prerequisite is that the instructor has knowledge of the cultural background of the students in the classroom, and is prepared to bring to life the curriculum in the classroom by utilizing and drawing upon the experiences and background of the students. This in turn allows the classroom instructor to create a classroom environment that is inclusive rather than exclusive. The instructor needs to set down the rules of conduct in the first class meeting, emphasizing important principles such as respect for diversity, common courtesies about listening to one another, and open-mindedness. Utilizing techniques such as the open-ended question, promoting learning from peers by asking for volunteers to participate and share experiences, and
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| | Authors: Mavrikos-Adamou, Tina. |
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religion. Few if any purposeful attempts were made on the part of communist
governments to teach their populations about the ways in which to view diversity.
Thus these populations have emerged in the post-communist era with little or any
knowledge about how to confront and accept diversity. This however, appears to be a
necessary prerequisite for their future peaceful co-existence.
For the purpose of this paper, multiculturalism is understood as the realization and
awareness that we are living in a multicultural, interdependent, global world that
necessitates us to understand and comprehend peoples of other cultures, religions, and
political systems so that we can be effective members of our own society.
3
Furthermore, if we wish to confront and find solutions to international issues such as
world peace, the environment and pollution, public health, corruption and the like, we
must acquire the knowledge and skills which multicultural education attempts to
provide all citizens with to be effective members of a democratic, pluralistic society.
4
Multicultural Education: What it Means in Practice
Multicultural education like the term multiculturalism, is a slippery phrase, and has
numerous definitions. For purposes here, Paul Gorski’s working definition of what
multicultural education is about best suits a discussion of how this can be applied in
SEE. He states that:
Multicultural education is a progressive approach for transforming education
that holistically critiques and addresses current shortcomings, failings, and
discriminatory practices in education. It is grounded in ideals of social justice,
education equity, and a dedication to facilitating educational experiences in
which all students reach their full potential as learners and as socially aware
and active beings, locally, nationally, and globally. Multicultural education
acknowledges that schools are essential to laying the foundation for the
transformation of society and the elimination of oppression and injustice
.
5
It is imperative that the essential tenets of multicultural education be adopted in a
discussion of how this form of education can be utilized in SEE. The choice of
curriculum, the classroom environment, and a student-centered pedagogy need to be
examined to comprehend what multicultural education means in practice. Each of
these areas of multicultural education will be discussed here briefly, drawing on the
experience of their adaptation in a multicultural environment at a small American
liberal arts college located in SEE.
6
The selection of materials, that is the curriculum, is perhaps the starting point when
deciding to adopt a multicultural educational pedagogy. Materials selected need to be
approachable, understandable, and relevant to the students in the classroom.
Prerequisite is that the instructor has knowledge of the cultural background of the
students in the classroom, and is prepared to bring to life the curriculum in the
classroom by utilizing and drawing upon the experiences and background of the
students. This in turn allows the classroom instructor to create a classroom
environment that is inclusive rather than exclusive. The instructor needs to set down
the rules of conduct in the first class meeting, emphasizing important principles such
as respect for diversity, common courtesies about listening to one another, and open-
mindedness. Utilizing techniques such as the open-ended question, promoting
learning from peers by asking for volunteers to participate and share experiences, and
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