MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY:

A CHALLENGE TO GLOBAL TEACHERS

 According to James Bank (1975 in Sadker, 1991)

- The major goal of multicultural education is to transform the school so that male and female
students , except learners , as well as students coming from diverse cultural, social-class,
racial and ethnic will experience an equal opportunity to learn in school.
 Multicultural Education
- Enables teachers an educators to give value to the differences in prior knowledge, experiences
of learners from diverse background and familiarity with student’s histories of diverse
cultures (Heartel 1998)
 Multiculturalism
- Has broadened and deepened our traditional curriculum into a wider range of accommodating
cultures not of the teacher’s culture alone.
ACCOMODATING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND COMMODITIES
- It is very important for a prospective teacher like you to be knowledgeable about differences
in culture , religion, ethnicity and even language of your student. Their values and experiences
may be entirely different from your own.

Following suggestions that Fraser-Abner (20010) offers to assist you in Understanding your Multi-cultural

 Learn as much about and become as sensitive to and aware of racial, ethnic, cultural and gender groups
other than your own
 Never make assumptions about an individual based on your perception of what individual’s race, ethnicity,
culture or gender
 Avoid stereotyping
 Get to know each students as a unique individual: Walk in the footsteps of your students.

Other suggestions include the following:

 Look into your own conscious and subconscious biases about the people who are different from yourselves
in race, ethnicity, culture, gender or socioeconomic status
 Plan your activities within a multicultural framework while making your classroom a safe and secure haven
for all the students
 Infuse multicultural instructional materials and strategies in your teaching
 Foster collaboration and cooperating among your learners, parents and teachers.
As soon as you consider the different suggestions and you will be able to contribute to a caring and
nurturing learning environment the embraces all students with different backgrounds.
 Diversity in the schools of the country as well as in other schools in the word is also an opportunity. Our
country as well as other. Countries are enriched by the ethnic. Cultural and language diversity among the
citizens and among is schools. Whenever this diversity exists, intergroup tension, stereotypes and
discrimination develop. This becomes an opportunity for teachers and schools to help unify individuals and
citizens as a contribution to a democratic and pluralistic society.

In view of this purpose, some guiding principles which were adapted from interdisciplinary group of psychologists,
political scientists, sociologists and multicultural specialists, are hereby presented to wit:

1. Pre-service teacher education programs should help prospective teachers understand the complex
characteristics of ethnic groups in ways races, ethnicity, language and social class interact to influence
students behavior.
2. Teachers should ensure that all students have equitable opportunities to learn and to perform to a standard
3. Teachers should help students acquire social skills needed to interact effectively
4. The school curriculum helps students understand that knowledge is socially constructed and are reflective
of the social, political and economic context in which they live and work.
5. Schools should provide all students with opportunities to participate in extra-and co-curricular activities
that develop knowledge, skills and attitudes
 6. Teachers and students should learn to reduce or eliminate stereotyping and other related biases
7. Schools should provide opportunities for students from different racial, ethnic cultural and language group
8. Teachers should teach and students should learn about the values shared virtually by all cultural groups like
justice, equality, freedom peace, compassion and charity among others.

Multiculturalism has broadened and deepened our traditional curriculum into a wider range of accommodating
cultures not of the teacher’s culture alone.

This section has clarified some of basis assumptions that enhance the same:

 NO TWO LEARNERS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME

 CHILDREN IN ALL CLASSROOMS ARE HETEROGENOUS
 STRATEGIES THAT WORK WITH ONE LEARNER MAY NOT WORK WITH ANOTHER
 STUDENT’S BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCES SHOIULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN
TEACHING
 COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM VARIOUS ETHNIC GROUPS ASSISTS TEACHERS IN FACING
ISISUES OF ETHNIC DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES