Multicultural early childhood education: practices and challenges in Malaysia

Multicultural early childhood education is necessary in a culturally diverse country like Malaysia. Preschool teachers play an important role in implementing multicultural education in the classroom. This paper reports the findings of a self-report questionnaire involving 854 preschool teachers in Malaysia. The preschool teachers disclosed their current multicultural education practices as well as the challenges they encountered when implementing multicultural education. While the majority of teachers claimed that they implemented multicultural education, a closer examination revealed that most of them used the tourist or contribution approach which focuses on only the outward manifestations of a culture when dealing with multicultural education. The transformation or anti-bias approach was used by only a small number of teachers. The teachers identified some challenges in multicultural education implementation, such as lack of instructional resources and the lack of stakeholder support. Thus, it is important to ensure teachers develop more critical understandings of multicultural education through teacher education training and programs. Other efforts to help teachers overcome challenges in implementing multicultural education include producing and developing more instructional materials and learning aids, which are suitable for young children and appropriate for the local context. Preschool teachers also need stakeholders to give more support and to acknowledge the importance of implementing multicultural early childhood education.     

Approaches to Multicultural Education in Preservice Teacher Education: Philosophical Frameworks and Models for Teaching

The authors in this article connect teacher education to multiple theoretical frameworks around the ongoing debate and issues of multicultural education. Connecting conservative, liberal, and radical theories of multicultural education particularly to preservice teachers, the authors argue that a more eclectic theoretical avenue must be striven and struggled for if there exists any hope in transforming schools, particularly, as they note, in urban environments. Practical avenues are discussed that promote such a multilayered interpretive/analytical approach to social change.     

多元文化背景下教师角色的重新认识

多元文化教育兴起于20世纪的西方国家,也是当今国际教育界普遍关注的热点领域之一,其产生有着深刻的历史背景和文化根源.传入我国之后,对于我国的教育有诸多启示.文章关注在多元文化背景下教师角色的发展和变化,重新审视教师在多元文化教育中的地位和作用.笔者认为在多元文化背景下,教师的角色是:学生心灵的守护者、多元文化的欣赏者、多元文化教育环境的创设者和维护者、多元文化教育研究的积极行动者和地方文化的传承者.     

Strategies for infusing curricula with a multicultural perspective

We describe pedagogical strategies for infusing a multicultural perspective into courses across a variety of disciplines; these methods have proven effective with students who are predominantly Anglo and oriented toward careers in the human services. The strategies include personalizing information through vicarious learning and case studies; inculcating critical thinking skills; simulations; literary analysis; and cooperative learning in large classes. Changes were documented in student attitudes, emotions, knowledge, professional skills, and the classroom environment. We review lessons learned about the process of curriculum revision, especially the importance of faculty support systems and impediments to implementation.All of the authors are faculty members in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University; Drs. MacPhee, Oltjenbruns, and Kreutzer are Associate Professors and Dr. Fritz is a Professor. Each of the authors is a trainer for the multicultural infusion project. David MacPhee holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. His primary research interests include primary prevention for at-risk youth and families, and multicultural and gender issues. Kevin Oltjenbruns completed her doctoral degree in educational and psychological studies at the University of Colorado. The principle focus of her work has been on grief and loss, career development, and student retention. As Associate Dean of the College of Applied Human Sciences, she spearheaded the multicultural infusion project described in this article. Janet Fritz's graduate work was completed at Cornell University. Her research interests include cognitive development, children's self-worth, stress and coping, and cross-cultural variations in socialization. Jill Kreutzer earned her Ph.D. in education from Colorado State University. She is interested in adolescent development, especially resilience among at-risk youth, and career development.Portions of this work were presented at the 5th Annual National Conference on Racial & Ethnic Relations in American Higher Education (June, 1992).Requests for curriculum and training materials should be directed to the Dean's Office, College of Applied Human Sciences.     

The possibility of cosmopolitan learning: reflecting on future directions for diversity teacher education in Australia

This paper is situated in the re-visioning ethos that has been part of the genealogy of multicultural education. In the context of teacher education, the authors ask: where to now? In this paper, they reflect on their design and delivery of a new undergraduate unit offered by the School of Education, University of Western Sydney. The unit attempted to work through ideas of ‘cosmopolitanism’ as a way of rethinking diversity education for the twenty-first century. The paper offers a critical review of multiculturalism in teacher education and examines theories associated with cosmopolitanism in the education context. The authors examine the ways in which a ‘cosmopolitan imagination’ might have relevance in contemporary contexts of diversity in Australia, and particularly in the western and south-western Sydney region in which they teach.     

Culture and Technology: implications for multicultural teacher education

ABSTRACT

American classrooms are experiencing a rapid growth in cultural and ethnic diversity, as well as an increase in educational classroom computing. Because culture directly affects classroom organisation and classroom learning, teachers need to understand, incorporate, and support their students’ cultures. Furthermore, since educational computing is not culturally neutral, teachers in culturally diverse settings must integrate the computer culture, the classroom culture, and students’ learning preferences. To meet the need for culturally and technologically competent multicultural teachers, teacher education programs must first define both cultural competency and computer competency. After examining the relationship between culture and educational computing, the paper explores some essential components of cultural and technological competency for multicultural teachers. Finally, it indicates the need for further research on the interaction of culture and technology in the multicultural classroom.     

A Case Study of King Middle School: The Symbiosis of Heterogeneous Grouping and Multicultural Education

Advocates of heterogeneous grouping, or detracking, have argued that it is likely to be well complemented by a multicultural curriculum (Oakes & Wells, 1995). Conversely, advocates of multicultural education have discussed the need for a reduction in tracking in order to meet the goals of this comprehensive reform (Banks, 1995; Gollnick & Chin, 1986; Sleeter & Grant, 1994). At King Middle School, a racially mixed urban school, educators have recognized the symbiosis of heterogeneous grouping and multicultural education. The implementation of these two reforms in tandem has contributed to King's success in offering a quality education to all students. King's organizational structure and curricular and instructional strategies complement and reinforce both heterogeneous grouping and multicultural education. Because heterogeneous grouping and multicultural education often become politically charged, King applies specific coping strategies for dealing with such pressures.     

An Examination of Black Science Teacher Educators’ Experiences with Multicultural Education, Equity, and Social Justice

Diversity, multicultural education, equity, and social justice are dominant themes in cultural studies (Hall in Cultural dialogues in cultural studies. Routledge, New York, pp 261–274, 1996; Wallace 1994). Zeichner (Studying teacher education: The report of the AERA panel on research and teacher education. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, pp 737–759, 2005) called for research studies of teacher educators because little research exists on teacher educators since the late 1980s. Thomson et al. (2001) identified essential elements needed in order for critical multiculturalism to be infused in teacher education programs. However, little is known about the commitment and experiences of science teacher educators infusing multicultural education, equity, and social justice into science teacher education programs. This paper examines twenty (20) Black science teacher educators’ teaching experiences as a result of their Blackness and the inclusion of multicultural education, equity, and social justice in their teaching. This qualitative case study of 20 Black science teacher educators found that some of them have attempted and stopped due to student evaluations and the need to gain promotion and tenure. Other participants were able to integrate diversity, multicultural education, equity and social justice in their courses because their colleagues were supportive. Still others continue to struggle with this infusion without the support of their colleagues, and others have stopped The investigators suggest that if science teacher educators are going to prepare science teachers for the twenty first century, then teacher candidates must be challenged to grapple with racial, ethnic, cultural, instructional, and curricular issues and what that must mean to teach science to US students in rural, urban, and suburban school contexts.     

现代远程教育中的多元文化教育

数字技术在不断加快全球文化同质化的同时,也给以它为核心的现代远程教育赋予了当代社会进行多元文化教育的最有效的功能。由于传统教育在历史习惯和时空等方面存在着进行多元文化教育的各种桎梏,不能构建不同民族文化深层次的课程展现模式,而形式多样的动态化数字文本却可以在教育机会均等、民族同一性、文化理解等多元文化教育方面虚拟出准实境化的、传统教育欠缺的、富有层次感的多维教育环境,以使远程学习者在核心价值、态度情感方面养成具有批判力的媒体素养。本文即是对现代远程教育日益作为工具和手段,在多元文化教育中具备的性质和功能的阐述。     

Multicultural Education From a Pedagogical Perspective: A Response to Radical Critiques

This paper critically reviews radical critiques of multicultural education from a pedagogical perspective. Goals for the paper are: to reveal agreement between radical and multicultural discourse about transformative pedagogy, exemplify a body of literature about pedagogical struggles not recognized by radical critics, and encourage interchange between these groups in regard to critical multicultural education.The authors are interested in transformative, multicultural pedagogy, which is associated with critical multicultural education. They seek to know the extent to which transformative multicultural pedagogy is addressed within radical critiques of multicultural education. They question the extent to which voices of teachers and students engaged in real transformative pedagogy are acknowledged by radical critics.Ideological agreement is found between radical critics and multicultural educators in regard to transformative pedagogy. However, radical critics do not acknowledge this agreement, or perceive multicultural education as transformative. In response, the authors reference a growing body of literature that portrays real, transformative, multicultural pedagogy in action in school and university classrooms. They encourage radical critics to read this literature and consider alliances between radical and multicultural theory and practice.     

多元文化教育背景下的中小学教师职前培养探析

多元文化教育指平等对待来自不同文化群体的学生之间的差异,使所有学生得到平等教育机会的教育。在我国中小学实施多元文化教育,对中小学教师提出了新挑战,要求中小学教师成为多元文化教师,拥有多元文化知识,对不同文化持积极态度,熟练运用多元教学策略。在我国现行教师教育中,可通过增加多元文化教育课程,增加教学实习机会等途径,使未来教师经过学习、发展以及参与三个阶段,具备实施多元文化教育的能力,成为多元文化教师。     

Preservice teachers' attitudes about and awareness of multicultural teaching and learning

This study examined preservice teachers' (N = 73) attitudes about and awareness of aspects of multicultural teaching and learning. Subjects provided background information and responded to 43 statements about multicultural education. Results indicate that most respondents are aware of many issues related to multicultural education and anticipate having culturally diverse students in their classrooms. While aware of the need to be able to work with students from diverse cultures, teacher education students are undecided as to just how well their teacher preparation has developed their abilities to teach children from cultural and religious backgrounds that differ from their own, or to communicate with children and families from diverse backgrounds. The authors recommend that teacher training programs address both theory and practice in multicultural education throughout the curriculum in a comprehensive, long-term manner, so that students can acquire the knowledge and confidence necessary to deal with multicultural issues in education with intelligence, professionalism, and understanding.     

Multiculturalism and Multicultural Curricula in the United States

The authors make a plea for multicultural education at all levels of education in the United States but particularly at the level of higher education. For them, earlier conceptions of multiculturalism have not worked, be they assimilation, transitional multiculturalism #opanother term to designate the melting pot#cp, and finally, what the authors call residual multiculturalism or what might also be called tokenism or the attempt to be overly all‐inclusive in terms of emphasis of the particular. The authors propose a variety of multiculturalism that while emphasizing the core values of cultures serves as a unifying factor in a culture of difference. The latter must be incorporated into curricula, but not in a particularistic fashion; rather, “the myriad groups must be interwoven into the very fabric of the university experience”.     

Infusing Human Sexuality Content and Counseling in Counselor Education Curriculum

Human sexuality is a pervasive and universal part of being human and despite this, receives inadequate attention in counselor education curricula. Consequently, counselors may be ill-prepared to assist clients who present with sexuality issues. The authors provide support and recommendations for infusing sexuality content throughout counselor education programs.     

Historical,Theoretical, and Foundational Principles of Universal Instructional Design in Higher Education

In this essay, the authors provide an overview of Universal Instructional Design (UID) as an approach for addressing the learning needs of all students enrolled in institutions of higher education. They argue that the concept of universality as it is applied to instruction is an approach that will benefit not only students with disabilities, but all students. To support their argument, the authors explain the core elements of UID as well as the conceptual connections of UID to multicultural education and social justice education. They conclude the essay by framing the articles included in this special issue.     

人性视域下的多元文化教育研究

多元文化教育作为一种跨越文化边界的教育,在当今全球化语境下对文化、人性的影响日益扩大,它投射与印证着在世界新格局下人们对教育与文化、人性等的新认识与新追求。多元文化教育理应承担起全球化时代的新使命,在教育领域实现民族性与国际性的统一,推进世界文化的多元发展,促进人性的日益完善。     

What Constitutes Quality in Minority Education? A Multiple Embedded Case Study of Stakeholder Perspectives on Minority Linguistic and Cultural Content in School-Based Curriculum in Sunan Yughur Autonomous County,Gansu

While quality in education has long been a significant issue, definitions of quality are often taken for granted rather than argued for, allowing the possibility that the criteria used by researchers and planners to judge quality may differ from local stakeholders’ perspectives, particularly regarding the place within quality education of the knowledge, culture and language of non-dominant groups. However, there is an accumulating convergence of research that calls for assessments of quality in education of non-dominant linguistic and cultural groups that engage local stakeholders’ understandings. This paper presents a recent study that attempts to do this, investigating the perspectives of students, parents, teachers, and administrators in Sunan Yughur Autonomous County, a multiethnic, multilingual district in rural Gansu, inhabited by several nationalities. Over one hundred participants in three schools were asked what was important for children to learn in school; including what aspects of local (minority) knowledge, culture and language should be taught as part of school-based curriculum. The study found three educational visions in local schools: regular urban education; Chinese-medium, multicultural education; and bilingual, multicultural education. The study also found that stakeholders support the latter vision, which reflects society’s actual cultural and linguistic pluralism, as well as much research on quality education for non-dominant groups. The paper concludes with a call for a comparative approach, both domestic and international, towards the investigation of quality education of non-dominant groups in China.     

CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES' DIVERSITY COMPETENCE: RIGOROUS AND SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF CANDIDATES' EFFICACY TO TEACH DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATIONS

The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2010) continues to report substantial underachievement of diverse student populations in the nation's schools. After decades of focus on diversity and multicultural education, with integrating field and clinical practice, candidates continue to graduate without adequate knowledge, skills and dispositions to teach diverse students. The National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) requires teacher education programs to engage in assessment practices that examine candidates' competence to teach diverse students and to inform the unit. In this article the authors discuss the need to triangulate the results of performance-based assessment and to systematically examine the growth of candidates' competence to teach every student. They propose a rigorous and systematic unit (i.e., teacher education program unit) assessment practice, using reliable and valid instruments to measure candidates' efficacy to teach diverse students, which will provide effective data for teacher education programs to become proactive to improve programs.     

Teachers’ Multicultural Awareness and the Ethnic Identity of Minority Students: An Individual Case Study of a Hani Student

This study considers the role of teachers’ multicultural awareness in promoting minority students’ ethnic identity by considering the situation in one particular middle school. A case study of a Hani student is presented to show how teachers’ multicultural awareness affects ethnic identity and the academic achievement of minority students. This case study enables the authors to assess the significance and value of teachers’ multicultural awareness as an educational concept. Through the study, the authors point to a need to strengthen multicultural awareness in teachers’ education to meet requirements of cultural diversity. The authors also emphasize that such awareness should be an objective of teacher training.