Culturally responsive teaching in special education for ethnically diverse students: Setting the stage

Two major premises are developed in this discussion. One is that many students of color are disproportionately assigned to special education because educators lack knowledge about or appreciation for their cultural values and socialization, and how these affect learning behaviors. The other premise is that the educational quality of students of color in both special and regular education can be improved significantly by using instructional programs and practices that reflect their cultural heritages, experiences, and perspectives. Several components of this ''culturally responsive teaching'' are explained, along with some research findings about its effects on student achievement. These include critical cultural consciousness of teachers; culturally pluralistic classroom climates; diverse communities of learners; and multicultural curriculum and instruction. The author concludes that without culturally responsive teaching education can never be the best it should be for students who are not part of the majority and mainstream of schools and society.     

Bridging the Cultural Gap by Teaching Multicultural Literature

As multicultural literature has made its way into the English curriculum, it has challenged teachers' thinking about curriculum and instruction and urged them to expand their teaching repertoire to include a cultural-response approach to literature instruction. This article reports on a group of secondary English teachers' exploration and reflection on their learning and teaching of multicultural literature. The author argues that teachers must increase their own cultural knowledge and develop their sensitivity and teaching skills to promote cross-cultural understanding and use multicultural literature to validate expressions of cultural knowledge, perspectives, and differences.     

Multicultural visions in early reading classrooms: Implications for early childhood teacher educators

Abstract

Teachers and teacher educators are faced with an urgent responsibility to support the learning of an increasingly diverse population of young children. Based on the sociocultural perspective of reading, a literature‐based approach is outlined for early reading teachers. The implications of this approach to teacher education programs are further discussed from the author's own experiences of transmitting multicultural visions to preservice teachers in a multicultural course and a literacy method course she taught. The author maintains that teacher educators are in a unique position to help early childhood teacher candidates nurture multicultural visions in their teacher education programs today, and carry these visions to their future early reading classrooms tomorrow. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.     

Multicultural Training Experiences as Predictors of Multicultural Competencies: Students' Perspectives

The authors surveyed a national sample of master's‐level counseling students regarding their multicultural training experiences and their multicultural counseling competencies. A series of hierarchical regression models tested the prediction of inventoried competencies from measures of selected training experiences: (a) program cultural ambience or learning environment, (b) multicultural instructional strategies, and (c) multicultural clinical experiences. Perceptions of program cultural ambience or learning environment predicted all multicultural competencies: knowledge, skills, awareness, and relationship. Additional findings support the importance of clinical training experiences in the context of effective multicultural training.     

Educating World Teachers for Cosmopolitan Classrooms and Schools

This essay responds to the question of what it might mean to educate “world teachers” for cosmopolitan classrooms and schools through an examination of an ethnographic play entitled Satellite Kids. The author begins with the idea that teachers need to develop or build up “intercultural capital”, that is, knowledge and dispositions that will help them in intercultural exchanges of teaching and learning. The author then explores what such knowledge and dispositions might entail through an analysis of Satellite Kids. The play's focus on issues of power, identity, and intercultural conflict within a Canadian cosmopolitan school makes an interesting case study for exploring what intercultural knowledge and dispositions might look and sound like, and how the educational project of building intercultural capital is different from the project of multicultural education that has been dominant in Western teacher education throughout 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.     

Child Education and Literacy Learning for Multicultural Societies: The case of the Brazilian National Curricular References for Child Education (NCRs)

The present paper discusses possible ways to promote a multicultural child education and literacy learning, focusing on identity building and language development. In the light of that framework, it critically analyses the Brazilian government's recently issued 'National Curricular References for Child Education'. It argues that the predominance of a monocultural, cognitive-based approach to child education and literacy learning, evidenced in the document, should be detrimental to children whose cultural and linguistic patterns are discontinuous with the school ones. It also highlights potentials of the multicultural thinking in reducing literacy learning discrepancies and promoting educational equity.     

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.     

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.     

Teaching and Learning in Iraq: A Brief History

This article investigates the Iraqi educational system and the historical, political, religious, and cultural factors that have influenced teaching and learning in Iraq. It is based on the author's personal experience as an educator within the system for three decades. The author posits that Iraqi educators must establish a collaborative and cooperative endeavor for a reformation of the Iraqi educational system. The current educational system of rote memorization has governed Iraqi schools and universities for almost one century. The author envisions a new educational system that would be based on new teaching and learning approaches that cultivate students’ critical thinking skills, as well as teachers’ pedagogical skills.     

Multicultural Course Pedagogy: Experiences of Master's‐Level Students of Color

The author conducted a grounded theory study to examine multicultural training as experienced by 20 master's‐level students of color enrolled in multicultural counseling courses. Findings revealed an emergent theory of student of color learning experiences and multicultural course pedagogy. Implications for counselor educators are discussed.     

Six elements for technology integration in multicultural classrooms

Abstract

Although the number of computers in American schools multiplies, educational inequity remains evident in the area of technology. The socio-economically disadvantaged, the physically disabled, and the culturally and linguistically different have limited knowledge of and experiences with technology. Equitable access to technology requires the infusion of effective multicultural teaching strategies into educational technology use. These strategies must be broad enough to be inclusive of diverse learners, yet specific enough to be valuable as a guide to multicultural teaching. Similarly, they should allow for individual creativity and personal differences in teaching and learning. In this paper, the author proposes and defines six elements for integrating technology in culturally diverse classrooms: cultural awareness, cultural relevance, culturally supportive environment, equitable access, instructional flexibility, and instructional integration. These six elements are based on research on effective teaching of diverse students. They are not exhaustive of good instructional practices for technology use with diverse learners. Nevertheless, the author found their application in the evaluation of 32 technology-integrated units both informative and effective in identifying how teachers integrated computers for diverse learners. The author recognizes the need for further validation of these criteria and for research on effective teacher use of technology in multicultural settings.     

Lazy multiculturalism: cultural essentialism and the persistence of the Multicultural Day in Australian schools

ABSTRACT

Multicultural Days are a regular event in Australian schools. While they are viewed as a vehicle for cultural inclusion and strengthening community, they have long been critiqued for their avoidance of a more critical engagement with deeper issues around cultural complexity. The intent of this paper is not simply to add to this critique but to understand why such forms of lazy multiculturalism persist in schools. Taking an ethnographic orientation to the field of multicultural education, it examines one school's approach to the Multicultural Day. The paper considers how, despite engaging in professional learning designed to challenge established practice in this area, teachers resisted the intellectual task of doing diversity differently. The ethnographic methods used in the study not only allowed for an examination of the practices this school engaged in, they drew attention to how teachers might modify their practice and develop a deeper understanding of cultural complexity.     

Teacher interpersonal competence for Dutch secondary multicultural classrooms

In the Netherlands, as in many European countries, classrooms display a growing cultural diversity. There are only very limited empirically supported data on the interpersonal competence teachers need in Dutch classrooms and studies from other countries cannot be generalized because of differences in the composition of the student population. This paper reports on an exploratory study in two schools on teachers' experiences in multicultural classes followed by an in‐depth case study of one expert teacher. We use this study to answer the question to what degree this teacher displays interpersonal competence (teaching behaviours, knowledge and attitudes) specific for teaching in multicultural classrooms by comparing this teacher's competence with generic interpersonal teaching competence. The teacher studied seems to be aware of special needs of students from different cultures and to use this knowledge to apply specific teaching strategies and interpersonal cues to create a positive classroom atmosphere and to cater for needs of diverse students. Further, the results indicate that many elements of this teacher's interpersonal competence in teaching a multicultural class can be considered aspects of generic teaching competence. It seems that the multicultural classroom puts heavier demands on this competence than a less diverse classroom.     

Probing Children's Prejudice‐‐a consideration of the ethical and methodological issues raised by research and curriculum development

Since the mid‐1980s many schools in predominantly white areas have taken active steps to counter racism and ethnocentrism and raise awareness of Britain's ethnic diversity through curriculum development. This paper is primarily concerned with the ethical issues raised by research into such initiatives at primary school level. We begin by alluding very briefly to the shortcomings of extant research into children's prejudice, noting that some studies can be criticised for the unwitting reinforcement of stereotypes. We move on to examine the ethical and methodological considerations which have underpinned our own work in this area, focusing on a recent investigation into children's understanding of Jewish culture and identity. The techniques employed to probe the children's beliefs and attitudes and challenge their taken‐for‐granted assumptions are described at length, together with the ethical dilemmas addressed during the course of the research. In the second part of the paper, we focus on issues raised by our own curriculum development work in anti‐racist and multicultural education in ‘all white’ schools. We draw extensively on a recent case‐study of 10 and 11 year‐olds’ responses to a teaching programme which aimed to counter stereotypical images both of developing countries and Islam.     

You've Got to Be Taught

ABSTRACT

The Council on Social Work Education's Handbook on Accreditation and Procedures (1991) reiterates the council's previous mandate for incorporation of knowledge of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity throughout both the undergraduate and graduate social work curriculum. This article presents an integrative cognitive and affective learning framework for multicultural social work education. The model encourages students' addressing the significance of their racial, ethnic, and cultural heritage and emphasizes the effects of this education and enrichment in developing an ethnic-sensitive social work practice.     

Using Action Learning with Multicultural Groups

Action learning was developed by British physicist and professor Reginald Revans over 50 years ago and has had a growing degree of success in the Western/Anglo-Saxon cultures of the U.S., Canada, northern Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Few examples of successful implementation of action learning exist, however, with the remaining 90% of the world. Un-awareness of action learning may account for some of the limited use of action learning in these regions. The author contends, however, that another reason may be that cultural values and practices in many part of the world do not “fit” as naturally with action learning values and practices. Key action learning elements such as diversity of set membership, taking action absent the presence of authority, and frankly sharing the learning experience are more difficult for non-Western cultures to implement. The article concludes with strategies for overcoming these cultural obstacles and steps for building on the synergies of culture in having successful action learning programs in multicultural groups.     

Questioning The Aloha in a Multicultural Teacher Education Course

Hawaii is often perceived as the “Land of Aloha”, a racial paradise where everyone gets along. But do we? The author explores Hawaii's distinct cultural dynamics with pre-service teachers in a multicultural education course that problematised race and ethnicity. Using an inquiry approach and culturally relevant activities, the class examined the social inequity that exists between privileged “non-minorities” like Japanese, Chinese and Whites, and “disadvantaged minorities” like Filipinos, Native Hawaiians and Samoans. This study found that living among diversity in Hawaii made recognising racism and social inequity difficult. Patterns of student engagement reflected one's positioning in Hawaii's racial and socioeconomic hierarchy. Students from privileged groups minimised and deflected their role in contributing to racism, while students from disadvantaged groups assumed a more critical stance towards society. This study reframes the dialogue on race in education and provides implications for multicultural teacher education.     

PLURALITY AND COMMONALITY IN BASIC EDUCATION

The author argues that the question of plurality and commonality in Dutch ‘basic education’ is due to recent immigration and growing ethnic diversity. A new education act is in the making and the question rises in which way the demarcation of subjects and subject matter has to reflect the cultural differences on the one hand and the common cultural basis on the other. Meyer looks at contributions to the issue of multicultural pluralism and education: she discusses Hirsch's plea for a universal literate culture and supports Crittenden's attempt to achieve a balance between unity and diversity. She emphasizes the need of some kind of (multi) cultural knowledge in the form of comprehension and perception, not in the form of agreement of opinion. A modern citizen in this sense is qualified by education to cope rationally with cultural plurality.     

The Free Schools “Riddle”: Between traditional social democratic,neo‐liberal and multicultural tenets

The question of what role free schools should perform in the Swedish educational system has been a contested subject between three ideological, theoretical, political and policy tenets. The first, “contribution to pedagogical diversity in a controlled school market” reflects a traditional social democratic view. The second, “contribution to a better education on a competitive school market” reflects a neo‐liberal approach. The third tenet, “contribution to the maintenance of groups' and individuals' cultural and religious identity” reflects a multicultural view insisting on the thesis that a family's cultural and religious identity should be a steering motive for the school choice. The aim of this article is to take a closer look at what the three tenets that constitute the “riddle” contain—including their claims, responses to critics, arguments and empirical evidence—and to discuss some of their practical impacts on the shaping of educational policy.