How can educators teach values of multiculturalism and foster productive conversations about racial identity in the classroom?
Defining Multiethnicity
Multiethnicity is defined as relating to, reflecting, or adapting to diverse ethnicities, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary. The idea of being able to fluidly self-identify with a variety of cultures and races seems backward in the West’s linear and categorical quest for self-identity. But in essence, all people are multicultural; a rich mixture of cultural origins and ancestors.
Therefore, it is imperative that individuals be able to have a significant level of identification with the characteristics of people groups they are comprised of and interact with. These characteristics include: racial, ethnic, gender, disability, religious affiliation and social class. Since self-image and racial identification begins from birth, one of the most important places a child will learn these values is in their education system.
Teaching Multiculturalism in School
“For teachers of young children to be able to respond appropriately to a child’s racial and ethnic identity, it is critical they have a clear understanding of the complex process of racial identity development in children, beginning in infancy,” according to Francis Wardle of the Center for the Study of Biracial Children, and author of the 2008 essay Multicultural and Multilingual Education in Early Childhood Programs. The need to address racial and ethnic diversity is great, however, the mixture of such is critical to a multiracial child’s self-identity development.
Schools that examine racial and ethnic diversity, yet avoid the theme of racial mixture, can do serious harm to students comprised of all ethnic backgrounds that need to be weaned from their experience in rigid racial categories. As America’s national identity is morphing into a multiracial society, the value of a racially mixed discussion on ethnic diversity must be implemented in the classroom.
Methods of Multicultural Education
There are multiple ways of gaining multiculturalism perspectives in the classroom. Previous generations grew up with the“heroes and holidays”approach. Cinco de Mayo was celebrated with taco parties, Chinese New Year with red hats and a parade, and Thanksgiving with turkeys and Indians. The problem with this type of multicultural education is that racial groups are only covered in a superficial way.
By the end of some of these holiday “parties,” racial stereotypes are if anything, more reinforced in children’s minds than before. Children are then led to think that “all Latinos dance and eat tacos, all African Americans are athletic and eat collard greens, and all Native Americans wear headdresses and do war dances.”
James Banks, an advocate for multicultural education, in his 2006 book Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives [Wiley, John Sons Incorporated], identifies the ethnic additive approach; when content from different ethnic groups is added to the pre-existing curriculum. Native Americans are included in the discussion of Manifest Destiny; perspectives of slaves are added to the discussion on slavery. But all of this discussion takes place within the traditionally structured curriculum.
The newest form of multicultural education draws on many fundamental values. According to child development author, Stacey York, this method includes teaching approaches that help children learn about diversity while simultaneously working together to challenge bias and prejudice, creating classroom environments that reflect the child's home culture and aspects of the child’s home language, as stated in her 2003 book Roots & Wings: Affirming Culture in Early Childhood Programs [Redleaf Press].
Children must be encouraged to respect and embrace different cultures represented in the children around them. The classroom “should be a place where culturally and linguistically diverse children all feel welcome.”
An important step in successfully implementing multicultural curriculum is that the child must be able to develop “a positive, knowledgeable and confident self-identity within a cultural context.” Ideally, children will witness and participate in advocating against a societal injustice, discrimination or prejudice. Ultimately, children will be able to stand up for themselves- and for one another- in the face of bias and thus reverse stereotypes and prejudice.
Supporting Home Language
Teachers must support the child’s use of a home language that is different than the school’s primary language, and also integrate that language into classroom activities. Many schools that follow this method teach interchangeably between English and Spanish, giving children non-verbal cues on classroom instruction.
Teachers must also simulate a classroom environment that is decorated with print and visual labels in each of the languages spoken in the classroom, according to York. Children should be able to explore concepts taught in class through art, play, music and drawing. Creativity in learning is key.
There is no formula for maintaining a multicultural classroom environment. But history has shown that multicultural education has improved dramatically in the last few decades. Today, there are dozens of multicultural education methods.These methods are continually evolving to appropriately cater to the needs of this ever-changing society.
 |
