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MULTICULTURAL

CLASSROOM

What is a multicultural classroom?

A multicultural Aclassroom multicultural is one in classroom isstudents one in which both the and theboth teacherthe are which accepting of all races, students the cultures, andand religions.  This acceptance teacher are is evidenced by the books accepting that are read,of theall activities that are races, cultures, completed, and the and religions.  lessons that are taught.   

Is it necessary to have multicultural students to have a multicultural classroom?

NO.  This is a common misconception, in fact, if you have a homogenous classroom is it especially important to emphasize multiculturalism because the only exposure your students may get to other cultures is through the activities, books, and lessons that you provide them with. 

Why is multiculturalism so important? Because the world is changing every day.  We must learn to accept and get along with all cultures, races, and religions in order to become productive citizens of the world. 

Some Tips on multicultural classroom •Encourage learners to share their personal history and experiences. •Integrate learning experiences and activities which promote student’s multicultural and cross-cultural awareness. •Know the learning patterns of the class

•Communicate high expectations to students from all sub-groups. •Use varied instructional methods to accommodate student diversity in learning styles. •Vary examples you use to illustrate concepts in order to provide the multiple contexts that are relevant to students from diverse backgrounds.

•Adapt to the student’s diverse backgrounds and learning styles by allowing them personal choice and decision-making opportunities concerning what they will learn and how they will learn it. •Diversity your methods of assessing and evaluating student learning. •Purposely, form small-discussion groups of students from diverse backgrounds. You can form groups of students with different learning styles, different cultural background, etc.

Tips for Teaching Diversity Start Early •Begin teaching children to love themselves at an early age. •Prepare children for what they will see in the media Emphasize Openness. •Show them there is no shame in being different •Do not single out a student because of a difference.

Discuss All Types of Differences. •Teachers should also discuss gender, size, and learning abilities. •Let children realize how special they are Use Real Life Examples •Employ parents and speakers to enhance your diversity teachings. Leave the Classroom. •Take a field trip or two during the year.

Strategies to Support Multicultural Instruction

Questioning Styles Questioning techniques that personally involve students will allow them to respond in a way that reflects their cultural diversity and that will expose their fellow students to those differences (Evans, 1991).

Role-Playing Role-playing is a versatile activity that allows students to express their opinions in a realistic situation. Students can "trade places" with a fellow student or a character from a literature selection (Tiedt & Tiedt, 1990).

Cooperative Learning Many years of research and practice support the use of cooperative groups to focus on students' different strengths and styles. In addition, cooperative learning groups have been found to have strong and consistent positive effects on social relationships between culturally different students (Slavin, 1983). Group members become more accepting of classmates who are different.

Group Discussions Group discussions stimulate thinking. The notion that thinking originates within individuals - and only after that is it ready to be shared socially - has given way to the belief that some of the best thinking results from a group's collective efforts (Sternberg, 1987). In discussions in which students examine more than one point of view, there is ample opportunity to enrich and refine their understanding by helping them to view their own interpretation in the light of the interpretations of others (Alvermann, 1991).

Active Involvement Instructional techniques that allow for individual differences and that add a spark of excitement to classroom activities should be used in place of fillin-the-blank activities. Students should be engaged in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking activities that provide opportunities for them to make decisions and solve problems (Tiedt & Tiedt, 1990).

General Strategies •Recognize any biases or stereotypes you may have absorbed •Treat each student as an individual, and respect each student for who he or she is. •Get a sense of how students feel about the cultural climate in your classroom. •Does the course instructor treat students equally and evenhandedly? •How comfortable do you feel participating in this class? What makes it easy or difficult for you? •In what ways, if any, does your ethnicity, race, or gender affect your interactions with the teacher in this class? With fellow students?

Tactics for Overcoming Stereotypes and Biases •Convey the same level of respect and confidence in the abilities of all your students. •Don't try to "protect" any group of students. •Be evenhanded in how you acknowledge students' good work. •Recognize the complexity of diversity

Class Discussion •Emphasize the importance of considering different approaches and viewpoints. •Make it clear that you value all comments. •Encourage all students to participate in class discussion. •Monitor your own behavior in responding to students

As you teach, then, try to be evenhanded in the following matters: •Recognizing students who raise their hands or volunteer to participate in class (avoid calling on or hearing from only males or only members of one ethnic group) •Listening attentively and responding directly to students' comments and questions •Addressing students by name (and with the correct pronunciation)

•Prompting students to provide a fuller answer or an explanation •Giving students time to answer a question before moving on •Interrupting students or allowing them to be interrupted by their peers •Giving feedback and balancing criticism and praise •Making eye contact

Prepared by: Amelyn Maaliw Ana Marie Jaro Lovely Lavenia Ocan