An Introduction to Multicultural Education James Banks 2002

Dimensions and School Characteristics § Five Dimensions: § Content integration § The knowledge construction process § Prejudice reduction § An equity pedagogy § An empowering school culture and social structure

Dimensions and School Characteristics § Content Integration § The extent to which teachers use examples and content from a variety of cultures and groups to illustrate key concepts, principles, generalizations, and theories in their subject area or discipline.

Dimensions and School Characteristics § The Knowledge Construction Process § The extent to which teachers help students to understand, investigate, and determine how the implicit cultural perspectives, and biases within a discipline influence the ways in which knowledge is constructed within it.

Dimensions and School Characteristics § Prejudice Reduction § The characteristics of students’ racial attitudes and how they can be modified by teaching methods and materials.

Dimensions and School Characteristics § An Equity Pedagogy § Teachers modify their teaching in ways that will facilitate the academic achievement of students from diverse racial, cultural, and social-class groups.

Dimensions and School Characteristics § An Empowering School Culture and Social Structure § A school culture that empowers students from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.

Eight Characteristics of a the Multicultural School 1. Attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs, 2. 3. 4. and actions of the school staff Formalized curriculum and course of study Learning, teaching, and cultural styles favored by the school Languages and dialects of the school

Eight Characteristics of a the Multicultural School 5. Instructional materials 6. Assessment and testing procedures 7. The school culture and the hidden curriculum 8. The counseling program

Curriculum Transformation § Students and teachers make paradigm shifts and view the American and world experience from the perspectives of different racial, ethnic, cultural, and gender groups.

Curriculum Transformation § Goal of multicultural education: 1. To increase educational equality for both gender groups, for students from diverse ethnic and cultural groups, and for exceptional students and 2. To develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to survive and function effectively in a diverse global world 3. To develop cross-cultural competencies

Curriculum Transformation § Transformation of assumptions, beliefs, and structures, within schools regarding 1. How students learn 2. Human abilities 3. The nature of knowledge

Curriculum Transformation § Four levels of a transformed curriculum; 1. The contributions approach 2. The additive approach 3. The transformation approach 4. The social action approach

Curriculum Transformation § The contributions approach Focuses on holidays, heroes, and discrete cultural elements

Curriculum Transformation § The additive approach Content, concepts, themes, and perspectives are added to the curriculum without changing its structure

Curriculum Transformation § The transformation approach The structure of the curriculum is changed to enable students to view concepts, issues, events, and themes from the perspective of diverse ethnic and cultural groups.

Curriculum Transformation § The social action approach Students make decisions on important social issues and take actions to help solve them.

Curriculum Transformation Curriculum transformation teaches students to know, to care, and to act!