MultiCultural Education
It is rare that any two-classroom teachers will have the same definition for multicultural education. “The basic goal of multicultural education is to help all children understand and appreciate events and people from various points of view” (Welton, 113). Teaching with a multicultural perspective encourages appreciation and understanding of other cultures as well as one’s own. ... Early childhood teachers and parents of young children should become aware of the myths and assumptions associated with multicultural education so that they develop appropriate goals and methods. Listed below are the assumptions of multicultural education created by Paul Gorski and Bob Covert: 1. ... Multicultural education is for all students. ... Multicultural education is synonymous with effective teaching. ... Multicultural education is (should) being synonymous with educational innovation and reform. ... Multicultural education represents a perspective rather than a curriculum. “Through multicultural literature, children discover that all cultural groups have made significant contributions to civilization” (Norton, 62). ... Dimidjian states that the goal of multicultural education is not only to teach children about other groups or countries. ... “The purpose of multicultural curriculum is to attach positive feelings to multicultural experiences so that each child will feel included and valued, and will feel friendly and respectful toward people from other ethnic and cultural groups” (Dimidjian, 44). “A multicultural program should not focus on other cultures to the exclusion of cultures represented in the class,” stated David Welton. ... Myth #3: Multicultural education is only relevant in classes with students who are members of the cultural or racial groups to be studied. Myth #4: There should be a separate, unified set of goals and curriculum for multicultural education. Myth #5: Mere Activities, which are not placed in an explicit cultural context, constitute viable multicultural education curriculum.