TSL 604 Essay Responses

Question 1

[Name of receiver]

[Designations of the receiver]

[Address of the receiver]

Dear

[Name of the receiver],

Dear mentee, as you know that multicultural Education, in response to cultural diversity in education, has become in recent years a standing item for discussion and reflection. Scholars and intellectuals talk and write about multiculturalism, society and multicultural education as a reality in a precise and definite way. However, different views are given and received what we call multiculturalism. Multicultural Education is complex, polysemic and varied, with many nuances.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the emergence of multicultural education began. People from all walks of life started demanding that the curriculum be supportive of the diversity in the United States. Banks was a pioneer of the education of multicultural studies. He believed that there was a need for a transformation of the educational system so all schools could have a multicultural environment. These included the methods of teaching, materials for instruction, the attitudes of teachers, and the assessing of students' performance (Banks, 2008). He described multicultural education in five different areas that involved teachers and researchers,

1) The integration of content

Teachers use several different approaches to integrate content about racial, ethnic, and cultural groups into the curriculum. One of the most popular is the Contributions Approach. While an improvement over the Contributions Approach, the Additive Approach is problematic because ethnic and cultural groups remain on the margin of the mainstream curriculum

2) Construction of knowledge

The Transformation Approach brings content about ethnic and cultural groups from the margin to the center of the curriculum. It helps students to understand how knowledge is constructed and how it reflects the experiences, values, and perspectives of its creators.

3) Pedagogy of equity

It is believed An equity pedagogy exists when teachers modify their teaching in ways that will facilitate the academic achievement of students from diverse racial, cultural, and social-class groups.

4) Reduction of prejudice

by the time we get to equity pedagogy and prejudice reduction, all teachers can be involved. Because all teachers whether you teach math or physics or social studies should work to reduce prejudice in the classroom. And research indicates that adolescent prejudice is very real, and that kids come to school with prejudices toward different groups.

5) The empowerment of school culture

When students learn content about the nation and the world from the perspectives of the diverse groups that shaped historical and contemporary events, they will be better able to participate in personal, social, and civic actions that are essential for citizens in a democratic pluralistic society.

As an educator I realize that teaching can be challenging. It requires one to be dedicated to self and the population they serve. It can be exciting or boring. It is how you approach this profession that makes a difference. Teachers have to look into themselves and critique their beliefs and values about the prejudices of the world we live in. Can they open their minds and hearts to a world that has so many different cultures that has bred so many children? These ...