MulticulturalEducation

Ihaveadreamthatonedaythisnationwillriseupandliveoutthetruemeaning
ofitscreed:Weholdthesetruthstobeselfevident,thatallmenarecreatedequal."
(MartinLutherKing)ThesefamouswordswerespokenbythelateReverendMartin
LutherKinginhiscelebratedspeech,IHaveaDream.Kingmadeithislifeworktofight
forequalrightsforAfricanAmericansandintheprocess,endracism.Althoughour
countryhasmadegreatstrivesinthepursuitofequalrights,orequity,westillhavea
longwaytogo.Thisessaywilldiscussthedefinitionofmulticulturaleducationand
brieflyexamineitshistory.Theessaywillgoontoargueequityforallpeople:white,
black,men,andwomen,firstbeginswithmulticulturaleducationinearlyelementary
classroom;becausemulticulturaleducationlessonswillbeyoungstudentsfirst
introductiontotheideaallpeoplearedifferentanditsimportanttoacceptallpeople,
regardlessofdifferences.
Currently,EducationReformdefinesmulticulturaleducationas,Anyformof
educationorteachingthatincorporatesthehistories,texts,values,beliefs,and
perspectivesofpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Ataclassroomlevel,for
example,teachersmaymodifyorincorporatelessonstoreflecttheculturaldiversityof
thestudentsinaparticularclass.(EducationReform,2013)Asthewebsitecontinuesit
says,moreorless,multiculturaleducationisbasedontheprincipleofeducationalequity,
orequaltreatmentofallstudents.
AccordingtoBanksandBanks,intheirbookAnIntroductiontoMulticultural
Education,multiculturaleducationdevelopedfromtheCivilRightsMovementofthe

Aaron,MulticulturalEducation

1960s,whichisrightaroundwhenKingdeliveredtheIHaveaDreamspeech.Banks
andBankscontinuetosay,initially,schoolshastilymadedifferentclasseswherestudents
wouldhavetheopportunitytolearnaboutdifferentracialandethnicgroups.These
classestypicallytaughtstudentsaboutdifferentculturalholidaysandothercelebrations.
Becausestudentscouldpickandchooseiftheywantedtotakethesedifferentclasses
theseclassesbecameelectivesandtypicallystudentsonlytookclassesbasedaroundtheir
ownethnicity.(BanksandBanksp.4,2008)Eventuallymulticulturaleducationclasses
grewtoinclude,diversecourses,programs,andpracticesthateducationinstitutions
decidedtorespondtothedemands,needs,andaspirationsofthevariousgroups.(Banks
andBanksp.5,2008)Inadditiontoteachingstudentsaboutdifferentracesandminority
groups,presently,theseclassesincludedinformationondifferentsexesaswellas
informationandsupportforlesbian,gay,bisexual,andtransgendergroups.Overall,
multiculturaleducationgrewtomeaneveryoneisacceptedandvalued.
BanksandBanksgoonandrestateEducationReformdefinitionofmulticultural
educationintheirownwordswhentheystate,Multiculturaleducationincorporatesthe
ideathatallstudentsregardlessoftheirgender;sexualorientation;socialclass;and
ethnic,racial,orculturalcharacteristicsshouldhaveanequalopportunitytolearnin
school.(BanksandBanks,3,2008).Larbee,authorof,PublicGoods,PrivateGoods:
TheAmericanStruggleOverEducationalGoals,wouldaddwhenateacherteachesusing
hisDemocraticEqualityideology,whichisbuiltaroundtheideaofmulticultural
education,studentsnotonlyhaveequalopportunitiestoeducation,butbecomemembers
ofaclassroomcommunitywheretheyfeeltheybelong,whichgoeshandandhandwith

Aaron,MulticulturalEducation

equaltreatmentandwillsupportcooperativelearning.(Larabee,p.45,1997)Larbee
continuesandsaysasthesestudentsgetoldertheywillallbeconsideredonethrough
theirvoteinAmericaspoliticalarena.Byprovidingopportunitiesthatengagedstudents
withdifferentculturesandethnicitiesthestudentsareallowedtobecomemorefamiliar
withpeoplethataredifferentfromthem,hopingtoallowagreateracceptanceinsociety
andseehowwearealltrulyatthesamevalueofone.
Throughthesedefinitionsandexamples,itseasytoenvisionahighschool
curriculumwithmanydiverseopportunitiesforstudentstolearnaboutothercultures
throughdifferentclassesthatcompareandcontrastthedifferenttraditionsinthe
distinctivenationalitiesandcultures.However,itsmoredifficulttoimaginehowan
earlyelementaryclassroomcanteachstudents,whoarestillconsideredtobeegocentric,
orselfcentered.Duringtheagesofearlychildhoodeducation,studentsbelieveallother
studentshavelivesexactlyliketheirown,theyarelikelytobelieveallstudentslivein
similarhomes,withsimilarparents,andsimilartoys,studentsarenotabletoconsider
differencesamongthemselvesandotherstudents.In1956PiagetandInhelderproved
earlychildhoodegocentricnessthroughanexperiment.Childrenweresatdownatatable
withanadult.Intheexperimentthechildandadulthadthesame3Dvolcanostructurein
frontofthem,however,thelandscapearoundthevolcanovariedoneachside.Whenthe
childwasaskedwhathethoughttheadultsawonherside,thestudentnamedthe
differentthingshesawonhissideofthevolcano.Thechildthenmovedtoseewhatthe
adultsaw.Togethertheadultandchildtalkedaboutthedifferentthingsaroundthe
volcanoontheadultsside.Thenthechildreturnedbacktohissideofthetable.Again,

Aaron,MulticulturalEducation

thechildwasaskedwhattheadultsawonhersideofthevolcano,andagain,thechild
namedthedifferentthingshecurrentlysawonhissideofthevolcano.Thisprovesthe
childbelievedtheadultsawexactlywhathewasseeing,highlightingtheegocentricness
ofthechild.
Luckily,thetaskofincorporatingmulticulturaleducationinearlychildhood
elementaryclassroomsisnotasimpossibleasitsounds.Byincorporatingpostersand
booksdisplayingpicturesofalldifferentracedchildrenandtheirhomeenvironments
studentswillseeallpeopleandhomeslookdifferent,anditsokaytobedifferent.These
postersandbooksshouldalsoincludeexamplesofmixedgenderjobsalludingtotheidea
therearenomenorwomenspecificjobs.Toenhancethis,ateachercanadddifferent
costumestotheclassroom,whichwillallowstudentstopretendheorshehasthe
occupationheorshewishes,i.e.aboycanbeachefandagirlcanbeadoctor.In
addition,theclassroomcouldincludepuppetsandbabydollsofdifferentethnicities.To
thatextent,theteachercanalsointroducedifferentwordsfromdifferentlanguages.The
teachercanlabelclassroomitemsusingbothEnglishandotherlanguageswordsandsing
traditionalAmericansongsindifferentlanguages.Teacherscanalsopresenttheideaof
countingorsayingthealphabetindifferentlanguages.Theteachercouldallsouse
popularmusicfromdifferentcultures.
Inmyownclassroom,wehavetwospecialsnacksamonth,wherethestudents
areencouragedtotrydiversefoodsfromdifferentcountries.Weusethesespecial
snacksasagatewaytolearnaboutthecountry.Beforewecantrythefood,wemustfirst
findthecountryontheglobe.Wethenlistentotraditionalmusicfromthecountry,look

Aaron,MulticulturalEducation

atpictureofwherethepeoplefromthatarealive,howthepeopledressandwediscuss
whytheymightdressthewaythattheydo,andotherinformationontheculturesholiday.
Wealsotalkaboutdifferentthingsthatmakethecountryspecial,forexamplewhenwe
learnedaboutChinawetalkedalotabouttheGreatWallofChina.Thestudentslook
forwardtoourspecialsnackseverymonth.Inaddition,parentsareencouragedtojoin
ourclassroomintheseeventsiftheywouldliketoteachusabouttheirowncultures.
Whenwelearnaboutculturesspecifictothestudentsownheritagethestudentsfeela
specialsinceofbelonging,muchlikeBanksandBankandLarbeetalkedaboutintheir
books.
Inadditiontomulticulturaleducationbeingapowerfultooltoteachstudents
aboutotherpeopleandculturesaroundtheworld,Levywrites,inherarticleCulturein
theClassroom,duringmulticulturallessonsstudentsnotonlylearnaboutdifferentareas
anddifferentpeopletheyheartheacceptanceandexcitementintheteachersvoicewhen
heorshetalksaboutthedifferentcultures.Thewaythelessonistaughtandthroughthe
teachersmodelingthestudentlearnstheenjoymentofbeingdifferentandhowtobe
accepting.Inaddition,Levysaysresearchshowsstudentswhoaremembersof
classroomswhichusemulticulturaleducation,students,likeLarbeestated,aremore
likelytofeelliketheybelong,andbecauseofthisfeelingofbelongingaremorelikelyto
cooperateandparticipateinclassroomactivities.Tothatextent,astudentwhois
cooperatingandparticipatingisalsolearning,notjustaboutmulticulturaleducationbut
alsoinalldifferentaspectsoftheclassroom.So,thestudentintheclassroomthatuses

Aaron,MulticulturalEducation

multiculturaleducationisastudentwhofeelsheorshebelongsandparticipatesthrough
allthedifferentactivitiesoftheschooldayandlearnsfromthedifferentactivities.
Multiculturaleducationisimportantforstudentsofalldifferentagestolearn.
However,itsabsolutelykeyforyoungstudentsinearlyelementaryschool.Lessonson
multiculturaleducationarethestudentsfirstintroductiontotheidea,noteveryonelives
alifejustliketheirs.Inadditionthesestudentslearnitsokaytobedifferentbecause
werealldifferentinourownwayandthesedifferencesarewhatmakesaspecialand
shouldbecelebrated,nothidden.

WorkCited:
Banks,James.AnIntroductiontoMulticulturalEducation.4th.edition.2008,Pearson,
Allyn/Bacon
Labaree,D.(1997).PublicGoods,PrivateGoods:TheAmericanStruggleOver
EducationalGoals.AmericanEducationalResearchJournal,34,3981.
RetrievedSeptember10,2014.
Levy,A.(2008,January1).EarlychildhoodNEWSArticleReadingCenter.Retrieved
December7,2014,from

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?Art
icleID=141
MartinLutherKingIHaveaDreamSpeechAmericanRhetoric.(n.d.).Retrieved
November27,2014,from
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

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McLeod,S.(2010,January1).PreoperationalStageEgocentrism|SimplyPsychology.
RetrievedNovember29,2014,from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/preoperational.html
MulticulturalEducationDefinition.(2013,August29).RetrievedNovember29,2014,
fromhttp://edglossary.org/multiculturaleducation/

Aaron,MulticulturalEducation