Celebrating All Cultures in Education

One of the greatest challenges teachers face is how to meet the needs of their diverse groups of students. They must continually ask themselves the following questions:

• What actions can I take to help all students see themselves in the curriculum?
• How can I prevent cultural bias from affecting student achievement?
• How can I encourage students to view events from multiple perspectives?

These questions can be addressed through multicultural education, which can be implemented in different ways.

In this video, we will describe four approaches to multicultural education, along with some of their advantages and disadvantages. We will also describe some specific actions teachers can take to create an inclusive classroom for all students.

What Is Multicultural Education?

Multicultural education is a form of teaching designed to create equal opportunities for all students. It seeks to ensure that the classroom reflects different people and cultures and provides students with knowledge about the histories and contributions of diverse groups of people.

Multicultural education requires commitment and planning. Without thorough advance planning, it can be implemented in disjointed or superficial ways. However, there are approaches that can be used to incorporate multicultural education at deeper levels.

Dr. James A. Banks, an educator and leader in multicultural education, outlined four approaches that can be incorporated in the classroom at various levels. Let’s explore these four approaches now.

The Contributions Approach

The first level is the contributions approach, also known as the “Heroes and Holidays” approach. At this level, heroes from various groups are added to the existing curriculum, and holidays from different cultures are celebrated. Examples include studying Rosa Parks during Black History Month and having a classroom celebration for Chinese New Year.

The contributions approach is frequently used because it is easy to implement and does not require any structural changes to the existing curriculum.

However, there are several drawbacks to this approach. Because the people and events are studied in isolation, students do not develop an understanding that these groups as a whole are a vital part of American history and society. This approach also avoids delving into deeper issues affecting the daily life of marginalized groups today, and it may reinforce stereotypes.

The Additive Approach

The next level is known as the additive approach. In this approach, additional content and perspectives are added to the existing curriculum, still without changing its basic structure. For example, when students are completing a social studies unit on explorers, they may read about Columbus’s interactions with indigenous peoples. Or, an English teacher may incorporate works from diverse authors during a unit on poetry.

This approach goes deeper than the contributions approach, as students explore concepts and content from multiple perspectives, going beyond individual people and events. Like the contributions approach, it is easy to implement, as content is added to existing curriculum without restructuring it.

However, the additive approach has some drawbacks as well. The added content is often told from the point of view of mainstream contributors, such as textbook writers. Mainstream groups are also typically selecting the additional content to include based on their own criteria. It also falls short of helping students understand how the cultures and histories of different groups are interrelated, often depicting other groups as having a limited impact on society..

The Transformative Approach

The third level is known as the transformative approach. At this level, the curriculum is structurally changed. Rather than a curriculum focused on mainstream groups and perspectives, with the addition of multicultural content, each issue or event is explored from multiple, diverse points of view. For example, rather than including a discussion of indigenous peoples during a unit on European exploration, the class may instead study the effects of colonization in multiple locations and periods in history, exploring the perspectives of the different groups involved in each.

This approach goes deeper than the first two approaches, focusing on the connected histories of different groups and the ways in which this interconnectedness has led to our current society. It also serves as a foundation for the next approach. However, it requires more time and planning to implement.

The Decision-Making and Social Action Approach

The fourth level is known as the decision-making and social action approach. In this approach, students are encouraged to use what they learn about societal inequities to become agents of social change. They study issues, gather data, and formulate plans to enact change in tangible ways.

For example, after learning about how some cultural perspectives are underrepresented in school literature, students may lead an initiative for the school library to purchase books by more diverse authors.

This approach empowers students to enact change to improve their world. Like the transformative approach, however, it requires thoughtful planning.

It is important to note that multiple approaches can be used within the same classroom. For example, after analyzing a current event from multiple viewpoints, part of the transformative approach, students may consider ways they can take action to assist people impacted by the event, part of the decision-making and social action approach.

Creating an Inclusive Classroom

In addition to utilizing the approaches to multicultural education we just discussed, there are some specific steps teachers can take to foster an inclusive classroom.

First, teachers can incorporate a variety of texts, videos, music, and other materials into the classroom. These materials should represent diverse cultures, groups, and viewpoints and avoid stereotypes. If any stereotypes are encountered, teachers should promptly address them with the students.

Teachers should also be aware of bias. They should avoid cultural references that may be unfamiliar to some students when developing instructional content and assessments. These references may cause students to answer questions incorrectly, even if they possess the knowledge and skills the questions are supposed to measure.

Consider a question that asks students to identify the word that does not belong, with the answer choices of heart, cupid, February, and wreath. Students who do not celebrate Valentine’s Day may miss the question, even if they are able to categorize other familiar words correctly.

Additionally, teachers should encourage open and respectful communication, where students can share opinions and perspectives. Students should be encouraged to support their points with evidence, build upon one another’s comments, and consider new evidence, even when it conflicts with a previously held viewpoint. Discussions and collaborative activities can be built into lesson plans, and teachers should consider seating arrangements and other logistics that foster this type of communication.

Teachers should also aim to build a sense of community, letting all students know they are respected and valued.

Review

Let’s review what we learned in this video.

• Multicultural education is a form of teaching designed to create equal opportunities for all students.
• Dr. James A. Banks outlined four approaches to multicultural education.
• In the contributions approach, students learn about heroes from various groups and celebrate holidays from other cultures.
• In the additive approach, additional content and perspectives are added to the mainstream curriculum, without changing its basic structure.
• In the transformative approach, issues or events are explored from multiple, diverse points of view. The structure of the curriculum is changed.
• In the decision-making and social action approach, students are encouraged to use what they learn about social inequities to become agents of social change.
• Teachers should also create inclusive classrooms by incorporating diverse materials, avoiding bias, encouraging respectful communication, and other measures.

Now for a couple of review questions to practice:

Questions

1. A fifth-grade class reads a lesson in their social studies textbook about the Boston Massacre. The teacher then reads a short biography of Crispus Attucks, who was believed to be the first casualty of the American Revolution. The class then discusses what they learned about the event, citing details from both texts. Which approach to multicultural education is described in this scenario?

2. How might the topic of the American Revolution be addressed with the transformative approach?

That’s it for now; thanks for watching and happy studying!