Multicultural

Education Issues and Perspectives Seventh Edition James A. Banks and Cherry A. McGee Banks
Chapter 1 Review 1) What are the three components or elements of multicultural education? The three components of multicultural education are: (1) a concept or idea; (2) an educational reform movement; (3) a process. 2) How does Banks define multicultural education? Banks defines multicultural education as the idea that all students [] should have an equal opportunity to learn in school and that some students with certain characteristics (gender, race, etc.) should have a better chance to learn in schools as they are currently structured than do students who belong to other groups or who have different cultural characteristics (pg. 3). Essentially, Banks asserts that multicultural education is the reform movement that assures all students will have an EQUAL opportunity to learn. 3) Find other definitions of multicultural education in several books listed under the category Issues and Concepts in the Appendix. How are the definitions of multicultural education in these books alike and different from the ones presented in this chapter? 4) In what ways did the civil rights and womens rights movements of the 1960s and the 1970s influence the development of multicultural education? There were two main groups that this text discusses as helping the development of multicultural education. These two main groups were African-Americans and women. African-Americans vital decade was 1960, as they began to fight for equality. Their platform focused on public accommodations, housing, employment, and education. According to Banks, the result of their efforts from the time period in question was a lot of holidays (or ethnic celebrations) and class offering that focused on one ethnic group. These kinds of celebrations and classes were led by members of that specific group, and often almost unanimously attended by members of the same group. Banks claims these reforms were hastily made, and were not educationally sound. Women also were a key reform in the 1960s, as well as in the 1970s, and they focused mainly on equal pay, eliminating laws that discriminated against women, hiring more women in administration style jobs, and having men take a more active role in the home. These problems were very similar to those of the African-Americans. In terms of educational reform, women demanded textbooks be rewritten to include the role of women throughout history and they demanded more female administrators in schools. Other groups that demanded reform included people with disabilities, senior citizens, and gay rights advocates. One law, The Education for the All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, required that students with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment and brought the term mainstreaming into schools.

5) Ask several teachers to give you their views and definitions of multicultural education. What generalizations can you make about their responses? [Will be done during interview assignment] 6) Visit a local school and, by observing several classes as well as by interviewing several teachers and the principal, describe what curricular and other practices related to multicultural education have been implemented in the school. Share your report with your classmates and workshop colleagues. [Will be done during interview assignment] 7) What is macroculture? A microculture? A macroculture is the larger of the two cultures, and is considered the core culture. It is the macroculture that sets the values, norms, and characteristics of what is considered acceptable. A microculture is the smaller culture, and is considered part of the core culture. 8) How is culture defined? What are the most important components of culture in a modernized society? According to the text, culture is a groups program for survival in and adaptation to its environment (pg. 8). The components of culture include knowledge, concepts, and values that are shared by group members. Beliefs, symbols, and interpretations are also shared in this group. 9) List and define several core or overarching values and characteristics that make up the macroculture of the US. To what extent are these values and characteristics consistent with practices in the US society? To what extent are the inconsistent? These are what I consider to be core values/characteristics of the US macroculture: - The appearance of choice in politics: Americans like to think they have a choice in the political bodies that govern them. I find this slightly inconsistent because poll numbers indicate that a big population does not participate in voting. Also, when watching shows like Jimmy Kimmell Live, the general public does not appear to be educated on current events and are unaware of what is happening in the government that they hypothetically placed in control. - The idea that more is better: This extends from free refills to buffet lines in restaurants, to bigger cars and huge houses. - The idea of beauty as tall, skinny, and blonde most entertainment displays women who are super skinny and donning a mountain of make-up. Theyre in magazines, on TV, in music videos, etc. Lately, there seems to be an inconsistency with the popularity of plus-size clothing stores and celebrities posting unflattering, online pictures. 10) How is individualism viewed differently in the US and in nations such as Japan or China? Why? What are the behavioral consequences of these varying notions of individualism? Individualism is a common core belief in the US, while it is viewed very negatively in countries such as China and Japan. The ideal of individualism, which stems from Protestant values when the British first came over, stresses the belief that individual success is more important than family, community, and the nation. This belief is instilled in children at a young age, along with the idea that success is based solely on an individuals efforts. This idea contrasts sharply with Groupism, found in many Asian

countries. In these countries, individuals are expected to value family and the societal group over them selves. Some consequences of individualism: - Married children expect older parents to live independently or in a nursing home, instead of with the married children - Failure is seen as a sign of laziness or not being ambitious, and therefore ones own fault 11) What is the American dilemma defined by Myrdal? To what extent is this concept an accurate description of values in US society? Explain. According to Myrdal, the American dilemma is the fact that the American ideal (equality and human dignity) conflicts with their actions (institutionalized discriminations). He further states that most Americans are willing to eliminate discriminations because they realize the inconsistency with their ideals. Based on what I have read, I would say this is fairly accurate for reasons I addressed in question #4. 12) How do preferred ways of learning and knowing among women and students of color often influence their experiences in the schools as they are currently structured? In what ways can school reform help make the school environment more consistent with the learning and cognitive styles of women and students of color? According to research studies, most women prefer learning from first hand-observations while men tend to prefer separate and individualistic learning methods. Mexican American students prefer person knowledge as well, and respond positively to information presented in a humanized/story format. In addition to common differentiation methods, I think the Common Core changes are being made in an effort to accommodate learning preferences such as these. 13) In what ways does the process of identifying and labeling students with mental retardation discriminate against groups such as African Americans and Latinos? The identification of African Americans and Latinos as mentally retarded is unfair because methods for labeling them as such are based on intelligence tests that reflect the skills and knowledge of the macroculture. The macroculture is White, Male, and middle-to-upper class. The tests also emphasize verbal skills and knowledge that are very different from their own microculture. 14) In what ways can the characteristics of a group help us understand an individuals behavior? In what ways are group characteristics limited in explaining an individuals behavior? According to sociologists, studying a groups characteristics cannot predict an individuals behavior, but it can indicate what is probable. This is because groups possess certain characteristics that transcend the lives of individuals. Religion can be one of the most influential indicators. Ethnicity also becomes important when an individual goes from being part of the majority to the minority. The reason knowing characteristics of a group is somewhat limited is because human will has to be a factor as well. Not every individual within a group makes the same decision.

15) How do variables such as race, class, and gender interact to influence the behavior of students? Give examples to support your response. According to the text, some general observations have been made about students behaviors. Middle- class students and higher-class Mexican American students tend to be more field-independent than lower-class students and lower-class Mexican Americans. African Americans students tend to be more group orientated than White students. Overall, females also are prone to groups as opposed to males. 16) What is meant by social construction of categories? In what ways are concepts such as gender, race, social class, and exceptionality social categories? Social construction of categories means that society has created these groupings. The categories include gender, race, ethnicity, class, and exceptionality. Gender is a social category because even though its usually defined by physical characteristics, in common day it is seen as a mental state of being. There are many cases of a person being born one gender and changing to accommodate what they feel they truly are. Race is defined by physical characteristics, while ethnicity refers to the microculture found within the race. The social part to these categories are the perceptions and values of each group. Whether a person is exceptional or disabled is socially constructed. In terms of exception-ability, while there are students who are classified as gifted with special talents and abilities, others are labeled as such because their parents are smart or yield some kind of power in the community/school. Therefore, these students are exceptional simply because society decrees it. 17) List and define 5 dimensions of multicultural education. The five dimensions of multicultural education are: 1) Content Integration 2) The Knowledge Construction Process 3) Prejudice Reduction 4) An Equity Pedagogy 5) An Empowering School Culture