TEACHING IN

MULTICULTURAL
CLASSES

Ariola, Jelyzer Carmela N.

BSE4E1
Multicultural
Education:
A Challenge to Global Teachers
“All men are pretty much alike.
It is only by culture that they
are set apart.”
Confucius
What is
Culture?
“the values, traditions, social and worldview
shared by a group of people bound together by
a combination of factors.” (Derman and Sparks)
Diversity of Learners and
Multicultural Education

“the major goal of multicultural education is to

transform the school so that the male and
female students, exceptional learners, as well as
students coming from diverse cultural, social-
class, racial and ethnic groups will receive an
equal opportunity to learn in school.”
-James Banks
 Students may differ in:

 Race
 Ethnic or religious groups
 Economic status
 Languages spoken
 Family background
 Some could be stricken by poverty,
unemployment, relocations, etc.
In the midst of this diversity, students are
supposed to receive equal opportunities
to education.

In order to do this, we need:

• Curricular and instructional modifications

• (Different) Teaching styles

• Re-examination of teachers’ attitudes, beliefs and

perception
 This movement called
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
enables teachers and educators to give
value to the differences in prior
knowledge, experiences of learners from
diverse background and familiarity with
students’ histories of diverse cultures.
(Haertel, 1998)
Goals of
Multicultural Education:
Develop and foster a democratic and just society where
all groups experience cultural democracy and
empowerment
Improve academic achievement of all students

Help the students to develop the knowledge, attitudes

and skills needed to function within their own and other
micro cultures, and within global community

Provide opportunities to gain cultural competency

How do we achieve these GOALS?
 To achieve these goals, it is very
important for teachers to be
knowledgeable about differences in
cultures, religion, ethnicity, and even the
language spoken by the students.
Suggestions to understand multi-cultural
learners: (Fraser-Abner, 2001)

• Learn as much about and become as sensitive

to and aware of racial, ethnic, cultural and
gender groups other than your own

• Never make assumptions about an individual

based on their perception of that individual’s
race, ethnicity, culture or gender
Suggestions to understand multi-cultural
learners: (Fraser-Abner, 2001)

• Avoid stereotyping

• Get to know each student as a unique

individual: Walk in the footsteps of all your
students
Other suggestions include:
• Look into your own conscious and subconscious biases
about the people who are different from yourselves

• Plan your activities within a multicultural framework

while making your classroom a safe and secure place
for all the students

• Infuse multicultural instructional materials and

strategies in your teaching

• Foster collaboration and cooperation among your

learners, parents and teachers
“a caring environment will always
enhance academic achievement.”