January 22, 2009

You Will Create a Personal Logo
Expressing Your Perspective
On Multicultural Education.

Greetings, interns,  

One important goal of multicultural education (MCE) is "to help teachers minimize the problems related to diversity and to maximize its educational opportunities and possibilities" (Banks, 2008, p. x). We can do this best when we recognize and acknowledge our individual perspectives on MCE methodology. You will have several assignments this semester to help you explore key aspects of MCE and reflect on what multiculturalism means to you as an emerging professional. You also will learn how to employ this vital information in your classrooms.

Statistics point out that over 40 percent of U.S. public school students are now children of color (Banks, 2008) and that almost 20 percent of all U.S. citizens over the age of five speak another language besides English at home. Because our society is changing dramatically, we must learn how to recognize the expressions of societal and cultural changes in the classroom.

How Do We Define MCE?

In our first class, I asked you to come up with a definition of multicultural education that reflects your current understanding of the methodology. Some answers included:

the process of teaching and learning about different cultures;

a style of education that attempts to incorporate the various learning styles of different cultures into curriculum;

learning about different cultures, how to understand them, value them, and interact with them in society;

teaching with all cultures in mind…. understanding students’ misconceptions that may stem from cultural differences;

teaching in a way that recognizes and values the diverse cultural backgrounds of students and members of the education community;

teaching for the benefit of all the cultures in your class;

designing a curriculum that teaches about different cultures;

teaching students to be open-minded and to be accepting of other beliefs and ideas.

We then compared your definitions to a more formal definition, which states that multicultural education is:

A reform movement designed to change the total educational environment so that students from diverse racial and ethnic groups, both gender groups, exceptional students, and students from each social class will experience equal educational opportunities in schools, colleges, and universities (Bowles, 2007).

As you prepare to enter your semester's work with an eye toward excellence and accomplishment, take a moment now to think about the similarities and differences that emerged in our attempts to define MCE.  Let your reflective thinking guide your efforts. 

In designing assignments for our class, I considered how you could reflect on your own diversity and also discover the diversity of your students so that they, too, receive instruction designed to meet their experiences and knowledge in an environment that is safe, respectful, and engaging.

A Logo for Your Student Page

Your first assignment is the MC LOGO. Be creative and reflective as you plan and design a visual representation of your perspective on multicultural education. The design will also serve as the logo for your student page on the Multicultural Issues class website. You can check out the logos created by last year's interns by clicking on the Teotihuacan mask.

Your assignment consists of two parts: the visual depiction — your logo — and the written explanation of how the logo reflects the essential principles of teaching and learning about MCE.

You can draw your logo, scan a piece of artwork, a photo or an illustration, or create a computer graphic. Your explanation should include how the logo relates to the essential principles of teaching and learning in a multicultural society. These principles fall under the major categories of teacher learning; student learning; intergroup relations; school governance, organization and equity; and assessment.

To read more about the principles, consult the article by Banks, “Diversity Within Unity,” on the New Horizons for Learning website. Banks lists 12 principles to guide you in your choice of a visual representation. For example, key words that might help you in determining your logo include "all students," "high standards," "positive interracial relationships," and "values.” Many of these terms appear in your own definitions.

You can also consider several dimensions of multiculturalism including age, class, ethnicity, exceptionality, gender, geographic region, language, race, and religion as you create your design. By the way, make sure you have a little bit of fun, too, as you practice your graphics arts skills.

Good luck with this performance-based assessment. You are about to "show what you know."

Freddie A. Bowles
Assistant Professor of Foreign Language Education
Curriculum and Instruction
College of Education and Health Professions
University of Arkansas
PEAH 314
Fayetteville, AR 72701
479-575-3035
 

Text reference:

Banks, J. A. (2008). An introduction to multicultural education. Boston: Pearson.

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