Multiculturalism SPSE 6810

PITHISSIPPI BURNING

This article was quite disturbing to me. It's starts out talking about the imagination of white separatists and their idea to move the "mud people" out and have only "aryans" in this location. The mud people are the non whites and the aryans are the whites. I think it's crazy that there is even a flag for this movement.

The fear from these people is that in about fifty years, white culture will have ceased. Covington and those who run with him are afraid of "the end of white America". It made me wonder why do these people think that America has to be white? After all, we are known as the melting pot. I think it is really unfortunate considering as much ground as the US has covered since segregation, that there are still these prejudice thoughts. The comments and views from the people that commented on this blog were also disturbing.

During my teaching experiences, I have met so many students that could not be more excited to be living in the US and learning English. I wonder what those students would say if they read about some of the views on this website? People migrate on a daily basis to the United States to hopefully start a better life. This is what the country has been built on and I think it's ridiculous that some people think we need to remain a "white only country".

WHY MULTICULTURALISM IS WRONG

This article discusses the definition and meaning of "multiculturalism". The author talks about how this word cannot be defined as "equality". It does seem to be a term, that in my opinion, is "old school". It displays a thinking that was common in the 1900's. We are a diverse culture and it's too bad that it's not really seen like this.

I can relate to this when I worked at a head start program for children. The article talks about migrants that leave their culture and are obligated to rejoin it in their new country they live in. Obviously, certain cultures want to be among friends, family, and acquaintances from their own country, but hopefully in the future, the US will really be "diverse" and have neighbors from other cultures on either side of their homes.

THE CHALLENGE OF MULTICULTURALISM

This article discusses the US adopting many national identities. The problem seems to be that the history is more separation then inclusion. It does seem difficult, as the article states, to write a single American history that would satisfy all races and cultures that now live in the United States.
The quote by John Quincy Adams about Europeans forgetting about where they came from and basically "becoming white" is crazy to me. Although it would be hard to find a history that covers everyone here in the US, it seems that there must be a way to incorporate other aspects of world history into the curriculum.
Looking back, I realize that although I had to study a lot of American history, I also had history classes that covered many cultures. I hope that all of this old school thinking will vanish with the older generations. I also hope that the current and upcoming generation will be much more open and excited to not only welcome, but also learn about other cultures, traditions, and customs.

What is Standard English?

This is a very interesting question that I have actually been faced with quite a lot in my teaching experiences.

I was working with a business man from China when I first encountered this question. His Chinese accent was pretty strong, but his knowledge of English and his grammar were flawless. I quickly tried to think of a region that spoke "standard English". After contemplating this decision and asking my friends and family, I came to the conclusion that "standard English" is a personal opinion. About.com defines the phrase "standard English" by stating that what is considered standard English in one region may not be considered standard in another region. I agree that this "standard English" is a personal opinion.

What is Grammar? Descriptive? Prescriptive?

I like the quote from William Somerset Maugham the best when it comes to defining grammar: grammar is common speech formulated. I have read that we all know grammar or else we wouldn't be able to communicate. Descriptive and prescriptive grammar are two very different types of grammar. In my classroom, I would sometimes refer to descriptive grammar as "street grammar" and prescriptive grammar as "proper grammar". It seems to me that there are situations where prescriptive grammar is completely necessary or even demanded. Some examples could be an interview, certain jobs, public broadcasting, etc. For the most part, however, most people probably rely on descriptive grammar on a day to day basis. I have found that many students that have learned English abroad, or in their home countries, speak very formal English. This can cause problems sometimes when these students come to the United States and realize most people in the states speak "street English".

What is the value of studying English?

I'm sure there are few people that would not prefer to be "grammatically correct". According to about.com , grammar is important because it is the language that makes it possible for us to talk, I believe that there is a certain level of grammar knowledge necessary to communicate effectively. Obviously, the more grammar one knows, the better off they will be in many areas in life. It does seem, however, that not a lot of people have a perfect grasp on grammar. While teaching I would hear my students complain about the fact that most people in the US do not have perfect grammar and they do not see the value in studying grammar. I like to share with them that since they are studying English, they should study it correctly. Once they know and understand the rules of grammar, they may realize that there are certain times when most people in the US do not stick to the strict rules of grammar. It's one thing to not stick to the grammar rules one hundred percent of the time, but without a general understanding, they will not be able to effectively communicate in English.

Which English is best?

The article on about.com about which English is best, was very valid to my current thoughts on this topic. Language is very often related to social class. I have encountered this personally, with my own English. I was born in Michigan, but basically raised in the south. All of my family members have a strong northern accent. Myself, on the other hand, very quickly picked up the twang of the south. My family member would jokingly tease me about my southern accent. To them, it often made me sound very uneducated. This is a common stigma that comes with a southern accent. On the other hand, many people associate a northern accent with someone that is "snobish". There is a stigma with pretty much all accents.

I like to have my students listen to different accents and see if they can understand the different areas of English. It is difficult for them when they learn English in a certain area and then travel to find that they do not easily understand a different accent. Standard English and the "best English" go hand in hand in way, in that they are both based on personal opinion.

Teaching grammar in an ESL Classroom

In my experiences, there seems to be a "happy balance" between grammar and what I call "street English". While teaching adults, most of the students have had a great handle on their grammar. The students were more interested in learning things like slang, idioms, humor, etc. Grammar is like the back bone of learning English. Once a student has a good handle on grammar, I think it's important to branch out and focus on vocabulary, comprehension, and other forms of casual English.

Grammar is very necessary in the ESL classroom, but I think a good teacher can find ways to sneak in grammar while also including the other fun aspects of learning ESL.

Principled Eclecticism

The use of utilizing different teaching styles in the classroom seems to be something that more and more teachers are focusing on these days. Although it can often be challenging to cater to individual students, it is unproductive to teach in a way that does not reach out to students. I have had many students tell me about their learning experiences in their home countries. I have heard from many of them that they learned mostly by lecture and note taking. This type of learning may be successful for some students, but many students prefer to learn with hands on, and visual type activities.

I think a dedicated and motivated teacher will survey the ESL classroom to discover the different types of learning styles present in the class and try to cater the agenda accordingly.

SPSE 6810 - Multicultural Education

Multicultural Education

My own working definition ......

Multicultural Education is a style of teaching that requires a wide range of complex and different teaching strategies, ideas, outsourcing and supplemental material. It requires each child to be given the ideal learning situation regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or background. The educator must focus on other cultures beside the mainstream culture in order to eliminate prejudice. This method of teaching must also continually change, improve, and be updated on a frequent basis.

My initial, personal, and reflective thoughts regarding the challenge of defining multicultural education ....

Initially, the term "multicultural education" makes me think solely of different races. I think this type of thinking could be a major challenge when defining multicultural education. Although multicultural education should include the traditions, ideas, and culture of other races, it is not limited to just this aspect of different races.

After taking the equity quiz, my eyes were opened to many other aspects of multicultural education. Although I figured I would be surprised by some of the correct answers to the quiz, I had no idea just how many of them I would miss! A couple of examples I'd like to share:

*SAT scores were highly based on family income

* The massive size of the US military budget

* There is no educational difference when a child is raised by a single parent or both parents

* The high percentage of homophobic remarks from teachers

* 2% of the world assesses the Internet

The above examples are also main points that make up the definition of multicultural education. After reading the material provided on this topic, I also found that the definition may also include teaching styles, different materials used inside of the classroom, different perspectives, and the implementation of outside resources such as counseling, therapy, and interpreters.

Challenges facing classroom teachers as they strive to implement multicultural practices in their classroom...

There are numerous challenges teachers must face when dealing with this topic. According to Paul C. Gorski's website, most curricula are necessarily built around textbooks and standardized tests. This obviously makes it difficult for a teacher to incorporate multicultural education. It will require a teacher to do additional work and research to try to "fit in" multicultural education. There is also a lack of training and preparation for developing multicultural curricula. A quick example I read about was the fact that there is not much material available on the Muslim culture. This leaves most students with the only information they have heard, which would be from the terrorist attack on 9-11.
A language barrier can also be a major hurdle a teacher may need to overcome. The blog posting from Louise Rocha McCarthy is a prime example. She discusses a situation where a student was "translating" to his mother that he was on the honor roll, when he was actually failing.
Kelly Wickham also blogged that teachers must become students themselves in order to become more educated on multiculturalism. I know this will be a challenge, because not all teachers are self motivated enough to go out and educate themselves.
I believe this topic will always be under debate and the definition will constantly be changing. It is important for educators to be researching and evaluating multicultural education on a regular basis.
I know in my personal teaching experiences, I have always done my best to bring outside sources into the classroom. I have taught abroad in three different countries, and while I try not to limit my knowledge to these three cultures, I always share my stories and travels with my students.After all, most teachers became teachers to educate young minds and to do so in the best manner possible. It might take extra work to fully understand and implement multicultural education, but it seems like something that is crucial to the educational world.

Michelle Samoray