fostering multiculturalism and bi/multilingualism in the ... · pdf filedifference between...

Fostering Multiculturalism and

Bi/Multilingualism in the Age of the Hidden

Curriculum

Abir Eldaba Dorota Silber-Furman

Rufaro A. Chitiyo

Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN USA

Multiculturalism

• A demographic description of a society

• An ideology on the part of individuals or

governments that celebrates cultural, ethnic, and

religious diversity

• Particular policies or programs undertaken by

institutions or governments

• Political theory that lays out principals for

governing diverse societies

(Bloemraad, Korteweg, & Yurdakul, 2008, p. 159)

Multicultural Education

• All students have the right to learn equally in

schools.

• It acknowledges the beliefs, values, experiences,

and perspectives of marginalized groups who are

not usually represented in academia.

• It emphasizes the common traditions that unite us

as well.

Why Multicultural Education?

• Changing demographics of public schools

o White students will represent less than half of the

school-aged population by 2040.

o Hispanic students are anticipated to increase by 64%

over the next 20 years.

• Develop a just society where all diverse groups

are empowered and represented.

• Improve all students’ academic achievement.

• Preparing students to function effectively within

diverse national and global communities.

Challenges of Multicultural Education

• High-stakes testing

• Teachers’ academic preparation for

multicultural education

• Textbooks that reflect Eurocentric

perspective

• Culturally inadequate classroom

Dimensions of Multicultural Education

• Content integration

• Knowledge construction

• Prejudice reduction

• Equity pedagogy

• Empowering school culture Banks (2007)

Characteristics of Multicultural Classrooms

• Have high expectations for all students

• Connect abstract content to students’ real lives

• Teaching styles that meet learning styles of all

students

• Testing procedures that result in representing

marginalized students in the gifted classes Banks (1999)

Outing the hidden curricula!

• Hidden Curricula is an umbrella term:

• Hidden, unspoken “imperatives” of a school where most of

the learning rules or guidelines reflect the 'white' dominant

culture values and practices, and separates those who

don't have the cultural match-ups that schooling requires

like minority students, who face the most educational

disadvantage and who are left behind.

• Jackson (1968): The unspoken 3R: Rules, Routines, and

Regulations all needed in order to be successful in

schooling.


• Sydner (1971): hidden curricula = “covert tasks which

produce unplanned lessons that students must master in

order to cope with daily classroom demands.”

• Vallance (1980): researchers should explore hidden

curricula through the lens of sexism and racism.

• Hemming (2000): “ hallways, lunchrooms, bathrooms, and

other corridor spaces; places most lessons were

conveyed” (p.4)


• Messages that are conveyed in an informal way but

they put weight on underlining the importance of

culture, values, practices, and religion of a dominant

social group

• “Because Texas buys textbooks for more than 4

million students, publishers tend to write textbooks

designed to capture the Texas market. They then

sell the same textbooks in other states” (Kopplin,

2013)


• "The State of Texas is failing to provide many of its

minority students with equal educational

opportunities” (Graczyk, 2010).

• “Implementation of the curriculum changes and

new standardized tests have to be stopped for

being racially or ethnically offensive or historically

inaccurate” (Graczyk, 2010).

• Recent changes in the Texas Board of Education


Recommendations:

• Be aware and be critical of information in the textbooks.

• Be reflective of equal representation of students in classrooms’

libraries and classroom art.

• Provide educational materials that represent all the students.

• Tests written without cultural and gender bias.

• Encompass students with a cosmopolitan curriculum that fosters

multiculturalism.

Conclusion:

Teachers, educators, & administrators should be aware of hidden

curricula and reflect if all of our students are equally and fairly

represented in textbooks, materials, classrooms, and hallways.

Bilingualism/Multilingualism

• Background o 1 in 5 children in the U.S and 21% of U.S population

are bilingual

• What? o Sign language + spoken/written language?

• Difference between bilingualism and

multilingualism

o Hyperpolyglots

Benefits

• Better cognitive abilities o Cognitive flexibility

o Concept formation

o Creativity

o Logical reasoning

o Classification skills

• Handle distractions better

o Multitasking

Cons/Myths ???

• A person is not truly bilingual unless he is equally

proficient in both languages.

• Bilingualism causes language delay.

• When children mix their languages it means that they are

confused and having trouble becoming bilingual.

• Parents should adopt the “one parent-one language”

approach when exposing their child to two languages.

• If you want your child to speak the majority language, you

should stop speaking your home language with your

child.

• An individual must learn a second language as a young

child in order to become bilingual.

Fun Facts

• More than ½ the world is bilingual

• Rich people hiring bilingual nannies

• Infants born to bilingual parents can cry in their native

language

• Music can be successful in helping children acquire a 2nd

language

• Most adults can sing in another language, but cannot

speak the language

Recommendations

• Allow children to use their native language in

schools

• Provide systematic exposure to both languages

• Avoid radical changes to child’s language

environment

• Collaborate with families

• Respect & value (language and power)

• Speak child’s language

• Provide transitional programs as needed UNESCO (2011)

References

Banks, J. A. (1999). An introduction to multicultural education. (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Banks, J. A. (2007). Educating citizens in a multicultural society. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teaching College Press.

Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. (2007). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Bloemraad, I., Korteweg, A., &Yurdakul, G. (2008). Citizenship and immigration: Multiculturalism, assimilation, and

challenges to the nation-state. 34, 153–179.

Cavaluzzi, M. (2010). Promoting cultural and linguistic diversity: Supporting bilingualism in the early childhood

classroom. Texas Child Care.

Huval, Rebecca. "Revising The Revisionaries: The Texas Board of Ed Loses Power over Textbooks." PBS. PBS, 24

Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

Kazanjian, Christopher. "Finding a Worldly Curriculum: Utilizing a Cosmopolitan Curriculum in a Global

Community." Journal of Global Responsibility 3.2 (2012): 187-97. ProQuest. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

Kopplin, Zack. "Creationists Are Choosing Texas' Science Textbooks." Slate Magazine. N.p., 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 16

Mar. 2014.

Smith, E. B. (2009). Approaches to multicultural education in preservice teacher education: Philosophical frameworks

and models for teaching. Multicultural Education, 16(3), 45.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2011). Enhancing Learning of children from diverse

language backgrounds: Mother tongue-based bilingual or multilingual education in the early years.

Wren, David J. "School Culture: Exploring the Hidden Curriculum." Adolescence 34.135 (1999): 593-6. ProQuest. Web.

12 Mar. 2014.

Presenters’ Contact Information

Abir Eldaba: [email protected]

Dorota Silber-Furman: [email protected]

Rufaro Chitiyo: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



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