Academic Summary of “Acting on Beliefs in Teacher Education for Cultural Diversity” By Gay (2010) The article “Acting on Beliefs in Teacher Education for Cultural Diversity” by Gay (2010), who is a Professor at University of Washington in Faculty of Education, focuses on educating teachers for cultural diversity in classroom environments, which is frequently discussed but not a well-developed topic. According to Gay (2010), the society we live in has a huge impact on our lives, although we try to ignore or minimize its effect on educational area. There is a huge Eurocentric emphasis in the educational setting that affect students from culturally, ethnically and racially diverse backgrounds, and because of this she thinks that some major changes …show more content…
Although the author of the text is familiar with the American context, I believe all these arguments and strategies can be applied to different countries including Turkey. There are also different minority groups in Turkey like Kurds, Alevis etc. and they face serious problems in the education area similar to those in USA. Alongside the fact that Kurdish kids cannot get education on their own native language, they and the other minority groups become obligated to get education where there is a huge “Turkish identity” orientation like the Eurocentric orientation that is prevalent in USA. For example, Alevi children in Turkey have to attend the religion lessons that are mostly suitable with the beliefs of the majority and incompatible with their beliefs. As Gay (2010) states, although cultural diversity is seen as a positive and valuable in theory, it is often seen as a threat and tried to be eliminated in real life; and because of this reason teachers mostly deal with aspects of cultural diversity that won’t cause trouble for them. However, I believe that if a person chooses to be a teacher he/she has to have some responsibility to the society to be genuinely sensitive about these issues and has to act to promote acceptance of cultural diversity both in the society and in the education area. As Smylie (1995, as cited in Gay, 2010) states, the duty of the teachers is not only learning new subjects and instructional strategies, but also changing their beliefs of practice and “theories of
A review of Eric Lius', The Accidental Asian, and his search for self-discovery. Looking at how his experiences growing up relate to current and future generations of students who are trying to find where they belong in this ethnically structured society. Through Liu’s experiences, we can understand the struggle of identity and help students find their own. Finding that we do not have to have a strong connection to our heritage to have a strong identity and looking for our roots does not make us any less of the person we are now. Breaking stereotypes and understanding others is how we can help students in the future.
A classroom should be filled with a wide variety of languages, experiences, and cultural diversity. An effective teacher understands the importance of culturally responsive teaching, and recognizes the significance of including students ' cultural references in all aspects of learning. Having an enriching classroom that engages all students does not mean making judgments about a student’s culture based on their skin color, gender, or socioeconomic status, rather it means knowing each student in a way that is individualized. According to the authors of The First Day of School: How to be an Effective Teacher Harry Wong, race, gender, religion, financial statue, and skin color is the least important factor determining a student’s achievement. Moreover, demographics and culture are not an excuse for students’ lack of achievement.
The first two chapters of this book deal with the mindset that we as teachers must have in incorporating the framework and pedagogy into our classrooms. In becoming a culturally responsive teacher you must look at validation, affirmation, building, and bridging. In validation, we have a responsibility to our students to legitimize their culture and language. In being a teacher, rapport I with your students is critical in your success for reaching your students.
As a future teacher, I will strive to resemble culturally responsive teaching by seeking to understand the student's perspective further. Understanding the student’s perspective will create an educational environment that represents all people, honor individual diversity, and affirm unity among all members if the educational community (8a.0). As I begin to learn about ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic groups through different learning experiences, I realize how to pursue positive interactions with students of other backgrounds (8a.1). With this knowledge, I can analyze and adjust the curriculum to meet all groups of diversity in the classroom (8a.2).
In addition, it is critical that educators respect all identities regardless of their beliefs. Sparks and Edwards (2012) states that teachers should " pay close attention to the larger societal contexts as well as the individual family and life experiences that influence the racial identity and attitude development of each child we serve," (p.79). Educators should understand that cultural beliefs change and varies from person to person. However, racial and ethnicity does not
While our students have this experience, the experiences of those who stand before them in classrooms, are different and their faces are predominately white. As the K-12 enrollment has become a representation of race and ethnicity in our country, the face of the classroom teacher remains predominantly white. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, during the 2011-12 school year, 82 percent of the 3.4 million public school teachers were non-Hispanic white, while 7 percent were non-Hispanic black and 8 percent were Hispanic. There has been little to no change in that number over the last ten years.
Korn-Bursztyn and Bursztyn (2002) indicated that teachers lacking a multicultural education are inadequately prepared for the reality of a multi-racial society and tend to have low expectations for minority children. Teacher educators must ask themselves to what degree their teacher preparation programs (a) promote increased cultural self-awareness, (b) develop a recognition and appreciation of diversity, (c) promote cultural competency, and (d) prepare teachers to work effectively with a diverse group of students and parents. Teacher education programs that promote multicultural education is a necessity. It simply is not a matter of preference, it is a necessary knowledge and skill.
It is important that teachers have a high cultural and language competence in order to work with diverse
Urban Education Pedagogy In 1994, Gloria Ladson-Billings created the term “culturally relevant teaching”, which refers to pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially and emotionally (Coffey, 2008). Ladson-Billings created this term based on research and observations of teachers who are successful with low performing students and students of color. Culturally relevant teaching involves using culture as a tool to provide students’ with knowledge and skills. In general, it is a theory that allows teachers to build connections between students’ home and school lives and activate their prior knowledge (Coffey, 2008).
As an educator we should know and understand our own culture identity which is the first step to become a culturally competent practitioner. From that we will get to know how our cultural experience has moulded our own life which made us capable to acknowledge how these features impact on others. A culturally competent educator can communicate delicately and effectively with people who have different languages, cultures, religions, genders, ethnicities, disabilities, ages and sexualities and this educator will attempt to provide services which are consistent to the needs and values of the families and children by acknowledging them, and responding to them correctly. An Educator need to improve skills, knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices
As a second grade classroom teacher, I believe it is important for other educators to be aware of culturally responsive teaching which is closely related to multiculturalism. Culturally responsive teaching is pedagogy aware of the importance of considering the students’ culture in their learning. America’s educational system was built on a foundation of inequalities.
Tenorio says, “It is not the awareness of racial and cultural differences that leads to prejudice and racism, but how people respond to these differences” (p. 26). Every student is different. It is up to me and every other future teacher out there to always be available to their students as well as to be open minded and
IDEA lists three ways of being culturally skilled in the classroom. This includes the teacher being culturally alert in the class to connect the gap of learning about other ethnicities, learning to communicate to students in unwritten and non-vocal styles, and know the different views of the cultures, for example, skin-to skin contact, no communication, the clothing of the student, and simple gestures. This is important in my eyes because my school alone is very diverse, and I had my share of teachers that did not respect a certain students religion or culture. This upset me and made me want to learn more about different cultures and religions. It also leads me to want to work harder to become more culturally aware, and diverse for my future students and willing to do what I can to break down barriers that may be created by students of different cultures or religions.
(2012, p.45) informs us that “44 percent of Australians were born in other countries or are the children of parents from other countries”. In order for teachers to create an equitable playing field for all their students, they need to have a strong understanding of cultural diversity, how it is relevant to the classroom, what issues may arise for students from diverse backgrounds that could hinder their success in education, and suitable pedagogical strategies to support the learning and outcomes of these students. In this context, culture can be defined as "a mixture of ideas and practices, of meanings and activities, into which people are initiated, and to which they may subscribe as ways of living" (Lawrence et. al, 2012.
Introduction Have you heard before about multicultural education?. In the last years multicultural education has been increasing in all the countries around the world, but the question is why this issue became so relevant and how this kind of education brings impact, rather positive or negative to students? Schools are being forced to change their method and increase the academic level because of multiculturalism. In this passage you would know about what is the definition of multicultural education in United States schools.