Though every individual in our society is unique, with various cultural backgrounds, we all ultimately come together as one. Multiculturalism is the existence of those diverse cultures, including ethnic and religious groups, within a society. The goal of multiculturalism within the education system has been to assist others in understanding and appreciating cultural diversity, as well as to provide all students an opportunity to learn and receive a higher education. Unfortunately, not everyone will agree that multiculturalism in higher education is important, or that it is even necessary. Some believe that multicultural education is only directed toward minorities, discriminating against white, heterosexual males, while others believe that multiculturalism is against Western tradition. In this paper, we will dissect a portion of the American philosopher John R. Searle’s essay “Is There a Crisis in American Higher Education?”, briefly touching on the group he names the “traditionalists” who are against multiculturalism in education, and the other group he names the “challengers” who are for multiculturalism in education, along with some of his own assumptions and thoughts on the topic. …show more content…
The traditionalists’ view is that they would prefer to maintain the Western intellectual curriculum, and that if we are going to be an educated people in the United States, we must be familiar with the works of the Greeks, such as Hemingway or Socrates, as they define our culture. The challengers, however, do not agree with this statement, as they have found that these books are mostly written by white males from Europe and North America, and within the US there are still many minorities whose interests and achievements are overlooked and
In his article “Lost in America,” Douglas McGray highlights the isolationism of the American educational system Through his article, McGray expresses his concerns about the lack of focus of the American education system on the learning of foreign culture. The article was issued by Foreign Policy magazine in 2006. McGray’s target audiences are the ones that can make changes in the educational curriculum, which signifies that his intended audience includes American legislators involved in American curriculum policies. McGray, who is co-creator and editor-in-chief of Pop-Up Magazine claims that the American education has an isolationist curriculum.
Chapter 11 of Transforming Multicultural Education Policy and Practice, written by Pedro Noguera and Esa Syeed, details the myriad of policies, ideologies, academic approaches, and individual actions that have built racialized structures within American culture and continues to ensure inequality in urban schools through race. They go on to call the reader to action; we, as educators, must actively strive for and demand anti-racist policy, (help to) create programs that recognize with race and trauma, sustain culture and community in our curricula, and be reflective of our practices and policies that lend us to serving the interest of dominant society (p. 307). Similarly, in Chapter 2 of Bettina Love’s text, Love outlines historical and contemporary
What do Mexicana Teachers that Suffer from Depression Believe They Need to be Effective Teachers? Gabriela Gutierrez-Perez Liberal Studies Department College of Education California State University Monterey Bay Abstract The paper reviews what Mexicana teachers that suffer from depression need to be effective teachers.
In this article “Taking The Common Ground Beyond Cultural Identity” written by Kenneth A. Bruffee is an American Writing Center administrator and a professor emeritus in the department of English at Brooklyn College. He talks about the present patterns in multicultural liberal instruction. He expresses that the first undertaking of multicultural training, recognizing contrasts and making social "groupings," has missed the mark as the contrasts in the middle of "them" and "us" turn out to be more evident in advanced education. He proposes that understudies should now "figure out how to perceive and attest our honest to goodness shared characteristic”. Bruffee proposes that understudies ought to rather take in more about their own characters
Despite much discourse and research, a central question in preservice teacher education continues to evoke much debate: What do teacher candidates require to become effective teachers? The answer is not simple. The answer is as varied as the countless perspectives that encompass the history of pedagogy. Although there may be no specific answer to this essential question, just as there is no one superior teaching model or one type of student, there is a professional area of knowledge and skill that should permeate all preservice education programs - multicultural education. This field which prepares teachers "for the social, political and economic realities that individuals experience in culturally diverse and complex human encounters" (Sims,
From experiences with my parents, and those growing up around me, our parents held a certain type of cultural capital, or societal resources, which garnered them knowledge sets and access to certain resources (Bourdieu, 1986). It is apparent that the educational system values the cultural capital students have gained from “white, middle or upper-class resources,” and considers those without these knowledges “deficient” (Yosso, 2005, p. 81). Within higher education, this may still be the case. In my experience as a Peer Advisor, I had a multitude of different students with varying identities.
As a minority student, the author provides a first hand experience in the education system and its barrier. Many minority students have the hope to complete their American Dream throughout their success in education. The author is one of the many students who have this hope and cannot achieve it because the education system in the nation is broken down. This source underlines the importance of overcoming the barriers they might face in the system. Also, this source amplifies my argument in the essay with the first hand experience of a minority student and the barriers he had to face during the years
Therefore, I feel that education needs to reflect the multiple cultures, histories, and narratives that make up our diverse and multicultural society. Multiculturalism is more than just religions, values, and behaviors
The book, Who Killed Homer? The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom, is written by Victor Davis Hanson, and John Heath. The book is about why the Classics are dying, if it’s not dead already; what actions would need to be taken in order to take the Classics off of life support, and what would need to be done in order to teach newer generations about Classics. Both Hanson, and Heath are Classicist themselves whom worked as professors teaching Classics to students back in the early 1970’s and 1980’s. These two present an argument to the audience that the reason for the fall of Classical Education in modern day is due to the fact of ignorance of Greek wisdom, the demise of Classical learning is real and quantifiable, and the Classicist themselves are the blame for why there aren’t many people majoring in Classics.
thesis: 1) proper education can inspire a positive attitude to racism 2) education helps racial students to move from intolerance to acceptance and understanding of cultural difference 3) education provides cognitive skills, which increases people’s captivity people’s capacity to detect prejudice and to reject it. Is Education the Best Inversion Against Racism? The ex Prime minister of Britain Tony Blair has always insisted the importance of education in preventing racism. According to Tony Blair some people are born to be bad, you can’t stop people from being bad (Blair, T. Education backs Lessons Against racism 1999.) proper education can help get rid of prejudice and changes in the national curriculum of the British educative system whereby
Similarly, it is essential for students to use their real-life experience to connect school learning to students’ lives. According to Brown (1999), “if minority students are to enjoy the benefits that should accrue from schooling, their culture must figure prominently in the process”
He gives several reasons to ascertain people of his claim. The arguments are based on the issue of presupposition, since the multiculturalism has not yet spread widely in the country. However, his argument does not show substantive evidence when compared to the other opposers of his view, as already seen in this paper. The only strength of his argument is the fact that he mentions some of the prominent people in the society, whose foundations built the current education system. He shows how embracing of new ideas will act as a demonstration of their work.
Pupils do not all learn the same technique or method. That is why it is important to have many methods of teaching in the classroom. In order for a student to understand. Culture and Diversity in Classrooms Today As more students from diverse backgrounds populate 21st century classrooms, learning has shifted towards another direction. Today’s
Subsequently many prominent pre-service teacher education programs acknowledged the growing importance of multicultural education, and began efforts at preparing both pre-service teachers and future university professors for roles as multicultural educators. Shor (1986) noted that teacher education should be critical, multicultural, student-centered, oriented toward equality, and de-socializing, in order to prepare teachers who can inspire students. Banks (1993) acknowledged the major goals of ME, as reform practices that provided students from diverse racial, ethnic, and social-class groups with educational equality. ME ensured that both male and female students had equal chances to experience educational success and
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.