Purpose

The purpose of these guidelines is to describe the College of Education’s perspective on integrating multicultural and global perspectives into curriculum for the benefit of faculty and students. Although agreement has been reached about the importance of addressing multicultural issues, the actual process necessary to accomplish this task is complex. The following resources attempt to provide direction in recognizing and validating cultural differences for the purpose of improving the educational enviornment for minority students.

Definitions

The College of Education believes that teacher education programs have the responsibility of preparing teachers for a diverse society. Multicultural perspectives should not be limited to isolated courses but awareness should permeate throughout the curriculum. Teacher education faculty and candidates need to address multicultural issues within each educational experience. The goal of providing culturally appropriate educational experiences is to increase respect for diversity, reduce prejudice, and positively affect student learning.

The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) defines a multicultural perspective as "(1) The social, political, economic, academic, and historical realities experienced by individuals and groups in complex human encounters; (2) the representation and incorporation of issues related to culture, demographics, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, and exceptionalities in the education process; and (3) the inclusion of a cohesive, inclusive curriculum representing the contributions of diverse populations."

Cultural diversity is defined as "The variety of cultural backgrounds of candidates, faculty, and school personnel based on ethnicity, race, language, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, regional/geographical background, and exceptionalities."

Diversity is defined as "The wide range of ways in which human groups and populations have observable and demonstrable physical and behavioral differences."

Global perspective is defined as "The viewpoint that accepts the interdependency of nations and peoples and the interlinkage of political, economic, ecological, and social issues of a transnational and global character."

(NCATE, 1995, pp. 71-72)

Teacher Preparation Program Commitment

Teacher education candidates should be able to understand and apply strategies which engender sensitivity to cultural diversity. Learning how to use strategies which address different cultures and learning styles assists teachers in personalizing instruction for all students. In order to accomplish this goal, cultural differences must first be recognized and acknowledged and then valued. The individual characteristics and cultural identity of students should be validated. As future teachers, the teacher education candidate needs to develop the skills needed to help students understand different cultural groups.

Teacher education candidates should:

• be aware of cultural incompatibilities between instruction and learning styles.
• be able to recognize cultural differences.
• be able to validate cultural identity.
• be aware of methods which increase respect for diversity.
• Teacher education candidates should develop knowledge of the following:
• the constitutional and legal bases for protection of civil rights.
• the history of various cultural groups.
• the implications of racial or sexual discrimination.

Teacher education candidates need to be prepared to integrate the intellectual, artistic, cultural, and historical contributions of culturally diverse groups into instruction. Although teaching units on ethnic groups are used by many educators, aspects of multicultural education should be included regularly instead of only on special occasions. Instruction can focus on the common elements all groups have in experiences, attitudes, and problems in addition to the differences in these elements.

Examples of ways to enhance multicultural education include:

• examining similarities and differences among ethnic groups.
• including aspects of other cultures in the curriculum.
• examining sources of prejudice.
• adapting instruction to avoid stereotypes.
• reviewing current research on cultural diversity.
• identifying the contributions of minority groups to society.
• applying strategies to meet individual learning needs.
• enhancing respect for human dignity and individual rights.

The College of Education recognizes the need for taking proactive steps to enhance multicultural and global perspectives and promote diversity. In addition to supporting multicultural perspectives throughout educational programs, the College of Education actively seeks a diverse candidate and faculty population.

Background

Recent research and literature related to multicultural education has identified various reasons why minority students experience difficulty in mainstream educational settings. These explanations include deficiencies in the student, home enviornment, and educational practices that contribute to academic inequities.