3. What is cultural diversity?
Culture [kuhl-cher]: a particular form or stage of
civilization, as that of a certain nation or period;
the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a
particular, social, ethnic, or age group.
Diversity [dih-vur-si-tee]: the state or fact of being
diverse; difference; unlikeness; variety; multiformity.
Cultural Diversity: the cultural variety and cultural
differences that exist in the world, a society, or an
institution; the inclusion of diverse people in a group
or organization.
(source: www.dictionary.reference.com)
7. New Teachers and
Diversity
76% of new teachers said
that diversity was covered
in their collegiate
coursework.
39% said the training helped
“a lot” with 52% saying it
only helped “a little”.
No other factor in this
study showed such a large
disparity between training
and its effectiveness.
(source: Teaching in Changing Times)
9. Multicultural
Education
Underlying goal is to impact social change. Arriving at this goal
involved three stands:
Transformation of self (How does my socialization and biases
inform my and in turn impact the educational experience of my
students?)
Transformation of schools and schooling (Student-centered
pedagogy, multicultural curriculum, inclusive educational
media and materials, supportive school and classroom climate,
continual evaluation and assessment)
Transformation of society (long-range goal of transforming
society to apply and maintain social justice and equity).
(source: EdChange.org)
10. Classroom Management
and Diverse Classrooms
Both are repeatedly named
as high areas of concern
for all teachers.
“Culturally responsive
classroom managers possess
a mind-set to conceive and
implement a set of
responsive practices...”
There is no magical set of
practices or strategies
that can be directly
asserted.
(source: Urban Education)
12. What [it] is not
a program or initiative
a standard
a box to fill on your lesson plans
checklist item
data that needs to be measured
13. What [it] is
our paradigm shift
meeting our students where they are
a thread woven into the fabric of the
educational system we offer
posturing ourselves for action
14. Sankofa
“Go back to the past in order to build
for the future.” (source:www.nameorg.org)
...................................................
A cultural change that does not forget
where it has come from, but embraces the
knowledge and action of where it is
going.
15. What’s next?
Content literacy (ELL Department)
Available resources (Assistant
Principals)
Cultural sensitivity & constructive
dialogue on conflict (Counselors)
Community buy-in (Cultural Awareness
Committee)
16. References
Rochkind, J., Ott, A., Immerwahr, J., Doble, J., & Johnson, J. (2008). Lessons learned: new teachers talk about their jobs, challenges,
and long range plans (Issue No. 3). Retrieved from National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality and Public Agenda website:
www.publicagenda.org.
Milner, H.R. & Tenore, F. B. (2010). Classroom management in diverse classrooms. Urban Education, 45(5), 560-603. Retrieved from http://
uex.sagepub.com/content/45/5/560
Bowman, B.T. (1994). Cultural diversity and academic performance. Urban Education Monograph Series. Retrieved from www.ncrel.org
Gorski, P.C. (2010). The challenge of defining multicultural education. EdChange project. Retrieved from www.edchange.org/
multicultural.initial.html
Sells, R.D. (2012). Advancing and advocating for social justice and equity. National Association for Multicultural Education. Retrieved. from
www.nameorg.org.
apa. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved June 14, 2012, from Dictionary.com
website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/apa
