Fifth Annual Conference
Cambio de Colores. Latinos in Missouri: Beyond Borders
April 19-21, 2006
The Magic of the Multicultural Classroom
Yolanda Díaz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Spanish & Latin American Culture
Multicultural Council Director
Harris-Stowe State University - St. Louis ñ Missouri
Diverse student enrollment was the cause of many changes within student organizations, diversification of faculty and staff, and the revision of policies and curricula of educational institutions willing to reflect the outside real life in campus. There is still a lot of pressure, and many institutions are still confronting the difficulties of those changes.
When we talk about “diversity” we do not refer only to “black and white”, “male or female”, “Christian or Jewish”, “students with different learning styles”… We talk about all differences and similarities, because we talk about the own way of doing things and we talk about groups that believe or do things in similar or different ways… differences of human being. Therefore, institutions interested in improving student learning outcomes are devoting greater attention to helping faculty and teaching assistants develop a repertoire of instructional methods that foster respect for cultural differences and address variant learning styles (1).
If we analyze the very common words we use when talking about the “multicultural society” or the multicultural “classroom”, we find:
Culture
The behavior, patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought, especially as expressed in a particular community or period.
American Dictionary - New York, 2004
Multicultural
Referring to several cultures or ethnic groups.
American Dictionary - New York, 2004
Diversity
The fact or quality of being diverse. Variety or multiform.
American Dictionary ñ New York, 2004
The diverse classroom, either general or ethnic diversity, bears the responsibility on the teacher’s part. Teachers must be prepared to nurture all kind of diverse student.
Our Classrooms
Each year teachers have classroom of 20-30 students, each with their own learning styles, interests, abilities and skills.
Students may be from different backgrounds or ethnic groups; they may be of different race, sex, religion; they may have different abilities or they may speak different language at home.
They have: a) Differences and b) Similarities
To teach a diverse group may seem overwhelming.
But there is a simple approach:
Using variety and choice.
It addresses the multiple learning styles and helps students become independent
and more flexible learners.
The diverse classroom
It needs some structures (rules, routines, procedures)… And variety
Instructional approaches: lectures, experiments, computer-aided instructions, power-point presentations.
Devices: audio, video, books, posters, manipulatives, food, smells, interactive learning: virtual experiments etc
It addresses
Various learning styles
Help the students to become more flexible in their learning, understanding and accepting others.
When planning
Include as many senses (Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences): verbal-linguist-
tic; logical-mathematical, kinesthetic, visual-spatial, musical, interpersonal,
intrapersonal, and naturalist.
Songs, games, experiments, interviews, field trips, physical exercises, cooking, hands-on experiences all students will succeed.
Differences and similarities also in their time to excel
Students may learn best in the morning, some in the afternoon
Flexible classroom
Varying the time and type of assessment will give all students a fair chance of showing their true abilities
It would be a very boring world if all learners were the same… If we all had the same philosophy of life, the same way of solving problems
Diversity makes the classroom more exciting we should celebrate diversity and
respect the uniqueness of each student by preparing a variety of activities to choose
from in class.
And taking in consideration each one’s emotional intelligence
It is defined as the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in us and in our relationships according to Daniel Goldman, author of E.I., (Bantam, 1998)
He also says that people who have high emotional intelligence are more likely to succeed in life, because they are the people who are able to love and be loved, to be self-aware, and to empathize with others
Emotional Intelligence
It is integrative: it helps us see people as whole, as human being
It is well: while being human, with differences and similarities. We are not supposed to fit one standard
People matter: people’s feelings are the crucial condiment of success. We make our own decisions, but we share a world and so we are bound together
Critical Practices
Making time for emotions and the development of social and emotional skills
Listening to what is said and what is not said
Creating many choices and honoring the many ways that people contribute
Sharing power and decision-making.
Pursuing specific and actionable objectives that lead toward a noble goal.
Resolving conflicts promptly, respectfully, and in person, starting with forgiveness.
Celebrating the community, learning, and time together.
Setting high expectations for yourself and others while pursuing excellence.
Learning by doing, playing, exploring, and sharing.
Reflecting and assessing thoughts, feelings, and actions.
My proposal for the Multicultural Classroom: Using Visual Resources
Visual examples can be discussed in any area of knowledge: pictures that will indicate traditions or values.
Pictures that can defuse tension: especially topics referred to race, gender, and ethnic traditions.
Pictures of stereotypes, so the students will see them from the outside, with no personalization
Images or pictures made by different authors.
Diverse reading: not just a text.
Images addressing student’s current cultural backgrounds. Comments on civil rights; human rights; women’s, gay’s, lesbian’s rights; etc - Analyze the society’s actual path.
Student-centered teaching techniques Teachers funnel experience through the individual
The true multicultural classroom must embrace a philosophical support for cultural
Pluralism
Syllabus of the instructor
Curriculum of the institution
Constantly ask students to reevaluate his or her position about life, emotions, cultures, abilities and art
A multicultural classroom should recruit and retain students of minorities, since all will feel welcomed, understood, and at some point each one’s culture will be relevant.
More Ideas
Invitation to various artists
Music can also be a real barrier-breaker.
Painting images with music Dancing workshops, put students in a situation of moving their bodies, holding hands, having fun.
Invitation to students of different abilities…
IT HELPS WHEN YOUR STUDENT DOESN'T SPEAK ENGLISH.
And if your student doesn’t speak English
Books in the child’s native language.
Signs and posters… considering all the abilities (an inclusive classroom).
In the culturally diverse classroom you are not always the expert!
Encourage the students to share; to conduct some classes; to bring food.
Movies with subtitles in English are good example of fairness.
In summary the multicultural classroom gives teachers a great opportunity
To integrate the different areas of knowledge reinforcing what we teach. It resembles life outside the classroom, where all areas are interacting, sometimes overlapping each other.
Cross-curricular connections: opportunities to correlate, fuse, and integrate subjects and areas.
Why?
Another way to reach students with different learning styles, from different backgrounds, ethnic groups, languages, abilities (Notice that we don’t talk about disabilities… but different abilities), etc.
In some cases cross-curricular connections can help bridge the gap between theory and practice
And the relationships may help understand that learning, as life, is not a spectator sport
Cross-Curricular Connections, by J. Maude
Maude talks about the every day's incident. Very simple connections, once mastered becomes very natural
Example: the Math teacher compares fractions to music notes; art teachers talk about proportions when mixing colors
Then are the activity, assignment, unit and event.
There are many reasons to use cross-curricular connections. It will help students with different learning styles. Also, most students prefer some courses to others. A student who doesn’t like or understand Math, may find with this method the perfect system to learn and understand, if we teach Math cross-related with social sciences or English. Life is related, life has constant connections.
After an incident we can bring activities a game, a song, etc. just think in the last class you taught you may find several cross-curricular activities the idea is to be more conscious about it, and plan them.
After the activity, we can give the students to do an assignment it could be done inside or outside the classroom. If we teach Spanish we can tell a story from a particular country we draw a map with the continent then the Social Sciences teacher can extend the assignment by asking to research about the country or to draw longitude and latitude in into The Math teacher can ask the students to work on distances: miles/ kilometers. The PE teacher can work on the various sports played in the different countries etc. With these activities we arrived to the Unit Interdisciplinary units combining incidents, activities and assignments. It requires a lot of planning with the various members of the faculty but it presents a different class the results are very valuable.
And at the endow we can have an EVENTÖ If we were talking about the various countries in Latin America a Festival, a Show, a TV program and if we integrated the program with ancient History a Roman festival, show, etc. can be presented.
How do we put it together?
Incidents, activities, assignments, and units make the events possible (Ex. Roman festival).
The most important piece of the project is to be aware of what is being taught in other classes.
Connections between subjects, or parallel connections or just the spark activity, will help the integration of various areas.
Planning
Being aware of curriculum outside your own, will require more planning for incidents, activities, assignments, units and events that take advantage of this kind of learning
And the final piece is flexibility. When the students start looking for connections on their own, you may have to change your plans you will know your teaching was responding to your student’s needs
Let’s work... let's play let’s look for alternatives
For the Magic of the
Multicultural Classroom
Looking for alternatives is the essence of creativity you need the will to look for them and the desire to design them for your students.
14-years-old Kathleen, wrote this poem when she had a magical year with a teacher that fulfilled her needs
Push me! See how far I go!
Work me till I drop. Then pick me up.
Open the door, and then make me run to it before it closes.
Teach me so that I might learn,
Then let me enter the tunnel of experience alone.
And when, near the end,
I turn to see you beginning another’s journey,
I shall smile.
References
Chong, A. & Farago, C ñ Using Visual Resources ñ 2005
De Bono, E. - Six Thinking Hats ñ 1994
De Bono, E. - Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to create New Ideas ñ 1995
Fogarty, R. - Integrating the Curricula - 1993
Freedman, J. - All about Emotional Intelligence - 2004
Gardner, H. - Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice - 1993
Goldman, D. - Emotional Intelligence - 1998
Hurtado, S.; Milem, J; Allen, W. & Clayton-Pederson, A. Improving the Climate for Racial/Ethnic Diversity in Higher Education Institutions - 1996
Maute, J - Cross-Curricular Connections - 1993
Moreno, R. & Herrera, M. - Border-Line Personalities - 2004
O'Block, T. - How to Tech to a Diverse Classroom ñ 2002
Tomlinson, C. - How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms - 1995
Multimedia Presentation
Damian Miroli - Graphic Designer from Tucuman, Argentina
Jessica Olmos - Video Producer from St. Louis, living in Tucuman, Argentina.
Terry Werner, Ph.D. - Harris-Stowe State University
Lea Koesterer - Artist from St. Louis