Multiculturalism and Elementary Science Education

1
Multiculturalism and Elementary Science Education

• Salisbury State University--MD
• SUNY--NY
• University of Virginia--VA

2

• Multicultural education is a process of
  comprehensive school reform and basic education
  for all students.

3
Purpose

• To challenge and reject racism and all forms of
  discrimination in schools and society such as
• Ethnic Origin/background
• Religious Beliefs
• Economic Status

4
Multiculturalism also includes

• Religious Beliefs
• Economic Status
• Social Class
• Gender
• Disabilities

5
Multiculturalism Five Key Dimensions

• 1. Content Integration -
• Teachers use of examples, data, and information
  from a variety of cultures
• 2. Knowledge Construction -
• Teachers helping children understand how
  knowledge is created,
• influenced by racial, ethnic and social class

6

• 3. Prejudice Reduction -
• Development of positive relationships among
  children of diversity
• 4. Equity Pedagogy -
• Teaching that facilitates academic success of
  students from different backgrounds (ethnic,
  gender, race,etc.)
• 5. Empowering School Culture -
• School organization practices are conductive to
  the growth of children in all aspects of life

7
MULTICULTURALISM-MD
Elementary Science
Melissa Gage, Anna Insley, Joseph Krainer
8
DEMOGRAPHICS

• 35 African American
• 3 Hispanic
• 4 Asian
• .5 Native American

MD has been called America in Miniature
9
Cultural Reforms

• Instruction
• Curriculum
• Professional Development
• Family Involvement

Vehicles to ensure an Anti-bias, multicultural
approach to education.
10
Culture Quotes
11
The population tends to be separated along
economic lines, so that members of the middle,
upper, and lower social classes do not interact
with one another on egalitarian levels. This
absence of close and significant interactions
across ethnic, social, and cultural lines may
reinforce stereotypes and cause individuals to be
suspicious and distrustful, even fearful of those
who are different. Multicultural education is
needed to help reverse these trends and attitudes
by teaching youth about culturally different
groups and by providing opportunities for
individuals from diverse backgrounds to learn,
live, and work together.
12
Multicultural education is a transformative
movement in education which produces critically
thinking, socially active members of society. It
is not simply a change of curriculum or the
addition of an activity. It is a movement which
calls for new attitudes, new approaches, and a
new dedication to laying the foundation for the
transformation of society.
13
Local schools have responded in a variety of
ways to address diversity in education. From the
food served in the cafeteria to tasks on state
assessments, everything that happens in schools
has a cultural content. Local school system
reforms have addressed instruction, curriculum,
professional development, and family involvement
as vehicles to ensure an anti-bias multicultural
approach to education.
14
Teaching Strategies

• Announcements
• Literature
• Activities (for all subjects)
• Holidays
• Listening Stations
• Videos
• Food (even the cafeteria can help with this one)

15
As you can see from our presentation, there are
numerous cultures filling MD and its schools. In
turn, this leads to educational reform because
teachers must adapt with the cultural changes in
progress. Great amounts of thought have gone
into these changes, but the effort relies on
upcoming teachers such as ourselves. We must use
new strategies to teach all students plus,
constantly monitor our progress in order to find
more adequate ways to pass knowledge onto
students.
Wrap-Up
16
Most importantly, remember that our world has not
always been understanding of various cultures and
diversities in people. As teachers, we are
considered a tool for the improvement of people
as a whole. As elementary teachers, we show our
students the first steps to creating a healthy
and fulfilling life for themselves. In order to
do this, we must improve our own minds and keep
our thoughts and views of life in perspective or
we as a society may repeat mistakes of the
past.Thank you for your time and patience and
good luck to all of your future endeavors.
17
References
Gay, G., (1994). A Synthesis of Scholarship in
Multicultural Education A Monograph, Seattle
NCREL Education Monograph Series. Gorski, P.
Covert B. (2000). Multicultural Pavilion
Defining Multicultural Education. Available
Online http//curry.edschool.Virginia.edu/curry/c
enters/multicultural/initial.html Grant, C.
Sleeter, C. (1989). Turning on Learning Five
Approaches for Multicultural Teaching Plans for
Race, Class, Gender, and Disability, New York
Macmillan Publishing Company. Maryland State
Department of Education (1999). Data and
Statistics. Available Online http//msde.state.md
.us/
18
New York How Should Multiculturalism Be
Applied In The Classroom?

• All students are different and therefore learn
  differently. Using a variety of teaching styles
  is important.
• By creating a diverse environment, students
  learn to respect themselves and others.
• Teachers must evaluate their own feelings
  regarding cultural, racial, or gender differences
  to avoid inadvertently passing negative feelings
  on to their students.

19
A Variety of Teaching Styles Must be Used to Meet
a Variety of Learning Styles.

• A teacher must keep in mind that a student brings
  prior experiences to the classroom.
• For example
• If a child has previously been taught with hands
  on learning, then they will most likely be
  comfortable with this teaching style.

20

• Different racial groups may have certain learning
  styles.
• Navajo children may learn better through
  demonstration.
• African American and Native American children may
  learn better through hands on activities.

21
Respect and Appreciation for Cultural Diversity
Must be Taught.

• Exposing children to a rich variety of cultural
  and ethnic materials is essential.
• This gives them the opportunity to recognize and
  to understand the uniqueness of people who are
  different than themselves.
• Knowledge and understanding prevent fear, which
  in turn, prevents racism.

22
Interview

• Multiculturalism can be incorporated into the
  classroom at all grade levels.
• Mrs. Lysos, a kindergarten teacher in Long
  Island, incorporates multiculturalism into her
  class by teaching the students about different
  foods that are grown around the world and about
  different animals that are celebrated in
  different cultures.

23
Teachers are Models to Their Students. It is
Important to Pass on Positive Ideas and Feelings
about Diversity.

• Personal feelings must be examined and noted so
  that only appropriate behavior will be displayed
  in front of the students.
• This is necessary because feelings are often
  passed on to the students inadvertently.

24
References

• Ford, D. Thomas, A. (1997, June).
  FAQ Underachievement Among Gifted Minority
  Students Online . Available
  http//ericec_at_cec.sped.org
• Haury, David L. FAQ Teaching
  Science Through Inquiry Online . Available
  http//www.owu.edu/mggrote/ppconstruct/c-construc
  t.html
• Kendall, F. (1996). Diversity in the
  Classroom. New York Teachers College Press.

25
Multicultural Education in Virginia Schools

• Virginia educators must stress real-life
  applications in science instruction.
• Instruction should accommodate a diverse range of
  students.
• Virginia Standards of Learning should address
  multicultural education directly.

26
Making Real-Life Connections

• Problem-based instruction and performance-based
  assessment lead students to make connections with
  their own experiences.
• Constructing knowledge based on real-life
  experiences makes learning more meaningful to the
  student.

27
Real-Life Connections, Continued

• Students do science rather than memorizing
  facts, which can exclude other cultural
  perspectives.

28
Celebrating Diversity in Elementary Science
Classrooms

• Recognizing diversity emphasizes understanding in
  terms of different perspectives, as opposed to
  facts.
• Teachers must find a way to make science
  appealing to everyone regardless of race, gender,
  culture, or sexual orientation.

29
Virginia Standards of Learning and Multicultural
Education

• Virginia received a grade of D for Standards,
  in part due to failure to address
  multiculturalism.
• Students are often presented with a stereotypical
  image of the scientist -- the classic white male.

30
Virginia Standards of Learning and Multicultural
Education, Continued

• Teachers should provide a diverse curriculum that
  exposes students to people working in the field
  of science such as women, people of color, people
  with disabilities, and people coming from a
  variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.

31
Suggestions for Incorporating Multiculturalism
into VA Classrooms

• Teachers should take an active stance to ensure
  that multiculturalism is included in the
  curriculum, regardless of present SOLs.

32
Suggestions for Incorporating Multiculturalism
into VA Classrooms, Continued

• Teachers should encourage and acknowledge
  individual differences so that students
  understand that everyone can be a scientist.

33
Instructional Strategies

• A Virginia teacher advocates the following
  methods to ensure that multiculturalism is
  enhanced in her classroom
• Implements problem-based instruction
• Integrates reflection into lessons
• Incorporates the history of science
• Students study scientists of all genders and
  cultures

34
References

• Atwater, Mary M. (1995). The multicultural
  science classroom. The Science Teacher, 22.
• Chambers, D.W. (1983). Stereotypic images of
  the scientists The draw -- A scientist test.
  Science Education, 67 (2), 255-265.
• Cone, Edward. (1998). Diversity needed in IT.
  Information Week.
• Mee, Cynthia S. (1996). Middle school voices on
  gender identity. Readings for Teaching Science,
  56.
• Nyberg, Lisa. (1998). The way kids are
  Science for all? Kidscreen, 66.

35
Concluding Thoughts

• What is multiculturalism?
• One UVA professor believes that,
  Multiculturalism permeates everything we do. It
  is the core of any education and the core of any
  human being.
• Multicultural education is needed to help provide
  opportunities for individuals from diverse
  backgrounds in order to learn, live, and work
  together.

36
What can be done in the classroom to promote
multiculturalism?

• Teachers should create a diverse environment so
  that students learn to respect themselves and
  others.
• Teachers should reevaluate their own feelings
  about multiculturalism in order to effectively
  create these diverse classrooms.