Dr. Damara Richens In Order to work effectively with student of different origins a teacher must be confident and comfortable with their own heritage. The teacher should familiarize themselves with their background. This will help when planning and creating your classroom Donna M. Gollnick and Philip C. Chinn As a teacher it is very important to design the classroom to meet all the needs of each child individually; remembering that each child is unique in their own right.
This is not just academically and socially it is also the need for ethnicity and religion. Therefore it is important for the teacher to make sure that the students get are exposed to a multicultural education (an educational strategy in which students of all backgrounds are represented in the classroom) Donna M. Gollnick and Philip C. Chinn. So what does this means to the teacher and what the classroom should look like? The first question asked should be what is a multicultural classroom?
This is a classroom where all students and teachers are accepting of all the differences in the classroom. This should include religion, races, and cultures (ethnicity). It should be reflected in the material you have and use in the classroom such as books that are share and read, activities that are made and used in the classroom, and the curriculum being used in class. The curriculum should include all things relating to the consideration of all groups age, gender, intellect, race, ethnicity, religion socioeconomic and culture.
These days’ schools are more diverse than ever. Having a Multicultural educational plan is important because the world is changing every day. Long ago schools were predominately one dimension culturally. Thus, as a teacher it is important to make a conscious effect to incorporate a curriculum that will represent all children in the classroom, teachers have to be careful not to inclusive when looking to create a multicultural classroom. There are teachers that think celebrating “Christmas Around the World” is multi-cultural, unfortunately it is not the case.
This singles out one culture, religion or minority group as being different. This also only introduces differences one time in the year and will make no real impact on the students. A multicultural classroom should be reflected all year long. The teacher should refrain from having a multicultural unit but instead create a classroom that invites multicultural all year long. This will give the children a better understanding of differences and leave a future impact on how to not judge people based on their ethnicity or religion and become a more product person in this world.
It is our job as teachers to help prepare our students for the real world. Some children are probably not being taught this at home so I personally believe that it is our responsibility to teach our students to love and accept others no matter whom or where they come from. This should be done on a daily basis as well as looking out for moments that are “teachable” such as class discussions and having an open forum of discussion (there are “No” dumb question”). The area in which I live is very diverse so it is very essential that as a teacher I am sensitive to the children in the classroom.
It is important to have an open mind and be aware of all the different ethnic and religious backgrounds in the classroom this will help to prevent any misunderstanding because of a language or cultural barrier. What I would do as teacher in the classroom to make it multicultural friendly? I would have books that represent each group of children in the classroom and some that are not. It is necessary for the students to see differences even if the class does not have this particular ethnic group in the classroom.
I would also have posters on the wall that reflect all the ethnic and religious groups as well as have the children make crafts that would be conducive to this as well. I would make monthly bulletin board with the children and make them multiracial. At the beginning of the year I would have the children take home a paper cut out of the shape of their body and they are to go home and create it to represent themselves and bring it back to school to be hung up on the wall in the classroom. This is a wonderful project because the children can see themselves around the room all year long.
I would also have materials that are multinational to create art projects with, such as multicultural paints, paper and crayons. Depending on the age of the children you teach, there could be a pen pal set up internationally using the internet technology such as Skype or a webcam. Some schools celebrate holidays if this is done, if you discuss one holiday in class, make sure to discuss them all. For example, don’t focus only on Christmas, make sure to cover and give equal time to Hanukkah and Kwanzaa too. Make sure to discuss the Lunar New Year, Ramadan, and Diwali when the time comes too.
I would also have a globe in the classroom and use it as much as possible. By beginning your global explorations with your preschoolers, activities focus on likenesses and differences, learning to get along with others and feeling good about themselves. You can survey the families in your class for background and ethnic origins. These families can be asked to share traditions, customs, foods, music, language and artifacts with the class. Ways that families are the same and different can be explored and celebrated.
As a PreK teacher I do this every year and I find the children absolutely love this and they look forward to each visit and they even taste the different foods. I encourage them if they do not want to try it to use words such as “No thank you”. They are not allowed to use words that are inappropriate such as “Yuck! ” or “That looks disgusting… etc. ” In order for these goals to be achieved schools must mandate that all students have the right to equal opportunity in education. This mandate must be known to all who influence our children.
This includes school boards, principals, teachers, students, parents, and the general community (Gollnick & Chinn, 2006). The mandate must be reflected in the classroom curriculum as well. This curriculum must contain viewpoints from a variety of ethnicities. The mandate must be reflected in teacher and student attitudes. These attitudes should favor human rights and cultural respect. All should be reminded of the first amendment to the Unites States Constitution which preserves freedom of speech, freedom of the press, religious freedom, freedom of assembly, and right to petition.
