In his lecture “Democracy, Diversity and Social Justice: Education in a Global Age,” Dr. James A. Banks discusses the importance of multicultural education in achieving a fully global society (Banks 2006). According to Banks (2010), there are five dimensions of multicultural education that can guide school reform. The ultimate goal of multicultural education is to foster an appreciation for students’ own cultures and the diverse cultures around them without politicizing their differences. Content integration, which involves incorporating exemplary individuals and information from different cultures into the curriculum, is one dimension of multicultural education. This allows students to understand how various cultures have influenced the subject matter they are studying (Banks 2006). For example, at the beginning of my Algebra class each year, I conduct a brief activity on the history of numbers.In this activity, students are introduced to various number systems from different time periods. They learn about the Roman, Mayan, Chinese, and Egyptian number systems, in addition to the Arabic system we use today. This exploration helps students appreciate the cultural contributions to mathematics. Furthermore, it aligns with the second dimension of multicultural education which emphasizes knowledge construction.
. . and administrators must collaborate to incorporate the recognition of diverse cultures and social groups into all aspects of student life. Dr. Banks (2010) describes the latent curriculum as “the one that no teacher explicitly teaches but that all students learn.” These are the lessons that students remember long after they have completed their schooling.
References:
Banks, J.A. (2006). Democracy, Diversity and Social Justice: Education in a Global Age. University Faculty Lecturers Podcast. Retrieved May 9, 2012, from http://www.uwtv.org/video/player.aspx?mediaid=1580263790
Banks, J.A., & McGee Banks, C.A. (2010). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. (7th ed.) Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Rothstein-Fisch, C., & Trumbull, E. (2008). Cultures in Harmony. Educational Leadership, 6 (1), 63-66.
