Reflection 3 edf1005 Approaches to Multicultural Education

Approaches to Multicultural Education

Education and multiculturalism has come a long way, and based on the country or where you are from you will have different experiences. Today multiculturalism has become a common topic in our society, hence the development of approaches to a multicultural education. This reflection is geared to give an overview of multicultural education in my elementary and secondary school and what approach was used. I will also share my views on what approach I would have loved to see introduced then.

Depending on the country or where you are from you will have different experiences when it comes to multiculturalism. Back in the late nineteenth century, I attended school in Jamaica where our classrooms were filled with all Jamaican. Diversity was not experienced as it is in the American classroom. However, little diversity was found in the society itself, and as the culture is, there wasn’t much cultural or diversity issues. On the other hand where disability is concern, these children were not sent to school. They would often stay home and to some extent hidden from society. Parents felt ashamed to be the parent of a disabled child and never saw the need to educate them.

The approach taken in the classroom though, was more similar to the contributive and additive approach. Students were taught about national heroes as well as foods and festivals. To an extent the additive approach would often take the form of celebrating and educating about special holidays or accomplishment. For example, National Heroes day or Independence Day, were studied a week or two prior to the celebrated day.

If I had the choice to choose the approach teachers used in my elementary and secondary years I would have chosen the Social Action approach. Even though there wasn’t much diversity in my country or classroom, an additive approach would have given students options in making decision pertaining to social issues and help in solving them. Students would learn to view issues from multiple perspectives and sensitivity towards certain social issues would have been developed. Students would have given a chance to explore different cultures and in return become more sensitive towards different racial, ethnic, culture and groups, and more specific to there country, the lack of understanding when it come to disabilities and difference of backgrounds.

As the world become more multicultural, the need for adjustment and transformation I required. Teachers do have a lot of responsibility and accountability but as they transform and reinvent themselves, not only they will be ahead of their game but also their task will become much easier.