Running head: MULTICULTURAL CURRICULUM Marrufo 1

Multicultural Curriculum

Andres Marrufo

Human Development 412

Professor Sabio

Pacific Oaks College

3 December 2017
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Multicultural Curriculum

When building a curriculum for a program that aims to be all inclusive there are steps that

have to be taken to try and achieve this goal. First you must make sure that you figure out your

target audience. If you do not know to who you are tailoring your program to meet you won’t

know how to be truly all inclusive. You must then do the research to build a proper multicultural

curriculum. If one is attempting to help bring about inclusivity I believe that they must have done

extensive research to understand that which they are teaching. I believe that one of the most

important factors that falls into truly bringing a multicultural curriculum to life is the teachers

and staff that are given the responsibility to spread the wealth of knowledge. If the instructors

that are tasked with implementing this curriculum are not bought in themselves, not only will the

children become aware, but the understanding of it and implementation takes a hit. The

instructors have to be fully bought in order to garner the children buy in to a new approach to

learning.

In the year 2017 where we have access to a plethora of information we are still relying on

older medians, “Even as the Internet and other new educational media broaden classroom access

to a virtually endless stream of new resources, perspectives, and interactive capabilities, most

curricula are necessarily built around textbooks and standardized tests” and it does not cut it

anymore (Gorski). This is doing a disservice to the children we are teaching because the

textbooks that are coming into their classrooms feature one sided opinions and are limited in

perspective. The teaching community needs to aim to teach children the role that all cultures play

as noted in the health of children website “The goal of multicultural education is to help students

understand and appreciate cultural differences and similarities and to recognize the

accomplishments of diverse ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic group” because only when doing
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this can children truly understand themselves are their contributions (healthofchildren.com). On

top of this the children can garner a sense of appreciation for the role every race/culture has

played in what is now the formation of the country and community they are in.

I will use my own personal example in that I never truly learned about the accomplishments of

my Latino community until I was older. I always felt my heritage and roots had no part in the

foundation of this country because all I ever learned was the role of the white male and the role

he played. As a first year teacher states (Ferroni) “With all the focus on “how” we teach, we

rarely consider or reevaluate “what” we teach” and he later goes into how he was teaching

“white history to black students” (Ferroni). This is what happens when a system continues to

follow suit with its outdated textbooks and fails to expand its horizon to a diverse curriculum. As

instructors we must petition to have more control of the content we are going over year after year

after year. In my curriculum I will go over different mechanisms and strategies I would use to

combat such issues in my curriculum while focusing on; Identity, bias, social justice, and parent

communication.

When attempting to create a multicultural curriculum and adding emphasis on the identity of the

children you are working with you must do a few things. You must make sure that all of the

children are equally represented in your teachings. An approach to this would be to highlight the

key figures that have made strides in the forming of this country in each tailored audience. If

these children understand that people of their skin color or cultural background have helped pave

the path to where we are today it could add a sense of pride in who they are.

One approach you can take is where you set out months to highlight different cultures across the

globe. You place a general schedule out and on this list the twelve countries or cultures you

would be aiming to teach about and list what month each would be. By using this method the
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children spend entire months diving into; language, food, mannerisms, dress code, beliefs, and so

much more. Children will learn of their own culture and they will also learn more about other

cultures. When you take this approach children can learn the similarities across cultures as well

as the differences. Making sure we reach them while they are still impressionable plays a huge

role in their ability to be open minded and avoid judgment.

Using an approach like this also avoids the loss of identity amongst the children. Too often

immigrant children are pressed with the dilemma of assimilation “During the fifth stage the

immigrant child faces pressure to assimilate into the new culture” (Igoa 44). This happens

because if only one method of being a person is taught you press the hand of the new child to

either stand out or become another cookie cutter student in a program. Differences should not be

a means for separation, but coming together because it is these differences that make us who we

are as individuals. It is our individuality that allows us to take different approaches to solving the

same problem and this leads to more routes to take. When using the approach of a monthly

schedule to teach children of all cultures you are parking in acculturation. Acculturation allows

the children to join the community they are a part of (the classroom) while not relinquishing their

own personal community and the beliefs that are held dear to them. If children are made aware of

why another students behaves in a certain manner they can understand that they are not different

as a person, but simply take different approaches.

The reason so much emphasis is placed on identity in my multicultural curriculum is for children

to understand who they are. If children understand who they themselves are and why they do

things the way do, they can appreciate why others do the same. If children are also made aware

of the differences between the two they can view it in a mindful lens and not take offense.
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The next factor when looking at my multicultural curriculum is the issue of bias. Bias

puts a restraint on inclusivity because it prioritizes any one set way. If the goal is to catch these

children at an impressionable age where we can instill in them that we are all equal and that

while we may be different this puts no one ahead or behind anyone bias can have no place. This

is when including different readings, perspectives, and an insight from more than one point of

view is prevalent. We cannot teach children from textbooks and literature that solely is focusing

on the white male perspective.

If children are being taught in a curriculum filled with bias they can succumb victim to its

effects as noted “The biases and negative stereotypes about various aspects of human diversity

prevalent in our society undercut all children's healthy development and ill-equip them to interact

effectively with many people in the world” (Hohensee & Dernan-Sparks). We cannot expect for

our children to pull the most out of a lesson plan that ignores who they are. If a lesson plan fails

to be inclusive and even carries with it a potential bias that targets the student that could be

detrimental to the mental state of the child learning this for the first time. One example I can

think of is when we are being taught in school the “correct” way to do something (Delpit 187).

Who is to say any said way is the correct way? If we fall into these traps children can fail to

express themselves due to being taught there is a right way and anything else is the wrong way.

Well what is the way they were shown to do it was another way? If they believe that is now

wrong due to a bias that is taught with we are hampering on the individual development.

Instead it is on our shoulders to emphasize there is no set bias, and there is more than one

way to do something. As noted “Consequently, anti-bias curriculum seeks to nurture the

development of every child's fullest potential by actively addressing issues of diversity and

equity in the classroom” because by nurturing each flower in the class the garden grows. If
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children are taught about diversity they will not view themselves as complete strangers from the

people whom they are in this educational journey with. As mentioned earlier a key factor in the

true implementation of this said curriculum is instructors who are bought into the mission

objective. This can only happens when the instructors themselves are working on ridding their

own biases “Phase one involves teachers raising their own awareness of anti-bias issues related

to themselves, their program, and the children in their care” because you cannot expect children

to comprehend the purpose of ridding bias if you yourself still carry your own (Hohensee &

Dernan-Sparks).

One bias I think of that would be revisited for adjustment would be the concept of

standardized testing. Standardized testing expects children to express their answers for a problem

in the same exact manner as a student that is different than them at times. Not all children learn

the same and this makes it a bias in my eyes because it puts forth a blockaded on someone for

learning and being able to express himself differently than another.

To bring about social justice we must develop a system that does not promote one correct

means for a problem. We must do better in comprehending that we may need to revisit our own

teaching methods often and challenge ourselves to grow as teachers. We have ourselves been

educated in a system that may have had its own biases and in order to combat this we must look

into our teachings methods and understand that which we are doing correct and incorrect. We

must ask ourselves questions in making sure we are getting across to all students. We must have

an open door policy in our students not questioning us, but our method and if it is not reaching

them how can we help that be achieved. Teaching is not for those with ego, especially at a

younger age. Gorski states “I also have a responsibility to my students to work toward

eliminating my prejudices, examining who is (and is not) being reached by my teaching…” and
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this is one approach to social justice because it is taking the necessary steps to being fair. If we

are not being fair in our teachings we are not promoting inclusivity.

All children do not learn the same, so to believe there is one way to teach contradicts that

belief. We must constantly ask questions, and not be afraid of the answers we get. Our inability

to reach a child may not lay in the message itself, but how it is being encoded and decoded. This

is when it falls on our to translate in a manner that can be understand if indeed the objective is to

teach the student and not simply funnel them in and out of the classroom.

Lastly we will take a gander at one potential and that is parent communication, and when

dealing with a diverse population can become cross cultural communication. If dealing with

impressionable children presents a dilemma at times, this can pose itself as a much bigger

obstacle. As someone who deals with parents on an everyday basic and work with different;

cultures, religions, races, personal beliefs I have found myself struggling at times. There is no

one way to speak to parents and I have learned this all too well.

Parent communication means building these necessary relationships due to the common

interest of educating the child. If the goal is similar, we must find a means to do this goal while

meeting both parties’ guidelines. As Gonzalez-Mena states “It’s not good to alienate parents

from their own cultural beliefs” and this can come about when expressing to a parent how the

student could be reached. If the parent has what they would view as a traditional approach for

their child we must remain open-minded and attempt to find a solution. Working with families

all across the cultural spectrum does indeed require practice. Families vary in their expectations

of what a teacher is in the students life, the boundaries they themselves have or do not have, and

if they are to have final say.

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I enjoy the RERUN method when working with parents because it challenges us as

working professional (Gonzelez-Mena 58). As noted we have our own biases and in teaching the

children that bias is an obstacle in multicultural curriculum and inclusivity we work at it

ourselves. In my own shoes I find myself often having conversations with parents in regards to

their children and going back and realizing there could have been a better means of expression. I

could have said this, or not said this, or allowed them to speak their peace and draw up a solution

on their own. The negotiation part of this method is important because we must once more allow

a child to be who they are in their own community, but still be a successful member in the

community and culture that is being created in each and every classroom.

Working to build a multicultural curriculum will not come without challenge. Bias can be

found in us all in manners we do now know it. We must find a way to help a child create their

own identity that works for them and that involves all inclusive approaches to teaching. Social

justice must be a goal in classrooms because if the teaching is not fair to one, it is not fair to all.

Classrooms have no room for democracy, in that if the majority is tended to then that is a

successful setting. All young minds need to be taught to be members of an inclusive society.

Lastly parent communication is key because there can be no true conflict amongst what is being

taught in the class and at home because than a student is forced to pick and that is not a fair

burden to place on a child’s shoulders. In my attempt to create a multicultural curriculum I

would try to allow children to explore their identity while using no single bias and fairness being

the end goal and meeting at a solid middle ground with parents to ensure the child is of most

importance.

References
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Delpit, L. D. (2006). Other peoples children: cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New

Press.

Ferroni, N. (2012, August 24). We Teach Racism, Sexism and Discrimination in Schools.

Huffington Post/We Teach Racism, Sexism and Discrimination in Schools. Retrieved December

2, 2017, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicholas-ferroni/teaching-education-

discrimination_b_1826113.html

Gonzalez-Mena, J., & Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2005). Diversity in early education programs:

honoring differences. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Gorski, P. (2010, April 14). Multicultural Education Reform. Retrieved December 2, 2017, from

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/initial.html

Hohensee, J. B., & Sparks, L. D. (1992). Implementing an Anti-Bias Curriculum in Early

Childhood Classrooms. Retrieved December 2, 2017, from Implementing an Anti-Bias

Curriculum in Early Childhood Classrooms

Igoa, C. (2014). The inner world of the immigrant child. New York, NY: Routledge.

Multicultural education/curriculum. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2017, from

http://www.healthofchildren.com/M/Multicultural-Education-Curriculum.html