Head running: Why Multicultural Education?

Why Multicultural Education?

Stephanie Cozzitorto

Fresno Pacific University

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Why Multicultural Education?

Multicultural education means different strategies in order to reach and educate to the

students from different cultural backgrounds. It will develop to help teachers respond better to

demographics in the classroom. The two articles “Why Do We Need This Class? Multicultural

Education for Teachers” and “Pre-service Teachers’ Preparedness for Teaching Multicultural

Students” explains that it is important for teachers and students to learn the subject of “why

multicultural education?”

The first article is “Why Do We Need This Class? Multicultural Education for Teachers”

by Valerie Ooka Pang, she wrote her story that her goal is to help teachers to create a classroom

for effective for all children. According to the “Why Do We Need This Class? Multicultural

Education for Teachers” (1994) states, “To accomplish that goal, she encourages teachers to

examine issues of race, class, and gender that may serve as barriers to equal opportunity to learn”

(p 289-292). Ms. Pang wants all teachers to learn about children’s race, gender, ethnicity, and

culture before teachers meet their students in teachers’ classroom. Ms. Pang’s idea to set

classroom name Multicultural Education for Ms. Pang to teach her all teachers. When the

teachers heard about Ms. Pang’s idea, they does not join her class because teachers are not

prejudiced or discrimination and love their students. On the first day of the classroom, Ms. Pang

asked all the teachers in front of class that she asked why they have this class. One of the teacher

responded backs and says he wants to know how to teach blacks kids or any other cultures. He

wants Ms. Pang to teach all of the teachers about students’ cultures such as their music, history,

food, etc. So the teachers will appreciate students’ culture more. Finally, all of the teachers are

interested to learn Multicultural Education about all of different cultures.

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Ms. Pang also wants the teachers have the opportunity to find their “voice” and to express

it. According to Ms. Pang (1994) states, “Teachers need to know that multicultural education is

the study of schooling aimed at providing all children with an equal opportunity to learn in a

culturally affirming and caring environment” (p. 289-292). She teaches her teachers about three

phases of instruction for Multicultural Education. The three phases are “Who am I? Am I

prejudiced?”, “What do I think about culturally diverse communities?”, and “What does

multicultural education look like in a classroom?” The first phase talks about teachers need to

learn who they are and better understand themselves. They have to examine who they are by

identify their own values and goals. The second phase talks about teachers need to focuses on

getting to know culturally diverse neighborhood. Ms. Pang took her class on field trips and she

wants the teachers to donate to a community organization of their choice. She also wants the

teachers to feel connections to their students in teacher’s classroom after they learned about

school neighborhood and the issues that are most important to the community. The third phase is

that Ms. Pang explains about the teaching of multiculturalism to the teachers. They learned about

what are multicultural education means and other kind of questions Ms. Pang asking her

teachers.

The second article of “Pre-service Teachers’ Preparedness for Teaching Multicultural

Students” by Joel Magogwe and Lone Ketsitlile, it explains that colleges of education in

Botswana, South Africa wants to knows if pre-service teachers are prepare to teach the students

about multicultural education before teachers can start teaching their students. College of

education also want to know what the teachers’ attitudes toward teaching to students. College

used questionnaire and interview with the students to talks about if their teachers did discuss

about multicultural education in the classroom. The teachers are required to teach the student
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about multicultural education because it is important for students to learn about their culture and

get to know each different culture. According to Magogwe and Ketsitlile (2015) states, “The

implication is that colleges of education should design programs that adequately prepare teachers

to better meet the needs of culturally and linguistically divers students in formal education to

achieve true democracy in education” (p. 276-288). The colleges in Botswana want the teachers

to teach the students about all different of cultures, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

Both articles are compare that the teachers need to learn about multicultural education

before entering their classroom to teach their students in the classroom on the first day of school.

Both of the articles contrast that one of the article talks about the woman name Ms. Pang tells her

story and the second article do not tell the story. The second article only explains that teachers

require to learn multicultural education before take a job and teach their students in the

classroom.
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Reference

Magogwe, Joel., Ketsitlile, Lone. (2015). Pre-service Teachers’ Preparedness for Teaching

Multicultural Students. Journal for Multicultural Education. Vol. 9. P. 276-288.

Pang, Valerie. (1994). Why Do We Need This Class? Multicultural Education for Teachers. The

Phi Delta Kappan. P. 289-292.