LESSON 3 CHALLENGES IN

TEACHING
DR. BERNADETTE R. BARRO
MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM

A. TEACHING IN MULTICULTURAL AND

MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOMS
Multicultural education is an interesting and important topic
for teachers. At its heart is a deep concern about equity, respect
for diversity, cultural literacy, and fair treatment for everyone in
school.
MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM

Learners are different in terms of language, religion,

ethnicity, belief, nationality and culture. This holds true in the
Philippines where there are more than 107 ethnoliquistic
groups. Each member in the class may be a member of a
cultural group, have different religions, speaks a different
language, or behave differently.
MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM

There are several instructional strategies that can be utilized in

addressing cultural diversity in the classroom. The following are examples
of the things that can promote the cause of multicultural education:
1. CONTENT INTEGRATION- Cultural practices, cultural values, history,
and respect for cultural diversity can be integrated in the various contents
of the subjects in basic education.
MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM

2. CULTURAL IMMERSION- Students can be immersed in different

cultures. This will allow the students to observe the life of other people and
to have a first hand experience of their culture and values.
3. CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIVERSITY- similar to what we do in the
UN Month Celebration, and in the Linggo ng Wika, students can
experience and enjoy different cultural dance, folk literature, music, visual
arts, and costumes.
MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM

4. CULTURAL RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY- Teachers use

pedagogical methods, approaches and techniques that respect the
cultural values, cultural mindset, and cultural practices of the
learners.
5. TEACHING LOCAL CULTURE- Teachers will introduce
local culture to students through lectures, fora and symposia.
MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM

The Philippines is also a home of various indigenous

groups. The Philippine 1987 Constitution encouraged the state
to provide an education that is relevant to their culture and
indigenous practices of these indigenous people. Pawilen
(2013) identified several approaches that can be used to
integrate indigenous knowledge in the curriculum.
MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM

1. REAL-LIFE STORY MODEL. Indigenous knowledge is

embedded in the daily life experience of the young children as
they grow up. They live and grow in a society where
indigenous knowledge is interwoven into the lives of the
people.
MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM

2. PROBLEM-BASED APPROACH- Learners are exposed to

different lessons in problem solving. By doing problem-
solving activities, the learners are exposed to some practical
situations or issues that are important to them and to their
community.
MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM

3. INVITING LOCAL FOLKS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS AS

RESOURCE PERSON IN SCHOOL- This will allow community leaders
and elders to share their knowledge and wisdom to the students.
4. DEVELOPING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR TEACHING
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE- Teachers can develop modules, worksheets,
and learning kits that will help introduce local history, community values,
and indigenous knowledge of the community to the learners.
B. TEACHING IN A LEARNER-CENTERED AND
CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM

Learner-centered education refers to a kind of education that

considers the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, interests, and
beliefs that the learners bring into the classroom.
In learner-centered education, providing learner’s social and
emotional development is an equally important aspect in planning
the curriculum.
B. TEACHING IN A LEARNER-CENTERED AND
CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM

Constructivism is a theory of learning that explains that

knowledge is constructed based on the prior knowledge and
experiences of the learners. In constructivism, humans are viewed
as goal-directed agents who actively seek knowledge and
information.
B. TEACHING IN A LEARNER-CENTERED AND
CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM
Constructivism paradigm posits that meaningful learning is
constructed by the learners as results of their sensory experiences with
the world (Houtz and Thomas 1996). Constructivist teaching and
learning therefore lead to: 1) active learning; 2) learning in a meaningful
context 3) reflective and intuitive problem solving ; 4) doing
investigations; and 5) providing real-life and hands-on experiences to
the learners.
C. BRAIN-BASED EDUCATION

Brain-based education was brought by research in neuroscience.

Significant neuroscience studies provided several ideas on how the
human brain functions and people learn. Caine and Caine (1997)
consider curriculum and instruction from a brain-based approach.
They begin with “brain-mind learning principles” derived from
brain research findings and apply these principles in the classroom:
C. BRAIN-BASED EDUCATION

1. The brain is a whole system and includes physiology, emotions,

imagination, and predisposition. These must all be considered as
a whole.
2. The brain develops in relationship to interactions with the
environment and with others.
3. A quality of being human is the search for personal meaning.
C. BRAIN-BASED EDUCATION

4. People create meaning through perceiving certain patterns of

understanding.
5. Emotions are critical to the patterns people perceive.
6. The brain processes information into both parts and whole at the
same time.
7. Learning includes both focused attention and peripheral input.
C. BRAIN-BASED EDUCATION

8. Learning is both conscious and unconscious.

9. Information (meaningful and fragmented) is organized differently in memory.
10. Learning is developmental.
11. The brain makes the optimal number of connections in a supportive but
challenging environment, perceptions of threat inhibiting learning.
12. Every brain is unique in its organization.
C. BRAIN-BASED EDUCATION

The study done by Caine and Caine is useful for teachers in

organizing curriculum and instruction. It encourages teachers
to think and reflect on the way they teach their subjects to the
students and it challenges them to reorganize instruction to
implement these brain-based education practices.
C. BRAIN-BASED EDUCATION

Resnick (1987) postulates that people learn better if they

are asked to think in ways that are more complex . She
theorizes that even in the elementary school, students learn
more if they are given several ways to look at a problem and
if they are asked to give more than one way of solving it.
C. BRAIN-BASED EDUCATION

Renata and Caine (1991) also cite studies showing that the
brain learns best when it works to solve problems or
accomplishes specific tasks instead of merely absorbing
isolated bits of information.
C. BRAIN-BASED EDUCATION

Sylwester (1995) correlates current scientific theories on

how the brain processes information. He suggests that these
new learning theories have broad educational applications
that can be utilized in today’s schools to improve teaching and
learning.
D. ICT INTEGRATION

Computer’s entry into schools changed radically the

landscape of education. With computers, came educational
programs in DVD, VCD, CD and other forms. Microsoft,
Apple, and other companies developed different software that
is utilized in education nowadays.
D. ICT INTEGRATION

The term ICT, short for Information Communications

Technology, embraces all forms of technologies that enable all
people to receive information and communicate or exchange
information with others (Anderson 2010). ICT have marked
significant effect in education particularly on teaching and
learning.
E. TEACHING MULTIGRADE CLASSES

Multigrade teaching involves the teaching of students from different grade

levels in one classroom. This requires teachers to develop a skill in handling
different students’ behavior and in addressing their needs and interests.
The Department of Education is also implementing multigrade classes in
many divisions in the country. Most of these public schools operating
multigrade classes are located in local communities that are geographically far.
F. TEACHING IN MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
CLASSROOMS
The idea of learners having multiple intelligence came
from the research of the famous Harvard University professor
Howard Gardner. In 1983, Gardner published his book titled
Frames of Mind that presented the concept of multiple
intelligences.
F. TEACHING IN MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
CLASSROOMS
Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) presents a powerful
notion that there are different separate human capacities namely:
 Linguistic Intelligence- ability to analyze information and create
products involving oral and written language.
 Logical-Mathematical Intelligence- ability to develop equations
and proofs, make calculations, and solve abstract problems.
F. TEACHING IN MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
CLASSROOMS
 Spatial Intelligence- ability to recognize and manipulate large-scale and
fine-grained spatial images.
 Musical Intelligence- ability to produce, remember, and make meaning of
different patterns of sound.
 Naturalist Intelligence- ability to identify and distinguish among different
types of plants, animals, and weather formations that are found in the
natural world.
F. TEACHING IN MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
CLASSROOMS
 Bodily Kinesthetic- ability to use one’s own body to create
products or solve problems.
 Interpersonal intelligence- ability to recognize and understand
other people’s moods, desires, motivations, and intentions.
 Intrapersonal intelligence- ability to recognize and understand his
or her own moods, desires, motivations and intentions.
F. TEACHING IN MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
CLASSROOMS

Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory became a powerful force

that pushed many educators and schools to radically change
the educational system. It made many teachers and schools
conscious of designing curriculum and instruction that
develop these multiple intelligence.
G. TEACHING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Special education is an area in education that seeks to

understand the nature and needs of different learners with
special needs. As a field of study, it trains teachers and other
professionals to respond to needs of special learners in terms
of pedagogy, curriculum, and other forms of educational
interventions.
G. TEACHING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Wolery and Wilbers (1994) described the various classifications of

children with special needs according to the type of disability of each learner
like dual-sensory impairments, deafness and hearing impairments, mental
retardation, multiple handicaps, orthopedic impairments, other health
impairments, serious emotional disturbance, specific learning disabilities,
speech (language) impairments, visual impairments and blindness, traumatic
brain injury, autism, and also learners diagnosed with medical conditions.
G. TEACHING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Special learners also include children and youth living in

difficult context like those located in war zones and
economically depressed ones. While there are special schools
to cater to the needs of special learners, many special learners
are attending regular classes and part of inclusive education
program.
G. TEACHING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

The category of special learners also includes those who are

considered as twice exceptional, intellectually genius and
gifted. In the Philippines, there are only few schools offering
programs for gifted students. These are the science schools,
special science classes in regular schools, and the Philippine
School for the Arts.