EDUC 205- STRUCTURE IN SOCIAL STUDIES

REPORTER: RODEL M. EDAR

TOPIC: CULTURAL CHANGES

Multiculturalism
-is the phenomenon of multiple groups of cultures existing within one society largely due to the
arrival of immigrant of this phenomenon.
-the term is often used to describe societies (especially nations) which have many distinct
cultural groups, usually as a result of immigration.
-it also a systematic and comprehensive response to cultural and ethnic diversity, with
educational, linguistic, economic and social components, and specific institutional mechanism.

Three interrelated, but nevertheless distinctive, referents of multiculturalism and its related adjective
multicultural are presented below:

 Demographic-descriptive usage occurs where the word multicultural refers to the existence of
linguistically, culturally, and ethnically diverse segments in the population of a society or state.
 Ideological-normative usage of multiculturalism generates the greatest level of debate, since it
constitutes a slogan and basis for political actions. It constitutes a specific focus towards the
management and organization of government responses to ethnic diversity. These alternatives
constitute a continuum from assimilationism to differentialism, the extreme forms of which are
exclusion, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.
 Programmatic-political usage of multiculturalism refers to the specific policies developed to
respond and manage ethnic diversity.

Multiculturalism in Education

-Multiculturalism education creates equal educational opportunities for students from diverse
racial, ethnic, social-class and cultural groups.
-it supports the idea that students and their backgrounds and experiences should be the center
of their education and that learning should familiar contact that attends to multiple ways of thinking.
-refers to the evolution of cultural diversity within a jurisdiction, introduced by its selection
policies and institutionalized by its settlement policies.

Goals of Multicultural Education

 According to James Banks, the primary goal of multicultural education is to transform the school
so that male and female students, exceptional students, and students from diverse cultural,
social class, racial, and ethnic groups experience an equal opportunity to learn.
 Help all students to acquire knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to function effectively in
pluralistic democratic society and to interact, negotiate, and communicate with peoples from
diverse groups in order to create a civic and moral community that works for the common good.
 Help students acquire the knowledge and commitments needed to make reflective decisions
and to take personal, social, and civic action to promote democracy and democratic living.
 Help all students develop more positive attitudes towards different racial, ethnic, cultural, and
religious groups.

Approaches to Multicultural Education

1. Contributions approach- the ethnic heroes and holidays are included in the curriculum.

2. Additive approach- a unit or course is incorporated but no substantial change is made to the
curriculum as a whole.

3. Transformation approach- the entire Eurocentric nature of the curriculum is changed. Students are
taught to view events and issues from diverse ethnic and cultural prospective

4. Social action approach- it goes beyond the transformation approach. Students not only learn to view
issues from multiple perspectives but also become directly involved in solving related problems. This
approach promotes decision making and social actions in order to achieve multicultural goals and a
more vibrant democracy.
Multicultural Curricular Curriculum
-pupils learn about themselves and others as they study various cultures.

Dimensions of Multicultural education

1. Content integration- it deals with the extent to which teachers use examples and content from
a variety of cultures and groups to illustrate key concepts, generalizations, and issues within
their subject area or disciplines.
2. Knowledge construction process- it describes how teachers help students to understand,
investigate, and determine how the biases, frames of reference, and perspective within a
discipline influence the ways in which knowledge is constructed within it.
3. Prejudice reduction- it describes lessons and activities used by teachers to help students to
develop positive attitudes toward different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.
4. Equity pedagogy- it exists when teachers modify their teaching in ways that will facilitate the
academic achievements of students from diverse racial, cultural, and social class groups.
5. Empowering school culture and social structure- this dimension is created when the culture
and organization of the school are transformed in ways that enable students from diverse racial,
ethnic, and gender groups to experience equality and social status.