DISCUSSION 8

Start off by stating the grade level/subject you teach or intend to teach. 

Brainstorm and explain one activity you could use in your classroom that embraces the

concept of multiculturalism, and one activity you could use in your classroom that utilizes

differentiation. 

Provide a rationale for choosing these activities and be sure to support them with citations

from your reading resources

I currently teach at third grade at the elementary level. Before I answer the question, let me give

a definition for multiculturalism. A multicultural classroom is one in which both the students

and the teacher are accepting of all races, cultures, and religions. This acceptance is evidenced by

the books that are read, the activities that are completed, and the lessons that are taught.

Academia.edu

One activity you can use that will embrace the concept of multiculturalism in the classroom is:

Have a Multicultural Classroom Celebration. Diversity ought to be celebrated, so why not make

a day of it? You can take the idea of a traditional class party and mix it with students’ unique

cultures, or even one they’d like to learn about personally!

Throw a multicultural classroom celebration where students can bring in three items (one of

them being food – of course) representing their heritage to share with their classmates and

teacher. 
Pro-tip: Coordinating Events with parents is easy with Class Tag. Create an event, add your list

of needed items and ask parents to RSVP! Don’t worry – we even connect with Google Meet if

you need to make that celebration a virtual one!

For each, students should prepare a description to share aloud to educate their audience about its

connection to their heritage. For example, a student speaking on their Mexican culture might

share a sugar skull as it’s one of the most well-known symbols representatives of Día de Los

Muertos where families pay tribute to their loved ones who’ve passed away.  

As students take turns sharing out, the whole group can enjoy the smorgasbord of food each of

them brought! 7 Great Multicultural Classroom Activities To Involve Parents — ClassTag

I think that the Multicultural Classroom Celebration is also a brilliant idea because students can

learn about what makes one culture different from another, and why someone may do something

different from them in the society. For example, how one worships, dress, eat, and socialize.

Malik (2011) highlights that: the diversity has become the prominent feature of 21st century and

this feature has gained more importance due to advancement of information communication

technologies (ICT) and scientific developments that has made the whole world a global village.

The affect of this feature can be observed in classroom environment. At present even in one

classroom there may be cultural diversity. In such an environment there is need that to prepare

prospective teachers in teaching diverse classroom. In current scenario of the world there is need

to foster unity and multicultural understanding among the people within a country. Creating

awareness and understanding about multicultural has become an essential part of current

education system. Diversity or Multicultural education describes a system of instruction that

attempts to foster cultural pluralism and acknowledges the differences between races and

cultures.

The other question focuses on differentiation. However, what is differentiation? Differentiation

is often defined as tailoring instruction to meet the needs of individual students. However this is

too simplistic a definition in my view; we need to look at both what students’ needs might be

through different prisms and how we can adjust our teaching and classroom management

according to the ways they may present at different levels.

https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/differentiation

One activity that utilizes differentiation is: Cooperative groups. According to the Manitoba

Department of Education (n.d.) The main purpose of cooperative groups in the multilevel

classroom is to develop a collaborative “micro” learning community within the larger classroom

community (Johnson and Johnson). It takes time for these heterogeneous groups to develop

interdependence. Cooperative groups may stay together for an entire term. Cooperative groups

offer valuable opportunities for independent learning, thereby also allowing the teacher more

time to work with flexible groups. Because of the wider developmental range in the multilevel

classroom, thoughtful role assignment in cooperative groups is essential so that younger students

are not overshadowed by older ones. Assign roles that are based on students’ skills (e.g., reader,

recorder, reporter, helper) and rotate them. Alternatively, suggest a “share-the-pen” strategy,

with each member taking a turn at recording an idea while the others are coaches, assisting with

spelling, and encouraging thinking. Cooperative groups may be formed across developmental

levels. Select students who have a range of social and academic abilities that will foster

interdependence.

Reference
 (PDF) Teaching in Multicultural Classroom- Assessing Current Programs of Teachers’ Training
in Pakistan. (n.d.). ResearchGate.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236275598_Teaching_in_Multicultural_Classroom-
_Assessing_Current_Programs_of_Teachers
ClassTag connects teachers and families with one easy to use app for all their communication
needs. Check it out. (2016, May 18). ClassTag. https://home.classtag.com/blog/multicultural-
classroom-activities/
Mohlatlego, M. C. (n.d.). What is a multicultural classroom. Www.academia.edu.
https://www.academia.edu/7841668/What_is_a_multicultural_classroom
Differentiation In The Classroom: 8 Strategies To Use In Your Teaching
By Neil Almond Year: 2019 Container: Third Space
Learning URL: https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/differentiation-strategies-primary-school/

Chapter 4: Differentiation in the Multilevel Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2019, from
https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/multilevel/chap4.pdf