Villaroza Mariemar S.

BEED II

Multicultural Education: Approaches and Challenges

Approaches

An educational strategy known as multicultural education aims to empower students so they

can participate in a global society. It is founded on democratic ideals and principles. It aims to promote
cultural diversity in societies with a variety of cultures and an interdependent global community.

There are four approaches in multicultural education:

1. Contributions approaches
- This method does not require the inclusion of books or topics that are culturally
diverse in the curriculum. The selection of books and activities that honor heroes,
holidays, and noteworthy occasions from various cultures reflects this. 
2. Additive approaches
- This entails integrating literature by and about people from different cultures into
the core curriculum without altering the subject area's fundamental organization. It
enables the inclusion of ethnic content into the curriculum without reorganizing it
for the teacher. It entails including in the curriculum works by and about individuals
from many cultural backgrounds.
3. Transformative approaches
- This approach alters the curriculum's structure and encourages students to consider
ideas, themes, and issues from a variety of ethnic vantage points. These approaches
help create a community that respects and acknowledges the many cultures of its
inhabitants while holding them all together within a framework of democratic
ideals.
4. Social action approaches
- This approach combines the transformation approach with activities to strive for
social change. It is helpful in making judgments and taking action in relation to the
topic, issue, or problem that they have studied is something extra that the learners
should do.

Students of all backgrounds benefit from these multicultural education approaches. In actual
classroom settings, the four approaches for integrating ethnicity into the curriculum that were
previously discussed are frequently combined. It is also possible to transition to other intellectually
rigorous techniques using other intellectually challenging approaches, such as transformative, social
action, and additive approaches. Multicultural education can be approached by schools and teachers in
a variety of ways, helping students gain good perspectives on both their own cultures and that of their
peers.
 Challenges

There are many challenges that a teacher may encounter, especially in multicultural education.
But there are approaches above that may help them to overcome and solve the challenges. These are
the challenges:

1. Language barrier
- The lack of a common language prevents two or more people from speaking to or
understanding each other through verbal communication. The students will not
understand the language of the other student, but the teacher should take action
on it. He/she will know how to handle it because that is multicultural education,
showing equity.
2. Domination of different learning styles
- Students have different cultures and styles, so a teacher must know how to handle
this situation. A teacher should offer his or her students all the learning styles for
the learners to grasp information better.
3. Non-verbal behavior
- The teacher should be familiar with and aware of the non-verbal behavioral
characteristics of society in order to be organized and ensure there are no troubles
that are made in the classroom. A teacher should maintain eye contact to see they
understood what the teacher saying and if they understand the topic. but as teacher
you know the cultural background of your students.
4. Diversity od extracurricular activities
- Children should learn about their own culture so they can explain the differences in
their culture to others. Learners should get accustomed to new traditions as a way
of life and relationships in the new society. Through extracurricular activities like
holidays or some important dates, children should also learn about holidays.
5. Teaching communication skills
- Some children are shy about communicating with others and also about public speaking.
They are shy in expressing their opinions and ideas because of anxiety. They feel that they
cannot be understood by others that might judge the child, and that is the reason why the
confidence of the child is low. Teachers should encourage students to discuss issues, speak
their minds on a variety of topics, give inspiration to the students to boost their confidence,
and help them overcome their anxiety that causes shyness. to promote a pleasant
classroom.
  The role of a teacher is vital because they are the ones who give knowledge and boost
the confidence of a child. Teachers play a very significant role in one's life. They are the ones
who open the minds of the children about the world, educating them. Teachers should be
aware of the non-verbal behavioral characteristics of society in order to be organized and
ensure there are no troubles that arise in the classroom. Teachers should encourage
students to discuss issues, speak their minds on a variety of topics, and boost their
confidence.