CHAPTER 2: ISSUES IN TEACHING MULTICULTURAL LITERACY

IN THE PHILIPPINES

PROF. ED 136

AQUINO, MARIFER V.
RILLERA, DEXTER N.

JANUARY 30, 2024

Issues in Teaching Multicultural Literacy in the Philippines

A few important issues stand in the way of Philippine educators

attempting to learn multicultural literacy for themselves and teach it in
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A. Conflicting Requirements for Peace

When all is said and done, the heart of multicultural literacy is peace
among different cultures—that is, productive and non-violent interaction.
It is easy to assume that all cultures value peace to the same degree and
are therefore willing to make the same compromises to attain it, but this
is not necessarily true.

Take for example the government and CPP-NPA conflict, which is

really a conflict over belief and primise. Both side’s desire peace, but
they do not desire it enough to be willing to compromise. In a very real
sense, both sides would rather live in perpetual conflict with one another
rather than give up their claim to which each side believes is rightfully
theirs.

That this conflict limited the government to provide reliable

education to the affected areas, particularly the Southern region of the
country.
Key Point: Peace among different cultures

B. Nationalistic and Rationalistic Pushback

The increase demand for multicultural sensitivity, inclusion, and

diversity in recent years has also given rise to resistance from groups
who believe that their identity is being “watered-down” by the needed
compromises.

Case in point is the very recent proposal of "Ortograpiya ti

Pagsasao nga Ilokano" by officials of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino
(KWF) in October 2018. The proposal was met with intense backlash
from group of Ilokano writers and language advocates over the
"incompetence in preparing the Ilokano orthography that didn't conform
with the existing orthography being lies by the Ilokano writers and
experts," claiming that the proposed orthography was based on Tagalog
and not Ilokano and that the commission's attempts to compel the
regional language to conform to the standards of the Ortograpiyang
Pambansa (National Orthography) would "destroy the identity of
the Ilokano language" (Dumlao, 2018).

Key point: Increasing demand for cultural sensitivity, inclusion, and

diversity

C. Persistence of the Problem

On the surface, multicultural literacy might seem to just be a

matter of "good common sense, and understandably so, no one actively
desires to experience discrimination regarding what they know and what
they can and cannot do simply on the basis of race, ethnicity, or in the
case of the Philippines, region of origin. If therefore makes perfect sense
to collectively refrain from such behavior under the assumption that "If
you don't do it to me, I won't do it to you. And yet, to our horror and
shame, the practice persists. Worse. We sometimes find ourselves
participating in and justifying such discriminatory behavior-if only online
and not in real life (as if anything written or posted online is not, in fact,
in real life). Therefore, the primary issue that educators face in
teaching multicultural literacy to their students and learning it for
themselves is, "Why does this problem persist? Or to put it in another
way, “Despite all out advances in science, technology, and culture, why is
this still a problem today?"

Boutte (2008) suggests that issues of discrimination in all its

forms (racial, religious, tribal, cultural, etc.) are really issues of hatred,
which she defines in an educational setting as "the lack of compassion
and lack of respect for the rights of others," and that such hatred must
be fought and its roots must be attacked, because as long as hatred
exists in the human mind, real peace will be impossible (Vreeland, 2001)
if this is true, then it leads to some interesting questions: For one, what
is the root of this hatred? Boutte (2008) suggests that, at least in
an educational context, such hate is often unintentional, but is
usually the result of a lack of education. Now if a lack of education is to
blame, then a lack of education in what, exactly? Is it awareness of the
existence of those different from us? Is it awareness that those different
from us are worthy of respect?
Key Point: Discrimination in all Forms

D. Question of Value

Another issue in teaching and learning multicultural literacy is

better posited as a question: “Why should I treat people of another
culture with respect?" might seem that the answer to the question is a
simple one: for peace but as we have seen earlier, not everyone values
peace to the same degree What if, for a certain culture, it is easier to just
destroy anyone who opposes them rather than expend the effort needed
to come to a mutual understanding?

Such statements might sound crass, but only if we believe that we,
as a society, are above such things. How many times have we broken
"small" laws and rules of etiquette-running red traffic lights "because no
one is there to catch me," or asking a vendor at a flea market or tinge to
list different price on the receipt than what an item is worth—because it
is more convenient than to do otherwise? How many times have we
been selfish in our decision-making, not thinking about, not caring
about its implications for others? And how many times have
we justified such behavior “because of the circumstances" or
"because everyone else is doing it." In other words, "Why should I value
another culture, another society, another person more than myself and
my own?" If we subscribe to Dawkins (2016) concept of a "selfish gene"-
where on a genetic level, the more two individuals are genetically like
one another, the more sense it makes to behave selflessly toward one
another and selfishly toward others who different-then we can easily
frame the issue of discrimination of cum discrimination and injustice as
one of both genetics and survival. This means that the injustice you
experience is necessary for my survival, and therefore in my best
interests (genetic and otherwise) that I maintain the status quo-or
reverse it, as the case maybe.

Educators like Freire (2000) have recognized and when against

such a monstrous perspective and rightly so-but have also admitted that
when the oppressed are freed from their oppressed are freed from their
oppression, they inevitably become the new oppressors.
 If such perspectives seem horrible to us (and they should), it is
because the question of the value of humanity, both individually and
collectively as a culture, makes no sense without subscribing to some
absolute moral standard – one that is true and right for all people,
regardless of race, color, or creed. But in today’s society where such
absolutes are reduced to matters of perspective, three remains no final
and sensible answer to the question.

Key Point “Why should I treat people from other culture with respect.”

Teaching Teachers to be More Multicultural in their Pedagogies:

1. Learn About Other Cultures
Banks (1991a) posits that the first step to teaching
multiculturalism is knowing about cultures that are not your own. It
follows that if you, the teacher, know only your own culture, then
you will be unable to teach your students to appreciate a
culture that is different from your own.

2. Familiarize yourself with how discrimination and prejudice appear in

your own culture

Boutte (2008) and Banks (1991) agree that teachers must be able
to identify and confront patterns of discrimination and prejudice in their
own lives before they can teach their students to do the same. For
example, when someone you just met says he or she is from Mindanao,
what words immediately come out of your mouth in response?
Do they express genuine acceptance, or do they betray some long-
held preconceptions about people from the region?

3. As You Are, So Will You Behave

Key to genuine multicultural literacy is core values that is, what you,
the teacher, really believe about people who are different from you; not
the kind of belief that you can just say you possess when talking to your
class, but the kind that you can just say you possess when talking to
your class, but the kind that determines your behavior when you think no
one is watching. Simply put, if you do not truly believe that those who
are different have value equal to your own, it will show, and your
students will detect it. It will be seen in the words you use, in the
expression on your face, in the change of your behavior when you think
no one can see, etc. The converse is also true: If you do believe others
have value equal to your own, no matter their social class. Educational
background, skin color, or regional accent, it will show; and what is
shown is what students will learn.

4. Model More Tell More

The teacher must model for them what empathy and compass others
look like on a day-to-day basis.

Reference:
https://r.search.yahoo.com/_Globalization_and_Cultural_and_Multicultur
al_Literacies/RK=2/RS=2TtqihwkNf0Anu2Wp0hF87mp3xs-

https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awr1QTyBErNl8EQC0zyzRwx.;_ylu=Y29
sbwNzZzMEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1706263298/RO
=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.studocu.com%2fph%2fdocument%2fkali
nga-state-university%2fprofessional-education%2fprof-ed-10a-im
no2%2f48178510/RK=2/RS=vLBfxMJjx8acixy9kbkN5ml0REo-

https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awr1QTyBErNl8EQC0zyzRwx.;_ylu=Y29
sbwNzZzMEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1706263298/RO
=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.studocu.com%2fph%2fdocument%2fkali
nga-state-university%2fprofessional-education%2fprof-ed-10a-im
no2%2f48178510/RK=2/RS=vLBfxMJjx8acixy9kbkN5ml0REo-