Multicultural
Education
ETH305V
notes | Culture
• A shared system of beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts
• Processes of social and human interaction
• Example: Ndebele tribe. Xhosa
Macro culture
• Embodied by the countries symbols and values
• Shared by all citizen...
Culture
• A shared system of beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts
• Processes of social and human interaction
• Example: Ndebele tribe. Xhosa
Macro culture
• Embodied by the countries symbols and values
• Shared by all citizens
• Example: Flag and national anthem
Micro / sub culture
• Smaller groups within a larger culture; such as religious, language and sports groups
• They share a belief in certain rules and roles
• Example: Sports team, religion
Micro cultures that influence classroom teaching
• Gender
• Barriers to learning
• Socio-economic class
• Language
• Family structure
Multicultural education
• A multi-disciplinary educational programme the provides multiple learning environments
• A reaction to assimilation and integration where minority groups where engulfed by a dominant
group
• It focuses on incorporating equal recognition of beliefs and values of people from various
cultural groups.
• Multicultural education aims to help learners understand the unique cultural backgrounds of various
groups, develop equal learning opportunities and reduce any form of discrimination and racism.
• Encompasses:
o Race
o Ethnicity
o Religion
o Gender
o Socio-economic class
o Age
o Physical disabilities
Race and racism
• Racism is viewing one’s own race as superior to other races
• People are not naturally racist, but they learn this as a result of the attitudes and behavioral patterns
of their elders.
• Example: Whites thinking they are better than blacks
Discrimination
• The unfair, disadvantageous treatment of individuals and groups.
• Can take many forms such as discrimination on the grounds of language, religion, ethnic grouping
and class
• Example: Not getting a job because of the colour of your skin
Minority groups
• Relates to those groups in society who are in the numerical minority.
• Example: Jewish South Africans form a minority group as opposed to groups who are Zulu
1
Downloaded by: nikkinaidoo9876 | nikkinaidoo9876@gmail.com
Distribution of this document is illegal
, Stuvia.com - The study-notes marketplace
Dimensions of multicultural education:
• Content integration
o When teachers use examples and content from a variety of cultures and groups to
illustrate key concepts when teaching diverse groups
• Equity pedagogy
o Modifying teaching in order to facilitate the academic achievement of students from
diverse racial, cultural, gender and social-class
o This includes using a variety of teaching styles and approaches to accommodate a wide
range of learning styles within different cultural and ethnic groups
• The knowledge construction process
o Refers to the methods, activities and questions teachers use to help learners understand
how assumptions and perspectives influence the way in which knowledge is constructed
o Teachers help learners to understand how racial, ethnic and social class influences
knowledge
• Prejudice reduction
o By reducing prejudice, teacher helps learners to develop positive attitudes towards
different racial, ethnic and cultural groups
o The objective is to overcome the learner’s current bias and add more positive attitudes
• An empowering School culture
o This involves restructuring the culture and organization of the school so that learners from
diverse groups can experience equality
o This is a collaborative process that involves all members of the school staff
Ethnic group and ethnocentrism
• An ethnic group is the distinct social group within a larger society
• Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view one’s own cultural group ad its social standards as superior
Multicultural society/community
• It is the heterogeneous, diverse nature of societies and communities
Stereotypes
• When we create mental categories in order to place people, items or events in conceptually
specified groups. It is how we describe people
• It can amount to overgeneralization of a person or a group
• Example: Lower income people are uneducated
Prejudice
• The judgement or opinion of a person or thing prior to examination of the facts
• It is how we feel about people
• Sources: Social inequalities, frustration and aggression, social dominance, institutions
Assimilation (6)
• Members of the minority groups in society must conform to and adopt the values, norms and
language of the majority and dominant social group
• It is opposed to the principles of multicultural education
• It does not celebrate diversity
• It ignores the needs of the learners from diverse social groups
Socio-economic class
• An individual’s economic and social position in society in relation to other, based on their income,
education and occupation
• Categorized into three levels; high, middle and low
• Example: The average working class citizen would fall into the middle category, while an
unemployed person who has no shelter and minimal food would fall into the low class
2
Downloaded by: nikkinaidoo9876 | nikkinaidoo9876@gmail.com
Distribution of this document is illegal
, Stuvia.com - The study-notes marketplace
Empowerment (4)
• A process, which enables learners to access aspects of the dominant culture
Examples:
The history of discrimination in SA
The various social groups that where disadvantaged and did not enjoy educational equality
The need to empower all the languages spoken in SA
• To broaden their understanding of themselves and the world in which they live
Diversity (The need for multicultural education in SA) (4)
• South Africa is culturally divers and the different viewpoints within any one ethnic or race group
need to be accommodated
• It is shown by the number of languages spoken, the racial, ethnic and social class mix
• Diversity constitutes any kind of variety in human kind
Xenophobia
• A hatred or fear of foreigners which results in an increase tension and violence towards immigrants
SOCIALIZATION MODELS
Teachers can measure their approach to education by 2 models:
• Assimilation models:
A process whereby minority groups are assimilated into a group with a more dynamic culture
o Assimilation
The acceptance of a minority group by a majority population in which the minority group
takes over the values and norms of the dominant culture.
o Amalgamation
To create and develop an entirely new, unique and distinctive culture
o Open society
This is where ethnicity, faith, language or any other bias on which groups are formed, are
rejected. The interest of the individual is given priority
• Culturally pluralistic models:
A society with a diversity of cultural, ethnic and religious difference
o Structural pluralism
Also called the “salad bowl” and accepts the idea that cultural pluralism is part of modern
society, but advocates separate development
o Modified cultural pluralism
Acknowledges cultural diversity but favors greater interaction between the different groups
o Dynamic cultural pluralism
Acknowledges the importance of a group as well as the individual’s identity. Individuals
should have the right to free association
3
Downloaded by: nikkinaidoo9876 | nikkinaidoo9876@gmail.com
Distribution of this document is illegal
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller STUDYCENTER2024. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
