Session 3: Instructional Practices: Empowering The Curriculum

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Session 3 Instructional Practices Empowering
The Curriculum
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Do Now

• Reflect on the following question. Then, take a
  moment to write down your answer.
• What concerns and/or questions do you have about
  implementing multicultural education in your
  classroom?

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Knowledge

• When students are empowered, they will have the
  ability to influence their personal, social,
  political and economic worlds. ..that will
  motivate them to participate in social change to
  help create a more just society and world
  (Banks, 2006, p. 203)

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Types of Knowledge

• Personal/Cultural
• Popular
• Mainstream Academic
• Transformative Academic
• School

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Personal Cultural Knowledge

• Developed by students explanations, concepts, and
  interpretations based on personal experiences in
  their culture
• How can this affect the classroom?
• -Without a clear understanding of personal
  cultural knowledge, some of the behaviors of
  minorities students may be deemed negative and
  inappropriate by school staff.

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Popular Knowledge

• Developed by students from the concepts ,
  explanations and interpretations they see within
  the mass media and popular culture.
• How can this effect the classroom?
• -Students can come into the classroom with
  misconceptions or stereotypes about other
  cultural groups.

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Mainstream Academics

• Developed by the students from the concepts,
  explanations and theories of traditional
  Western-centric knowledge in history and social
  sciences.
• How can this effect the classroom?
• -Have students challenge or debate over
  historical ideals and events.

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Transformative Academic Knowledge

• Developed by the students by challenging
  mainstream academic knowledge by expanding and
  revising. When this process occurs scientific
  revolution happens and new paradigms will exist
  with established ones.
• How can this effect the classroom?
• -Encourage students to view history from the
  view of the other group
• -Develops critical thinkers by using powerful
  concepts and social issues

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School Knowledge

• Developed by students by information that is
  presented in textbooks and teachings of the
  teacher.
• How can this effect the classroom?
• -Teachings are taught as memorized concepts for
  recall, rarely is there a challenge for critical
  thinking to help students develop cultural
  literacy.
• -There should be a reform all on educational
  levels for the good of all reflecting various
  aspects of culture to empower effective
  participation of the nation in a democratic
  society.

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In the classroom

• Next we will look at possible ways to develop the
  3 identifications and knowledge within the
  students to prepare them to be effective citizens
  who can function within various ethnic, racial
  and cultural groups in society.

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Methods For Teaching

• Begin the unit by using current events from
  newspapers, magazines or internet dealing with
  racial, ethnic or cultural diversity.
• Followed by a social science inquiry, which is a
  study of historical information to develop an
  understanding of public policy.

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Methods For Teaching contd

• Once the students have an a historical
  perspective have them examine their own values.
• Spread opinion (in small groups identify their
  position and discuss)
• Unfinished sentences (teacher gives the students
  an incomplete sentence and have the students
  finish them and discuss)
• Strongly Agree/Disagree (class survey)
• Action Projects (Research a topic on racial,
  ethinic or cultural relevance and collect data
  through surveys, and analyze and interpret the
  data collected to develop a possible solution.)

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Variations

• Think of ways you can incorporate these
  multicultural strategies into your classroom with
  students in all groups and across the curriculum

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Group Lesson Planning Activity

• Begin by getting into a group with your grade or
  content area.

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Directions (Lesson Planning Act.)

• Divide into groups according to content or grade
  level taught.
• Once you are in your groups, create a lesson or
  take a lesson you have already implemented in
  your classroom and add some of the key concepts
  you have learned in all three sessions.
• Please keep in mind the following
• definition and goals of multicultural education
• how to develop the three cultural identities
• the types of knowledge students have or develop
• possible strategies discussed to implement with
  any give unit.
• You can use the attach form as a guide for your
  lesson.
• Each group will have 30-45 minutes to work on
  your lesson.
• Present and share with the group.

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Group Presentation Protocol

• As each of the groups present their lesson plan,
  please follow the following protocol to keep the
  workshop running smoothly!
• Be respectful.
• Be honest.
• Keep it under five minutes!
• Have fun!

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References

• Banks, J.A. (2006). Cultural Diversity and
  Education Foundations Curriculum and Teaching
  (5th ed.). Seattle Pearson Education, Inc.