Considered Response #5 Social Responsible Teachers: Cultural Diversity in the Classroom Andrew Butterworth Dr.

Catherine Broom Group #1 University of British Columbia Okanagan

Butterworth 1

When I first finished reading the case, I remember my mind was racing with a number of questions about cultural diversity and its place in the classroom. I understood the importance of recognizing diversity, but I remember thinking, what does a socially responsible classroom look like and how can I incorporate these ideas of multiculturalism, which are so prevalent in Canadian society, into my pedagogy? Initially, I found it difficult to connect to this case on a personal level, mainly because I felt I lacked rich personal experiences with multiculturalism throughout my childhood as I grew up in a predominantly white, middle-class community. However, following our weekend activity in which I was asked to notice multiculturalism in some way, I began to realize that, although I didnt think critically about it at first, I was part of a culturally diverse society with existing power structures. I dont remember learning about a variety of cultures and perspectives in high school, but I saw just how diverse Canada is through media and television. I recall simply learning the definition of multiculturalism in high school, without connecting it to real life, only starting to think critically about culture throughout my university education. Girouxs (1996) question of what useful knowledge is and who it truly serves resonated with me over the week. It made me realize that cultural diversity is a large and complex issue that affects many children on a daily basis and that power relations existed even in my high school curriculum growing up. As the week progressed, I began to see the importance of demanding my students to critically analyze power structures, embrace cultural diversity, and the need for my classroom to incorporate social justice. Canada is increasingly becoming a more culturally diverse nation, which needs to be recognized in our schools. Egbo (2009) defines cultural diversity as the different ways of knowing, perceiving, and interpreting reality, stemming from our own cultural identity (pg. 3). Potentially, this diversity can become a source of conflict in schools if they are perceived as

Butterworth 2 borders because various groups will struggle for survival and control of power (pg. 3). It is important then to consider the power structures that exist within schools that could cause such conflict. From my experience, even though Canada is a society that has a variety of different cultures, my school taught from a Eurocentric perspective, analyzing the events and people that were significant only to European societies, namely the British and the French. In that respect, schools practice ideological racism, presenting dominant group values as normal, eliminating the resistance of the oppressed (Egbo, 2009). I believe education, then, is one part of a larger overarching structure of cultural hegemony that exists within Canadian society. Schools are not politically neutral, rather they reinforce existing economic, political, and social inequalities, resulting in social reproduction, while training disadvantaged segments to occupy subordinate positions in society (Egbo, 2009, pg. 13, 14). This system is represented by Freires (1970) banking concept of education, in which students are receiving objects of information who have their creativity and critical thinking minimalized. Freire states that, in this system, the educators role is to regulate the way the world enters into the students, not allowing them to critically explore their society (pg. 4). This inequality in our schools is largely sustained by racism and stereotypes that exist within society. Children in particular are largely susceptible to internalizing these categorizations at a young age; children who belong to oppressed groups will feel subordinate to their middleclass counterparts (Delpit, 2006). Society constructs these categories mainly based on physical features and schools use these racial categorizations to maintain power structures. These categories are also based on learning abilities, even though the skills taught are not necessarily designed for all social groups. As Delpit (2006) states, students who do not learn the basic skills of school within the first five or six months are labelled remedial at best or special education

Butterworth 3 (pg. 228). Students who feel they are marginalized or discriminated against will mentally withdrawal themselves and disengage from the class (Egbo, 2009). Much of this discrimination students receive is transferred through what is known as the hidden curriculum, which refers to the unintended knowledge, behaviours, and attitudes a school teaches through its content selection, routines, and social relationships (Egbo, 2009, pg. 9). For example, in my high school we primarily learned history from a Eurocentric perspective, which could be seen to emphasize that these values are superior to those of other cultures. Each teacher carries their own personal opinions and biases into the classroom, which in turn have an effect on their students. As bell hooks (1994) states, no education is politically neutral, (pg. 37) meaning that, despite our best intentions, our hidden curriculum will often come to influence student learning. That said, the underlying question remains, how does a teacher approach multiculturalism in a classroom? As I have learned, my pedagogical approach can take a variety of different routes; as Lisa Delpit (2006) states, teachers must be very aware that we need to use a variety of strategies to teach (pg. 228). My pedagogy would start with building a pluralistic and democratic classroom environment while forming close connections to my students. I would then be able to encourage critical thinking about power structures in society, better develop individualized lesson plans, and promote social justice in the classroom. Finally, I would also try to teach applicable curriculum to my students, relating what I teach to everyday experiences. I believe that having a pluralistic classroom organizational structure (Egbo, 2009) is the most important aspect of embracing multiculturalism in schools. This does not necessarily mean making the classroom a safe environment, rather make it a democratic setting where students feel a responsibility to contribute and for teachers and students to voice fears, to talk about

Butterworth 4 what they are doing, how they are doing it, and why (hooks, 1994, 38, 39). This setting would educate students on how to live in a multicultural world, encouraging them to embrace different cultures and social justice, leading them to become informed citizens in a democratic society while giving them control over the forces that govern their lives (Giroux, 1996). A proper classroom environment would also develop a students sociocivic skills for effective membership in multicultural communities by teaching them how to better relate to people of different backgrounds (Gay, 2010, pg. 21). Also central to this classroom environment is to help students deconstruct stereotypes that exist within society. This could be as simple as showing students a variety of images and texts and having them discuss some of the negative stereotypes that they notice. As teachers, we must help students who have internalized a negative view society has of them by turning that view into a demand that they celebrate their giftedness (Delpit, 2006). As Delpit (2006) asserts, a student that feels connected to a community will be more successful in school as they were able to identify with something more than just themselves. Another important pedagogical step would be to form healthy relationships with my students. I believe multicultural learning settings require relationships of respect and compassion, which make students feel comfortable engaging in a democratic classroom society (hooks, 1994). I cannot make students feel inadequate, as it will reduce their motivation to learn. As Delpit (2006) states, if students do not feel connected to a teacher on an emotional level, then they will not learn, they will not put out the effort (pg. 227). Building this relationship with my students will also enable myself as a teacher to better meet the needs of my class. Each student learns differently and therefore should not be treated the same (Egbo, 2009). Once I understand my students learning styles, I can create individualized lesson plans that can better

Butterworth 5 accommodate the learning needs of my class. For example, in teaching social studies I could incorporate open ended group projects in which students choose the method in which they research their topic, then deciding how they want to present their findings, which could potentially make use of technology and digital media. Furthermore, I could also use stories to help relate distant concepts of history to real world, relevant examples today; stories allow for more types of information and styles of presentation than are customary (Gay, 2010, pg. 2). I recall in my Peer Tutoring program in high school, I helped a special needs student who was struggling with math. Rather than jumping right into the content, the first thing I wanted to do was form a friendship with this student, so I decided to go over to his after school and play video games. We got along quite well after that, making our sessions more fun and engaging. I remember that, as our sessions continued, he became more and more engaged with the content as our relationship grew. Although I havent talked to him in a while, I hope that my relationship with this student will have improved his motivation to learn in the long run. Along with establishing a democratic classroom environment, I would also encourage students to think critically and interrogate dominant assumptions about the world (Egbo, 2009). I believe students should not only question borders of class, race, and gender, but also have the chance to learn that the relationship between knowledge and power can be emancipatory and that what they say and do can count as part of a wider struggle to change the world around them (Giroux, 1996, pg. 25). Rather than simply being seen as depositors, students should be recognized as conscious beings and a teacher as one who learns along with his or her students (Freire, 1970). Freire states that students should be critical co-investigators in dialogue with the teacher (pg. 7). In sum, students should be active participants in democratic classes that effectively explore power structures in society.

Butterworth 6 At the foundation of the class should be ideas of social justice. A proper education should embrace and recognize all cultures involved in the production of knowledge (Giroux, 1996). For example, in discussing Canadian history, it is important to not only examine the viewpoints of the English and French, but also those of the First Nations and other cultural minorities that exist within society. I could also incorporate social justice by adding material about my students cultural heritage (Delpit, 2006). By respecting my students heritage, I can ensure that marginalized or misrepresented groups are properly represented in the class. Students from culturally different backgrounds are more prone to dropping out if their feel alienated in the classroom (Egbo, 2009). In relation to the case, I believe Jamie is taking the right step by collaborating with her colleagues and discussing issues of cultural diversity in the school. I feel that those students who did not attend the convocation ceremonies felt misrepresented in their classroom, probably as a result of the cultural values thrust upon them, and consequently disengaged from their education; perhaps their learning styles was not effectively met by their teacher. Were Jamie and her colleagues to build a proper democratic educational community within the school, they could better meet the needs of these marginalized students through individualized lesson planning. They could also help these students explore their own culture while thinking critically about the power structures that exist within Canadian society. By building a relationship with these students, they will be better motivated to engage in their education. While I found it difficult to connect to this case on a personal level, I believe that this difficult directly represents part of the problem of our schools today. Although I can visibly see the multicultural aspect of Canadian society on a daily basis, based on the different ethnic and racial backgrounds of the people I encounter, I dont recall learning much other than a

Butterworth 7 Eurocentric perspective in high school. While this problem may not have resonated for myself personally, as I am a benefiter of the oppression that exists within our education system based on my socioeconomic standing and racial/ethnic background, there are students that were potentially negatively affected by their experience and possible marginalization in schools. As a teacher, I have to be aware of this problem and ensure that I draw upon a variety of cultures and perspectives in my lessons. After all, multiculturalism is a policy officially adopted by the Canadian government, so shouldnt this resonate in our schools as well?

Butterworth 8 References Delpit, L. (2006). Lessons from Teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 220-231. Egbo, B. (2009). Social, policy and global trends afftecting Canadian diversity and education. In Teaching for diversity in Canadian schools, pp. 32-60. Toronto, ON: Pearson Prentice Hall. Freire, P. (1970). The Banking Concept of Education. In A.S. Canestrari & B.A. Marlowe (Eds.), Educational foundations: An anthology of critical readings, pp. 99-111. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Gay, G. (2010). Challenges and Perspectives. In Culturally Responsive Teacher: Theory, Research and Practice (2nd Ed.), pp. 1-21. New York: Teachers College Press. Giroux, H. (1996). Education, leadership, and the crisis of democratic culture. In Living dangerously: Multiculturalism and the politics of difference, pp. 9-34. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. hooks, b. (1994). Embracing Change: Teaching in a multicultural world. In Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom, pp. 35-44. New York: Routledge.