Frances Vitali, Instructor
WP Conference, March 28-31, 2012
WP Conference, March 26-29, 2014 (Madison, WI)
WP Conference, April 14-17, 2016 (Philadelphia, PA)
Karen Boss - Try to Always (Charlesbridge Editor)
Microaggressions (Derald Sue, 2010)
A Talk to Teachers (James Baldwin, 1963)
Course Description
This course familiarizes students with history, theory, practice, culture, politics, issues of second language pedagogy and orality and literacy. Students will gain an understanding of effective teaching methods and cultural sensitivity for working with linguistically diverse students, realizing that language and culture are synonymous.
Rationale: Most classrooms are comprised of uniquely diverse learners on all levels, including linguistically and culturally. As educators, we must learn to be flexible in our thinking, teaching and learning to address, respect, celebrate, and support the richness and complexity of the children we teach.
Instructional Strategies: Students and instructor will engage in the following ongoing collegial learning interactions: reflective writing, reciprocal learning, reflection/communication blog, authentic learning, practicum experiences, individual conferences, videos, and cooperative and collaborative activities/projects, Literature Circles, Chautauqua.
The UNM College of Education has evolved into one of the most diverse in the nation in terms
of the composition of its faculty, candidates, curricula, clinical practices and guiding vision. Our
commitment to diversity permeates every aspect of the unit, beginning with our vision statement,
“Excellence and diversity through people, ideas and innovation,” which clearly places diversity
as one of two major tenets for the College of Education. Our mission statement recognizes that
diversity of people and perspectives is a core value of the College.
The Conceptual Framework further reflects the importance and integration of diversity concepts.
Understandings:
• Culture and Language – The nature of home, school, community, workplace, state,
national and global contexts for learning. How social groups develop and function
and the dynamics of power within and among them. How language and other forms
of expression reflect cultural assumptions yet can be used to evoke social change.
How one’s background and development shape understanding and interaction.
Practices:
• Culturally Responsive – Diversity is valued and learners are helped to become aware
of the impact of culture on how they and others perceive the world.
Identity:
• Advocacy – Committed to ensuring equitable treatment and nurturing environments
In 2004, after a year of strategic planning, the COE faculty unanimously adopted a definition of
diversity that would guide curriculum development, student recruitment, faculty hiring and
development and policies across the unit.
“Diversity is the multiplicity of people, cultures, and ideas that contribute to the richness
and quality of life. Diversity includes: race, ethnicity, social class, national origin,
language, exceptionality, religion/spirituality, age, sexual orientation and gender/gender
identity. Values, philosophies, ideas, and world views that individuals and groups possess
are integral parts of this conceptualization. Diversity embodies inclusiveness, mutual
respect, and multiple perspectives. This view of diversity encourages the free exchange of
ideas, while honoring the maintenance of individual identity and the integrity of culturally centered knowledge.”
"Multicultural education is a process of comprehensive school reform and basic education for all students. It challenges and rejects racism and other forms of discrimination in schools and society and accepts and affirms the pluralism (ethnic, racial, linguistic, religious, economic, and gender, among others) that students, their communities, and teachers represent. Multicultural education permeates the curriculum and instructional strategies used in schools, as well as the interactions among teachers, students, and parents, and the very way that schools conceptualize the nature of teaching and learning. Because it uses critical pedagogy as its underlying philosophy and focuses on knowledge, reflection, and action (praxis) as the basis for social change, multicultural education promotes the democratic principles of social justice.
Julia Scherba de Valenzuela at Multicultural Definition
___________________-.
The seven basic characteristics of multicultural education, according to Nieto (1996) are:
Multicultural education is antiracist education.
Multicultural education is basic education.
Multicultural education is important for all students.
Multicultural education is pervasive.
Multicultural education is education for social justice.
Multicultural education is a process.
Multicultural education is critical pedagogy." (pp. 307-8)
Nieto, S. (1996). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education (2nd ed.). New York: Longman.
White Teachers at the Crossroads (Number 18: Fall 2000)
Is there a role for White teachers in multicultural education? Yes, indeed. But they must first recognize that the struggle for education as a basic human right, like the Civil Rights Movement, is a moral struggle. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is instructive: "Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations … ." To play a significant role, White teachers need to learn specific strategies of curriculum inclusion, culturally sensitive (relevant) pedagogy, and skills for promoting understanding, tolerance, friendship and respect for diversity in particular communities. Working in communities of color, White teachers need to hone these skills in close partnership with more experienced colleagues who have the community's best interests at heart.