Inside the multi-cultural classroom...
As I was growing up as a child in the Chicago suburbs, we were taught the idea that America is a "melting pot" of different cultures and ideas. The thinking behind this was that people of all cultures could come together into understanding and harmony in one single community. Since then, we have moved to the idea of multiculturalism. This is a relatively newer movement which celebrates diversity, and seeks to preserve the cultural identity of everyone. This latter ideology is what I was taught while in high school and college. What this means to my classroom is that I want to assert, what I feel, are the best aspects of both ideologies. I want to encourage students to bring their own cultural identities to my class, to feel good about sharing them, but also to expand their comfort zones by learning about and recognizing others.
Another aspect of diversity is the inescapable point that SES is becoming a more poignant and relevant issue in the subject of diversity, in that many school districts and states now face large disparities between SES groups. I plan to address this by using every resource I can to learn about the ethnic and SES dynamics of the community I teach in to better serve the students on a level that is beneficial to them. What I plan to do is to use simple lessons that can be run with a minimum of equipment, and to attempt to use community resources to organize field trips, authentic activities, and other low-cost activities to enrich students who do not normally have access to these resources.
Another aspect of diversity is the inescapable point that SES is becoming a more poignant and relevant issue in the subject of diversity, in that many school districts and states now face large disparities between SES groups. I plan to address this by using every resource I can to learn about the ethnic and SES dynamics of the community I teach in to better serve the students on a level that is beneficial to them. What I plan to do is to use simple lessons that can be run with a minimum of equipment, and to attempt to use community resources to organize field trips, authentic activities, and other low-cost activities to enrich students who do not normally have access to these resources.