Teaching Multicultural Education

Teaching Multicultural Education Free Online Research Papers Teaching in an urban environment is a unique experience, especially in a city like New York where individuals emanate from many backgrounds and cultures. Teaching in a multicultural setting has both its rewards and challenges. Having students from various parts of the world creates a classroom of diversity and global awareness. However, if not properly trained to adapt and teach to a style that is effective and relatable to the entire array of students, the task can prove to be challenging for future teachers and damaging to their students. From its introduction into the United States school system in the 1960’s, a time of substantial political and racial instability, the premise of multicultural education was that minorities should adapt to the values and behaviors of the dominant culture in every way. As time progressed, there has been a shift in view and philosophy. Today, the approach to multicultural education does not mean that minorities should surrender their distinct cultural traits to a homogenous ‘melting pot’ of America. Rather, minorities are to maintain their cultural identities and still be a part of American culture much like a tossed salad (Banks, 2001). To accomplish this objective, the school system needs to accommodate each culture to the benefit of all. For pre-service multicultural educators this means preparing future teachers ‘to be reflective, critical thinkers’ (Gay Fox, 241) who will promote social fairness in their classrooms towards the greater goal of a à ¢â‚¬Ëœcollective empowerment’ (Lipman, 52) of minorities in their communities. This standard in teaching and training is vital to realize this objective. Paulo Freire’s fifth letter in Teachers As Cultural Workers discusses the fear and insecurities teachers face on the first day of school. In regards to multicultural classrooms, is this a result of not being properly prepared? The question at hand is, are teachers are being properly prepared to teach in a multicultural classroom? Freire continues to comment that students should be able to think creatively; identify and solve complex problems; know their passions, strengths, and challenges; communicate and work well with others; lead healthy lives; and be ethical and caring citizens of a diverse world. However, this is only possible if the teacher creates the environment to do so. Future teachers being properly prepared to teach in a multicultural classroom is an issue that needs further examining, and research shows it is a worthy issue. Minorities make up an increasing percentage of the United States population. By the year 2020, predictions speculate the school population to be 46% non-White (Neito, 2000). Therefore, it is imperative the growing minority workforce be educated. Unfortunately, this is not happening. In a study conducted by the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, from 1980 to 2020, the white population working force is declining as the minority population work force is increasing (see figure 1 and 2). To address the lack of education that minorities are receiving I suggest examining the way educators are taught to teach minorities. Are future teachers not being properly prepared and trained to handle multicultural classrooms? Should teaching programs nationally require multicultural pre-service education? Investigating both serious questions is necessary. The consensus of both scholars and teachers suggest that future teachers are not receiving the necessary training to prepare pre-service teachers to handle multicultural classrooms. However, the means to solving the issue properly is debatable. One suggestion is a push for national program requiring future teachers to take more classes to prepare them for multicultural classrooms. The opposing side argues that future teachers cannot be properly prepared to handle multicultural classrooms from a course of study but rather fieldwork experience is the solution. Education courses provide future teachers with skills in order to prepare them for the role of full-time teacher. Suggesting required classes to train future teachers to handle multicultural classrooms is argued for this reason. It is debated that no amount of cultural awareness can make up for good teaching skills (Frisby Tucker, 151; Marshall, 374). Future teachers are to learn proper classroom management and instruction techniques (Sheets, 165) and as related to issues of cultural diversity. Multicultural education for future teachers involves effective teaching skills with sensitivity toward cultural diversity. Unarguably, it takes special skills to manage and make the classroom a safe place to accommodate feelings and perceptions as well as language and of students from different backgrounds, but those skills cannot teach you or prepare you for all scenarios. While relating lesson-content to students’ cultural experiences, for example, can produce student engagement, ev ery teaching experience is different. In fact, no class from year to year, school to school, grade to grade, or even room to room is the same. The counter argument is that classes on teaching multicultural classrooms serve only to make future teachers aware of the situation, but does little to no job in preparing them in effectively handling the situation. Research in 2003 by Charles Howard Candler Professor of Urban Education in the Division of Educational Studies at Emory University, Jacqueline Jordan found that pre-service teachers have negative beliefs and low expectations of success for [non White] students even after some course work in multicultural education (Irvine, 11); she called this cultural discontinuity. This cultural discontinuity produces negative interactions between teachers and students, thus reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices on both sides. Irvine argues that cultural discontinuity can cause teachers to ignore their students ethnic identities and their unique cultural beliefs, perceptions, values and worldviews (Irvine, 12). Therefore, simply taking classes on multicultural students can cause futu re teachers to have pre-notions which in-turn can affect teachers attitudes and expectations, thus impacting students academic performance (Delpit, 1996; Howard del Rosario, 129). According to authors Thomas G. Carroll and Geneva Gay, future teachers need to be taught to become changing agents with skills for the following: (1) critical self-analysis, (2) self-reflection and (3) understanding culture. In addition, the authors believe that teachers must develop strategies for teaching both minority and mainstream students. To do this, teachers have to immerse themselves in other cultures (Follo, Hoerr Vorheis-Sargent, 2). Fieldwork experience, an example of immersion, provides future teachers with the opportunity to communicate and learn from multicultural students while working. ESL teacher Marilyn Bean Barrett pointed out that field experiences needed also to include opportunities for reflection on critical incidents (Barrett, 23). Fieldwork experience facilitates future teachers’ observational and analytical skills about the norms, values and attitudes of multicultural students. Learning from hands on experience is a distinctive skill that you do not receive from a textbook or instructor. To understand the entire spectrum of multicultural education, future teachers must close their textbooks and step into the classroom. To learn the skills of teaching multicultural students effectively, he or she needs to experience doing so. The lack of meaningful multicultural preparation and the fact that most teachers come from isolated ethnic groups, and possess professional preparation that usually excludes direct meaningful interaction with various cultures create problems for proper multicultural understanding (Russo Talbert-Johnson, 1997). In order to achieve meaningful interactions, ample experience with students of other ethnic backgrounds is required. Through these experiences, future teachers will acquire an understanding of cultural differences and commonalties between themselves and their multicultural students, which as a result will properly train them t o handle multicultural classrooms. Having this knowledge of other worldviews, family life, and customs can aid in valuable communication between teachers and students of other cultures, which might lead to healthy relationships, student satisfaction, and positive learning environments for both teachers and students. References Banks, J. A. (2001). Cultural Diversity and Education: Foundations, Curriculum, and Teaching. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Barrett, M.B. (1993). Preparation for cultural diversity: Experiential strategies for educators. Equity and Excellence in Education, 26: 19-26. Carroll, T.G. (1990). Who owns culture? Education and Urban Society, 22: 346-355. Delpit, L, (1996), Other peoples children. Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: New Press, Follo, E., Hoerr, B. Vorheis-Sargent, A. (2002). Where will urban high school teachers for the 21st century come from? American Secondary Education, 30: 2-8. Frisby, C. L. Tucker, C.M. (1993). Black students self-perception of self: Implications for educators. Educational Forum, 57: 146-156. Gay G. (1993). Building cultural bridges: A bold proposal for teacher education. Education and Urban Society, 25: 285-299. Gay, G. Fox, W. (1995). The cultural ethos of the academy: Potentials and perils for multicultural education reform. Pp. 239-255 in Beyond Comfort Zones in Multiculturalism: Confronting the Politics of Privilege, Sandra Jackson Jose Solis (Eds.). Connecticut: Bergin Garvey. Howard, T, C, Del Rosario, C, D, (2000), Talking race in teacher education: The need for racial dialogue in teacher education. Action in Teacher Education, 21, 127-137, Irvine, J. J, (2003), Educating teachers for diversity: Seeing with a cultural eye. New York: Teachers College Press, Lipman, P. (1996). The missing voice of culturally relevant teachers in school restructuring. The Urban Review, 28: 41-62. Marshall, P. (1996). Multicultural teaching concerns: New dimensions in the area of teacher concerns’ research? Journal of Educational Research, 89: 371-379. Nieto, S. (2000) Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education, (3rd ed.). New York: AddisonWesley. Sheets, R.H. (1996). Urban classroom conflict: Student-teacher perception: Ethnic integrity, solidarity, and resistance. The Urban Review, 8: 165 Research Papers on Teaching Multicultural EducationStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaQuebec and CanadaHip-Hop is ArtResearch Process Part OneRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XEffects of Television Violence on Children

How to Structure a Business Report

How to Structure a Business Report How to Structure a Business Report The content of a business report will depend on what you are writing about. Even the writing style may depend on who you are writing for (although clear, concise and formal is usually best). However, there is a general structure that most business reports follow. In this post, then, we’ll look at how to structure a business report for maximum clarity and professionalism. 1. Title Page Every business report should feature a title page. The title itself should clearly set out what the report is about. Typically, you should also include your name and the date of the report. 2. Summary Most business reports begin with a summary of its key points. Try to include: A brief description of what the report is about How the report was completed (e.g., data collection methods) The main findings from the research Key conclusions and recommendations A paragraph or two should suffice for this in shorter business reports. However, for longer or more complex reports, you may want to include a full executive summary. 3. Table of Contents Short business reports may not need a table of contents, especially if they include a summary. But longer reports should set out the title of each section and the structure of the report. Make sure the headings here match those used in the main text. You may also want to number the sections. 4. Introduction The introduction is the first part of the report proper. Use it to set out the brief you received when you were asked to compile the report. This will frame the rest of the report by providing: Background information (e.g., business history or market information) The purpose of the report (i.e., what you set out to achieve) Its scope (i.e., what the report will cover and what it will ignore) These are known as the â€Å"terms of reference† for the business report. 5. Methods and Findings If you are conducting original research, include a section about your methods. This may be as simple as setting out the sources you are using and why you chose them. But it could also include how you have collected and analyzed the data used to draw your conclusions. After this, you will need to explain your findings. This section will present the results of your research clearly and concisely, making sure to cover all the main points set out in the brief. One tip here is to break the findings down into subsections, using headings to guide the reader through your data. Using charts and illustrations, meanwhile, can help get information across visually, but make sure to label them clearly so the reader knows how they relate to the text. 6. Conclusions and Recommendations The last main section of your report will cover conclusions and recommendations. The conclusion section should summarize what you have learned from the report. If you have been asked to do so, you should also recommend potential courses of action based on your conclusions. If you are not sure what to suggest here, think back to the objectives set out in your brief. 7. References If you have used any third-party sources while writing your report, list them in a bibliography after the main report. This could include other business documents, academic articles, or even news reports. The key is to show what you have based your findings and conclusions upon. 8. Appendices (If Applicable) Finally, you may have gathered extra documentation during your research, such as interview transcripts, marketing material, or financial data. Including this in the main report would make it too long and unfocused, but you can add it to an appendix (or multiple appendices) at the end of the document. It will then be available should your reader need it. Summary: How to Structure a Business Report If you are writing a business report, aim to structure it as follows: Title Page – Include a clear, informative title, your name, and the date. Summary – A brief summary of what the report is about, the data collection methods used, the findings of the report, and any recommendations you want to make. Table of Contents – For longer reports, include a table of contents. Introduction –Set out the brief you were given for the report. Methods and Findings – A description of any methods of data collection and analysis used while composing the report, as well as your findings. Conclusions and Recommendations – Any conclusions reached while writing the report, plus recommendations for what to do next (if required). References – Sources used in your report listed in a bibliography. Appendices – If you have supporting material (e.g., interview transcripts, raw data), add it to an appendix at the end of the document. Don’t forget, too, that a business report should be clear, concise, and formal. And if you would like help making sure that your business writing is easy to read and error free, just let us know.