Multicultural Education

1. Multicultural-
I did not find a definition for “multicultural” on either of the
websites. However, they both had a definition of “multicultural education.”
The first web site,
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issures/educatrs/presrvce/pe3lk28.htm,
states that multicultural education is …”a field of study and an emerging
discipline whose major aim is to create equal educational opportunities for
students from diverse racial, ethnic, social-class, and cultural groups. The
second website,
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/multicultural/teachers.html, defines
multicultural education as… “a progressive approach for transforming
education that holistically critiques and addresses current shortcomings,
failings, and discriminatory practices in education.”
2. Authors:
~ Millie Wright Pilgrim
~ Dr. Ivory L. Toldson
~ Rudolfo Gonzalez
~ Maggie Steincrohn Davis
~ Natasha Wing
3. Article Summary:
Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Award is presented annually by the Coretta
Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association’s Social
Responsibilities Round Table. Recipients are authors and illustrators of
African descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and
appreciation of the American Dream.
The Award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
and honors his widow, Coretta Scott King. The winners receive a framed
citation, an honorarium, and a set of Encyclopedia Britannica or World Book
Encyclopedias.

4. Exercise for Classroom Use:
A wonderful lesson in helping introduce children to multiculturalism is
the “I Am” poem. In this activity students write short poems, starting each
line with I am, encouraging them to describe in their own words who they
are. Leave it open to their interpretation as much as possible, but suggest
that they can, if they wish, include statements about where they’re from
regionally, ethnically, religiously, etc., memories from different points in
their lives, interests and hobbies, favorite phrases, family traditions and
customs, and whatever else defines who they are. After they have
completed their poem, they will be sharing it with the class.

Education Essays