Culture is a multifaceted object that takes continuous learning to understand. Knowing that about culture can definitely help you as a teacher grow, and when you grow as a teacher, so do your students. The benefits of a multicultural classroom are major. Instead of having a day or a unit where you learn about a culture, you can mix it in the school year curriculum. It’s so important knowing about multiple cultures, it really supplies a base for learning.
Background Knowledge, Community Gap, and Parental Involvement are the words that I chose from the Multicultural Education word wall. I chose them because I feel that they are thinks will be very important in the classroom. They are also things that I feel directly apply to the teaching strategies that I learned in this class. Its important to know that not every student has the same background knowledge about a subject that you may have. It may be important to assess that background knowledge before you assume that they have it. The community gap that exists in a school system is a really important issue. The fact that a community gap exists is something that I never really experienced until reading BH&H. I come from such a small town that the entire town is involved in nearly every aspect of schools. From becoming members of the school board, to attending basketball games. I believe that with such a strong community engagement, the students will feel more in-tune with their school and community. Parental involvement is something that I feel could strengthen the bond between students and schools. In BH&H, the parent wasn’t sending their student to extracurricular activities because they didn’t know about them. With parental involvement, that wouldn’t happen (or at least not for that reason).
I plan on teaching my lesson plan this upcoming year. The content is really based on the knowledge of a culture bearer and having them involved in the classroom. I feel like it will be so beneficial for the students to be involved with elders. They are a vat of knowledge that the students could definitely utilize.
Joe, I enjoyed reading your final thoughts. I agree that including the community and parents in the schooling process is a great way to strengthen the bonds and success of students. I feel that this is a big missing link in communities. There appear to be separate worlds when it comes to school and home or community. The worlds need to come together.