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Beyond Celebrating Diversity: Creating Equitable Learning Environments w/

Multicultural Education

By Paul C. Gorski

March 2007

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I. Introduction: Who We Are

1. Who is in the room?

2. My background and lenses

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I. Introduction: Agenda

1. Introductory Blabber

2. Starting Assumptions

3. Warm-Up Activity

4. Conceptualizing Multicultural Education

5. Dimensions of Equity in a Learning Environment

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I. Introduction: Agenda Cont’d

1. Inclusion/Exclusion

2. Intro. to Multicultural Curriculum

3. Stages of Multicultural Curriculum Development

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I. Introduction: Primary Arguments

1. Multicultural education, at its heart, is about creating equitable and just learning environments for all people in a learning community

2. It is about curriculum, and it’s about more than curriculum

3. Being a multicultural educator involves shifts of consciousness that inform comprehensive shifts in practice

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I. Introduction: Primary Arguments

4. Much of the work that goes into eliminating the achievement gap is misguided, and creates more inequity than equity

5. There is something we can do about it

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I. Introduction: Objectives

1. Develop deep understanding of the process of creating an equitable learning environment

2. Connect curriculum development to pedagogy, classroom climate, and context for a broad vision of “equitable learning environment”

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I. Introduction: Warning!!!

I do not have any of the following: “The” multicultural curriculum formula or

workbook, A tidy set of activities for you to implement

in your classroom tomorrow, or A single book or poster or video that will

make any classroom “multicultural.”

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I. Introduction: However…

I do have all of the following: A framework for thinking complexly and

critically about educational equity, Strategies for creating equitable learning

environments based on your curricular and pedagogical expertise, and

Some difficult, sometimes even uncomfortable, questions about what is and what could be in education.

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I. Introduction: Consciousness of a Multicultural Educator

You will get the most out of this workshop if: You allow yourself to be challenged. You react openly to cognitive dissonance. You acknowledge your own great expertise. You acknowledge your need for even greater

expertise. You challenge yourself to think deeply and

critically.

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II. Starting Assumptions

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II. Starting Assumption #1

All students deserve the best possible education we can provide, regardless of:

– Socioeconomic status or class– Gender– Religion– Citizenship status– (Dis)ability– Race or ethnicity– Sexual Orientation– Etc.

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II. Starting Assumption #2

Educational equity is deeper than simple curricular content– Pedagogy– Assessment– Classroom/School Climate– Distribution of Power

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II. Starting Assumption #3

Education is NOT politically neutral– We decide which readings and activities to use in

class– We decide how students are to be assessed– We decide engage (or don’t engage) students in

the learning process– And so on...

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II. Starting Assumption #4

The problem of educational inequity is one of consciousness, not only one of practice– Impossibility of implementing a multicultural

education if one doesn’t think and see multiculturally

– Even with a great curriculum, I cannot teach against racism if I am a racist

– Shaking free from traditional models of teaching and learning (and asking, “to whose benefit..?”)

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II. Starting Assumption #5

The “achievement gap” is not as much an “achievement gap” as an “opportunity gap”

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II. Starting Assumption #6

A single teacher cannot undo systemic inequities in the school system or larger society. – But at the very least we can make sure

we’re not replicating those inequities in our own curricula and pedagogies.

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II. Starting Assumption #7

Gross inequities exist in our public schools– And these inequities, and the resulting

achievement gap, will not be eliminated by Taco Night, the International Fair, or other activities that, however fun, do not address racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, and other oppressions in educational policy and practice.

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II. Starting Assumption #7: Gross Inequities

Compared with low-poverty U.S. schools, high-poverty U.S. schools have:

More teachers teaching in areas outside their certification subjects;

More serious teacher turnover problems; More teacher vacancies; Larger numbers of substitute teachers; More limited access to computers and the Internet; Inadequate facilities (such as science labs);

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II. Starting Assumption #7: Gross Inequities (cont’d)

More dirty or inoperative bathrooms; More evidence of vermin such as cockroaches and

rats; Insufficient classroom materials Less rigorous curricula; Fewer experienced teachers; Lower teacher salaries; Larger class sizes; and Less funding.

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II. Starting Assumption #7: Gross Inequities (references)

Barton, P.E. (2004). Why does the gap persist? Educational Leadership 62(3), 8-13.

Barton, P.E. (2003). Parsing the achievement gap: Baselines for tracking progress. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

Carey, K. (2005). The funding gap 2004: Many states still shortchange low-income and minority students. Washington, D.C.: The Education Trust.

National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (2004). Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education: A two-tiered education system. Washington, D.C.: Author.

Rank, M.R. (2004). One nation, underprivileged: Why American poverty affects us all. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

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Warm-Up Activity

Morning Calisthenics

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III. Conceptualizing Multicultural Education

Contextualizing Multicultural Curriculum

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III. Conceptualizing Multicultural Education

How do you define multicultural education?– Twos or threes– Quick report back

Where do you get your perceptions about what multicultural education is?

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III. Conceptualizing Multicultural Education

Multicultural education is a movement and process for creating an equitable and just learning environment for all students

Definitions vary, but five key principles are agreed upon across the literature

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III. Conceptualizing Multicultural Education

Principle #1

Multicultural education is a political movement that attempts to secure social justice for individuals and communities, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, home language, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, religion, socioeconomic status, or any other individual or group identity.

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III. Conceptualizing Multicultural Education

Principle #2

Multicultural education recognizes that, while some individual classroom practices are consistent with multicultural education philosophies, social justice is an institutional matter, and as such, can be secured only through comprehensive reform.

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III. Conceptualizing Multicultural Education

Principle #3

Multicultural education insists that comprehensive reform can be achieved only through a critical analysis of systems of power and privilege.

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III. Conceptualizing Multicultural Education

Principle #4

The underlying goal of multicultural education—the purpose of this critical analysis—is to provide every student with an opportunity to achieve to her or his fullest capability.

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III. Conceptualizing Multicultural Education

Principle #5

Multicultural education is good education for all students.

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IV. Dimensions of Equitable Education

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IV. Dimensions of Equitable Education

1. What our students bring to the classroom

4. Pedagogy

3. Curriculum content

2. What we bring to the classroom

Adapted from the work of Maurianne Adams and Barbara J. Love (2006).

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IV. Dimensions of Equitable Education

1. What Students Bring to the Classroom Past educational experiences (it’s not always

all about us) Complex identities, prejudices, biases Expectations about the roles of students and

teachers Varying learning styles, intelligences, ways of

illustrating learning

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IV. Dimensions of Equitable Education

2. What We Bring to the Classroom Complex socializations, identities, biases,

and prejudices Notions about the purposes of education and

our roles as teachers A teaching style, often related to our own

preferred learning styles and how we’ve been taught

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IV. Dimensions of Equitable Education

3. Curriculum Content Course materials: Who’s represented in readings,

examples, illustrations Perspective and worldview: Whose voices are

centered, whose are “other”ed Is content, whenever possible, made relevant to the

lives of the students? What is the “hidden curriculum”? Are multicultural issues addressed explicitly?

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IV. Dimensions of Equitable Education

4. Pedagogy Focus on critical, complex thinking and asking critical

questions Paying attention to inequity in classroom processes Attending to sociopolitical relationships (power and

privilege) in the classroom Acknowledging student knowledge through problem-

posing, dialogue, and general student-centeredness Using authentic assessment techniques

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Seeing the Intersections: A Narrative Activity

Inclusion and Exclusion

in Our Educations

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V. Student Outcomes & Equitable Practice

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V. Student Outcomes

Clarifications

1. We can work toward these outcomes in individual classes, but usually they’re reachable only through systemic reform. So the question for all of us is, How can I within my context contribute to moving students toward these outcomes?

2. Because multicultural education is as much about unlearning as about learning, it’s a process, not an immediate transformation.

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V. Student Outcomes

Outcome #1

Students will think critically, particularly about those things they’ve been taught previously not to think critically about.

Examples: Consumer culture, US foreign policy, technology as the “great equalizer”

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V. Student Outcomes

Outcome #2

Students will have considered their own biases and prejudices, worked to understand where those biases and prejudices come from, and identified strategies for continued reflective learning.

Examples: Racism, sexism, US-centrism

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V. Student Outcomes

Outcome #3

Students will understand how every field of knowledge can be used both to oppress people and to promote social justice.

Examples: Eugenics v. environmental justice movement; the Eurocentric literary canon v. critical studies

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V. Student Outcomes

Outcome #4

Students will understand how to apply skills and knowledge to real-world problems.

Examples: Applying engineering to urban planning; applying arts to social activism; applying computer science to political organizing

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V. Student Outcomes

Outcome #5

Students will feel empowered to continue seeking knowledge related to course content.

Examples: Taking additional classes in an area of interest, pursuing their own growth, etc.

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V. Student Outcomes

Outcome #6

Because they have seen themselves and their lives reflected in coursework, students won’t see their identities as detrimental to a possible interest in a particular field.

Examples: Women identifying as future engineers; men identifying as future teachers; students of color identifying as future scientists

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V. Student Outcomes

Outcome #7

Students will see their lives and work as interconnected to the lives of the full diversity of humanity.

Examples: Wealthy US students recognizing the connection between their consumption and poverty in other parts of the world.

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VI. How We Get There: The Equitable Learning Environment

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

Part 1: What Your Students Bring to the Classroom

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

1. What Students Bring into the Classroom

A. Find ways to challenge stereotypes (both in society and your own field)

Example: Albert Einstein as a white, male scientist who wrote very progressive essays about racism, imperialism, etc.

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

1. What Students Bring into the Classroom

B. Watch for and challenge student behaviors and relationships that reflect stereotypical roles

Example: Men assuming the lead in lab activities, women being “note-taker” in small groups

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

1. What Students Bring into the Classroom

C. Be thoughtful about how you create cooperative teams or small groups

Example: Avoid temptation to “distribute” people from under-represented groups (tokenism)

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

1. What Students Bring into the ClassroomD. Understand students’ reactions to you and

your social identities in context

Example: Even if you don’t think much about your whiteness (for example), it may mean something significant to students of color who may only rarely not have white professors

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

1. What Students Bring into the Classroom

E. Help students un-learn the ways of being and seeing that lend themselves to prejudice

Example: Dichotomous thinking, competitive nature of learning (NOTE: this also means WE have to un-learn)

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

Part 2: What You Bring to the Classroom

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

2. What You Bring into the ClassroomA. Identify and work to eliminate your biases,

prejudices, and assumptions (yes, you do have them) about various groups of students

Example: Race/ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, (dis)ability, first language, etc.

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

2. What You Bring into the ClassroomB. Identify and work to broaden your teaching

style (which, according to research, probably suits your learning style)

Note: Research shows that two elements most effect how somebody teaches: (1) their preferred learning style, and (2) how they were taught what they’re teaching

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

2. What You Bring into the Classroom

C. Identify and work on your “hot buttons”

Question: What are the issues that set you off to the point that you become an ineffective educator/facilitator?

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

2. What You Bring into the Classroom

D. Provide students with periodic opportunities to share anonymous feedback

Note: Students already feeling disempowered and disconnected are not likely to approach you about your teaching or curriculum

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

2. What You Bring into the Classroom

E. Share examples of when you’ve struggled to climb out of the box and to see the world and your field in their full complexity

Note: When we make ourselves vulnerable we make it easier for students to do the same

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

2. What You Bring into the Classroom

F. Consider the significance of the professor/student power relationship and what this means re: student learning

Question: What might it mean to be a white male computer science professor teaching a young African American woman in a field historically hostile to African American women?

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

2. What You Bring into the Classroom

G. Identify the gaps in your knowledge about equity issues and pursue the information to fill those gaps

Point: I cannot teach anti-classism if I’m unwilling to deal with my own classism

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

2. What You Bring into the Classroom

H. Build the skills necessary to intervene effectively when equity issues arise

Examples: Racist joke or comment, sexual harassment, men talking over women

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

2. What You Bring into the Classroom

I. Mind your compliments

Point: Research indicates that educators, regardless of gender, are most likely to compliment male students on their intelligence. Female students? On their appearance.

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

Part 3: Curriculum Content

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

3. Curriculum Content

A. Assign tasks that challenge traditional social roles

Example: Assign men to be note-takers, women to be group facilitators

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

3. Curriculum Content

B. Try centering the sources you previously may have used as supplements

Example: Slave narratives as central history texts instead of supplements to a more Eurocentric framing of history

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

3. Curriculum Content

C. Avoid other-ing; weave diverse voices and sources seamlessly together instead of having separate sections or units

Example: No units on “women poets” or “Latino voices,” etc.

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

3. Curriculum Content

D. Discuss ways people in your field have used (and continue to use) their scholarship and platforms to advocate for social justice

Examples: Leontyne Price, Howard Zinn, Stephen J. Gould, Ida B. Wells, Mark Twain

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

3. Curriculum Content

E. Discuss ways people in your field have used (and continue to use) their scholarship and platforms to support inequity and injustice

Examples: “Science”: eugenics; “journalists”: refusal to critique Bush foreign policy during war-time; etc.

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

3. Curriculum Content

F. Discuss the history of oppression and exclusion in your field and how this has affected knowledge bases in your field

Examples: Women and STEM fields (and law, business, etc.)

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

3. Curriculum ContentG. Vary your instructional materials as a way to

draw in students with various learning stylesSuggestion: Consider visual, tactile, aural, and

other dimensions of your instructional materials

Note: Doesn’t mean every lesson must include all of these, but that they’re distributed over the course of the semester

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

3. Curriculum Content

H. Encourage students to raise critical questions, not only about the content itself, but about how the content is presented in educational materials

Example: Use of male anatomy as “standard”; differentiation between “American literature” and “African American literature” (and misuse of the term “American”)

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

Part 4: Pedagogy

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

4. Pedagogy

A. Be very clear about how you expect students to participate (open discussion, raised hands, etc.)

Related suggestion: Avoid first-hand-up, first-called-on approach

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

4. Pedagogy

B. Never, under any circumstance, invalidate or allow other students to invalidate concerns of inequity raised by students from disenfranchised groups

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

4. Pedagogy

C. Avoid putting students from disenfranchised groups in positions to have to teach people from privileged groups about their privilege

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

4. Pedagogy

D. Develop your facilitation skills so that you can effectively facilitate “difficult dialogues” about racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, etc.

Note: When these dialogues happen, be comfortable advocating for equity

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

4. Pedagogy

E. Design assignments that encourage students to apply what they’re learning to a human rights issue

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

4. Pedagogy

F. Allow students, when possible, to choose how they will be assessed (as people don’t demonstrate understanding and application in the same ways)

Example: Choice between an essay or an application project

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

4. Pedagogy

G. Invite a colleague to observe your teaching and provide feedback on a variety of concerns

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VI. The Equitable Learning Environment

4. Pedagogy

H. Use peer teaching, peer feedback, and other peer interactions to provide students an opportunity to learn content through a variety of lenses

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VII. Shifts of Consciousness for Multicultural Educators

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VI. Shifts of Consciousness

Shift #1

I must be willing to think critically about the things about which I’ve been discouraged from thinking critically

Capitalism, Consumer Culture, Globalization Two-party political system v. “democracy” Etc.

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VI. Shifts of Consciousness

Shift #2

I must acknowledge that multicultural education is about creating equitable learning environments for all students, so I must be against all inequity

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VI. Shifts of Consciousness

Shift #3

I must understand inequities as systemic and not just individual acts (and what this means in the context of my classroom)

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VI. Shifts of Consciousness

Shift #4

I must transcend the idea of multicultural education as “learning about other cultures” and “celebrating diversity”

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VI. Shifts of Consciousness

Shift #5

I must be willing to discomfort and unsettle myself and my students

Institutional likeability

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VI. Shifts of Consciousness

Shift #6

I must shift from an equality orientation toward multiculturalism to an equity orientation

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VI. Shifts of Consciousness

Shift #7

I must move beyond the “objective facilitator” role and actively advocate for equity and justice

Multicultural education is not about validating all perspectives

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VI. Shifts of Consciousness

Shift #8

I must understand multicultural education as a comprehensive approach, not additional activities or slight shifts in an otherwise monocultural curriculum

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Closing Reflection

Humility is the ability to see. -Terry Tempest Williams

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Thank you.

Paul C. Gorski

gorski@edchange.org

http://www.edchange.org