infusing multiculturalism into the qep – second cycle elementary

Professor: Ratna GhoshTA: Alice Chan

OCTOBER 1, 2014

Batya Dayan

Marcelle Bitton

Shirley

Moryoussef

Rina Sebbag

Miryam

Guitta

Tova Abitbol

I.Professional Competencies

1) To act as a professional inheritor critic and interpreter of knowledge or culture when

teaching students:

Teachers should be able to critically approach the school material and adjust it in order to rid

it of its bias point of views. For example, the teacher notices that a historical piece was

abridged or omitted, such as Wworld Wwar 2, so it becomes his/her professional obligation

to incorporate it in the lesson. This will offer the students a more diverse knowledge in

addition to presenting the perception of the minority group.

2) To communicate clearly in the language of instruction, both orally and in writing,

using correct grammar, in various contexts related to teaching.

The teacher should promote unity by answering clearly to students who ask questions related

to social differences. For example, if a student asks the teacher why certain classmates have

different skin colors, the teacher should answer directly and not cause the child to think of it

as a taboo topic.

3) To develop teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the students

concerned and the subject content with a view to developing the competencies targeted

in the program of study.

When planning the curriculum, the teacher should consider social and cultural differences

and include subject areas that minority groups could relate and identify with. For instance, a

history teacher that has in her classroom a minority of African American pupils, has a devoir

to dedicate a number of lessons on black history, thus promoting an inclusive ambience.

4) To pilot teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the students concerned

and to the subject content with a view to developing the competencies targeted in the

program of study.

Educators should create a classroom set up that will evoke in the students multicultural

thinking in the students. For example, if the teacher wants the children to view themselves as

“citizens of the world”, she/he could decorate the room using flags and or icons that

symbolize different cultures, countries and races.

5) To evaluate student progress in learning the subject content and mastering the

related competencies.

The teacher should assess the students’ strengths and weaknesses with a multicultural mind

frame and by extension adapt his/her teaching methods accordingly. If it occurs that an

immigrant child would be in a frenchFrench speaking school, the teacher shouldn’t evaluate

the student’s progress in comparison to the class, rather cater to his/her pace and level of

understanding. The instructor should praise the student for the efforts made as opposed

his/her accomplishments, therefore empowering the learner to master this foreign language.

6) To plan, organize and supervise a class in such a way as to promote students’

learning and social development.

Teachers should establish class atmospheres that encourage the students, both from the

dominant and minority groups, to interact and feel tangible equity. For example, when

assigning a project, the teacher should pair up students from both genders to make them feel

equal and evenly competent to do the work.

7) To adapt his or her teaching to the needs and characteristics of students with

learning disabilities, social maladjustments or handicaps.

In order to promote inclusivity, the teacher should adapt the lesson in a way that everyone

will be able to participate. If, for instance a teacher has a student with ADHD, he/she can add

acting to the history class, in order to give a chance to such a child to move around and

release his energy.

8) To integrate information and communications technologies (ICTs) in the preparation

and delivery of teaching/learning activities and for instructional management and

professional development purposes.

The teacher can resort to ICT to search for ways to improve her multicultural approach in the

classroom. For example, if a teacher has a student from a culture that is foreign to him, he

should turn to ICT to inform himself and broaden his multicultural horizon.

9) To cooperate with school staff, parents, partners in the community and students in

pursuing the educational objectives of the school.

The teacher can inform parents about the multicultural discussions in the classroom, in order

to make sure that the children aren’t receiving mixed messages. A practical application of

such competency would be to inform the parents that their children were taught about certain

racist prejudices and warn them not to use loose language suggestive of these prejudices in

their homes.

10) To cooperate with members of the teaching team in carrying out tasks involving the

development and evaluation of the competencies targeted in the programs of study,

taking into account the students concerned.

The teacher should engage other colleagues and staff members to help her project inclusivity

in the class. For example, the teacher can ask questions to the instructor that previously

thought taught her group of students to get information about the different cultures of the

students and plan his/her curriculum accordingly.

11) To engage in professional development individually and with others.

A teacher is required to introspect and remove all bias she/he previously had. For instance, if

a teacher sees that he/she gets uncomfortable around a certain race, gender or class, he/she

should take a course about it. This will assist the instructor to make the appropriate changes

in order to effectively approach her class in a multicultural way.

12) To demonstrate ethical and responsible professional behaviour in the performance

of his or her duties.

The teacher should act morally, treat all his students with equity regardless of their cultural

baggage. For instance, if a fight was to occur amongst the students a teacher should never

side with the child belonging to the dominant group, nor should the teacher systematically

assume that the child victim of prejudice is guilty.

II. Cross-Curricular Competencies

INTELLECTUAL COMPETENCIES:

1)To use information.

Students in elementary need to learn how to do research on their own. In order to einsure that

the research is not bias, teachers can ask their students to research articles that are from

writers that come from different origins and ethnicities, and not just the typical American

authors. Students also need to learn to question their sources.

A teacher can ask her students to do research about one specific topic. She can split the class

into groups and each group will be assigned a specific author that they need to research. Each

author will be of a different culture. This will teach the students not only to do research, but

to compare and contrast the information with their peers.

2)To solve problems

Students need to be able to identify elements of a problem and make connections between

those elements. Teachers train students to solve these problems. It is important to bring up

cultural issues in the classroom while working on problem solving for students to be exposed

to them and learn to come up with possible solutions to the inequalities that exist.

For example, a teacher can explain a certain political issue related to inequalities to her class.

He/ She can then make a fake court process that would last a few days. The students would

be split up into different roles such as judges, lawyers etc. They would have to play out their

roles until a solution is found to their problem.

3)To exercise critical judgment.

Students learn to form an opinion concerning inequalities due to cultural differences. Ethical

issues should be weighed out in a classroom, in a way that students can communicate their

position, justify and defend it. A teacher can implement this in a classroom by raising topics

such as gender inequalities and asking students to debate their positions in a respectable

manner in front of the class.

4)To use creativity.

Students learn to define the objective of a project that is assigned to them and to recognize

the ethnic issues that are presented in the classroom.

They are asked to find solutions in a creative and risky way. The students are encouraged to

try new things.

- A teacher can ask her students to create an art project of how they view a

multicultural classroom.

METHOLIGICAL COMPETENCIES:

5)To adapt effective work methods.

Students should exercise positive viewing of their strengths and weaknesses. Eventually, it

will make them feel empowered to work, using methods tailored to their “differences”. An

example of this would be to engage students in a group project. This will not only allow

students to recognize their strength as some are better at researching, others at writing and so

on, but it will also teach them to work together and value the unique skills others have to

offer.

6)To use information and communications technologies.

Students can learn how to use information and communications technologies in a way that

will broaden their knowledge of other cultures. For example, the teacher can create an online

forum, where the students can teach each other about their cultural differences.

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL COMPETENCIES:

7) To construct his/her identity.

In order for a child to build their identity, he has to do some research about his background,

culture, history, family values, as well as his own likes, dislikes, etc. A way in which the

teacher can promote the construction of the students’ identity is, by having her/his students

make a concept map representing them. In addition, the students would also share and explain

the content of the map to a friend, or even present it to the class. This would allow the class to

be introduced to everyone’s differences and uniqueness.

8) To cooperate with others.

By encouraging a lot of group activities, students will learn to accept each other’s differences,

and be able to look past them. This will enable each child to feel comfortable enough to give

his/her personal input and create a group project which reflects unity and cooperativeness

among the group mates.

COMMUNICATION-RELATED COMPETENCY:

9) To communicate appropriately.

Teachers need to urge students to communicate with each other respectfully, despite their

social differences. For instance, if an argument regarding sexual orientation arises, students

must be taught to state their opinion without offending one another.

III. Subject Specific Competencies

ARTS EDUCATION- DRAMA:

1)To invent dramatic scenes.

In order to infuse multicultural aspects in the classroom, performances are key components.

They can be used to introduce to students to cultures that are not known to them and allows

them to have a greater understanding of them. The students would be assigned a culture,

which they would have to research in order to perform a dramatic scene of its history. In this

way, the audience and the performers will not only be intellectually introduced to various

cultures, but they will also be emotionally involved.

2)To interpret dramatic scenes.

When being shown a dramatic scene students should learn to analyze it from a critical

multicultural perspective. For example, groups of students will be asked to mime a culture

scene in front of the class. The rest of the students will have to interpret the given situation by

identifying the mood of the scene, and the feelings of the cultural group.

3)To appreciate dramatic works; personal productions and those of classmates.

Teachers should consider the creation and techniques from artists around the world and bring

students to appreciate the works of minority play writers and poets. A teacher can ask the

students to produce their own video reflecting on the key messages of a specific work shown

in class (as mentioned above). The students will then have to reflect on their own work and

provide productive feedback on their peers’ work. This will demonstrate their appreciation of

dramatic work with a multicultural mindset.