Education Equality for all Students

Education Equality for all Students

Write a six to eight (6) page paper in which you:

1. Evaluate the use of Bank�s four (4) approaches to integration of multicultural and / or global content,
   focusing on curricula designed for the grade level in which you teach or plan on teaching.
2. Analyze three to five (3-5) factors that determine that color blindness is not the solution to racism in the
   classroom. Provide specific instructional strategies geared to addressing race in a more constructive
   fashion in the grade level in which you teach or plan on teaching.
3. Design a scholastic program for integrating multiculturalism into the grade level in which you teach or
   plan on teaching. Propose specific features of the program and how it would be included when teaching
   different subject matter such as math, history, or literature.
4. Develop three to five (3-5) techniques for incorporating a school-wide positive behavior management
   system and restorative practices, ensuring that your school is culturally respectful and responsive.
5. Provide at least five (6) references (no more than five [5] years old) from material outside the textbook.

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Question 1
i. Contribution Approach
Through the contribution method, icons, holidays, and other distinct cultural activities will be
incorporated into the school curriculum. After being posted as a teacher in first grade, the
students will learn aspects of a certain iconic leader every month. For example, in January,
learning will incorporate studies about African-American leaders such as Martin Luther King.
Instead of focusing on research, the learning environment will be more flexible, interesting and
fun so that it will be easier to comprehend and remember. In Ohio, for example, there are cultural
events such as International Food Festival are incorporated into the curriculum enabling students
to interact with different foods and cultures that they would have otherwise not experienced. As
such, contribution approach is critical in assisting teachers to integrate cultural contents into the
curriculum and it also serves as a way of promoting the acceptance of cultural diversity in USA.
ii. Transformation Approach
The approach allows teachers to let students assimilate questions based on their cultural and
ethnic perspectives. For instance, I will list a number of cultural festivities or school that the

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students would wish to attend. Each student will discuss with parents and it’s possible that some
students will come up with many choices and others will not have a specific choice. The
assignment will be transformative in that will enable the students to choose depending on their
situations and perspectives. An African-American student may choose to attend a festival that
she is not familiar with but end up going to another one when she realizes that it does not
conform to her expectations. The choice of the festivity to attend and the decision to attend a
different one after not getting satisfied with the initial festival is an example of how
transformation can happen by letting students analyzes situations in their perspectives.
iii. Additive Approach
The method is applied by using new resources such as electronics to help students understand
things better (Harris 2010). For instance, a video with different animals named alphabetically is
interesting for the children to watch but it also enables them to recognize the alphabets and
memorize them. As they watch the video, the teacher is able to analyze their concentration and
identify gaps that can be addressed for the next lesson to make it more educative. The teacher
can also use the time to come up with new strategies for improving the student understanding of
different concepts. The use of external resources helps the teacher in identifying the strengths
and weaknesses of students and to understand their individual needs for better learning methods.
iv. Social Action Approach
According to Banks, the social approach is the phase in which students are able to determine
potential social challenges, get relevant data and information, analyze their understanding and
perceptions on the issues, formulate decisions, and take necessary actions to solve issues. In the

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classroom, the teacher applies the approach by identifying a certain social problems such as
racism or cyber bullying and asks the students to explain their understanding on the concept and
how it affects them. The students will share their personal experiences or from people they know
that have experienced the racism or bullying. By sharing, the students will be able to emotionally
connect and learn how to relate with, and treat each other.
Question two
Strategies to curb colorblindness in classroom

Color blindness assumes the existence of different races and as sociologist Adia (2015)
asserted, refusing to take note of varying races in the public domain actually leads to persistent in
prejudice.
It is critical for a teacher to utilize external resources such as the use of Barney,
YouTube, and varying guest speakers to help the children interact with different people.
Interacting with different people and carrying out cultural activities is essential in eliminating
color blindness and it enables students to understand their diversities and appreciate each other.
A practical example is for the teacher to dedicate a lesson in studying specific cultures such as
Indian, Hispanic, African-American, and European, with each given maximum attention to
enable the students to differentiate them. Some distinct aspects of the cultures can be shown
through the analysis of their clothing, language, activities, or religion.
ii. Racial prejudice is often situational and as such, discrimination happens indirectly. For
instance, some white students may make a joke about the black community with no intention of

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offending the latter. However, the joke may be translated as abusive or discriminatory by the
people it’s directed to. As such, ignoring that people are different leads to situations whereby
some students may feel prejudiced indirectly by their peers.

To overcome the situation, the teacher should come up with stringent rules that do
not permit students make unnecessary comment and also, the learners should be taught how to be
emotionally sensitive and responsive before making comments. Moreover, situations such as
bullying are discriminatory especially where students are made to compete on issues that are
culturally oriented. As such, as a teacher, I intend to promote teamwork and participation in
group projects and encourage student be dedicated with the winning team receiving a prize.
However, so long as all the students participate, prizes will be awarded to all.

Color blindness is typically embedded to the white community such that other
races tend to dress like the white and imitate the lifestyle of the white community (Parks 2012).
In class, all activities should be neutral without stereotyping. The students should be encouraged
to teach themselves and try to get pen pals from all over the world so that they can be familiar
with other cultures and appreciate their backgrounds without looking down on others.
Cultural diversity is realized by making students to perform in a variety of plays,
songs, foods, and playing games. These activities are supported by the ecological theory which
holds that inducing children in variety of extracurricular activities enables them to understand
different cultures and learn about their backgrounds. By engaging in activities that encompass
different cultures assist children in acquisition of new concepts, attitudes, and skills help them
understand the backgrounds and cultures of their colleagues. For instance, kindergarten children

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can be made to dress up in a variety of cloths from different cultures, play games, and apply their
imagination to explore places.

With third graders for instance, researching on pen pals can help students to
become more knowledgeable on the cultures and backgrounds of students in other countries and
possibly make friends. The students can even use applications such as Skype or emails to chat
with their pen pals and develop new interpersonal skills that will assist in developing
multicultural skills. The students will be required to share their experiences with their new
friends in class. The activity will be fun and entice the students to get new friends and in the
process they will become more culturally aware.
Question four
Technique 1

An integrated system that guides students on how to apply and implement the
required school rules and processes as well as a set of disciplinary measures that can be
undertaken if they are not adhered to. For example, some schools apply a peak office system
whereby students are made to keep in contact with the school administrators and explain their
wrongdoings. The parent is then contacted and notified of the student’s behavior so that a
combined parent-teacher action can be instituted to correct the behavior. Positive Efforts for
Adjustments and Knowledge (PEAK) is a program that is designed to help students in
development of positive interpersonal skills. The students are able to continue with their
education while at the same time manning students who act inappropriately.
Technique 2

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EDUCATION EQUALITY FOR ALL STUDENTS

Assign students into different groups to discuss issues such as bullying or use of
discriminatory language while communicating to other students. The students are then made
aware of the different forms of bullying which can happen anytime and anywhere in the school
or through the use of social media sites. Students and teachers are them made aware of how the
behaviors can affect each person and how they should be addressed should they occur.
Moreover, the students can be explained different instances whereby such behaviors happened
and the results so that they can be able to avoid them in case them are exposed in situations that
trigger their happening. All the sessions will include different grades since the weight of the
issues affects students differently.
Technique 3

The school can come up with events that allow participation of different
stakeholders. All the teachers, parents, students and school administrators should participate in
the same session and discuss different issues. Also, shows can be held where a variety of drinks,
foods, and games are offered to the stakeholders. During the event, the school will be able to
raise money that will enable to continue offering different programs to the students. The
activities will allow students to interact with parents from different cultures as well as those in
the senior or junior classes and in the process issues such as bullying, racial discrimination and
other disorderly behaviors will seize since they will understand each other and appreciate their
differences. Students can also come up with charity events or sessions where they showcase their
talents which will enable them to develop their personal skills and interpersonal relationships.
Conclusion

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Every teacher preparing to teach students should be prepared to handle different issues
especially the culturally oriented challenges. Students come from different backgrounds and it is
critical to understand their different needs and attributes so that there can exist an environment
that promotes knowledge and skill acquisition for each student. Teachers should not assume race
differences but encourage students to learn the culture and backgrounds of their colleagues for
better relationships. Group work and creation of learning programs such as acquisition of pen
pals assist students to interact with different people and appreciate their differences.

References
Adia, H. (2015). Color blindness. The Atlantic.
Banks, J.A., & McGhee Banks, C.A. (Eds.). (2012). Multicultural education: Issues and
Perspectives (8 th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
Harris, G. (2010, September 7). Columbus Public School Monitoring Report: Ends Policy 4.
Holms (2014). Education Equality.
Parks, J. (2012, February 6). Tips for Integrating Multiculturalism and Diversity into the
Preschool Classroom – Hatch. Retrieved September 8, 2014.