GROP 1

TACUBANSA, NICOLE T.
PEREZ, ABIGAIL A.
GARILLES, KATHLEEN MAE
CARITATIVO, ALONA T.
CAPUAN, EDURDO

Globalization and Multicultural Literacy ....

 
is knowledge of cultures and languages. We live in multicultural societies, teach in multicultural
settings, and our students interact with those who come from a different place. Awareness of and
sensitivity to culturally determined norms promote understanding. In fact, when students
embrace the principle that difference does not equal deficiency, they gain an appreciation for the
wealth of diversity that surrounds us.
 

 
Surry County Schools is located in a rural community. In order for our students to achieve
success in the 21st Century, we need to provide opportunities for them to be bilingual and to
interact with other cultures. Surry County Schools is developing bilingual students through the
use of:
 
 Rosetta Stone-This bilingual program was purchased for all elementary and
middle schools in the district. Elementary school computer lab teachers set up a
wonderful learning environment for elementary students.  In the middle schools,
students are learning multiple languages through the use of Rosetta Stone on their
laptops through the 1:1 Laptop Initiative.  Students are learning to speak
Spanish or Mandarin Chinese in the elementary grades and any chosen language
in the middle grades.
 
 Virtual High Schools-(North Carolina Virtal Public High School)-is committed
to raising achievement and closing learning gaps with 21st Century innnovations.
The mission is to provide skills, student support, and opportunities for learners to
succeed in a globally competitive world.  Seventy-two (72) courses are provided
including world languages.  In this spring 2010 semester, the school district has
60 students enrolled in almost 40 different courses.  Over 200 students have taken
courses from the NCVPHS since its inception. 
 
 Skype-This technology is utilized throughout the school district to allow students
to gain experiences about other cultures by contacting and seeing other people
from different countries. They are putting their language skills to the test.  Skype
is also used for in-house and school-to-school communication as well.

GLOBALIZATION & MULTICUULTURAL EDUCATION

As our communities become increasingly diverse, it is essential for schools to embrace
multiculturalism. Students must be adaptable and be able to integrate into other environments
and traditions, as well as being able to support those from different backgrounds who may be
working in an area that has a very different culture to what they are used to. It is this flexibility
and compassion that makes our students so special.  

According to a publication released by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum

Development, "It's not just an add-on or an afterthought. Curricula infused with multicultural
education boosts academic success and prepares students for roles as productive citizens". At
OWIS, respect for our different cultures and backgrounds is built into every aspect of our
approach to learning. Today's students are tomorrow's leaders, and they must be able to thrive in
a multicultural environment.

OWIS International Day Celebrations 2019

‍The Nuances of Culture

At OWIS, we recognise that there is more to culture than what can be observed outwardly. We
think of culture in terms of an "iceberg" model, in which the majority of what constitutes culture
is "below the waterline." It's more than what you can see on the surface and must be explored to
be understood. Only a small percentage of culture - sometimes called the four F's: food, festivals,
flags and fashion - can be easily picked up on. About two-thirds of culture consists of the subtler
aspects, such as perceptions of beauty, group decision-making patterns, problem-solving
approaches, and body language. It can also be the case that families may follow a range of
different aspects of varied cultures and traditions. Everyone has a culture and it influences how
we see the world and the expectations we may have. It is important that students remain sensitive
to differences and express an interest in learning more about others’ backgrounds. 

While we hold school-wide festivals and assemblies, such as our UN Day event, to celebrate the
outward symbols of culture, we're committed to fostering an atmosphere of understanding and
respect for the more nuanced elements of culture. Students need to learn that sometimes they
may not see all aspects of their friends' culture, for instance, regular prayer or traditional
decoration in their home. This may also include opinions, beliefs and mother tongue. Students
need more than just superficial exposure to other cultures to be able to live and work alongside
their peers from different countries.

Technology at OWIS

Click on the link below to get this free eBook sent to your email account. 
The eBook expands on the ideas of this blog post and goes in to more detail about how we
integrate technology in to our classrooms to ensure that our students are 'tech' savvy in this fast
paced world. 

Download the eBook

Promoting Multiculturalism At OWIS

Creating a diverse environment begins with our teachers. While our curriculum follows an
international framework, our teachers come from diverse backgrounds. Many of them have also
stayed in other countries, so they have an enriched cultural perspective. As they become
immersed in the local culture of Singapore, they bring to the classroom their appreciation for that
culture as well as their own. Like many of our students, they are also members of an expatriate
culture. As such, they can be sensitive to the needs of individual students as they seek to find
their own cultural identity.

OWIS's  Multicultural Academic Staff -

Pictured here are Early Childhood Teaching Staff before a field trip in 2019
Through their experiences with diversity, our teachers have become transcultural. Their
understanding of culture as a whole transcends any individual culture. Our teachers provide a
fantastic support system for any student who may feel out of their depth when they initially move
to Singapore. They can give first-hand advice from their experiences and they can help to
encourage students to explore the cultures around them. There will often be times when teachers
and students have the same cultural experiences and will be able to work together to promote
their traditions, for instance putting on presentations during festival times.

With no more than 30% of our students coming from a single nationality, we ensure that
different cultures are represented equitably on campus. This means experiencing diversity
becomes second nature to our students. Students have ample opportunities to experience
diversity in an authentic context, preparing them to be critical thinkers and well-rounded citizens.
It opens up their minds and teaches them to treat others with compassion and kindness
In the words of Sholeen and Jonathan C., who have children in Early Childhood and Primary,

"We like the fact that the school is very multicultural and that our daughter comes home feeling

valued. Teachers make her feel that her contribution and opinions matter. We also like that at

OWIS children are taught that being part of a team and teamwork is just as important as personal

advancement!"

Please Contact Us today for more information, or to Book a Campus Tour. 

About Author

Michelle Dickinson

Head of School

After teaching across all three primary key stages in the UK, Michelle began her school
leadership career in 2002. Since then, she has built her school management expertise in roles in
schools in the UK, India, China, Ethiopia and now Singapore. As someone who loves the
outdoors, she believes that learning transcends the classroom environment and is passionate
about educational visits and extra-curricular experiences.

 
WHY MULTICULTURAL LITERACY
Multicultural Literacy Jan Plan Catalyzes Change
February 16, 2016
Now in its fifth year, Education 135J: Multicultural Literacy—which gives students skills to
understand, respect, and communicate across differences—reigns as the most popular Jan Plan
course. This year 79 students in four sections taught by different instructors took the three-credit
course.
“Our original goal,” said Associate Professor of Education Adam Howard, who was in on
creation of the course and taught one of the sections this year, “was to really change the culture
of the student body through curriculum.” And anecdotal evidence from students suggests the
course is having an impact.
 Students present Colby Action Research Projects at the Multicultural Literacy Fair Jan. 27 in
Cotter Union.
Students develop an understanding of how privilege and oppression work in society and on
campus. That changes their behavior, and their insights ripple through the student body as they
talk in dining halls and dorms about what they’re learning, according to a number of students
who took the course this year.
“Students typically come in having no idea of what the concepts of privilege and oppression
are,” Howard said as the term wrapped up this year. “No understanding. They have never been
taught that by their parents or their schooling. Never had a serious, critical conversation about
issues of race, sex, gender, class, ability, and so on.”
Out of 21 students in Howard’s class this year, only two said they had any introduction or
preparation in this area before taking Multicultural Literacy, Howard said. So it’s hardly
surprising, he said, that students struggle with manifestations of privilege and oppression at work
in broader society and uniquely at work on a campus like Colby’s.
“Our students don’t intentionally mean to hurt others, but because they don’t have the knowledge
—the necessary preparation—they do it,” Howard said. “We have to help them become
productive members of a diverse community, and that means not doing things that would
alienate others or hurt others.”
Multicultural Literacy aims to help first-year students understand and respect differences based
on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social class, religion, and ability. The course also helps
students master key theoretical concepts in the fields of diversity and social justice, and its goals
are to help them communicate effectively across differences, manage conflict in positive ways,
and intervene in negative situations. Howard told his students that knowledge is important, but
understanding is what he really wants the Jan Plan to impart. “We can know a lot of stuff and not
do a damn thing about it,” he said.
Some 2016 Multicultural Literacy Action Projects
Exploring the Racial Rift at Colby College
(Dis)ability on Mayflower Hill
Microaggressions at Colby
The Social Class Divide Between Colby and Waterville
Test-Optional: Ableism and Race
Sexuality in Athletics
Gender-Neutral Bathrooms
A 12-year Plan to Improve Diversity at Colby
Hook-Up Culture at Colby
Social Class and Athletics at Colby

Conversations don’t end in the classroom. Many students who take the course engage deeply in
efforts to make Colby’s community more welcoming, equitable, and just, including those in
several sections that have continued the work in weekly or monthly meetings through the spring
semester.
One reason the course is so popular is word of mouth recommendations from students who took
it in previous years. “I chose Multicultural Literacy because I heard from a lot of upperclassmen
that it was a really good class to take during Jan Plan,” Rachel Leonard ’19 wrote in an email.
Leonard summed up her experience in a presentation that she submitted to Howard at the end of
the month: “Now that it is January 28, the easy part is over. It’s time to see if we can actually
apply what we’ve learned and make Colby a better place.”
The Globalization of Multicultural Education in Social Science Textbooks: Cross-national
Analyses, 1950–2010 Luke Terra Stanford University Patricia Bromley University of Utah In
this study the authors analyze 548 secondary social science textbooks to examine the extent to
which multiculturalism-related content appears over time and around the world. Findings suggest
significant global increases in textbook depictions of minority rights and groups experiencing
discrimination over time and in many regions. As a result of globalization, education systems
around the world increasingly espouse commitments to human rights, gender equality, and equal
opportunity for all. To be sure, many states do not achieve these commitments, but virtually all
affirm them. Efforts to translate these normative commitments into classroom practices are at the
heart of Multicultural Education (ME). Though ME first developed in the United States, Canada,
the United Kingdom, and Australia (Banks 2010a), recent publications suggest that it is now part
of national education discourses in Latin America (Gvirtz, 2002), Africa (Alidou, 2010; Soudien,
2010), Asia and the Pacific (Chakravarty, 2001; Hirasawa, 2010), and Europe (Aguado & Malik,
2011; Lasonen, 2010). As the goals of ME have spread around the world (Sutton, 2005), what
has been their effect on classroom curricula? This study explores the influence of multicultural
education in classrooms around the world, as reflected in the most common resource available to
teachers and students—the textbook. Textbooks reflect the “values and beliefs of the culture and
historical period of which they are a part” (Provenzo, Shaver, & Bello, 2011, p. 2). As
longitudinal sources of data, textbooks allow us to observe changes over time in the intended
curricula across different Correspondence should be sent to Luke Terra, Stanford University,
School of Education, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA 94305. E-mail: [email protected]
societies (Foster & Crawford, 2006). In this study we analyze the extent to which multicultural
educationrelated content appears in classroom textbooks over time and around the world. We
examine specifically whether seven groups—women, children, immigrants and refugees,
indigenous peoples, other minorities (ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic), workers/labor,
and gays/lesbians—are depicted as bearing rights and whether they are described as victims of
oppression or discrimination in society. Further, we consider which world regions place more
emphasis on discussions of multiculturalism over time. We draw on a unique source of 548
secondary social science textbooks—history, civics, social studies, and geography—from 93
countries published from 1950–2010. Our goal is to help education researchers and practitioners
situate ME within a global social and cultural framework. Before proceeding, we should briefly
clarify our use of the phrase multicultural education. Banks (2010b) notes that ME programs
begin from the premise that “all students—regardless of their gender, social class, racial, ethnic,
or cultural characteristics—should have an equal opportunity to learn in school” (Banks, 2010b,
p. 3). This goal is based on philosophical commitments to “freedom, justice, equality, equity, and
human dignity” (NAME, 2003). Developing more inclusive and respectful schools requires
efforts on a number of fronts, including curriculum development, teacher training and classroom
pedagogy, and school culture. Thus, the term ME encompasses a wide range of efforts in
education reform. Like numerous other scholars (Grant & Sleeter 2005; Morey & Kitano 1997),
we subscribe to a broad definition that includes a wide range of groups, philosophical traditions,
and practices, and envisions ME as a multifaceted process that spans both content knowledge
and the empowerment of individuals to work against social injustice. For the empirical purposes
of our The Official Journal of the National Association for Multicultural Education 136
Downloaded by [Luke Terra] at 14:49 08 August 2012 study, however, we focus more narrowly
on how these philosophical commitments for greater inclusivity come to be reflected in
textbooks. Theories of Multicultural Education Conceptually, our work is aligned with research
in the sociology of education that argues globalization, particularly its social and cultural forms,
is a powerful force shaping the structure and content of national education systems. A large body
of empirical research using this theoretical lens, often referred to as neoinstitutional theory,
documents increasing convergence among education systems worldwide in areas such as the
expansion of mass schooling (Meyer, Ramirez, & Soysal, 1992), the expansion of higher
education (Schofer & Meyer, 2005), and amount of time allocated to various curricular subjects
(Benavot, Cha, Kamens, Meyer, & Wong, 1991; Wong, 1991). More recently, these studies have
also documented international increases in a number of areas related to ME including human
rights education (Meyer, Bromley, & Rameriz, 2010; Suarez, ´ Ramirez, & Koo, 2009), student-
centered pedagogy in textbooks (Bromley, Meyer, & Ramirez, 2011a), environmental awareness
(Bromley, Meyer, & Ramirez, 2011b), and diversity (Bromley, 2011; Soysal & Wong, 2010).
These studies show that education policies and practices are not solely constructed out of the
economic needs of a nation-state (for skilled workers, for example) or the power and interests of
national elites. Instead, national educational trends follow blueprints developed at the global
level and disseminated by international organizations (such as UNESCO) and professionals
(including scholars, consultants, international education specialists, and teachers). These global
models provide a normative, ideological prescription for reform work: They exert powerful
influence in defining what education systems should look like. Our approach leads to two main
propositions regarding the trends related to ME that we expect to observe in textbooks. First, we
predict that textbook content worldwide will increasingly emphasize the rights and history of
discrimination for a wide range of minority groups, following the institutionalization of ideas of
social justice in international treaties and organizations. This shift should occur in a variety of
countries, regardless of specific levels of political or economic development. Second, given the
roots of ME in the American civil rights movement with its focus on individual equality, we
expect greater increases in groups and regions aligned with individual emphases (Sutton, 2005),
rather than more collective or economic ideas of rights or discrimination. Data, Measures, and
Method The textbooks included in our sample are limited to those produced for secondary
classrooms. Preliminary discussions with relevant experts suggested the indicators of interest in
this study would be more fully addressed at the secondary level, but it would also be valuable to
examine primary textbooks in future research. Each textbook was coded on parameters designed
to measure emphases on diversity and rights (coding protocol available from authors). The
method used to analyze data is descriptive. We consider whether the mean scores on the
measures of rights and accounts of discrimination change significantly over time around the
world. The books are divided by publication date into three periods: 1950–1974 (n = 144), 1975–
1994 (n = 200), and 1995–2008 (n = 204). This periodization reflects both substantive reasons
(to capture the emergence of multiculturalism in the 1970s, as well as the fall of communist
regimes in the 1990s) and a methodological rationale (the textbook sample is divided nearly
evenly at these time points). Looking at trends in 5 or 10 year increments results in similar
findings to those reported here. Means are presented for the whole sample and sub-samples
representing six world regions: Western Europe and North America (plus Australia), Central and
Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA).1 The use of these regions follows previous research on global
curriculum shifts over time (Benavot et al., 1991). Findings We examine depictions of seven
minority groups: women, children, immigrants and refugees, indigenous peoples, other
minorities (ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic), workers/labor, and gays/lesbians. First, we
asked whether textbooks depicted these groups as experiencing discrimination, marginalization,
oppression, or exclusion in society. Second, we asked whether these groups were depicted as
having specific rights. Table 1 reports the means for each group.2 1Previous research on
curriculum changes around the world identified MENA as following a different trajectory from
elsewhere in Africa (Benavot et al., 1991), and so is considered separately here. Another notable
outlier is the case of Israel, where books exhibited higher levels of universalism and diversity
than other countries of the Middle East. Given the unique position of Israel in the Middle East, it
is included in the worldwide trends but excluded from regional analyses. We also exclude Asia
and MENA for the first time period as we have fewer than 10 books from these regions
published before 1975. 2The sample size for each period is given in Table 1; a full listing of
country-specific totals is included as Appendix A. Stars indicate Multicultural Perspectives Vol.
14, No. 3 137 Downloaded by [Luke Terra] at 14:49 08 August 2012 Table 1. Textbook
Depictions of Discrimination and Group Rights Over Time. With the exception of workers, all
groups show statistically significant increases over time. Depictions of discrimination against
three groups—other minorities, immigrants and refugees, and indigenous populations—increased
significantly from the first to second period. This increase corresponds historically to the
emergence of global movements for self-determination, colonial independence, and civil rights
for racial and other minorities (Banks, 2010a). Depictions of discrimination against women,
other minorities, immigrants, children, and gays/lesbians increased significantly from the second
to third period. In real terms, this means that over a third of textbooks from our sample published
since 1995 discussed discrimination against women and other minorities, and more than a quarter
of textbooks described discrimination against immigrants and refugees. Depictions of children
the statistical significance of a change from one time period to the next. For example, in the first
period (1950–1974), the mean of rights for children is 0.09, meaning that children’s rights are
discussed in 9% of all textbooks published during that period. By the third time period (1995–
2010), children’s rights are discussed in 19% of textbooks. The change between the second and
third periods is highly significant (p < 0.01). as victims of mistreatment more than tripled from
the second to third period, and descriptions of discrimination against women more than doubled.
Depictions of discrimination against gays/lesbians also doubled, but the rate is dramatically
lower than all other groups. We discuss these patterns in more detail the following section.
Rights As shown in Panel B, rights discussions increase for all groups. Changes from the first to
second period are generally small, with the only significant increase observed among other
minorities. Increases from the second to third period are more substantial. This follows Banks’
(2010a) description of ME initially focusing on racial, ethnic, and linguistic minorities and
broadening over time to include additional groups. As with discrimination, the increase is not
statistically significant for workers, and here indigenous rights also do not increase significantly.
These two exceptions provide some evidence in support of our contention that ME promotes a
particular view of discrimination aligned with ideas of individual rights. Rights that are often
defined collectively, such as workers and indigenous groups, do not increase at the same rate as
other groups in our sample. Depictions of group rights among women and children are highly
significant, followed by a moderate increase for other minorities, and marginal increases for both
immigrants and gays/lesbians. In terms of practical significance, this means that within social
science textbooks in our sample published since 1995, 32% discuss the rights of women, 23%
discuss the rights of other minorities, and 19% include the rights of children. These compare
with much lower numbers recorded in the first period (14%, 8%, and 9% respectively). Yet not
all groups enjoy these increasing levels of coverage. The rights of indigenous populations are
mentioned in only 9% of textbooks in the most recent period, and gays/lesbians appear in only
4%. The lack of coverage of gay/lesbian issues we observe in textbooks echoes Banks’ (2010a)
conclusion that there are “few visible signs either within or across nations that schools are
incorporating issues related to sexual orientation into the curriculum in meaningful ways” (p.
15). We believe these differences in coverage reflect an implicit hierarchy in the status of
minority groups. This multicultural movement in education is part of a broader trend that applies
the principles of human rights in defense of cultural, religious, linguistic, gendered, and other
marginalized minorities. In the decades since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UNDHR), the international community ratified a The Official Journal of the
National Association for Multicultural Education 138 Downloaded by [Luke Terra] at 14:49 08
August 2012 number of other international declarations that elaborate the rights of groups.3 The
depictions of group rights we observe in textbooks appear to rise in response to these more recent
movements to apply human rights principles to minority populations. Discussions of human
rights itself also increase directly, as shown in the last row of Panel B. Regional Differences
Table 2 reports on regional variations in textbook depictions of discrimination and rights of
groups. To best capture the variation of each textbook, we created an index to score the
references to rights or discrimination. For each textbook, we took the sum of scores for the seven
groups. This gave every textbook a score between 0 and 7. A textbook that included no
references to group rights would be coded 0, while a textbook that referenced rights for all seven
groups would be coded 7. For example, textbook references to discrimination in Latin American
and the Caribbean textbooks increase from an average of 0.71 in the first period to 2.50 in the
third period—a highly significant increase. This means that in the most recent period textbooks
from Latin America and the Caribbean mentioned discrimination against an average of 2.5
different groups. As in Table 1, the regional results are significant mainly from the second to the
third time period. North America and Western Europe are the exception, where depictions of
discrimination and rights increase significantly from the first to second period. These changes
parallel the development of multicultural education. Following the U.S. civil rights movement of
the 1960s and 1970s, the first wave of ME began in the United States, Canada, the United
Kingdom, and Australia (Banks, 2010a). This movement broadened over time to include
additional minority groups and spread geographically to influence other education systems.
Depictions of rights and discrimination increase in a number of other regions in the third period,
rising significantly in all regions of the world except Asia. We posit that in Asian countries a
more collective and cohesive view of society may take precedence over the American-inspired
emphases on diversity. In MENA, 3A sample of United Nations declarations passed since the
ratification of the UNDHR: Declaration on the Rights of the Child (1959), Declaration on the
elimination of all forms of racial discrimination (1963), Declaration of the rights of the elderly
(1971), Declaration of the rights of disabled persons (1975), Declaration on the elimination of all
intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief (1981), Declaration on the rights of
persons belonging to national or ethnic or religious or linguistic minorities (1992), and the
Declaration of the elimination of violence against women (1993). Table 2. Textbook Depictions
of Group Rights and Discrimination.
Textbooks increasingly discuss women, children, immigrants and refugees, indigenous peoples,
gays and lesbians, and other minorities as experiencing discrimination, marginalization or
exclusion in society. In addition to portraying social inequalities, textbooks also increasingly
depict groups as bearing rights. This is not to say that ME principles have influenced all—or
even a majority—of textbooks in all states. Many textbooks continue to neglect discussions of
social inequality and the oppression of marginalized groups, and avoid recognizing the rights of
sub-national groups. Some educators may look at even the significant increases reported here
with dismay, noting that the highest rates of inclusion (for women) appear in only one-third of
textbooks. What about the other two-thirds? There is no doubt that textbooks do not fully reflect
the diverse realities of modern nation-states. But many more textbooks now recognize the
historical experiences of marginalized groups and the rights they possess than they did mere
decades ago, and in countries far away from the centers of multicultural discourse. This
inclusivity, however, does not apply to all groups equally. Our findings also suggest that the
liberal orientation of rights discourse privileges certain minority groups and types of rights over
others. Specifically, cultural, ethnic, and gendered groups are increasingly preferred over
economic or class-based groups. This distinction parallels the tensions in global human rights
discourse over first-generation individual civil and political freedoms and subsequent extensions
of rights to include second and third generation concerns of social, economic, and cultural
claims. Further, the inclusion of gays and lesbians remains very low compared to other groups
we examined. Scholars in ME have also noted the lack of coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) issues in multicultural curricula (Banks, 2010a; Mayo, 2010).
Coverage of discrimination against indigenous peoples increases, but discussions of indigenous
rights remains relatively low. More strikingly, discussions of workers—our proxy for a
class/economic group—do not follow the same increasing trend as other groups. Discussions of
workers’ rights and discrimination start relatively high, but by the third time period they are
eclipsed by these other marginalized groups. These patterns suggest a hierarchy of minority
groups eligible for inclusion in textbook accounts that depends on domestic relevance,
international attention, and the nature of rights as rooted in individual versus collective claims.
We can observe this shift clearly in individual textbook accounts. In earlier periods, textbooks
commonly organized society along labor sectors. A typical account from a 1968 textbook of U.S.
history—The Adventure of the American People—spends a significant portion of the book
describing major sectors of the economy, including chapters on farmers, industrial workers, and
scientists among others. In this text, workers are central characters in the national story. Labor
unions in particular are highly emphasized. The authors spend over 24 pages detailing the rise of
industrial unions, in generally effusive language, concluding: “Despite labor’s difficulties and
sorrows between 1865 and 1914, its leaders never lost hope that tomorrow would be better”
(Krout & Graff, 1968, p. 424). Contrast this with a more recent textbook included in our sample.
The American Journey (2003) covers the rise of industrial labor in just four pages. The text
includes brief descriptions of major strikes in U.S. history, but also includes sections such as
“Women Workers,” “Child Labor,” and “Women and the Unions.” Both these textbooks cover
workers, and even depict discrimination against them and their right to organize for better
conditions. Yet the quality of this treatment differs: in the older textbook labor unions (and
classes of workers more generally) are portrayed as major actors in history that deserve extended
attention, while in the more recent text the world of work serves as a context where the rights
and experiences of other groups such as women, children, ethnic, and other minorities are
explored. Increases in discussions of rights and discrimination also vary geographically. As
expected, depictions of both group rights and discrimination increase first in textbooks from
North America and Western Europe. In the third The Official Journal of the National Association
for Multicultural Education 140 Downloaded by [Luke Terra] at 14:49 08 August 2012 period,
we observe significant increases in Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and
Central and Eastern Europe. Textbooks from Latin American and the Caribbean exceed all other
regions in depictions of group rights and discrimination. This replicates an earlier finding related
to student empowerment in Latin American textbooks (Bromley et al., 2011a). The region’s
strong history connecting education and causes of social justice may partially explain this trend
(Freire, 1970), and recent studies detail policy efforts in Latin America in the 1990s and 2000s to
increase curricular coverage of marginalized minorities (Gvirtz, 2002). In Sub-Saharan Africa,
depictions of groups experiencing discrimination triple from the second to third period. One
might expect that these changes coincide with anti-colonial, national independence movements;
that the rights of individuals and groups are asserted as part of a broader decolonization project.
Yet discussions of colonization and decolonization in Sub-Saharan African textbooks actually
decreased over the three time periods, from a high of 72% of textbooks published from 1950–
1975, to 53% of textbooks published since 1995.4 The attention given to marginalized groups
develops not from a push to “decolonize the social studies” (Merryfield, 2008), but as part of
broader global shifts that emphasize the rights of individuals and minority groups. Conclusion
Through this study we explore the responsiveness of textbook content around the world to the
objectives of ME. While globalization can certainly contribute to a narrowing of educational
practices that crowd out local innovations, our analyses show that globalization also appears to
diffuse norms that support the aims of multicultural educators. Textbooks from Nepal to the
Netherlands, from Macedonia to Madagascar, increasingly address discrimination,
marginalization, oppression, and exclusion of minority groups, and depict them—not simply as
victims—but as groups endowed with rights under law. This trend is not without exception,
geographically and by the type of minority group. Yet overall we find the trajectory of textbook
content points toward the globalization and expansion of multicultural education over time. For
scholars and practitioners of ME, our findings suggest two broad conclusions: that the list of
groups deemed eligible for inclusion is historically and culturally 4Discussions of
colonialization/decolonization in our overall sample also decreased from 55% in 1950–1975 to
50% of textbooks published since 1995. contingent, and that there remain groups excluded from
textbook accounts. While a growing number of textbooks depict the world as made up of groups
bearing rights protected under law, many still do not. Even the highest rate of inclusion for a
group appeared in only one third of textbooks. Further, though efforts to represent the rights of
marginalized groups on the pages of textbooks have born fruit, some groups fare much better
than others. Textbooks remain one of the most widely used and influential classroom resources
around the world. At a minimum, their content provides both students and their teachers with an
organizing framework through which to engage history, civics, and social studies content.
Teachers and scholars should continue to “articulate the silences” (Levstik, 2000) in textbook
accounts to give voice to perspectives still underrepresented, and challenge social science
textbooks to more fully reflect the diversity of peoples and historical experiences in
contemporary society. While a growing number of textbooks depict the world as made up of
groups bearing rights protected under law, many still do not. Even the highest rate of inclusion
for a group appeared in only one third of textbooks.

TEACHING FOR MULTCLTRAL LTERACY

Multicultural Literacy
    Multicultural literacy refers to the skills involved when uncovering bias in regard to culture, as
well as the ability to take different perspectives to gain a more humane perspective. It is
important for students to be multiculturally literate because Canada itself is very multicultural.
Students need to be able to take the perspectives of different cultures to allow themselves to
grow into responsible citizens, who consider other people's opinions. 
    One of the challenging classes to incorporate multicultural literacy is physical education and
health. Where would you even begin?  @MrsJeynes did a great activity with her class that
involved multicultural literacy. The full lesson plan was not posted, but she did share a picture of
her students presenting different genres of dance which originate from different cultures.
    This activity can be integrated with other subject areas. For instance, it can be connected to
language arts, where students can research the chosen culture and communicate their findings. In
addition, students can write a reflection piece about the research and dance experience. In social
studies, students can compare their chose culture to the culture being studied in class ( For
example, Ancient Egyptians, pioneers, vikings etc). The purpose of this activity would be to
allow students to take the perspective of different cultures. Students will gain a sense of why
certain cultures have traditions that meet their needs and wants.
    This activity can even be extended to health class, where students can research ethnic foods
that pertain to their chosen culture. They can answer why these foods are so prominent in that
culture (for example, in Mexico tortillas are made from corn flour because corn grows in
Mexico). Students can also assess the nutrition value of their chosen ethnic dishes. Students gain
a sense of why cultures eat the foods they do, and will build and appreciation for ethnic cuisines.

The importance of multicultural literature

Marianne Grasso discusses the importance of multicultural literature in the school library
fiction collection, providing examples of books and digital content that promote
multicultural perspectives and encourage global awareness.
Australian primary schools are more culturally diverse now than ever before. By including
multicultural literature in the school library fiction collection, teacher librarians ensure they
provide their students with texts that represent the culturally diverse classrooms and home
environments in this country, and those across the globe. With recent global events, it has
become increasingly important that students do not become ethnocentric. Exposure to a variety
of multicultural literature can assist in breaking down cultural barriers.

What value does multicultural literature add to the school library fiction collection?
Multicultural literature serves as a powerful tool in enabling students to gain a better
understanding of both their own culture and the cultures of others. Through this deeper
knowledge, relationships can be strengthened, bridging the gap between students from diverse
cultural backgrounds (Hseu & Hetzel, 2000). As students of the 21st century are global
participants, it is important that they possess cultural sensitivity. Through extensive research,
Norton (2009) has discovered that when students can relate global events to the themes, conflicts
and characterisations found in multicultural literature, it helps them to better understand current
world issues. Students therefore develop greater cognitive skills as they learn to engage with and
critically evaluate the texts that they read.

Suzanne Evans (2010) conducted research on critical literacy using a range of multicultural
picture books. Her aim was to determine whether student perspectives on diversity and the
acceptance of others altered once they were exposed to multicultural texts. Evans concluded that
exposure to multicultural literature increased students’ awareness of the various social practices,
values and belief systems of other cultures. These themes are a major focus in the Australian
Curriculum, with a general capability strand dedicated to intercultural understanding, which is
incorporated throughout each of the key learning areas.

Promotes empathy and unity

Multicultural literature fosters positive self-esteem and prevents students from feeling isolated. It
has the ability to nurture respect, empathy and acceptance among all students (Steiner et al,
2008). Whoever You Are (Fox, 1997) is an older publication that illustrates perfectly how
multicultural literature can promote unity among different cultures. The story highlights the fact
that all children feel the same emotions no matter where they live in the world, what language
they speak, or how they look. It suggests that although people have many differences, there are
common traits that unite us.

Another text that focuses on commonalities is Mirror, written by Jeannie Baker (2010). The
design of this book is unique, as two storylines sit side by side and are to be read simultaneously.
This picture book is about the day in the life of two boys: one who lives in Australia, and the
other in Morocco. It eloquently reveals the external differences and inner similarities that define
their lives. This book teaches children that they should not be fearful of those who may seem
different to them, as their daily lives and routines may be very much the same.

Promotes cross-cultural friendship

Multicultural literature promotes the interaction of children across differing ethnic backgrounds
(Steiner et al., 2008). Stories portraying cultural diversity can foster the belief that race is not a
barrier, but rather a contribution to the beauty of our multicultural world. This ideal is portrayed
in Kobald’s My Two Blankets (2014). A young girl named Cartwheel relocates to a westernised
country to escape the war that is occurring in her homeland. She feels lost and lonely until she
meets a young girl in the park. Over time their friendship develops and the young girl helps
Cartwheel to understand her new world.

This theme is mirrored in Just One Wish, a lovely story by Sally Rippin (2009) about
overcoming diversity. Penny, a new arrival to Australia, initially struggles with the English
language and feels alienated until she befriends her hearingimpaired art teacher, Mr Whitehorse.

Helps students look critically at the world

Multicultural literature can help students develop global awareness by introducing them to
current cultural issues. When students vicariously experience the feelings and emotions of others
through literature, they are encouraged to look critically at the world and gain a greater
understanding of the global community (Monobe & Son, 2014).

Texts such as Ziba Came on a Boat (Lofthouse, 2007), The Little Refugee (Do & Do, 2011)
and Mahtab’s Story (Gleeson, 2008) are representative of actual events. The main character in
each story is a refugee who immigrates to Australia with their family via an old, overcrowded
fishing boat. These books reveal the hardships that refugees often experience when seeking a
place of safety. They allow students to reflect upon and critically analyse the issue of asylum
seekers and the idea of a fairer community.

John Marsden portrays the above issues in a unique and thought-provoking manner in his
book Home and Away (2008). This compelling story is about a typical Australian family who
must flee their country when it is ravaged by war. This story presents a complete role reversal, as
it is Australians who are being displaced. This text forces students to think critically and consider
global issues from a different perspective.
Encourages identity formation
Multicultural literature can also assist students with their identity formation (Hseu & Hetzel,
2000). Identity formation is important in the social development of all children, as it gives them a
sense of belonging and acceptance in society. Inclusion of multicultural literature in library
collections confirm that the beliefs and experiences of minority students are valued (Steiner,
1998). When students see themselves reflected in the pages of literature, they are more likely to
engage with a text. Smith’s (1995) case study confirms this, revealing that African- American
students prefer to read texts they can relate to culturally, increasing their interest in reading.
Familiar concepts in multicultural literature help to build security, familiarity, and confidence,
which can lead to an improvement in student learning (Agosto, 2007).

What is the role of the teacher librarian?

There are important characteristics that teacher librarians should consider when selecting
multicultural literature to include in their school library fiction collection. Firstly, cultural
contexts should be accurately depicted in the books by the presentation of correct and current
information. It is important that teacher librarians find texts that portray the life of unique
individuals and avoid stories that reinforce stereotypes. The dialogue in the book should also be
considered, as it should accurately represent culturally-specific oral traditions (Landt, 2006).
Teacher librarians should also consider the power play within texts to ensure subservient roles
between cultural groups are not illustrated.

It is important to ensure that multicultural literature is not isolated, but incorporated in library
activities and throughout the library program. ASLA & ALIA (2004) suggest that an effective
teacher librarian provides professional development opportunities for other teaching staff. By
working together to organise units that include culturally-diverse literature, teacher librarians and
classroom teachers ensure that multicultural themes are woven throughout the curriculum. Once
multicultural literature is seen as an integral component of the curriculum, libraries and
classrooms can become safe arenas for open discussions on culturally sensitive topics (Dietrich
& Ralph, 1995).

Online digital resources

There are numerous online resources that can be used to engage students and extend their literary
experiences. The International Children’s Digital Library provides free access to quality digital
multicultural and multilingual texts from around the world. This resource offers a great extension
to the school library fiction collection, especially for bilingual students.

And then I was a refugee… is an interactive tool that explores real-life scenarios faced by
refugees. The aim of this application is for students to discover the refugee experience,
demonstrating the crisis experienced by millions of people every year. Along their journey,
students must make critical choices and learn about the results of their actions.
Conclusion
Creating a culturally diverse library collection and instilling its use throughout the school
curriculum helps to build a school community that is supportive, empathetic and accepting of
others. Multicultural literature creates a sense of belonging, forging a connection between home
and school environments, and across cultures. Multicultural literature serves many purposes, but
its greatest accomplishment is its ability to bring people closer together, regardless of culture and
ethnicity.

6 WAYS TO IMPLEMENT A REAL MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION IN THE

CLASSROOM
BY MATTHEW LYNCH
OCTOBER 24, 2015

Spread the love

Most American citizens are proud of our “melting pot” status. After all, how many of us refer to
ourselves as one ethnicity or another, and not just an “American”? It is a source of familial pride
for us. Even African Americans, who do not always have an Ellis Island story in the family true,
find collective strength in the stories of their ancestors and what it means for their lives today.

While this blending of cultures can most definitely be a blessing—it can also be a curse. With
more diversity than ever, teachers have to adjust methods from one student to the next, and from
one year to the next. Multicultural education is about more than a classroom with varied skin
color – it includes careful examination of the neighborhoods, parenting styles and general
experiences that shape each and every K-12 student.

In this article, I want to take a look at several ways to encourage a real multicultural education in
our schools.

1. Define multiculturalism. Multicultural education is a progressive approach for

transforming education based on educational equality and social justice. The components
required in educating a multicultural education are content integrations, prejudice
reduction, empowering school culture and social culture. These all relate and all require
attention as they relate to the efforts of conflict resolution in today’s world. What kids
learn in their classroom environments when it comes to interactions with those who are
different from them translates into how well they will manage life in the global
marketplace.

In the last century, there has been an increase in global mutual acceptance of opposing views and
different cultures – though arguably, there is still a long way to go. Specifically when it comes to
America, it is crucial that multicultural education exist with the increasing number of students
who speak a second language and come from somewhere else. Diversity exists even within
mainstream society and students need to have the communication life skills that multicultural
education promotes.

2. Observe your students closely, and value your real-life experience of diversity over
the textbook version. David Kolb created a four-step model for really understanding the
needs of a particular student group. He starts with concrete experience, adds reflective
observation and then moves to abstract conceptualization and active experimentation.

In other words, multicultural education cannot be taught in a textbook. It must be developed by

each educator based on a particular student group.

3. Learn your students’ learning styles. Teachers can help students discover their
academic strengths by helping them discover their own learning style. In this way,
students discover what method of comprehension works best for them based on their own
backgrounds and personalities. If educators make this learning style quest a class project,
an inherent lesson in multiculturalism is taught.
4. Encourage your students to be proud of their heritage. Educators should look for
ways to emphasize the differences between students in a positive light. This might mean
writing essays on family background or partnering with other students to help each other
develop projects that accent the culture of the other. This can include prompts that look
back on family history for generations, or could ask students to look at their current
family setup.
5. Be aware of your biases. In order to fully understand the significance of
multiculturalism in the classroom, educators must first thoroughly examine their own
cultural beliefs, values, and biases.  Then prospective educators are ready to begin
 learning about other cultures–to become familiar with their values, traditions,
communication styles, learning preferences, contributions to society, and relationship
patterns of their future students.  While some of this education can be achieved by simply
reading about cultural diversity, it is difficult to truly substitute for genuine interaction
and discourse with members of students’ cultures.

While book knowledge about diverse cultural groups can come in handy to a certain extent when
designing lesson plans and educational materials, one of the most important reasons for truly
learning about the cognitive patterns of cultural groups is so that the interpersonal attitudes and
behaviors of diverse students can be effectively interpreted in terms of the culture that they’re
entrenched in.  Traditional teaching environments force students from those and other groups to
modify their thought and behavior patterns to fit standard European-American norms or else face
academic and behavioral consequences.  In a culturally responsive classroom, the onus is instead
placed on the instructor to learn about and adapt to the cultural intricacies of the students that
they teach.

6. Create assignments that celebrate multiculturalism. If used cleverly, classroom

assignments can provide a primary window into a student’s cultural beliefs.  Writing
assignments can play a significant role in gathering information about student thought
patterns and tendencies.  Interviews with family members, assignments asking students to
write about learning experiences that occur outside of school, and assignments involving
family stories and traditions all can play a significant role in unearthing information
about a students’ cultural heritage.  Students’ parents can often be solicited as sources of
useful personal information and visiting the neighborhoods where diverse students live
can help give educators an idea about the level of social support present and the types of
challenges that the student might face outside of the classroom.

There are tons of ways that educators can approach multiculturalism in K-12 classrooms but the
first step is recognizing its importance.

HOW TO INCORPORATE MUULTICULTURAL AND GLOBAL EDUCATION IN THE

CUURRICLUM
How to Incorporate Multicultural and Global Education Into Curriculum

Milton Hershey School

Sep 27, 2017·4 min read
Educating children to be global thinkers and compassionate citizens is an important part of
teaching for the 21st century. But how do we help our students develop life skills that may be
difficult to grasp and expand on viewpoints that are already deeply embedded in their
personalities?

At Milton Hershey School, our Multicultural and Global Education program provides

international travel opportunities to high school students. By traveling outside the United States

and learning about other cultures, students gain a better understanding of themselves and the

world around them.

“Studying abroad provides students with an experience that we can’t create at school,” said

Andrew Miller, social studies curriculum supervisor at MHS. “It requires a level of independence
and maturity. It gives them practical life skills they can bring back home, so they can become more

confident in their ability to interact with people in their community.”

Learn more about the significance of global education and how to provide students with eye-

opening cultural experiences in and out of the classroom.

International Travel Opportunities

When traveling abroad, language and learning are part of every trip. To ensure MHS students are

fully prepared for the immersive experience of an international trip, they are required to submit

letters of interest and complete interviews where they explain how they plan to act with integrity

and mutual respect.

Each school year, approximately 75 students are selected to travel on an academic tour, language

immersion trip, or global summit. Whether they visit multiple cities, complete immersive

activities to apply their foreign language skills, or attend student-centered summits, the

opportunity to travel allows MHS students to experience global challenges firsthand. They learn
how to solve problems, communicate with others, and develop empathy and awareness — skills

they can apply in their own communities.

“Students often come back with really daunting challenges such as globalization and pollution,”

Miller said. “These are big issues they have to face and sometimes students wonder, “What can I

do?” We try to set up a framework for them to address some of those same issues on a local

level.”

Sharing Global Awareness with the Community

To help create a framework for sharing global awareness, MHS students are required to give back

with their international travel experience. Students must choose a topic that relates to the theme of

the trip and complete a before, during, and after component — including journaling during the

trip and developing a plan to help others after they come back.

“I think for many students, the real spark hits when the plane touches the ground and they begin to

reflect on their experience,” Miller said. “When MHS students see other cultures and engage with

people who are different from them, it provides them with empathy for the world.”
It also can be empowering when students realize they have the power to make a difference in their

community. For example, when high schoolers traveled to Ghana on an international trip,

they organized a video chat with younger MHS students. By answering questions and sharing

their experiences, the older students began to practice global citizenship and the younger students

gained a new understanding of inclusiveness and global unity.

“We have a very diverse student body at MHS, which is a great advantage for students,” Miller

added. “It sets them up for incredible success with these trips because it opens up that diversity to

the world.”

Incorporating Multicultural Education Into the Classroom

For many students who travel, it can be surprising to learn that the world is more similar than it is

different. To strengthen these global connections and create global literacy for students of all

ages, MHS humanities teachers participate in a strategic work group to bring these lessons to life

in the classroom.
“We want our students to be ready for the 21st century and our global world,” Miller said. “This

involves competencies related to jobs that don’t exist yet and the ability to work with different

cultures.”

MHS teachers plan global awareness activities that expand on academic lessons and promote

critical thinking — such as third-graders organizing a lemonade stand to raise money for children

in Ghana or fourth-graders chatting with a woman from Afghanistan to make connections to a

book they read in class.

“We want to help students see themselves as citizens of the world and understand how their

actions, decisions, and choices impact the world — not just their local community,” Miller said.

Globalization & Multicultural Literacy

What is Global Literacy

Global Literacy aims to address issues of globalization, racism, diversity and social justice (Guo,
2014).
It requires awareness and action, consistent with a understanding of humanity, the planet, and the
impact Of human decision on both. Global Literacy also aims to empower students with
knowledge and act to make a positive impact in the world and their local community (Guo,
2014).

Characteristics of a Global Citizen

According to the Ontario Ministry of (2015), a global citizen should display most or all Of the
following characteristics:
  Respect for humans no matter their race, religion or political perspectives. Respect for
diversity and various perspectives.
Promoting sustainable patterns of living. consumption, and production.
 Appreciate the natural world and demonstrate respectful towards the rights of all living
things.

Global Education and Globalization

 Globalization and education then come to affect one another through mutual goals of
preparing young people for successful futures during which their nations will grow
increasingly connected.

 With globalization some of the for knowledge , education and learning will provide
today's learners the ability to be more familiar and comfortable with abstract concepts
and uncertain situations. It enhances the student's ability to manipulate symbols. Highly
productive employment in today's economy will require the learner to constantly
manipulate symbols, such as political, legal and business terms, and digital money.

 Globalization enhances the student's ability to acquire and utilize knowledge.

Globalization enhances the ability of learners to access, assess, adopt, and apply
knowledge, to think independently to exercise appropriate judgment and to collaborate
with others to make sense Of new situations.

 Globalization produces an increased quantity of scientifically and technically trained

persons. The emerging economy is based on knowledge as a key factor of production and
the industries demand the employees remain highly trained in science and technology.

 It encourages students to work in teams. To be able to work closely in teams is the need
for employees. Working in teams requires students to develop skills ingroup
dynamics,compromise, debate, persuasion, organization, and leadership and management
skills.

 Globalization breaks the boundaries of space and time. Using advanced information and
communications technologies, a new system Of knowledge, education and learning
should apply a wide range of synchronous and asynchronous activities that aid teacher
and student in breaking boundaries Of space and time.

 Globalization meets the knowledge, education and learning challenges and of the
information. Age. Knowledge based businesses often complain that graduates lack the
capacity to learn new skills and assimilate new knowledge. Globalization makes it easier
for businesses.
  Globalization creates and supports information technologists, policy makers. and
practitioners for the purpose of rethinking education and supports mechanisms for the
exchange of ideas and experiences in the use pf educational technologies.

 Globalization encourages explorations, experimentation to push the frontiers Of the

potential of information technologies and communications for more effective learning.

 Global sharing of knowledge, skills, and intellectual assets that are necessary to multiple
developments at different levels.

Characteristics Of Globalization that can be linked to Education

• Educational Terms — There is a growing understanding that neo-liberal version

of globalization , particularly as implemented by bilateral, multilateral, and international
organizations, is reflected in educational agenda that privileges, if not only directly imposes,
particular policies for evaluation, financing.

• Economic Terms — Is the increase economies across the world through a rapid
increase in cross-border movement Of goods, service, technology. and capital

• Political Terms — Leaders needs to think Of Human Capital in the context Of

Globalization

• Cultural Terms — Refers to the transfer of Ideas, meanings, and values across
the borders. This process is marked by spread of commodities ideologies, which become
standardized around the world. Mass consumption serves as a facilitator between different
people and cultures around the globe as a result Of the exponential growth Of the human
population

Core Values and Competencies for Global Education

Core Values

 Peace & non-violence

 Social Justice
 Human Rights
 Economic well-being & Equity
 Cultural Integrity
 Ecological Balance
 Democratic Participation
 Core Skills and Competencies
 Self-worth & Self Affirmation
 A Affirmation & Others
 Cultural & Racial Differences
 Critical thinking
 Effective Communication Skills
 Non-violent conflict Resolution & Mediation
 Imagination
 Effective Organizing

Globalization or globalisation
 is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments
worldwide.
 is the integration of national economies through trade, investment, capital flow, labor
migration, and technology.
 is the free movement of goods, services and people across the world in a seamless and
integrated manner. [Globalization can be thought of to be the result of the opening up of
the global economy and the concomitant increase in trade between nations.]
 enables countries to liberalize their import protocols and welcome foreign investment
into sectors that are the mainstays of its economy.
 countries liberalize their visa rules and procedures so as to permit the free flow of people
from country to country
 also means that countries of the world subscribe to the rules and procedures of the WTO
or the World Trade Organization that oversees the terms and conditions of trade between
countries

What is Global Literacy?

 Global Literacy aims to address issues of globalization, racism, diversity and social
justice (Guo, 2014). It requires awareness and action, consistent with a broad
understanding of humanity, the planet, and the impact of human decision on both. Global
Literacy also aims toempower students with knowledge and take action to make a
positive impact in the world and their local community (Guo, 2014).
According to the Ontario Ministry of Education (2015), a global citizen should display most
or all of the following characteristics:

 Respect for humans no matter their race, gender, religion or political perspectives.
 Respect for diversity and various perspectives.
 Promoting sustainable patterns of living, consumption, and production.
 Appreciate the natural world and demonstrate respectful towards the rights of all living
things.

Importance of globalization:
Global village
- incredibly aware of what is happening anywhere around the world

Social awareness
-spreading news and facilitating globalization; keeping us up to date and
knowledgeable about current events; facilitated raising awareness of issues,
which can lead to great social change.

Personal communication
- connected to our friends and families in various parts of the world, (e.g.
telephone and social media); reach out to loved ones immediately and for a
minimal cost any time we need, constantly updated about what is going on in
their lives through social media.

Importance of globalization:

Economic opportunities
-earning a livelihood manifold; people travel and relocate to foreign countries in search for
employment and education; look for opportunities elsewhere and take them as they come;
pursue disciplines and work fields of our own choice in other countries.

Free trade
- building and spreading of business; businesses to set up manufacturing and administrative
units outside of their home ground. This has led to the spreading of the business, increasing
its market, diminishing costs, and creating a lot of employment for nations which are often
otherwise starved for job opportunities.
 Globalization and education then come to affect one another through mutual
goals of preparing young people for successful futures during which their nations
will grow increasingly connected.

 With globalization some of the challenges for knowledge, education and learning
will provide today’s learners the ability to be more familiar and comfortable with
abstract concepts and uncertain situations. It enhances the student’s ability to
manipulate symbols. Highly productive employment in today’s economy will require
the learner to constantly manipulate symbols, such as political, legal and business
terms, and digital money.

 Globalization enhances the student’s ability to acquire and utilize knowledge.

 Globalization enhances the ability of learners to access, assess, adopt, and apply
knowledge, to think independently to exercise appropriate judgment and to
collaborate with others to make sense of new situations.

 Globalization produces an increase quantity of scientifically and technically trained

persons. The emerging economy is based on knowledge as a key factor of production
and the industries demand the employees remain highly trained in science and
technology.
 It encourages students to work in teams. To be able to work closely in teams is the
need for employees. Working in teams requires students to develop skills ingroup
dynamics, compromise, debate, persuasion, organization, and leadership and
management skills

 Globalization breaks the boundaries of space and time. Using advanced information
and communications technologies, a new system of knowledge, education and
learning should apply a wide range of synchronous and asynchronous activities that
aid teacher and student in breaking boundaries of space and time. Globalization
meets the knowledge, education and learning challenges and opportunities of the
Information Age. Knowledge based businesses often complain that graduates lack the
capacity to learn new skills and assimilate new knowledge. Globalization makes it
easier for businesses.

 Globalization creates and supports information technologists, policy makers, and

practitioners for the purpose of rethinking education and supports mechanisms for the
exchange of ideas and experiences in the use of educational technologies.

 Globalization encourages explorations, experimentation to push the frontiers of the

potential of information technologies and communications for more effective learning.
  Global sharing of knowledge, skills, and intellectual assets that are necessary to
multiple developments at different levels.

 Globalization and Multicultural Literacy is knowledge of cultures and languages.

 Multicultural Literacy then, brings attention to diversity, equity and social justice to
foster cultural awareness by addressing difficult issues like discrimination and
oppression towards other ethnicities (Boutte, 2008). According to Boutte (2008)
education for multicultural literacy should help students to develop the 21st century skills
and attitudes that are needed to become active citizens who will work towards achieving
social justice within our communities. Because of the growing racial, language and ethnic
diversity in our country, Multicultural Literacy needs to be transformed in substantial
ways to prepare students to function effectively in the 21st Century (Boutte, 2008).

 According to the Ministry of Education (2013), “culture goes much deeper than
typical understandings of ethnicity, race and/or faith. It encompasses broad notions of
similarity and difference”.

 Hence, one of the key practices in the classroom for multicultural literacy is for
teachers to not be colourblind, label students, or use negative connotations in relation
to diverse backgrounds (Hawkins, 2014).

How are Multicultural and Global Literacy Interconnected?

 Every classroom contains students of different race, religion, and cultural groups.
Students embrace diverse behaviors, cultural values, patterns of practice, and
communication. Yet they all share one commonality: their educational opportunity (Guo,
2014).

 Teachers should teach their students that other cultures exist and that these deserve to be
acknowledged and respected. Integrating a variety of cultural context into lessons and
activities, teaches students to view the world from many angles, creates a respect for
diversity and enables students to learn exciting information. As classrooms become
increasingly more diverse, it is important for educators to acknowledge an address
diversity issues and to integrate multiculturalism information into the classroom
curriculum (Guo, 2014).

 We live in multicultural societies, teach in multicultural settings, and our students interact
with those who come from a different place. Awareness of and sensitivity to culturally
determined norms promote understanding. In fact, when students embrace the principle
that difference does not equal deficiency, they gain an appreciation for the wealth of
diversity that surrounds us.
Surry County Schools is located in a rural community. In order for our students to achieve
success in the 21st Century, we need to provide opportunities for them to be bilingual and to
interact with other cultures. Surry County Schools is developing bilingual students through the
use of:

Rosetta Stone -This bilingual program was purchased for all elementary and middle schools in
the district. Elementary school computer lab teachers set up a wonderful learning environment
for elementary students. In the middle schools, students are learning multiple languages through
the use of Rosetta Stone on their laptops through the 1:1 Laptop Initiative. Students are learning
to speak Spanish or Mandarin Chinese in the elementary grades and any chosen language in the
middle grade.

Virtual High Schools -(North Carolina Virtual Public High School) is committed to raising
achievement and closing learning gaps with 21st Century innovations. The mission is to provide
skills, student support, and opportunities for learners to succeed in a globally competitive world.
Seventy-two (72) courses are provided including world languages.

Skype -This technology is utilized throughout the school district to allow students to gain
experiences about other cultures by contacting and seeing other people from different countries.
They are putting their language skills to the test. Skype is also used for in-house and school-to-
school communication as well.

Learning Across Cultures

*The MHS Multicultural and Global Education program’s goal is to grow awareness through
experiences. Students are exposed to people and cultures of all types in the classroom. We offer
all MHS high schoolers the chance to travel across the world. We seek to expand our students’
awareness of and empathy for others through service. This learning prepares MHS students for
success in today’s global workforce.

Creating Global Thinkers

*Elevating global awareness and understanding is a high priority at MHS and is highlighted out
in our 2020 Vision Strategic Plan. Leadership and character growth come from this learning.
Besides aligning with our Sacred Values, these traits are prized in today’s workforce.

Multicultural and Global Education

*Learning Across Cultures
The MHS Multicultural and Global Education program’s goal is to grow awareness through
experiences. Students are exposed to people and cultures of all types in the classroom. We offer
all MHS high schoolers the chance to travel across the world. We seek to expand our students’
awareness of and empathy for others through service. This learning prepares MHS students for
success in today’s global workforce.

Read Our Full Strategic Plan

In the Classroom
*Global interdependence brings responsibility and opportunities. We want students to recognize
this. One way is by working global lessons into all levels of student curriculum, pre-K through
12th grade.

*As a school, we adopted two resources to help us align classroom multicultural and global
education experiences: Asia Society Global Competence Standards and UN Sustainable
Development Goals. Learning is intentional and oftentimes focused on solving global problems
in the local community. Learn more about education in each MHS division.

Gaining New Skills

*Multicultural experiences create global thinkers with personal skills and values. They become
prepared for active citizenship. They achieve career success in our globally connected world. We
see many important leadership skills emerge through this exposure, including:

*Civic responsibility
*Ethics and empathy
*Working together
*A better knowledge of themselves, others, and the systems in which they live

7 ways to embrace the multiculturalism in classroom 

*Celebrate different cultural festivals

*Attempt to learn a bit more about the different backgrounds of pupils in your class

*Include a variety of books in your classroom book collection

*Hold a food fair to celebrate different dishes from around the world

*Set presentation projects for students on a culture or nation

*Host a culture day

*Hold events with guests and motivational speakers from different backgrounds

(What is the importance of globalization and multiculturalism in education?) 

*In the conditions of globalization the multicultural education is urged to resist to its negative
effects on youth, to form at students idea of culture variety in the world and the state; to impart
the positive relation to cultural distinctions; to develop skills of productive interaction with
carriers of other

(the globalization of multicultural education in social science) 

*In this study the authors analyze 548 secondary social science textbooks to examine the extent
to which multiculturalism-related content appears over time and around the world. Findings
suggest significant global increases in textbook depictions of minority rights and groups
experiencing discrimination over time and in many regions. 

The Globalization of Multicultural Education

As our communities become increasingly diverse, it is essential for schools to embrace
multiculturalism. Students must be adaptable and be able to integrate into other environments
and traditions, as well as being able to support those from different backgrounds who may be
working in an area that has a very different culture to what they are used to. It is this flexibility
and compassion that makes our students so special.
According to a publication released by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, "It's not just an add-on or an afterthought. Curricula infused with multicultural
education boosts academic success and prepares students for roles as productive citizens". At
OWIS, respect for our different cultures and backgrounds is built into every aspect of our
approach to learning. Today's students are tomorrow's leaders, and they must be able to thrive in
a multicultural environment.
TEACHING FOR LITERCY
Technological Literacy This skill stresses the importance of using technology for learning and to
make life easier. @Rmbryrne frequently posts how to incorporate technology into the ...
important to teach students how to use databases such as Google to access
information. Teaching students how to complete a boolian search will allow them to efficiently
find whatever information Technological Literacy.
Environmental Literacy   Environmental literacy is important for students to understand.
Students need to understand the balance between their personal lives and environmental literacy.
Moral Literacy  Students must realize that every action has its consequences. I personally plan
on teaching morals such as friendship, loyalty, respect, caring, trust, honesty,
citizenship, responsibility and fairness. These values Moral Literacy.
Critical Literacy   Critical literacy is a skill that is important for students to develop because it
allows them to make deeper connections with the world around ... will learn how they think and
learn best.     In schooling, a lot of the teaching and learning processes are reliant on memorizing
facts, which constitutes a basic surface knowledge on Critical Literacy.
Media Literacy students are asked to compare two or more of the same or different
media. For example, the teacher can print out the same news story from a few different sources
Media Literacy.
Financial Literacy be integrated with math class (when learning about currency in the younger
grades, and for application problems). However, this would only allow students to attain a
surface knowledge of financing Financial Literacy.
Global Literacy Global literacy is important for students to develop because they need to see
how their actions impact the world, and Global Literacy
Mental Health Literacy  This literacy is important for students to maintain their own personal
mental health, and to help them understand how others.
Mental Health Literacy
Character Education The goal of character education is for students to  develop variously as
moral, civic, responsible, mannered, behaved, non-bullying, healthy, critical, successful,
traditional, compliant or socially acceptable beings. Although we ... anti-bullying pieces and
create songs or skits to promote anti-bulling.     Why bother teaching character education? The
answer is simple, students will develop their own set of morals
Home these literacies into every subject to create a more innovative and practical learning
experience for students.

The importance of multicultural literature

Australian primary schools are more culturally diverse now than ever before. By including
multicultural literature in the school library fiction collection, teacher librarians ensure they
provide their students with texts that represent the culturally diverse classrooms and home
environments in this country, and those across the globe. With recent global events, it has
become increasingly important that students do not become ethnocentric. Exposure to a variety
of multicultural literature can assist in breaking down cultural barriers.
What value does multicultural literature add to the school library fiction collection?
Multicultural literature serves as a powerful tool in enabling students to gain a better
understanding of both their own culture and the cultures of others. Through this deeper
knowledge, relationships can be strengthened, bridging the gap between students from diverse
cultural backgrounds (Hseu & Hetzel, 2000). As students of the 21st century are global
participants, it is important that they possess cultural sensitivity. Through extensive research,
Norton (2009) has discovered that when students can relate global events to the themes, conflicts
and characterisations found in multicultural literature, it helps them to better understand current
world issues. Students therefore develop greater cognitive skills as they learn to engage with and
critically evaluate the texts that they read.
Suzanne Evans (2010) conducted research on critical literacy using a range of multicultural
picture books. Her aim was to determine whether student perspectives on diversity and the
acceptance of others altered once they were exposed to multicultural texts. Evans concluded that
exposure to multicultural literature increased students’ awareness of the various social practices,
values and belief systems of other cultures. These themes are a major focus in the Australian
Curriculum, with a general capability strand dedicated to intercultural understanding, which is
incorporated throughout each of the key learning areas.
Promotes empathy and unity
Multicultural literature fosters positive self-esteem and prevents students from feeling isolated. It
has the ability to nurture respect, empathy and acceptance among all students (Steiner et al,
2008). Whoever You Are (Fox, 1997) is an older publication that illustrates perfectly how
multicultural literature can promote unity among different cultures. The story highlights the fact
that all children feel the same emotions no matter where they live in the world, what language
they speak, or how they look. It suggests that although people have many differences, there are
common traits that unite us.
Another text that focuses on commonalities is Mirror, written by Jeannie Baker (2010). The
design of this book is unique, as two storylines sit side by side and are to be read simultaneously.
This picture book is about the day in the life of two boys: one who lives in Australia, and the
other in Morocco. It eloquently reveals the external differences and inner similarities that define
their lives. This book teaches children that they should not be fearful of those who may seem
different to them, as their daily lives and routines may be very much the same.
Promotes cross-cultural friendship
Multicultural literature promotes the interaction of children across differing ethnic backgrounds
(Steiner et al., 2008). Stories portraying cultural diversity can foster the belief that race is not a
barrier, but rather a contribution to the beauty of our multicultural world. This ideal is portrayed
in Kobald’s My Two Blankets (2014). A young girl named Cartwheel relocates to a westernised
country to escape the war that is occurring in her homeland. She feels lost and lonely until she
meets a young girl in the park. Over time their friendship develops and the young girl helps
Cartwheel to understand her new world.
This theme is mirrored in Just One Wish, a lovely story by Sally Rippin (2009) about
overcoming diversity. Penny, a new arrival to Australia, initially struggles with the English
language and feels alienated until she befriends her hearingimpaired art teacher, Mr Whitehorse.
Helps students look critically at the world
Multicultural literature can help students develop global awareness by introducing them to
current cultural issues. When students vicariously experience the feelings and emotions of others
through literature, they are encouraged to look critically at the world and gain a greater
understanding of the global community (Monobe & Son, 2014).
Texts such as Ziba Came on a Boat (Lofthouse, 2007), The Little Refugee (Do & Do, 2011)
and Mahtab’s Story (Gleeson, 2008) are representative of actual events. The main character in
each story is a refugee who immigrates to Australia with their family via an old, overcrowded
fishing boat. These books reveal the hardships that refugees often experience when seeking a
place of safety. They allow students to reflect upon and critically analyse the issue of asylum
seekers and the idea of a fairer community.
John Marsden portrays the above issues in a unique and thought-provoking manner in his
book Home and Away (2008). This compelling story is about a typical Australian family who
must flee their country when it is ravaged by war. This story presents a complete role reversal, as
it is Australians who are being displaced. This text forces students to think critically and consider
global issues from a different perspective.
Encourages identity formation
Multicultural literature can also assist students with their identity formation (Hseu & Hetzel,
2000). Identity formation is important in the social development of all children, as it gives them a
sense of belonging and acceptance in society. Inclusion of multicultural literature in library
collections confirm that the beliefs and experiences of minority students are valued (Steiner,
1998). When students see themselves reflected in the pages of literature, they are more likely to
engage with a text. Smith’s (1995) case study confirms this, revealing that African- American
students prefer to read texts they can relate to culturally, increasing their interest in reading.
Familiar concepts in multicultural literature help to build security, familiarity, and confidence,
which can lead to an improvement in student learning (Agosto, 2007)

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