School Community and Culture

This course introduces students to a variety of cultural beliefs and customs, which may affect communication and interactions between the school and home communities. Students will become familiar with the characteristics and traditions of various cultures by studying multicultural concepts, teaching strategies, effective parental involvement, and appropriate multicultural materials.

Topics and Objectives

Culture, Ethnicity, and Related Concepts

• Compare and contrast the characteristics of ethnicity/race, prejudice/discrimination/racism, and assimilation/acculturation.
• Examine the stages of forming cultural identity.
• Identify principles and strategies to enhance intercultural communication.
• Examine the historical implications of immigration and migration to the United States.

Rationale, Trends, and Goals of Multicultural Curriculum

• Examine demographic changes in America from the 1900s.
• Identify the importance of ethnic studies in the classroom.

Multicultural Education: Opportunity and Challenge

• Apply the integration of cultural components into lesson planning.
• Describe Banks' definition of knowledge levels and generalizations.
• Describe the benefits and challenges of cultural diversity.

Development and Evaluation Strategies for Multicultural Units

• Identify key conceptual terms of multicultural education.
• Develop evaluation strategies for multicultural units.

Multicultural Units and Curricular Resources

• Apply Banks' organizational strategies to develop effective multicultural units.
• Analyze curricular resources based on Banks' evaluation criteria to determine their appropriateness.

Concepts, Strategies, and Materials for Specific Cultural/Racial Groups

• Compare and contrast characteristics and experiences among various cultural groups.
• Examine cultural biases and stereotypes.
• Identify learning styles that may be influenced by ethnic affiliation.
• Examine teaching styles that promote learning among culturally diverse students.

Parental Involvement and Multicultural Curriculum

• Describe effective ways of interacting with the family, community, and school within diverse communities.
• Examine ways to promote effective parental involvement, which maximizes learning within diverse communities.