Multicultural+Pedagogy+&+MC+Literature+(Hannah)

__**Multicultural Pedagogy with a Focus on Multicultural Literature**__

Key concepts include:
 * Multicultural** - different cultures within one place (classroom)
 * Pedagogy** - art of teaching
 * Funds of Knowledge** - knowledge that students have and knowledge they bring into the school
 * Multicultural Literature** - texts and resources that include different cultures in the characters, setting, events, and history
 * Critical Literacy** - examination of multicultural literature in the perspective of social equity to effect social change
 * Diversity** - variety regarding people's cultures, ideas, and beliefs

A multicultural pedagogy must include many different aspects to truly be effective and help the students see, understand, reflect, and possibly change. Past research has shown how important the Funds of Knowledge are for teachers to understand about their students and how this understanding can lead to choosing the correct multicultural literature. Multicultural literature cannot be alone though, critical literacy must follow. There are many benefits of a multicultural pedagogy including the benefits of multicultural literature, equality of students through leveling the playing field and lowering stereotypes, and the different collaborations and connections between the school, home, and community. But a multicultural pedagogy is not something that teachers can simply start doing, they must be trained and teachers must understand their own culture first because research has shown that then effective practices will be taken into place. It is a hope that soon multicultural pedagogies will be something that every teacher knows about so every student is truly learning, included, and understand within the classroom and this world.

Here are all of the references that I used for my research. They all have the basic underlying theme of including multicultural pedagogies within your classroom. The next three listed references are ones that really stood out to me and I have included the sources and a brief description.
 * Resources Used:**

Hogg (2011) looked through past research to find the different definitions of Funds of Knowledge. Overall he found that Funds of knowledge is information that a students knows that is apart from school. This can include important knowledge within the home, student's talents and interests gained through observations and experiences, and important historical information culturally relevant for well being and functioning in society. Hogg also states that there are 'dark' Funds of Knowledge which including knowledge about bullying, mental health, alcoholism, discrimination and other challenging issues within the culture and community. It is believed that all of this knowledge is important, can impact the learning process and should be included within the classroom.

Hayik (2011) discusses in his research how he implemented multicultural literature into his high school English classroom to address the issues that were both inside and outside of the classroom. Hayik teaches in Israel and within his classroom he had two different groups of students who did not interact in any way. Also within his classroom the textbooks did not address or mention any issues that were going on right outside. For this reason he found literature that focused on tolerance of different groups of people and used them within his classroom to address moral and social justice issues. Hayik also did something very interesting in this study, in which he came right out and discussed the "difficult" issues. Also, he involved family and community members by showing off the student work in his classroom that was based on the multicultural literature.

Evans (2010) believes that teachers should link literature and history to help address issues within the classroom and one way that this can be done is through read -alouds. This is because read-alouds can help produce socially just societies and can influences students' dreams and values while helping them move away from violence, stereotypes, and prejudices. In this study Evans found that when teachers did read-alouds it gave students a voice, who might not have a voice in other situations, and developed a time for great classroom discussion that could connect the content areas.

//For Teachers//: Research shows that students need to be included into the classroom and included in the lessons. One way that this can be done is by getting to know each students, seeing their needs, abilities, interests, and also their cultural. Teachers should have a multicultural pedagogy and be constantly thinking of ways to address the issues in the classroom, communities and all over the world. This might be difficult to do and some issues teachers might not want to address but it is very beneficial and research has shown that picture books are a wonderful and easy way to address the issues. Research has also shown that before a teacher should start teaching about other cultures they must first understand their own culture and the implements that their culture has on their teaching and way of life. With the standards and assessments teacher might think that there is not enough time to implement a multicultural pedagogy - but research has proven the befits. Students will be more involved in their learning and students will comprehend what they are learning better if they can relate to it. Also many of the Funds of Knowledge and issues that need to be included can be meshed together with different contents in the curriculum.
 * So what does all this research mean?**

//For Parents//: The research on multicultural pedagogies show parents and communities that they are important and are involved in learning. Whether it is meant or not family and communities effect the children they are around. In the positive ways everything that is learned at home and within the culture is important to a student and within their Funds of Knowledge. If the classroom can tap into these Funds of Knowledge then the student will make gains and be able to take everything that he/she learns, at home and at school, and make connections between the two. But also communities can effect students negatively because of the dark Funds of Knowledge. Such issues influences how a students thinking but if the classroom learns about these issues and addresses them in a positive way then possibly there will be less of a negative influence.

//For Pre-Service Teachers//: Much of the research showed that pre-service teachers should be learning about multicultural pedagogies and resources like multicultural literature from the start. This way it all become natural within teacher. If teachers learn from the beginning about their cultures and their identities, and the effects that these findings have on their personality and teaching they will be able to better relate to their students. Also pre-service teachers need to learn the easy ways, like implementing multicultural literature, to address the issues like racism, bullying, discrimination and other challenging issues so they won't push the issues away and be afraid to face what is going on inside their classroom and outside their classroom.

Resources for Teachers, Administrators, and Pre-Service Educators: [|Critical Multicultural Pavilion] - First the site provides definitions for the different aspects of multicultural education. There are links for teachers which includes helpful lessons ideas based around songs, quizzes, social justices speeches, and handouts. This site also provides many different links for a multicultural curriculum, curriculum, and other information on multiculturalism. [|Making Everybody Count] - This is an article by Joan Gabriele in which she provides way to approach multicultural education in the classroom and lessons/discussion ideas. [|The Brown Bookshelf] - This is a blog that provides books written and/or illustrated by African Americans and books that include African American ideas and voice. This blog would be a great start for teachers who need book ideas to address student needs within their classroom. For some books the writers have even provided lesson ideas. [|Working With Parents] - Here is an article written by teachers, giving their advice on how to work with parents and why to work with parents. A quick read to get important information on how to included parents in the classroom in useful ways. [|How to Choose the Best Multicultural Books] - This site is provided by scholastic and is very easy to navigate and find the perfect book and lesson you need. The different sections are divided up into different cultures and within the different sections ten books are provided and an author is quickly interviewed. [|Multicultural Lesson Plans and Resources] - This is an amazing site that includes so many different multicultural lessons plans and units for ALL content areas. Also this site is continuously updated and lessons are added.

Resources for Family Members and the General Public: [|Colorin' Colorado] - Here is a site for parents to help with ideas to getting involved in school and at home with their children. [|Who's in Your Child's School] - A site provided by Reading Rockets to help parents get a better idea of who is in the school and what the jobs include within the school. [|Parent Involvement Checklist]- Easy ways to get involved with a school, ways schools should be involving parents, and the outcomes that parents can help with. [|10 Reasons to Take Learning Outside the Classroom] - Here are ways to take learning outside of school and reasons why you should! [|Mix it Up] - Here is a wonderful site that provides information on mix it up day a way to encourages students to identify, question and cross social boundaries. Parents can see one way here and possibly think of other ways to help their children and the schools/communities around them. [|Not in Our Town]- A site that provides ways to create a safe, inclusive community.