Throughout the course, I have
been interested in multicultural literacy, especially since Ontario is very
diverse and multicultural. Iwai (2015) described multicultural literacy as “practices
that develop awareness, understanding, respect, and a valuing of differences in
our society” (p. 81). Furthermore, Huang and Kowalick (2014) discussed
multicultural literacy as the “understanding of and fluency in one’s culture
which provides the basic information needed to thrive in the modern world”
(p.16). Multicultural literacy is more than teaching students about different
cultures. It is about supporting and understanding diversity. As discussed in
lecture, the Ontario curriculum recognizes the importance of the 21st
century context by acknowledging that the needs of the learners are diverse and
aims to help all students develop the knowledge and skills to become informed,
productive, responsible, and active citizens in their communities and in the
world.
Multicultural literacy integrates
social justice education, which focuses on issues such as race, culture,
gender, marginalization, privilege, and difference. Although it is important
for students to become more aware of other cultural groups and their customs,
students need to be able to understand and recognize oppression. Multicultural
literacy is about teaching students to critically reflect and challenge their
assumptions on issues of physical appearance, gender, colour, ethnicity,
socio-economic status, and ability. They need to consider other perspectives
that challenge stereotypes and dominant discourses.
It was mentioned in lecture that
often attempts of multicultural education do not challenge the ways injustices
are systematically perpetuated. For example, some teachers try to promote
equality. However, equality is not the same as equity.
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| Retrieved from: http://interactioninstitute.org/illustrating-equality-vs-equity/ |
The Ontario Ministry of Education’s definition of equity is “A condition or state of fair, inclusive, and
respectful treatment of all people. Equity does not mean treating people the
same without regard for individual difference.” We are all different and individuals
are placed into positions on a hierarchy of power, privilege, and dominance,
which affect people greatly in different ways.
Understanding
privilege is an important aspect of
multicultural literacy. I interpreted privilege as: advantages and opportunities that are available to certain individuals,
which these individuals may not be unaware of. The following video provides
an example of students experiencing what privilege is and emphasizes the
importance of being aware of one’s privilege. Each student had a crumpled up
piece of paper and if they threw their paper ball and it went into the
recycling bin, they would get “social mobility”. However, the recycling bin was
placed at the front of the classroom with students in the front having better
opportunities. Students in the back were aware of how unfair it was for them, while
those at the front were not aware of the privilege they had.
In lecture, we watched a video
about privilege where it was discussed in a broader way. For example, rather
than “white privilege”, consider “race privilege”. Although an individual may
not be white, he or she could still have privileges that people of other races
do not have. In addition, it does not place guilt on those who are “white” for
having certain privileges they were born with.
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| Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/395120567288386764/ |
Privilege is
intersectional as it can involve race, gender, religion, ability,
citizenship, appearance, and class. By examining our privileged status,
individuals gain an understanding of themselves and their place in the world
(Howard, 2009).
Recently I have been able to gain
a better understanding of my own privilege. I have a friend who is an exchange
student from China and I help her with her English to prepare for an English
proficiency test. These tests have allowed her to study in Canada and will
provide her with the opportunity to apply for immigration to Canada. While
getting to know her, I realized some of my privileges of being a Canadian,
including the choice to have as many children as I wish without being limited by
the government, the ability travel to USA for reading week without having to
apply and attend an interview for a visa, and being able to communicate easily
with “locals”. I wondered, if I go to another place around the world, would I
still have these privileges? Why do I have these privileges? Are they fair? How
might it be unfair? How can I help those who are less privileged?
Boutte (2008) stated that “without
a knowledge base in critical pedagogy and corresponding strategies for
addressing issues of oppression and discrimination, many teachers are
overwhelmed by the rapidity of changing demographics” (p. 166) . As educators,
we need to not only understand different cultures, but also be mindful of our
biases and privileges. We need to understand our privilege and the role we play
in maintaining the status quo and inadvertently contribute to oppression.
Teachers influence students learning and their values shape students’ values. It
is important to model positive attitudes toward diversity and thinking
critically about the world around us (Iwai, 2015). Multicultural literacy helps
students become aware and understand issues of race, gender, ethnicity,
ability, etc., and acknowledges power and privilege. By being aware of our own
privilege and helping students reflect on their privilege, students can think
critically about themselves and the broader world (Howard, 2009). However, it
is important to emphasize that privilege is NOT about being better than others.
We want our students to become individuals who would have integrity, respect
for others, and act responsibly in society.
How can multicultural
literacy and privilege be taught to students?
There are great multicultural
books and online resources to teach students about diversity. Iwai (2015)
suggested using multicultural books that avoid stereotyping and tokenism in the
classroom. These resources should portray culture and people of minority
accurately to allow students to gain a better understanding of cultures and
people.
Howard (2009)
discussed that teachers need to engaged students in issues and teach
alternative life lessons that challenge their privileged perspectives of life
and opportunities to step outside of their privileged positions. He suggested
lessons that involved:
- Teacher modelling honesty and acceptance of failure to allow students to learn from their mistakes
- Teachers presenting different, conflicting perspectives and encouraging openness to such diverse perspectives
- Students engaging in hands-on learning connected to personal enthusiasms
- Teachers encouraging collaboration and emphasizing community, supporting students’ ability to take others’ perspectives and developing positive relationships
- Instruction encouraging students to develop critical awareness of the world
A common and popular method of
teaching privilege is by doing the “Privilege Walk” activity
to make students aware of their privileges based on gender, race, ethnicity,
class, sexual orientation, ability, etc. and how they place people into
different positions. This activity is also demonstrated in the following video:
However, Christina Torres
argued that this activity has consequences for people of color as it is
centered on whiteness where people of color are used to help White people see
how privileged they are. In addition, she mentions that by only focusing on “white
privilege”, we only reproduce it since it excludes marginalized people from
exploring these issues. She suggested modifying the questions into ones that focus on
ways that people of color have their own forms of power and privilege.
We need
to look beyond differences of who has power and privilege and who doesn’t. What can be done to become more inclusive
of others?
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| Retrieved from: http://www.upworthy.com/annoyed-when-people-talk-about-white-male-privilege-or-whatever-think-theyre-trying-to-guilt-you |
As a future educator, I need to ask myself “What privileges do I hold?” and “How can we extend our privilege to empower
students?”
References:
Boutte, G. S. (2008). Beyond the illusion of diversity: How
early childhood teachers can promote social justice. The Social Studies, 99(4),
165-173.
Buzzfeedvideo. (2014, Dec 9). Students learn a powerful
lesson about privilege [video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KlmvmuxzYE
BuzzFeedYellow (2015, Jul 4). What is privilege? [video
file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ
Howard, A. (2009). Unlearning the lessons of privilege. Educational Leadership, 66(8). Retrieved
from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may09/vol66/num08/Unlearning-the-Lessons-of-Privilege.aspx
Huang, S., & Kowalick, M. (2014). The use of
multicultural literature to support literacy learning and cultural literacy. Literacy
Learning: The Middle Years, 22(1), 16.
Iwai, Y. (2015). Using Multicultural Children's Literature
to Teach Diverse Perspectives. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 51(2), 81-86.
