Assimilation and Multicultural in bilingual education within the sociopolitical context - Research Paper Example

?Assimilation and Multicultural in bilingual education within the sociopolitical context Introduction The world is fast becoming a global melting point of people from different cultural, ethical, religious and social backgrounds. Cities around the world are becoming more and more cosmopolitan as the effect of globalization, industrialization, trade; commerce and immigration are being realized. The unprecedented increase in diversity especially in the first world countries has called for tolerance and coexistence. Indeed there has been a raging debate with two contrary opinions on dealing with this issue of diversity. Some people see the assimilation of smaller ethnic groups as a way of creating uniformity and cohesiveness. This is especially an issue in the USA where diversity is perhaps the most widespread. Proponents backing this ideology of assimilation are of the view that smaller ethnic minorities should be encouraged to adopt the dominant culture, in this the White culture, for the sake of national unity and cohesiveness. However opponents of the idea of assimilation foster another ideology. The idea of multiculturalism is widely supported by almost all ethnic groups that argue that assimilation will put their different cultures at risk of erosion that may eventually lead to extinction. Some provisions have been made in the education system to embrace this diversity and possibly preserve the different cultures of all these communities. Schools therefore have become fundamental in trying to foster tolerance, understanding and coexistence in the society. This paper will attempt to address this sensitive issue by looking into people’s attitude towards fundamentally divisive issues in the society. It will look into: The attitude of people towards multiculturalism and assimilation. The attitude of people towards bilingual especially in public school. Attitude of people towards members of the society from different backgrounds. Assimilation versus Multiculturalism Assimilation is commonly defined as the ideological stand that members of a different ethnic community should give up their heritage culture and adopt a more “American” way of life (Park and Burgess 1921; Gordon 1964). In America, supporters of this view see the adoption of the so-called American way of life as the best resort to foster national unity. Indeed this view widely held especially amongst the White working class families who view other communities as ‘outsiders’. Recently in Europe, leaders have taken stands in support of assimilation as the best way to realize unity. German Chancellor Angel Merkel was quoted in 2010 as saying “This multicultural approach has failed, utterly failed.”British Prime Minister David Cameron also lent his support to the assimilation agenda by saying that multiculturalism should be faulted, as it is responsible for the ‘weakening of national identity’. Perhaps this issue is not as divisive and controversial in Europe as an American. The diversity of American society has elicited very many different opinions on the cultural issue with both intra and inter-groups opinions also tending to differ. Multiculturalism refers to an ideology held by some people that these small ethnic minority groups should not only be allowed to maintain their culture but also to promote it in the spirit of coexistence and tolerance. Multiculturalism challenges and rejects racism and other forms of discrimination in schools and society, and accepts and affirms pluralism (Micro, 1992). Supporters are adamant with the reasoning that multiculturalism promotes multicultural tolerance and conserve each group’s contribution (Glazer, Moyniham 1970 Greely 1974, Novak 1972). Those who oppose multiculturalism point to the potential that this could have on negatively diversifying the society and create language barriers. Many pundits and interested parties have moved more towards the revival of multiculturalism as they see it as not only a solution for creating harmony but also a chance to get the best from other cultures in terms of cultural heritage and brilliant minds (Banks, 1994). Perhaps diversity in America is only rivaled only by the diversity in the views that different communities continually hold pertaining to this issue. As mentioned earlier, the research carried out on this issue was based on people’s attitude and perceptions of their positions in the society. Many scholars have delved into this issue, most with as divergent views as the society itself. The multifactor multicultural holistic concept of multiculturalism is favored to be incorporated into the education system as it seem to propagate more tolerance than the assimilation concept (Banks, 1994). After further investigation of the earlier ethnicity typology theories, the pluralists are dismissed as a facade and dreaming on the notion that assimilation could create a country of one superior culture. This is virtually unattainable putting in mind the intercultural interdependence and the pride and enthusiasm some of these minority groups express their cultures (Nieto, 1992). The affirmation of differences and an attitude of inclusion about cultural realities are fundamental to multicultural education. Teachers exercise the emancipatory imperative by participating as advocates of social justice and managers of critical learning in intercultural encounters (Nieto, 1994). A recent conclusive research based on this thorny issue was carried out to ascertain how people felt. The research was carried out two ethnic diverse communities of inner Detroit, Michigan. These two communities were Hamtramck and Pontiac. These groups were chosen because of their diversity in racial composition and their explicit diversity. As earlier mentioned, the research was based on three criteria: I. The attitude of people towards multiculturalism and assimilation It was noted that almost all minority ethnic communities interviewed supported multiculturalism. Arabs, Albanians, Polish, Black and Hispanic Americans supported multiculturalism. For most of these minorities, their key motivation was their fear of losing their national identities and above all their heritage. Interestingly the average middle class White American was also in support of multiculturalism as the best way to exist in a diverse society. This now brings the issue of class and education level whereby people from the middle and upper classes tend to be more tolerant of people from other cultural background and especially so if they are in the same class. The level of education also helps in altering perceptions etched in their minds as they understand the concept of globalization and the interdependence human being have towards each other. The only group of people who opposed multiculturalism in favor of assimilation was the White working class members, especially those from tight communities like the South. Here it was found that a combination of biased ideologies, real or imagined feeling of threat and some form of illiteracy played a key role in their decision. II. Attitude towards bilingual It is also worth noting that all minority groups and White middle class Americans saw it as a great opportunity for their children to learn English and in their native language. Their degree of agreement however differed. The average White working class American was of the view that English should be the only language of instruction while in the case of foreign language; German, France and Italy were preferred to the smaller language. III. Attitude of people towards members of the society from different backgrounds Tolerance was exhibited in the majority of the cases but some communities like the Arabs, Albanians and Hispanics highly discouraged mingling and intermarriages. These three groups seemed to have a prejudicial bias against the Black community who were ranked as the most accommodating. Multiculturalism and Racism Racism is a prejudicial bias based on policy, practice, belief or attitude on members of different races. It is a concept developed through modernity and has its roots in the colonial era where a clear distinction between races was exhibited. It can also be seen as a product of globalization and industrialization. While it can be intentional or unintentional, premeditated or otherwise, it is still a vice that should be uprooted from society. Biologists and anthropologists coined the term ‘Racism’, during the colonial period in their quest to classify human beings. They had a theory that indicated that the behavior of an individual was resultant of mating behaviors of their ancestors. Interesting to note, however, although prejudice against race is witnessed in America and Europe, there is no equivalent of the word in German, French or Italian. However, these countries still had colonies ad therefore slaves. There are three forms of racism: I. Individual Racism –Personal prejudicial attitudes inscribed with an individual that form bias without institutional backing. Racism at individual level is the most visible form though it may be difficult to substantiate. II. Cultural Racism- This form is based on the perception of superiority of one’s own culture. In America, it is mainly exhibited by the White populations who have well-organized parties, organizations and lobby groups to champion their rights. III. Institutional Racism-This can be subtle and uneasy to substantiate. It's the systematic discrimination of a group of people by creating policies that exclude them and then blame them for their lack of coping (Cornbleth & Waugh, 1993; Estrada & McLaren, 1993; Giroux, 1992). This is especially true for Black males and their experiences in schools, employment and the justice system. Discrimination based on racism is not only pegged on language but also on modernity, globalization and stature. For instance foreigners from countries like Germany and France tend to face a different form of stereotyping than members from say the Arabian world. There is a consensus amongst the proponents of multiculturalism that the education system is key to developing a tolerant and cohesive society where diversity is celebrated and not shunned. Multicultural Education American schools are a classic representation of the diversity of the different people in our society. Apart from cultural diversity, children are also prone to make have lingual challenges, ironically it is the native language that is in most cases the one causing difficulty. Statistics show that that 40% of the American population speak a language other than English and 4.4 million people have enrolled to study English in public schools. However, the majority of the American schools is still monolingual and monoculture whereby the majority of their teachers is White and may not be able to communicate (Ladson-Billings 1999). The lobbying for bilingual education gained momentum with the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002). This was mainly formed to ensure equal opportunity for education for every child in America regardless of its cultural background. The Two Way/Bilingual Immersion Technique Spurning back to 1963, a pilot project of starting bilingual classes was started at the Carol Way Elementary School in Dade County, Florida. This concept involved teaching two languages, English and the one dominant ethnic language. There is a 50% allocation of time for the each of the two languages and all instructions are taken in either English or the ethnic group of the largest ethnic minority in the community. For instance, if a majority of the community members is of Arab descent, then English and Arabian would be the languages of instruction. That means that all other Subjects including Math and Science will be taught in English and Arabic. The bilingual immersion technique showed great results and allayed the fears of skeptics who thought children under this program will not perform well in English since their instruction was done in both languages on a 50-50 basis in terms of time. The success of this concept has led to the development of such program bearing in mind especially the endangered languages like the Navaho and other Native languages (Lambert 1984). Approaches to Multicultural Education Multicultural education needed a 5-pronged approach to realize its full potential in bringing both unity and coexistence (Sleeter & Grant 1987). These were: 1. Teaching the Exceptional and the Culturally Different This is aimed at equipping students with skills, values to be efficient in the American society. This led to the modification of curricula into what is now termed differentiated instruction. However, critics hold the view that this may tend to perpetuate a more assimilated agenda will be a potentially self-defeating ploy. 2. Human Relations This consisted mainly development of positive attributes and attitudes amongst members of different communities to foster unity and fight stereotypes and other prejudices based on race, gender and class. However critics are of the view that these techniques while it may work to end bias; it does not address the underlying causes of these biases. 3. Single-Group Studies This entails a clear and detailed in-depth analysis of the history of a community and celebrating their strife against past oppressive laws. The idea here is to entrust confidence in them to move them from the periphery to the center. This reduces stratification of communities and create a better access to power (Sleeter & Grant 1987). There is a downside to this technique however; it may risk further alienation of people into groups and potential to segregate them. 4. Self-reflexively dubbed Multicultural Education This technique states that multicultural education promotes a range of goals: the value of cultural diversity, human rights, and respect for differences, alternative life choices, social justice, equal opportunity, and equitable distribution of power (Gollnick, 1980) .This approach is however criticized due to the fact that it promotes “particularism” and weakens social unification and academic rigor (Ravitch, 1990). 5. Multicultural and Social Reconstructionist This approach calls for a complete restructure of the education system to be able to impart students with relevant information (Sleeter & Grant 1987, 2006) Reflection The issue of diversity will always be there in society and it is only bound to get even more diverse as intermarriages are on the rise. Multiculturalism has grown in leaps and bounds and further efforts should be made to ensure further development for a cohesive society each with their identity. Assimilation will not only harm the social fabric of coexistence, but it will also bring up biasness and prejudicial ideologies that will influence negatively on our economical, political and social sectors. It seems that despite the pouring of money into scholarship and grants have not lived up to the expectation of the in terms of education. Perhaps a better approach would be to start at the level of teachers. Teachers should have good knowledge of the kind of lives their students lead in order to facilitate better communication, understanding and tolerance. Conclusion Critical understandings of multicultural education address arguments about whether multicultural education should focus on the differences or commonalities across and between ethnic groups. In retrospect there is a great challenge when it comes to the process of transforming multicultural theories into practice. This is occasioned by the first growing sectors of globalization and modernization that changes the way majority of scholar view cultural issues and identity. Critics regard multiculturalism as un-American and divisive due to its emphasis on identity. They argue that this concept makes students to lose their rigor in their academics in exchange for self-esteem. To realize the dream of a one nation of much diversity, then multiculturalism should be embraced as a core value for each citizen whilst at the same time producing exemplary students who are aware of their identity but also respecting that of others. I therefore conclude that multicultural education is composed of a matrix with many approaches, dimensions and approaches that bring together theory and practical work as a process of educational reforms. This form of education creates equal opportunities for students to venture into their dreams and transition into good working adults. References 1. Banks, J. A. (1994). The dimensions of multicultural education. Multicultural Leader, 4, 5–6. 2. Gollnick, D. M. (1980). Multicultural education. Viewpoints in Teaching and Learning, 56, 1–1 3. Ladson-Billings, G. (2004). Culture versus citizenship: The challenge of racial zed citizenship in the United States. In J. Banks (Ed.), Diversity and citizenship education: Global perspectives (pp.99–126). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 4. Nieto, S. (1992). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 5. Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2008). Affirming diversity, The Sociopolitical context of multicultural education (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. 6. Park, C. C., Goodwin, A. L., & Lee, S. J. (Eds.). (2001). Research on the education of Asian and Pacific Americans. Greenwich, CT: Information Age. 7. Ravitch, D. (1990). Diversity and democracy: Multicultural Education in America. American Educator, 141(1), 16–20, 46–68 8. Sleeter, C. E., & Grant, C. (1987). An analysis of multicultural research in the United States. Harvard Educational Review, 57(4), 421–445. 9. Sleeter, C. E., & Grant, C. (2006). Making choices for multicultural education: Five approaches to race, class, and gender (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Read More