Multiculturalism and MetacognitionAn adventure in cognitive theory and cultural pluralism.

Facilitated by Jose Correa and Frank Thornton

Introductions

• Born and raised in Brownsville, TX• Hispanic background• Bachelors in Computer Info Systems• Married with two children

Facilitator - Frank Thornton

• Educational Advocate• Hometown -

Richmond, Virginia• Culture - African-

American • Bachelors in Political

Science • Married with two

children• Loves documentaries

Objectives• Review the changing demographics and its impact on

the delivery of education.• State the benefits of Multicultural Education.• Explore Metacognition and its viability implementing

Multicultural Education.• Teaching from a sociopolitical perspective to achieve

academic success.• Perform interactive activities that promote cultural

understanding.

Problem in general

• The educational system is not meeting the needs of our children.

• The majority of male students from the African-American and Latino ethnic groups are not graduating from high school. The large numbers of disenfranchisement is a negative record for the educational system.

• The lack of achievement is due to factors such as preparedness, teacher attitudes, limited educational resources.

Problem Cont'd

• Social progression and accepting mass mediocrity and failure is unacceptable.

• Maintaining the status quo through the promotion of Anglo-conformity.

AGENTS OF CHANGE

Planning for change and preparing for power sharing among several groups.

Quick Fact

• The demographics are changing rapidly with the explosion of the Latino population over the last decade. Latinos now comprise the majority population in Texas.

New Paradigm

• Its inevitable. The power dynamics of the country is going to change due to demographics. New groups that ascend to power and influence will need to be educated in a way that is based on multiculturalism. Preparing for the seamless transition of power in the establishment of a new paradigm of cultural pluralism and an equitable society.

Educational Policy

• Who determines what is being taught?

• How do we develop master teachers?

• What learning theories should be implemented in the classroom?

POP QUIZMatch the Learning Theory

• B.F. Skinner• Vgotsky• Piaget• Bandura• Stengard

Social LearningSelf EfficacyOperant ConditioningCognitive Development Creativity

Latino

Educational Issues

Working for Educational Achievement

Educational Issues

• Educational Constraintso Historical - Slave Codeso Legal - Brown v. Board of Educationo Inadequate funding for educational resourceso Socialization - low community expectations o Cultural barriers of instructors and students

Multicultural Quiz 

• How many blood types are there?

• What is DNA?• Who is Gregor

Mendel?

Shades of Brown A.

E.D.

B. C.

F.

Demographic Implications

• Economic• Education• Political• Social

Activity 1 – Anthropology Quiz

• How many species of mankind exist today?

• What is the total number of species of mankind?

• What species of man are we?

• Why do the groups of mankind look different?

Piltdown Man

Belief Systems

You are what you believe.

What is Multicultural Education?

Definition - The Encyclopedia of Education states that Multicultural education is an idea, an approach to school reform, and a movement for equity, social justice, and democracy. One of the major objectives of multicultural education is to equip schools with the curriculum, tools, and philosophy that allows all students acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to function in an ethnically and racially diverse nation and global village.

What is Culture?• "Culture" is defined as the belief systems and value orientations that

influence customs, norms, practices, and social institutions, including psychological processes (language, care taking practices, media, educational systems) and organizations (media, educational systems; Fiske, Kitayama, Markus, & Nisbett, 1998). Inherent in this definition is the acknowledgement that all individuals are cultural beings and have a cultural, ethnic, and racial heritage.

Examples of culture• Religion

o Santos or sacred Imageso Virgen Maria (Virgen Mary)

• Mariachi and Spanish classical performances

• Formal communication• Permissive with family members• Personal Holidays

o Quinceaneraso Weddings

How does culture impact learning?

• Cooperative learning is essential for Hispanic culture

• Communication Styles• Hierarchical structure • Classroom interaction

What is Multiculturalism?Multiculturalism and Diversity. The terms "multiculturalism" and "diversity" have been used interchangeably to include aspects of identity stemming from gender, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or age.

ActivitySpanish Sayings

Dios da panuelo al que no tiene narices.

Por el agua del cielo, no dejes tu riego.

El duelo ajeno, del pelo cuelga.

Donde una puerta se cierra, otra se abre.

El mal entra a brazadas y se va a pulgadas.

God gives a handkerchief to him who has no nose.

Do not abandon your irrigation, counting on the rains from heaven

The grief of someone else hangs from a hair.

Where ever a door closes, another opens.

Bad things come in by the armful and leave by the inches.

What is Race?Is there more than one race of people?In the American Pyschological Association Guidelines for Multicultural Education, Helms and Cook (1999) note that "race" has no consensual definition, and that, in fact, biological racial categories and phenotypic characteristics have more within group variation than between group variation.

Benefits of Multiculturalism

• What are the benefits of a culturally diverse society?o Economico Educationalo Socialo Governmental

Metacognition

Activity 2 – Separate but Equal

• Plessy vs. Ferguson• Rodriguez vs. San

Antonio ISD • Brown vs. Board of

Education

1896 Supreme Court

Plessy vs. Ferguson

Metacognition Drivers

- Mastery Approach - Performance Approach- Performance Avoidance

Metacognition Strategies - Reading

• Metacognition is a three-part process (Fogarty 1994). To be successful thinkers, students must: Develop a plan before

reading. Monitor their

understanding of text; use “fix-up” strategies when meaning breaks down.

Evaluate their thinking after reading.

Self Regulation

Self-Regulation refers to the learners' ability to make adjustments in their own learning processes in response to their perception of feedback regarding their current status of learning.

Self Awareness

Know thyself.

- Capabilities - Constraints - Possibilities

Deep Thought.

Metacognitive Skills

- Planning

- Monitoring

- Evaluating

Types of Knowledge

- Declarative

- Procedural

- Conditional

Activity 3 - Literature

• “I, Too, Sing America”• I am the darker brother. They

send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.

Multicultural Education - Delivery

• The Portland Public Schools Baseline Essay Project provided content of multicultural education for the students and faculty.

• African American• American Indian• Asian American• Hispanic American

Dr. Asa G. Hilliard, III

Conclusion• Demographic

Changes• Multicultural

Education• Metacognition

Strategies• Academic self-

concept and metacognition are correlated

References• American Psychological Association (2011), Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and

Organizational Change, Retrieved October 2011 from http://www.apa.org• Banks, J.A. & McGee, C. A. (1989). Multicultural education. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.• Gale Encyclopedia of Education (2002), Retrieved November 2011 from http://www.encyclopedia.com• Giouroukakis, V. & Honigsfeld, A. & Garfinkel, J. (2010), Multicultural Literature in Middle School: Developing Students' Self-

and Cross-Cultural Understanding, Multicultural Journal,6,1-18 • Gredeler, M.E. (2009), Learning and Instruction: Theory into practice, 6 th edition, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New

Jersey• Hilliard, A.G., (2011), Portland Public Schools Baseline Essays, Retrieved October 2011 from

http://www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/curriculum/5024.htm• Heath, I.A. & Judd, D.P. (2010), Comparing Strategies that Focus on Enhancing Knowledge and Appreciation of the Relevance of

Cultural Diversity Issues for Future Teachers, Multicultural Journal, 6, 1-22• Lederach, J.P. (1995). Preparing for peace: Conflict transformation across cultures. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University

Press.• Schott Foundation for Public Education (2008), Given Half a Chance: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black

Males, Retrieved October 2011 from http://www.blackboysreport.org• Teaching from a hispanic perspective a handbook for non-hispanic adult educators. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2011, from

http://literacynet.org/lp/hperspectives/contents.html