Deck 13: Pluralism in Schools: The Promise of Multicultural Education

Question 1

What is the difference between a diverse society and a pluralist society?

A) A diverse society is a society where pluralism is accepted and supported.
B) A society that is diverse and pluralistic principally teaches about the dominant culture.
C) A pluralistic society is a society where diversity is accepted and supported.
D) Diversity refers to acceptance of many diverse groups in a society whereas pluralism just refers to the existence of those groups.

Answer 1

A pluralistic society is a society where diversity is accepted and supported.

Question 2

What is multicultural education based on?

A) Preparing students to be active participants in a diverse democratic society
B) Integrating issues and information about race and ethnicity into the school curricula
C) Teaching about cultures around the world
D) Recognizing women, gays and lesbians, people with disabilities, and other minority groups

Answer 2

Preparing students to be active participants in a diverse democratic society

Question 3

Traditional education and multicultural education

A) Challenge students to adjust assumptions about curriculum, content, learning, teaching, and the purpose of schools.
B) Are philosophically and critically different
C) Are based on the following four essential disciplines: social studies, science, math, and English.
D) Both seek to transmit significant knowledge from past to future generations.

Answer 3

Are philosophically and critically different

Question 4

According to the educational philosophy of Essentialism, the main purpose of schools is to

A) Provide opportunities for the development of individual skills and talents.
B) Reinforce student curiosity by building learning experiences around student interest.
C) Nurture individual growth.
D) Transmit a core of knowledge and values to succeeding generations.

Question 5

The term "essentialism" emphasizes each of the following except

A) Acquisition of skills
B) Retention of information
C) The knowledge explosion
D) Core American values

Question 6

In a school that follows an essentialism vision, which class is most likely to be cut when administrators consider budget cuts?

A) The History of the United States
B) Music Appreciation
C) Shakespearean Literature
D) Calculus

Question 7

How do essentialist teachers test their students' knowledge?

A) Through student portfolios
B) Through group projects
C) Through subjective essay questions
D) Through objective tests

Question 8

What is the goal of an essentialist teacher?

A) To prepare students to become citizens in a democratic society
B) To teach students to analyze perspectives and use their analysis to understand inconsistencies
C) To motivate students to remember information in texts, lectures and media
D) To integrate issues and information about race and ethnicity into the curriculum

Question 9

How do essentialists solve the problem of all students not learning at the same rate?

A) Through tracking students into ability groups
B) Through heterogeneous grouping so students can help each other learn
C) Through special education and gifted classes for exceptional students
D) Through in class peer tutoring and aides

Question 10

Significant obstacles to learning in essentialist schools include

A) Students misunderstandings of conceptual frameworks.
B) Students learning at different rates.
C) Students' failure to apply their knowledge.
D) Students' lack of prior multicultural education experiences.

Question 11

A 2017 Associated Press study reported that charter schools

A) Are the most effective alternative to public schools.
B) Foster more effective ways of teaching diverse students.
C) Have better reading scores than students in public schools.
D) Are some of the most racially segregated schools in our nation.

Question 12

Which of the following would multicultural education examine in the curriculum that essentialist education would not?

A) The literature of England and its influence on American writers
B) The study of slavery in America to represent African American history
C) The influence of African Americans on the musical styles in popular culture
D) Native Americans as historical figures

Question 13

As multicultural education is based on concepts rather than specific content

A) Student work is often represented in portfolio formats with only some objective testing.
B) Students are involved in a dynamic search for knowledge that it never finished.
C) Specific content modules need to be combined into a fixed number of core concepts.
D) It is developmentally inappropriate for elementary and some middle school students.

Question 14

The concept of multicultural education is concerned with all of the following except

A) Developing lifelong skills
B) Influences of diverse groups in American history
C) Representation of contributions of minority groups
D) A core of knowledge identified as critical for every child

Question 15

A hidden curriculum can be described as

A) Subtle cultural messages learned from course curriculum, school policies, and school procedures that validate societal norms and values.
B) An intentional yet deceptive way to get students to learn without them knowing they are actually learning.
C) Curriculum that has been approved by districts or school boards but that remains "on the shelves" of most schools.
D) An instructor's attempt at weaving a multicultural education into existing course content.

Question 16

What hidden curriculum activity teaches that Native Americans are historic creatures that were savages?

A) Interviewing Native Americans about their cultural heritage
B) Studying current reservation lands and population density of Native Americans
C) Having Indian mascots holding signs that say "We will scalp you!" at football games
D) Acknowledging that Native Americans were cheated out of their lands with unfair treaties

Question 17

The order of Banks' approaches to educational reform is based on their increasing effectiveness in introducing multicultural concepts. The order is:

A) Social action approach, transformative approach, additive approach, contributions approach
B) Contributions approach, additive approach, transformative approach, social action approach
C) Contributions approach, transformative approach, additive approach, social action approach
D) Social action approach, contributions approach, additive approach, transformative approach

Question 18

Which of Banks' approaches to multicultural education addresses the most basic of heroes and holidays and cultural information of diverse populations?

A) Contributions approach
B) Additive approach
C) Transformative approach
D) Social action approach

Question 19

Students are asked to investigate the economic difficulties of families living in poverty. They then explore solutions to address poverty issues in the community. Although they cannot implement their solutions in the community they do present their finding to a mayoral council hoping that the council will use some of their suggestions. This is an example of which one of Banks approaches to multicultural education?

A) Contributions approach
B) Additive approach
C) Transformative approach
D) Social action approach

Question 20

Which does not describe cognitive developmental theory as understood by multicultural education advocates?

A) Learning is a process of meaning making.
B) Learning comes from the interaction of the mind and experience.
C) Learning is limited to basic academic skills in reading, writing and computing.
D) Learning must be meaningful.

Question 21

Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences suggests that

A) Self-confidence is necessary for learning.
B) Individuals have the capacity to engage in each of eight distinct learning preferences.
C) Individuals possess one or two of many different learning preferences.
D) Students of color have distinct learning preferences.

Question 22

Primarily essentialist and traditional teachers recognize and reward which two of Gardner's multiple intelligences?

A) Spatial and Bodily-kinesthetic
B) Musical and interpersonal
C) Naturalistic and existential
D) Logical-mathematical and linguistic

Question 23

While both multicultural education and education that is multicultural/social reconstructionist promote cultural pluralism, what is different between the two?

A) Multicultural education advocates are in favor of limiting tracking while social reconstructionists are in favor or tracking.
B) Multicultural education emphasizes respect for human differences - social reconstructionist education emphasizes structural inequities and prepares students to be active participants in democracy.
C) Multicultural education emphasizes differences based on race and culture while a social reconstructionist education emphasizes the complete spectrum of individual differences.
D) There is no distinct difference between a multicultural education and education that is multicultural and social reconstructionist.

Question 24

Which of the following is not a primary focus of the "social reconstructionist approach" to education?

A) Focusing on the continuing struggles by diverse groups against oppression
B) Using an activist curriculum to address problems in schools and communities
C) Emphasizing democratic classroom practices to develop student decision-making skills
D) Focusing predominantly on cultural diversity

Question 25

Students are researching the history of California. Instead of just looking at it from the viewpoint of people who moved from the East to the West, they are to research its history from the viewpoint of Native Americans, Asian immigrants, Mexicans, and women. This is an example of what teaching philosophy?

A) Critical pedagogy
B) Progressivism
C) Essentialism
D) Global education

Question 26

Schools are inherently political and as such knowledge is not

A) Biased
B) Determined by those in power
C) Neutral
D) Full of cultural assumptions

Question 27

What is at the core of culturally responsive teaching?

A) The expectation that all students can experience success
B) The belief that the cultural heritage of the child will not be a hindrance to academic success
C) The status quo will be maintained even when multiple viewpoints are considered
D) The teacher is responsible for the culture of the classroom

Question 28

What current issue makes culturally responsive teaching difficult?

A) The teaching force is becoming more heterogeneous and reflective of the student population.
B) School districts are making an effort to equally fund schools, especially in urban areas
C) Despite common belief, schools are more segregated than ever.
D) Students from various races and cultures are authentically interacting in school settings.

Question 29

Which of the following would not be a characteristic of a culturally responsive teacher?

A) Using student's prior experiences in the curriculum
B) Stretching students to experience knowledge and beliefs beyond the familiar
C) Having high expectations for all students
D) Viewing difference in students as problems to be solved

Question 30

What happens when cultural biases in knowledge are not acknowledged?

A) It allows the class to avoid controversy and focus on their studies.
B) It allows the dominant perspective to seem neutral and universal.
C) It expands the viewpoint of education and knowledge.
D) It makes education more objective.

Question 31

Why are some teachers uncomfortable about teaching multicultural education?

Question 32

What are essentialist schools and why does this educational philosophy not work for most students?

Question 33

As a teacher dedicated to critical pedagogy, what types of activities would you have in your classroom?

Question 34

How can you become a culturally competent teacher?

Question 35

You are teaching in a class that has many cultures represented. Give an example of an activity you would do in your class that would be an example of culturally responsive teaching.