Multiculturalism: Beyond Food, Festival, Folklore, and Fashion.MULTICULTURALISM: Beyond Food, Festival, Folklore folklore, the body of customs, legends, beliefs, and superstitions passed on by oral tradition. It includes folk dances, folk songs, folk medicine (the use of magical charms and herbs), and folktales (myths, rhymes, and proverbs). , and Fashion. Meyer, C. F., & Rhoades, E. K., Kappa Delta Pi Kappa Delta Pi is an international honor society for undergraduate and graduate students in education.Founded in 1911, the society is devoted to "Recognizing scholarship and excellence in education." [1] Official website , 2006, 42(2), 82-87. Although the United States' ethnic texture is changing, multiculturalism in today's classrooms continues to be a difficult idea to grasp from a European American A European American (Euro-American) is a person who resides in the United States and is either the descendant of European immigrants or from Europe him/herself.[1] Overall, as the largest group, European Americans have the lowest poverty rate [2] perspective. This article provides current statistics regarding the changing population of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , gives a working definition of multiculturalism, and suggests ideas on transforming the attitudes of preservice teachers regarding multicultural education. As of 2003, about 42 percent of the population in U.S. public schools is minority and 54 of the 100 largest school districts have a majority of minority students. As of 2001, one in five students has a parent born outside the United States, and one in 20 students was born outside the United States. Because of this increasing cultural diversity, many school districts have mandated a multicultural learning curriculum without fully defining what multiculturalism is. Meyer and Rhoades suggest that multiculturalism is a transformative movement in education that has the potential to develop critical thinking and socially active members of society. It also can offset the often negative perspectives of differences that limit opportunities for members of various groups. This view of multiculturalism is not reflected in the fragmented activities taking place in many classrooms, which results in a temporary look at the food, festival, folklore, or fashion during Christmas Around the World or Black History Month. Such activities often emphasize stereotypes. To counter this approach, the authors suggest that educators assess their own strengths and weaknesses regarding their attitudes toward cultural diversity and then reflect on their practices. Data indicate that a teacher's multicultural knowledge and attitude are related to minority students' classroom success. The article also suggests guidelines on how to select appropriate multicultural children's literature children's literature, writing whose primary audience is children. See also children's book illustration. The Beginnings of Children's Literature The earliest of what came to be regarded as children's literature was first meant for adults. . Reviewed by Jann Montgomery, 3rd-grade teacher, South Shades Crest Elementary School elementary school: see school. , Hoover, Alabama Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in north central Alabama, in the United States. A suburb of Birmingham, the population of the city was 62,742 as of the 2000 census and was estimated to be 68,707 in 2006. . |
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