Bilingual incorporation in education is a matter that appears to have taken root in most of the world’s education systems. This means that second language use has become something of great importance. In the contemporary education system, teachers are being encouraged to have bilingual skills with English having the second priority in the United States. This means that the teachers should have the ability to communicate effectively in English to a point that they can effectively teach the language to the young children (Michael, ix).
Elementary education mainly comprises of the young children who are in their initial phases in the education systems. This means that the teachers have a difficult task to introduce and develop the second language in the learners which makes the sector to be impacted on heavily by multilingual education systems. Another sector mainly impacted on by bilingual system is special education. This requires the teacher or instructor to have the skills to deliver adequately in two or more languages. This results a requirement for the teachers to learn thoroughly the languages involved causing them to have a wider syllabus in their training.
Most of our contemporary societies are multicultural. This means that even the schools are multicultural, a factor that should be embraced by the education system. This can be claimed to be the main cause of multilingual education systems. By incorporation of the many different languages, the learners feel that they are equally treated and recognized by the education system. As a result, peace and cohesive intercultural relationships exist. It also promotes acceptance of what one is in the society.
Cropping from multicultural education acceptance is appreciation of diversity. This promotes cultural, ethnic and personal preservation of one’s beliefs and interests while peacefully existing with one another. Diversity is also a wider scope in the education system which should be used to promote peace instead of rivalry. To make multicultural education a success, teachers’ education syllabus have viewed it as an elective which is possible to achieve (Michael, 4).
- In the process of knowledge acquisition, the dimension taken for the process should be always directed towards a democratic society. This should reflect a lot of cohesive relationship among the many people of the world or society.
- Another dimension addressed by the system should be mainstreaming of the former system. This aims at reducing cases of biased judgment which favors only one culture in the society while neglecting the other cultures and their systems. This comes with an aim of changing some frames of reference so as to ensure that some people are not negatively impacted on by the system.
- The main aim of the system is to create a pluralistic and democratic citizen from the very beginning. This makes it possible for the population to accept each other and appreciate each other’s individuality and origin.
- The other aim of the system is to ensure that the future generation of America exists in harmony without any big gap between the immigrants and the natives, the rich and the poor and the whites and blacks. Looking into the former education systems, some prejudice appeared to be in them thus promoted division among the American population. In a bid to promote cultural diversity, teachers’ education systems have been revised to introduce and promote cultural diversity from the very young generations of the country.
- Educational multiculturalism can be conceptualized in three phases as idea, reform movement and process.
- In the idea stage, it is conceptualized and tested to ensure that idea is possible to implement and work on. Its goals are emphasized and tested to understand its achievement and practicability.
- Reform movement is the phase in which the plan is implemented to according to its strategic plan. This phase may take a couple of years to get the anticipated goals.
- The process is also part of the implementation but is different by its individual analysis of each and every step. This is the crucial phase which looks at success from stepwise perspective. (Michael, 42-56)
In the dimensions of multicultural education system, five key areas can be analyzed as:
- Content integration: involves use of content from different sources and illustrations from the whole scope of the society without prejudice.
- Knowledge construction process: involves creation of knowledge based on the diversified society instead of individual cultures in which the former education systems were based on.
- Prejudice reduction: encouraged by setting up of schools for all kids regardless of their ethnicity and culture.
- Equity pedagogy: this is creation of a society that treats all people with equal rights and dignities. This creates equal power in the society.
- Empowering school culture and social structure: this process follows the other four process and acts as a result of the previous dimensions. (Michael, 58-64)
In conclusion, the book summarizes the whole idea of multicultural education and its importance to the people of America mainly in the cultural diversity stage.
Works cited
Michael J. Multicultural Teacher Education: Transformative Conceptions and Dimensions. Teachers college press, 2002 print.
