Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Second Edition/20.1.45 Wildcard
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Contents |
[edit] INTRODUCTION
| “The process of writing the past, in the formal framework of history books is, perhaps, the most direct way of constructing a national memory (Rebecca Kook)". |
So, how does multiculturalism become a part of this writing process? First, there must be an acknowledgement to the needs and contributions of all cultural groups, especially traditionally underrepresented minority groups. Second, there must be a realization that the nation is becoming more diverse, making it impossible to ignore. Lastly, there must be an examination of the pros and cons of integrating multiculturalism into the textbooks.
[edit] ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DIFFERENT CULTURAL GROUPS
[edit] Asian Culture
Asian culture is best known for its literary contributions to the United States. Asian literature became a major part of America in the 1940s. During this time, Japanese Americans wrote about what they experienced in the concentration camps in the United States. The first successful Chinese writer was C.Y. Lee. He wrote a book titled, The Flower Drum Song in 1955, which later was made into a Broadway play and a motion picture by 20th Century Fox. Asian American literature has progressed. “The literature today, like the Joy Luck Club are best sellers in the book market and there is a growing demand for more.” Other contributions come from great inventors like An Wang, a Chinese-born American computer scientists, who invented desktop calculators and word processors. Flossie Wong-Staal, a Chinese-American scientist, is a leader in AIDS research. She is also responsible for the discovery of the HIV genes. Wong-Staal continues to work on methods of preventing AIDS and finding better treatments for those with AIDS (Hoffman, 2005).
[edit] Hispanic Culture
The contributions of Hispanics are practically embedded into almost every segment of American history. To picture America without Latinos is to imagine a country without much of its folklore and many of its achievements. From the Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War, Latinos have served loyally in the American Armed Forces. They taught the English settlers how to mine and irrigate. Early songs and legends of the Old West and the cowboys came from the Hispanic culture. In 1959, Dr. Severo Ochoa won the Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine and Physiology for his discovery of RNA (ribonucleic acid), one of the chemical building blocks of life. In 1986, Dr. Frank Chang-Diaz became the first Hispanic astronaut to soar into space. With their many contributions, Hispanic culture is mostly known for its work ethic because they willingly work physically demanding jobs at low wages (Varona, 1993).
[edit] African American Culture
The early textbooks barely mentioned African Americans, and when they did, the references were usually related to slavery. Nevertheless, African Americans have made a major impact on the development of the American culture. In 1770, Benjamin Banneker made the first American clock. Henry T. Blair was the first African American to receive a patent for a corn harvester. Norbert Rillieux’s work on evaporation and the liquid reduction process has been referred to by many as the greatest discovery in chemical engineering. In 1721, a slave named Oneissimus provided Americans with the antidote for smallpox. African Americans have served in countless wars such as: the Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, the Indian Campaigns, World War I, and World War II. In the Korean and Vietnam War, sixteen African American soldiers received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their duties. Although African-Americans have been faced with the adversities of slavery, segregation, discrimination and racism, their courage under fire has undoubtedly proven their loyalty to the well-being of America (Kook, 1998).
[edit] REALIZATION THAT THE NATION IS BECOMING MORE DIVERSE OVER TIME
[edit] Asian Population
The Chinese began immigrating to the United States around the time of the gold rush. They were a cheap source of labor for farms and they worked on the railroad. The other Asian groups also immigrated to the United States after 1860 to work in the sugar plantations of Hawaii or farm fields of California. The Asian population of the United States today continues to rapidly increase and constitute approximately 2.9% of the total American population. According to a 1990 census, the Chinese Asian population is the largest Asian minority in the United States. The second largest group is the Filipino which constitutes about 19%. The Japanese make up about 12%. Indian and Korean population is about 11% and the Vietnamese make up 8% (Hoffman, 2005).
[edit] Hispanic Population
The Hispanic presence in the United States actually began before the country existed. Spanish explorers established colonies in what is now known as Southeast and Southwest regions of the United States. In 1526, the Hispanic population was approximately 600 people. That number has dramatically changed today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, “the nation’s Hispanic population swelled by 58 percent in the past decade, making it the fastest growing minority group.” Hispanics constitute 14% of the nation’s total population. The projected Hispanic population of the United States as of 2050 is a population of 102.6 million. Based on this statistic, Hispanics will make up 24% of the United State’s total population (Fact Monster, 2006).
[edit] African American Population
Portuguese traders brought the first African slaves for agricultural labor to the Caribbean in 1502. From then until 1860, it was estimated that more than 10 million people were transported from Africa to the Americas. As of July 1, 2005 the current estimated population of African-Americans in the United States is 39.7 million. They make up 13.4% of the total U.S. population. This figure indicates a half a million increase from 2004. The projected African American population of the United States in 2050 is said to be 15% of the population (Prewitt, 2000).
[edit] EXAMINING THE PROS AND CONS OF INTEGRATING MULTICULTURALISM INTO THE TEXTBOOKS
America is seen as a melting pot. Yet, at one time the nation forced its cultural language and ideas on immigrants and culturally diverse groups. However, the nineteenth and twentieth century has brought assimilation and cultural pluralism for some groups. The established reading has come under mounting pressure from ethnic minorities. Leading universities have considered making adjustments to the textbooks, resulting in heated debate among American writers, intellectuals and educators.
[edit] Pros
Research done by Signithia Fordham and John Ogbu, suggests that African Americans have failed to assimilate in a cultural diverse society. The research was done at a predominately African American high school. They wanted to see how “students’ sense of racial identity enters into the process of schooling and affects academic achievement.” The study proved that African American students did not try to achieve because they were afraid of acting white, proving that “culturally diverse students, especially African Americans, are generally not successful in the classrooms that ignore cultural differences (Anderson, 1988).” Culturally diverse textbooks allow teachers to use the cultural patterns of students to promote learning.
[edit] Cons
The article, “Multiculturalism’s War on Education” insinuates that multiculturalists seek to degrade non-Western cultures and not broaden the curriculum. For example the author, Elan Journo states, “Multiculturalists would rather have students admire the primitive patterns of Navajo blankets, say, than learn why Islam’s medieval golden age of scientific progress was replaced by fervent piety and centuries of stagnation.” Elan goes on to give other examples of text in books that are supposed to promote multiculturalism but fail to do so by telling half of the story. One text attributes wealth and the establishment of a university to the inhabitants of West Africa in pre-Columbian times, but fails to talk about their trade in slaves. Yet, another text exemplifies the architecture of the Aztecs, but purposely forgets to mention the fact that they practiced human sacrifices. Elan feels that these half truths are a deliberate attempt to stop students from “grasping the objective value to human life of Western culture. Instead multiculturalists choose to show the most murderous and impoverished countries as advanced and prosperous (2004).
[edit] CONCLUSION
The statistics have spoken. The United States Census Bureau has proven that the nation’s diversity is increasing profoundly with time. Therefore, instead of trying to ignore the problem and stick to traditional ways, American culture should embrace differences. These changing times are calling for the revamping of traditional textbooks to include multiculturalism.
[edit] ESSAY QUESTION
1. Do you think that multiculturalism in textbooks is essential? Why?
2. What are some of the major contributions made by the Asian, Hispanic and African American Cultures?
[edit] MULTIPLE CHOICE
What major contribution did Asian culture bring to America?
a. music
b. literature
c. medicine
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, what will be the population of the Hispanic population in 2050?
a. 102.6 million
b. 50 million
c. 101 million
Who invented the first desktop calculator?
a. C.Y. Lee
b. An Wang
c. Benjamin Banneker
Which African American invented the first American clock?
a. Severo Ochoa
b. Frank Chang-Diaz
c. Benjamin Banneker
[edit] WORKS CITED
Anderson, J. (1988). Cognitive styles and Multicultural Populations. Journal of Teacher Education, 39, 2-9.
Kook, Rebecca. “The Shifting Status of African Americans In The American Collective Identity.” Journal Of Black Studies. 29.2 (1998): 154-178.
Journo, Elan. “Multiculturalism’s War on Education.” The Ayn Institute: Multiculturalism’s War on Education. 23 Sept. 2004 http://www.aynrand.org.
Cooper, Ryan. Those Who Can, TEACH. 11th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007.
Hoffman, Brenda. “Asian-American Literature: History, Classroom Use, Bibliography & WWW Resources.” Asian American Literature: History, Classroom Use, Bibliography & WWW Links. 28 Oct. 2005 http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/asialit.html
