Integrating multicultural education

in pre-service teacher training courses

Ioana Todor

1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia

Abstract

Multicultural education aims to reduce ethnic, gender and social-economic differences providing for all students equal opportunities to learn. Multicultural approaches in education involve a set of strategies designed to help all students to develop “knowledge, skills and attitudes they need in order to become active citizens in a democratic society and participate in social change” (Valdez 1999). In a world with a rapidly changing demographic structure, multicultural education has become a priority. It is a tool to enhance cultural awareness and respect for diversity, to consolidate peoples’ social identity, to reduce stereotypical thinking, prejudice and discrimination. The multicultural education approach is a student-centred one, with a particular focus on using the students’ familiar contexts as learning opportunities, integrating their cultural background in the learning process, promoting critical thinking and diversity of opinions. In this paper, multicultural education is analysed in the teacher training context, using a multidimensional model developed by Banks in the 90’s. Banks (1995/2004a) describes five critical dimensions of multicultural education: content integration, knowledge construction, equity pedagogy, prejudice reduction and an empowering school culture. Critical issues and methodological aspects related to the integration of multicultural education in pre-service teacher training are discussed in the paper.

Key words: Multicultural education; Pre-service teacher training: Equity pedagogy; Empowering school culture.

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How to cite this article: Todor, I. (2015). Integrating multicultural education in pre-service teacher training courses. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 8, 213–224. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2015.8.14

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