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MY CULTURE SITE INEQUALITY.ORG GERMANTOWN ACADEMY
The Significance of History to Education and Culture: A general Overview
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There is a strong push in higher education to regard multicultural education as essential in all areas of life, and should be a common component in any classroom. James Banks, author of “The Dimensions of Multicultural Education” claims that there are two goals to multicultural education which are: “…[1]to reform the school and other educational institutions so that students from diverse racial, ethnic, and social-class groups will experience educational equality…[2]to give both male and female students an equal chance to experience educational success and mobility” (315). Additionally, schools should offer multicultural experiences to every student, regardless of school demographics. For example, an all-white school should not just offer a Eurocentric education because the education caters to the all-white population. Such schools are the root of a social problem that promotes social hegemony for other cultures and their own. While it is important to maintain a strong cultural connection to one’s own culture, some time should be given to addressing more than just normative culture. A first step, which is partially achieved during history months is that High culture takes a look a low cultures.
Nevertheless, that is not enough. Multiculturalism has to permeate education in order to allow the enculturation of this ideology to occur. Learning styles from other cultures could be employed. Diverse citizens in the community should have the opportunity to come to classes to share their culture. Teachers should encourage students to involve themselves in a culture other than the students’ own culture. Resources may be limited, but all cultures can offer some experience for students of all classes. This calls for teachers to step outside of their comfort zone and move away from traditional ways of teaching.
Some critics of education have proposed that education is used as a significant tool for cultural reproduction. However, social solidarity has been avoided in some areas of the country by hegemony. Since hegemony places a ruling group at the top of social hierarchy, a historical culture is created that justifies this hierarchy; thus, controlling economic, social, and political institutions. One product of hegemony is that the focus shifts to a single culture, the dominant one, and leaves other cultures invaluable. In education, this Monoculturalism tends to leave out other cultures. Other consequences include lack of alternatives and limited knowledge, which stunt educational growth even of the brightest students.
