Social and Cultural Perspectives: Multicultural Education

Francisca Constanza Seplveda Vergara

Course: Competencias Comunicativas Integradas en Ingls IX: Aplicado a la Enseanza

Instructor: Professor Rodrigo Santos Iturra

Date: 05 22 2017
 Social and Cultural Perspectives: Multicultural Education

Thesis Statement

In a society constantly exposed to change, particularly inside classrooms and on matters of

social and cultural perspectives, we can declare that racially and culturally diverse

classrooms benefit capital culture of our students.

Outline

I. Multiculturalism
A. Multiculturalism vs. Melting Pot
B. Advantages of a Multicultural society
C. Multiculturalism in Chilean schools
II. Social Theories
III. Immigration in Chile
A. The future of Chilean schools
IV. Contrary views
V. Summary
VI. References
 Social and Cultural Perspectives: Multicultural Education

It is not surprising to find ourselves thinking about how much the world has changed.

Countries and their people are a clear example of how much the world is shifting. As a

young girl, I never imagined the number of people that would come to Chile looking for a

way to improve their lives. Every day, dozens of immigrants enter our country, and the

numbers will keep increasing each year. Our streets are now filled with different accents,

words, and cultures. The same is happening inside our schools, with students from different

nationalities sharing the same classroom. Therefore, in a society constantly exposed to

change, particularly inside classrooms and on matters of social and cultural perspectives,

we can declare that racially and culturally diverse classrooms benefit the capital culture of

our students. Researchers have called this phenomenon Multicultural Classrooms. These

types of settings have become a common situation in most schools in Chile.

Multiculturalism is one of the main topics developed in this work, showing its development

in Chile, in its schools, and the advantages that can bring to a country like ours.

Additionally, a series of theories based on culture will be exposed. For instance, one of

these concepts is called Culture Capital. Another important aspect of this report is

immigration; as I have mentioned before, this process is only beginning and during the next

years, a wide variety of nationalities will start cohabiting with ours. This is the reason why

it is important to understand and acknowledge how the situation is developing at the

moment, and how it will progress in the future; not only for our country but most

importantly, in our schools. Finally, it is important to take notice on what researchers are

saying, all this with the purpose of understanding other points of view and find ways in

which the system could be handled in a better manner.

 In general terms, multiculturalism can be defined as the preservation of

different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society, as a state or nation.

(Dictionary.com, 2016) As a personal definition, multiculturalism can be defined as a

society in which different types of people with diverse cultural upbringings, religions, and

traditions cohabit with one another. Some academics see it as the union of cultures, colors,

and beliefs, crafting a new open minded group of inhabitants who are capable of enjoying

and discovering the interests of each other. All this while keeping their own interests, but

also allowing them the flexibility to respectfully express their own thoughts on culture and

other affairs.

The Australian Department of Social Services (2014) claims that

multiculturalism describes the cultural and ethnic diversity of, in this specific case,

contemporary Australia. Through this diversity, they are able to distinguish three

dimensions of multicultural policy. First of all, cultural identity; in which all citizens have

the right to express and share their individual cultural heritage, including their language,

traditions, and religion. Second, and the one I consider probably the most important of the

three, social justice. In this one the Department of Social Services remarks the equality of

treatment and opportunity, removing any barriers of race, ethnicity, culture, religion,

language, gender or place of birth. And, finally, economic efficiency; in here we find the

need to maintain, develop and use the skills and talents of all citizens, regardless of their

background.

During the last few years, the term multiculturalism has been highly associated

with another popular term: Melting Pot. This is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society

becoming more homogeneous, melting all their different characteristics together into a
harmonious whole with a mutual culture. The melting pot concept encourages assimilation

of the new culture, leading to a loss of the own culture of the individual in the process. A

great example of this state of affairs is the assimilation of immigrants to the United States

during the 1800s. According to Taylor (1992) Settlers were expected to give up the

language and culture of their backgrounds. Learners in schools were taught to take on

American customs, beliefs, and ideas, with the aim of creating a society with American

being the main culture.

The differences between the two concepts seem very clear. On the one hand,

multiculturalism proposes to combine all cultures to create a new and improved society. In

this specific society all cultures matter, with all their distinctive features. On the other hand,

melting pot embraces the idea of combining all cultures into one, creating a whole new

culture while completely forgetting and erasing all trace of background. It is clear which

one benefits the world of today, multiculturalism brings everyone together, embracing our

past and present while creating a future together.

The advantages that come along a multicultural society involve not only the

adult that comes looking for a new life but also their offspring. These children get to grow

up in a society where they are able to acquaint themselves with the world their parents

came from and the society they now get to call home. As a result, this makes for a more

open to change, accepting and open-minded society. The new members of this community

bring with them different experiences that can highly contribute to the society in which they

have settled. The culture of this society mirrors the experiences of its citizens, which can be

shown all through books, in television, movies, and music. Accordingly, the young

population will grow up accepting that this type of diversity is normal, that everyone has
the right to live their life the way they want. In the end, regardless of how we look and the

language we speak, people are all the same underneath.

So far I have only mentioned the culture of those students who come from

different parts of the world; however, inside our country, we also share a wide variety of

cultures. According to Recasens (2001), the geography of our country can influence on how

different people from different regions of the country can be. We often wonder about the

arrival of foreign students into our classroom, but I believe that, as teachers, we have not

questioned enough the introduction of indigenous students into our lessons. Therefore, if

we think about our schools, has Multiculturalism been taken into Chilean classrooms? The

government has clear ideas about the topic and they display them in a neat manner in the

website Educar Chile. But are these ideas taking into our classrooms? Educar Chile (2011),

mentions a series of programs that have been started to be implemented in schools, not only

providing a secure and respectful atmosphere for all students but ensuring the use and

teaching of languages such as Mapudungun and Rapa Nui. Teachers are expected to not

only teach about our own Chilean culture and traditions but also take into account the

beliefs of all the students in the classroom. These would make the students appreciate the

culture of others, letting them know that all languages and beliefs are valid, and deserve

respect. From personal experience, I have never seen in any of my practicums a teacher talk

about different cultures besides our own and the American and British celebrations. There

is still a lot of work to be done in this matter in our country.

When it comes to philosophies that regard both social and cultural aspects, the

first one that may come to mind is the Sociocultural Theory developed by Lev Vygotsky.

The main idea developed in this theory is that social interaction plays an essential role in
the progress of cognition. Learning is a process carried through communication with others

and then assimilated into the mental configuration of the individual. Sociocultural theory

centers not only how adults impact individual learning, but also on how cultural views and

approaches influence how teaching and learning take place. As stated by Vygotsky (1930),

children are born with simple biological restraints on their minds. However, every culture

offers what he denoted to as tools of intellectual adaptation. These tools allow children to

use their basic mental abilities in a way that is adaptive to the culture in which they live.

Another theory worth mentioning is the one proposed by Pierre Bourdieu

(1977), Cultural Capital. Bourdieu claims that cultural capital consists of an understanding

of the main culture in a society. The possession of this cultural capital differs with social

class; however, the education system assumes the ownership of it among the population.

This makes it very challenging for lower-class learners to prosper in the education system.

As a result of these differences, students simply do not understand what their teachers are

trying to get across. When we think about newly arrived students, those who are not

familiarized with the culture they have been immersed to, some of these characteristics

become evident. As I just mentioned, the students are not familiarized with the culture, and

most schools are not prepared to help students achieve a good level of proficiency in terms

of culture. It takes a long time for students to get used to their new environment, and we

will only see a major understanding and improvement in future generations of immigrant

families.
 References

EducarChile (2011). La importancia de la Educacin Intercultural en un mundo

globalizado. Retrieved April 19, 2017 from

http://www.educarchile.cl/ech/pro/app/detalle?id=209489

Multiculturalism. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved April 13, 2017 from

Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/multiculturalism

Multiculturalism. (n.d.). oed.com Unabridged. Retrieved April 13, 2017 from oed.com

website http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/234921?redirectedFrom=multiculturalism#

Multiculturalism: What does it mean? (February 7, 2011) Retrieved April 13, 2017 from

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12381027

Recasens Salvo, A. (2001). Multiculturalidad y educacin. Anales de la Universidad de

Chile, 0 (13) . doi:10.5354/0717-8883.2001.2529

Song, Sarah, "Multiculturalism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2017

Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Retrieved April 13, 2017 from

https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2017/entries/multiculturalism/.

Taylor, Ch. (1992). The Politics of Recognition

Vygotsky, L. S. (1930). Mind and Society. Harvard University Press.

What is multiculturalism? (November 7, 2014) Retrieved April 13, 2017 from

https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/settlement-and-multicultural-
affairs/programs-policy/a-multicultural-australia/national-agenda-for-a-

multicultural-australia/what-is-multiculturalism