EDU 210 - Cultural Diversity in Education

1. Critical thinking concepts
2. Historical and contemporary multicultural relationships in American society and in education
3. Origins of cultures encountered in the classroom
4. Languages and cultural resources encountered in the schools and community
5. Cultural and racial biases that impact teaching and the application of critical thinking skills when assessing these issues
6. Institutional changes needed in schools/society for equal educational opportunities for students
7. Internet as a source for research and learning about the latest pedagogy in multicultural education

1. Describe the elements of the critical thinking process and use the critical thinking process to construct pertinent questions based on current issues in multicultural education. (1)
2. Identify and explain historically how changing demographics (race, ethnicity, and gender) influence public schools and inform perspectives. (2, 4-6)
3. Define and articulate by writing and speaking the concept of multicultural education and its implementation in the public school classroom, create effective solutions to problems related to multicultural education,  and describe the contributions of ethnic/cultural groups represented in the schools and community. (1-3)
4. Articulate how gender, class, and religious differences cut across boundaries of race and ethnicity and apply critical thinking skills when assessing related issues while recognizing that closure is not always reached. (1, 3, 5)
5. Apply critical thinking skills when assessing cultural influences on communication styles, attitudes, values, expectations and perceptions within the community and educational setting, and create effective solutions to such issues.  (1, 4)
6. Design lesson plans using the latest research in multicultural education and apply best practices, including critical thinking, for fostering cultural diversity in the classroom. (1, 7)