Multicultural Education in the Everyday: A Renaissance for the Recommitted.

Overview & Synopsis

This primer on multicultural education pedagogy reports on the knowledge base for multicultural education, and challenges and critiques teacher educators. An introduction describes the demographic and intellectual context for multicultural education, outlines the composition of the primer, and argues that the primer is primarily an exercise in "imaging" to develop an intellectual, emotional, and ethical force for teacher educators. Part 1, "Markers in the Multicultural Teacher Education Terrain," provides theoretical background by outlining issues that are integral to the multicultural terrain and crucial concepts fundamental to teacher development in a diverse and pluralistic society. It argues that teacher educators must assist students to take ethical stands that will mirror emancipatory social practices rooted in the historical experiences of both the victims and victimizers. Part 2, "A Vision for a Multicultural Education," explores four themes: pedagogical practices, multicultural education and self, synchrony of multicultural discourse in curriculum and instruction, and the passion to liberate and challenge existing paradigms. Part 3, "A Story in the Politics of a Multicultural Education Pedagogy and Deception of Political Correctness," shares student evaluations of the multicultural education course (1991-1994) and makes a case for the urgency of the reasons for multicultural education. (Contains 111 references and 2 figures.) (JB)