Korean society has become multiethnic and multicultural because of a rapid increase of bi-cultural families. Not only schools but also society has to be prepared for a multicultural era.
According to previous studies, elementary school students in g...
Korean society has become multiethnic and multicultural because of a rapid increase of bi-cultural families. Not only schools but also society has to be prepared for a multicultural era.
According to previous studies, elementary school students in general are racially prejudiced and teachers show little or no interest in multicultural approach to education.
The 7th National Curriculum for Elementary Korean Language Education does not include understanding of multiculturism, either. Teaching children from bi-cultural families is not mentioned in goals of the National Curriculum. The education of understanding multiculturalism is allowed only in a socio-cultural context based on the content of the curriculum. In this context, teachers are allowed to deal flexibly with multiculturalism. It is entirely up to individual teachers whether understanding multiculturalism in Korean society will be dealt with in elementary schools. Thus, developing teaching materials for the education of understanding multiculturalism is a matter of urgent attention.
The purpose of this study is twofold:
(i) to present teaching materials adopted from various topics of literature which can be considered effective in the development of an understanding of multiculturalism; and
(ii) to consider some ways of adapting these topics of literature to make them suitable to be included in the curriculum.
This study develops as follows.
First of all, books which deal with multicultural topics appropriate for each grade were selected. The criterion of book selection was based on Piagetian or Kohlberg's theory. Books for Grades 1 and 2 should be those whose plots are simple and whose characters are mysterious. Thus, they should be fascinating. Books for Grades 3 and 4 should be those in which core and peripheral incidents harmonize with each other and whose topics provide some moral lessons. Books for Grades 5 and 6 should be creative works whose temporal and spatial backgrounds are realistic. With these criteria in mind, 10 books for each grade were selected and each book was to be taught for a month. However, 9 books were selected for Grade 1 because, for the first graders, March is considered a period of their adjustment to a new environment.
Secondly, those selected books were analyzed according to their authors, background, and content. The analysis showed that most of them were written by American or European writers. Naturally, each story was set in the author's own country. The content of those books was classified into five categories such as 'culture', 'relationships', 'prejudice', 'differences' and 'discrimination' as proposed by Kendall (1983). Books which belong to the 'culture' category were selected to provide students an opportunity to realize that there are some countries whose cultures are quite different from ours and other countries whose cultures are somewhat similar to ours. Books in the 'relationships' category will help students understand that a community consists of people who work together although their cultural backgrounds are different. Books in the 'prejudice' category will encourage students to think about and change their attitudes towards different races. They will realize that a person can live a successful life in a multicultural society when they recognize racial differences. Books in the 'difference' category will help students respect not only their own values but also values from other cultures. Books which belong to the 'discrimination' category will help students of colored race who have been affected by racism develop positive concepts of ego. These books will be appropriate for Grade 5 or 6 because the fifth or sixth graders are old enough to consider or criticize the socio-cultural context in which foreign laborers or children from bi-cultural families are suffering discrimination because of their low economic status or colored faces.
Thirdly, the curriculum for Grade 4 was adapted so that those selected books might be used and then a lesson plan based on the "Discovery Model with Stories" was presented. Each unit demonstrated ways to deal with multiculturalism.
This study showed how to cope with difficulties teachers faced when they wanted to deal with multiculturalism. Adapting various topics of literature for the education of understanding multiculturalism is one of the most practical approaches. This type of education could help children from bi-cultural families strengthen their identities and develop sociable characteristics. It could help other students understand and respect the people living in different cultures. Eventually, every student with uni-cultural or multi-cultural backgrounds would learn to live happily in a community together.
Key words : multicultural approach to education, education of understanding multiculturalism, books dealing with multi-cultural topics, anti-prejudice
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