Multi Cultural Experiences

Spring 2010 Multi Cultural Trip - New Orleans

- love and respect for fellow people

- an appreciation for the common people

The definition of culture used by anthropologists is "culture encompasses the learned behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, and ideals that are characteristic of a particular society or population" (Ember and Ember 1990). Multicultural education is a collaborative responsibility initiated and shared by the Center for Professional Collaboration, LMU, K-12 schools and local communities of the Cumberland Gap Appalachian region. The Center for Professional Collaboration (CPC) supports the philosophy of the Teacher Education Program’s conceptual framework by developing multicultural field experiences. The conceptual framework reflects the national curriculum standards as well as NCATE standards for the implementation of multiculturalism and diversity into the professional program of studies. The CPC collaborates with the Department of Education faculty to provide diverse field experience that connects the clinical pre-service classroom setting to the real world of diversity. Multicultural education embraces many different aspects of developing the whole person.

The CPC collaborates with the Teacher Education faculty and processes the integration of the goals of multicultural education. Pre-service teacher candidates are required to complete two multicultural field experiences or portfolio pieces before clinical practice. The course requirements for all multicultural field experiences are stated on the course syllabi. Documentation will be housed within the CPC and submitted to each faculty member for course documentation as well.

The benefits and expectations as they relate to multicultural education are:

• educational equity

• empowerment of students and their caretakers

• cultural pluralism in society intercultural, interethnic and intergroup understanding and harmony in the classroom, school, and community

• students, teachers, support staff, and administrators who think, plan, and work with a multicultural perspective

• an expanded multicultural, multiethnic knowledge base for students, teachers, administrators, and support staff

• achieving goals.

• preparing teachers to mediate scholarly knowledge in the language and culture of various world culture

• realizing the individual and cultural diversity of both the prospective teachers and the elementary and secondary school students.

• display tolerance of diversity

• express an appreciation of cultural differences, strengths and weaknesses of self and others

• the diversity of our students,

• the need for intercultural understanding children’s needs for acquiring English as a second language

To inquire about this program, contact

Connie Wright, Director
423.869.6231
connie.wright@lmunet.edu

Tony Maxwell, Assistant Director
423.869.6257
tony.maxwell@lmunet.edu

Sue England, Administrative Assistant
423.869.6253
sue.england@lmunet.edu