CAE-103 Culture and Arts Education in Plural Societies 3 PDF

Celebrating Pluralism Ric Salanap Jr Cultural Pluralism (Chalmers, 1996) 1. Schooling should be multicultural not only on moral grounds, e.g., that multicultural content is to be included in school curricula on the basis of fairness and justice, but also on educational grou...

Celebrating Pluralism Ric Salanap Jr Cultural Pluralism (Chalmers, 1996) 1. Schooling should be multicultural not only on moral grounds, e.g., that multicultural content is to be included in school curricula on the basis of fairness and justice, but also on educational grounds. Students should see their cultural experiences reflected in the curriculum and develop skills necessary to cross-cultural understanding.  Multicultural education is not just for students from ethnic minority cultures, but for all students. (Chalmers, Multicultural education should not entail exclusive immersion in the values, 1996) outlooks, and depositions of one culture, but the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that encourages students to explore a broad diversity of cultural traditions.  All modern cultural traditions are multi- cultural in construction and are changing (Chalmers, in content and boundaries. 1996) Students' own cultural experiences can be important starting points for learning, but they are not the end points of schooling. Cross-cultural understanding is the primary goal.  Multicultural education cannot be achieved by merely adding selected instructional lessons or units to existing school curricula. (Chalmers, Change must be holistic and multilayered, entailing revisions in 1996) policies, curriculum frameworks, staffing, instructional materials, assessment, and professional development.  Multicultural education is not achieved by transmitting inert facts about diverse cultural traditions to students. Learning, (Chalmers, while adapted to the styles of individual students, should be 1996) borne of students' curiosity, informed by inquiry processes, and centered on challenging content.  Processes to institute (Chalmers, multicultural education, while complex and multilayered, are 1996) indeed manageable. Cultural Diversity and Art Education  Cultural diversity is Fact. And we live in a dynamic, nonstatic combinations of multiple cultures and subcultures. These overlapping groups may be identified by: Ethnicity Gender sexual orientation age geographic location and mobility Income Occupation Education other factors. For some time, the literature on multicultural education has presented conflicting concepts and promoted conflicting goals, and the definition of multicultural education continues to shift. (Grant and Sleeter, 1986) Definitions, programs and practices associated with multi- culturalism and multicultural education have been variously described as confused, contradictory, inconsistent, and muddled. Unless art teachers—indeed, all educators who teach art— are presented with reasonable ways to address art in a multicultural society, many may not be prepared to embrace and implement a curriculum that respects pluralism. Unless art teachers—indeed, all educators who teach art— are presented with reasonable ways to address art in a multicultural society, many may not be prepared to embrace and implement a curriculum that respects pluralism. As future Culture and Arts teachers, how can you teach about all types of art from all cultures and all time periods? Art in the Schizophrenic Fast Lane: A Response. (Clark,1990) Critics of extravagant claims for a sociocultural approach suggest that to implement the recommendations of some pluralistically oriented art Educators is to get caught up in a "schizophrenic fast lane" How does one make manageable sense out of a vast diversity of ideas? Clark (1990) asserts that it is "preposterous" to expect teachers to deal with all of the ideas presented and claims made in some multicultural education proposals. Art educator Peter Smith (1992) has outlined some of the uncomfortable paradoxes in a multicultural approach to art education. He worries that many of the approaches that are being advocated seem more concerned with social issues than with art, and asks, "How shall we choose?" Daniel and Manley- Delacruz ( 1993) state that "multicultural education is prone toward a lack of clarity for learners, supporters, and antagonists" Cultural diversity in art education has been promoted in several different and often ambiguous ways; only a few programs have emphasized commonalities across cultures by showing how art reflects the meanings that cultural groups give to their actions  Often, attempts at multicultural art education have been little more than superficial; for example, students have spent time using school art materials to "copy" art forms from other cultures the totem-poles-out- of-toilet-rolls approach.  Sara Bullard (1992), Teaching Tolerance In a multicultural society, we sometimes have to dig for similarities. By respecting our differences and by celebrating what we have in common, we who make up this culturally diverse society can hold it together. We may be from different ethnic groups and have different social and economic backgrounds, religions, genders, ages, occupations, sexual orientations, and so on, but in our reasons for making art, for exhibiting and using art, there is much that unites us. Why is Multicultural Art Education Necessary?  Artistic contributions of many cultures has given way to more active assaults against racism and other forms of prejudice Multiculturalism means acknowledging more than just ethnic differences. Differences in gender, religion, sexual orientation, social class, economic status, language, age, and physical ability are also cultural factors to be considered, respected, and celebrated in contemporary curricula (Banks and McGee-Banks, 1989). Multicultural art education provides students with positive ways to deal with art and life under any circumstances. Multiculturalism implies respect for behaviors, dispositions, outlooks, and values that are not solely from one dominant culture. A multicultural approach is for everyone. All students, regardless of ethnicity or other differences, should be prepared to live in an increasingly pluralistic society. MONOGRAPH OF MULTICULTURAL ART EDUCATION promote cross-cultural understanding through the identification of similarities (particularly In the roles and functions of art) within and among cultural groups; recognize, acknowledge, and celebrate racial and cultural diversity in art within our pluralistic society, while also affirming and enhancing pride in each individual's own artistic heritage; and address through all of the art disciplines (including aesthetics, art criticism, art history, and studio production) issues of ethnocentrism, bias, stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and racism.