How important is culture in curriculum? For years, teachers have been following the curriculum given by the government and official agencies to teach their respective students. However, these lesson plans are lacking one important topic: diversity. Instead, the same authors and topics are discussed over and over again, repeatedly school year after school year.
The inclusion of additional cultures to the current curriculums would, “creat[e] more equitable opportunities for students from marginalized groups to participate in higher education and promot[e] the kinds of outcomes for all students that employers and society need, such as complex thinking skills, the ability to work across difference, increased civic participation and decreased prejudice” (Thomas Laird).
Thomas Laird, who wrote “Reconsidering the Inclusion of Diversity in the Curriculum”, is a notable professor at Indiana University. With his background as a professor, he can see firsthand the dynamics of the classroom and how the inclusion of additional cultures would greatly benefit not only the students, but also the future and the present. Laird discusses a variety of reasons why the inclusion of other cultures would enhance classroom learning. For instance, Laird writes that “with inclusive goals, the aim is for students to gain the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for participation in a diverse society. With less inclusive goals, the aim is for students to gain knowledge, skills, and attitudes sanctioned by the mainstream, with little inclusion of alternatives.”
This view is not just Laird's alone. He notes, “Faculty members often recognize that inclusion is a key to learning." Inclusion, however, is not diversity alone. It also involves how curriculum is taught. Popular mainstream curriculum is narrow-minded, and only works for a specific demographic. Teachers motivated to let their students gain as much knowledge as possible may find different cultural ways of teaching more effective with particular students.
This train of thought has been considered since the 1980’s. At the University of Alaska, in Fairbanks, curriculum was considered and tried in consideration of the minority students who struggled to assimilate to the mainstream culture. The idea was for students to pick a desired culture of their own, so they would have an easier understanding of it with regards to their day to day lives. The goal was for minority students and their cultures to be considered, so everyone would have a fair chance at success and learning.
This plan is already moving across the country, by many innovative and concerned teachers who want to create a brighter future through culturally aware individuals. I believe that it is a great idea to implement. Sadly, as seen in some examples, the federal government and some of the members in Congress disapprove of these views and seek to shut it down. Teachers and students around the nation should seek to support this stand-- to actively seek and learn more of other cultures-- and to help share the wealth of knowledge. Students and faculty alike could help implement programs and events on their campuses. This is a great opportunity: helping Americans understand exactly what makes the “melting pot” of America so special and unique, so diverse and without equal.
