PLE 3: Productive Learning Environments

 "Despite much physical contact and daily intermingling, there is almost no community of intellectual life or point of transfer where the thoughts and feelings of one race can come into direct contact and sympathy with the thoughts and feelings of the other."

 --W.E.B. Du Bois

Although Du Bois made this claim many years ago, in her article, "The Importance of Multicultural Education," Geneva Gay submits that this remains an issue today.  Gay distinguishes between "coexistence" and "genuine communities in which they know, relate to, and care deeply about one another" (30).  As an intern in the Urban Multicultural Cohort, multicultural education is a topic that I am very passionate about.  

How does multicultural education relate to classroom management and productive learning environments?  According to Gay, "Multicultural education is integral to improving the academic success of students of color and preparing all youths for democratic citizenship in a pluralistic society" (30).  Part of the teacher's role includes setting the tone of the classroom.  By weaving multicultural education into the curriculum and classroom climate, teachers educate students about their peers' cultures, creating an accepting and productive environment.  By introducing different cultures of ethnic groups represented in the class, teachers help combat racial tension caused by ignorance.   This results in a peaceful climate where all students feel safe and accepted; thus, productive learning can occur.

 According to Skiba, et al., African-American males are suspended three times more often and receive more discipline referrals than the rest of the population.  However, teachers can prevent disruptive behavior from occurring and nullify this statistic by implementing multicultural education.   Gay states, "Many ethnically diverse students do not find schooling exciting or inviting...Too much of what is taught has no immediate value to these students. It does not reflect who they are" (33).  Students are more likely to exhibit disruptive behavior if they are bored.  Thus, in order to monitor classroom behavior, teachers must keep students engaged by catering to individual student's interests and experiences.  For example, teachers can provide quality books that positively and accurately depict different ethnicities.  Doing this not only increases students' awareness about different cultures, but also peaks the interest of students of that ethnicity. 

Additionally, when disciplining a student, a teacher must consider cultural characteristics.  For instance, in the United States, teachers expect students to look them in the eyes when being disciplined.  Conversely, in many Asian cultures, it is disrespectful to look in an authority figure's eyes.      

Du Bois, W.E.B. (1994). The Souls of Black Folk. New York: Gramercy Books.

Gay, Geneva (2003). "The Importance of Multicultural Education." Education Leadership. 30-35.

Skiba, Michael, Nardo, and Peterson (2000). "The Color of Discipline: Sources of Racial and Gender Disproportionality  in School Punishment." The Urban Review.