Heartland Community College
Social and Business Sciences
Course Syllabus for Students
Course Prefix and Number: EDUC 135
Course Title: The Multicultural Classroom
CREDIT HOURS: 3
CONTACT HOURS: 3
LECTURE HOURS: 3
LABORATORY HOURS: 0
Days and times the course meets: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11:00 – 12:15 in ICB
2702.
Introduction: The multicultural classroom is already present in education and will
become more and more prevalent during your lifetime. Many of you did NOT attend
school in a place where diversity was a big issue. In this class we are going to touch on
very basic ideas of diversity and what they might mean to your classroom in the future.
We will look into future trends in population, special populations, and classroom
environments. After this class students should be able to at the very least understand
some basic cultural differences between students of different backgrounds and how that
translates into student learning.
Catalog Description: Prerequisite: EDUC 101. This course provides an introduction to
multiple subcultures present in the American classroom. It will include theories and
processes for understanding and working with culturally diverse groups in a classroom
setting. It will explore the symbiotic relationship between schools and their cultural
context and recent trends with regards to diversity and achievement.
Instructor Information:
Instructor name: Janice Malak
Phone number to contact instructor: 268-8584
Instructor email: janice.malak@heartland.edu
Location of instructor’s office: ICB 2111
Hours and days of instructor’s office hours: Tuesdays 10 – 11 & 12:30 –
2:00, Wednesdays from 10:30 – 12:30, Thursdays from 10 – 11, and by
appointment.
Textbook: (required)
Gollnick, D.M. & Chinn, P.C. (2009). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic
Society, Eighth Edition. Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Relationship to Academic Development Programs and Transferability:
EDUC 135 was designed to meet the specific needs of an Associate of Arts in
Teaching (AAT) degree and not necessarily as a transfer course, particularly in
relation to the Illinois Articulation Initiative. This course may transfer to various
institutions in a variety of ways. Please see an academic advisor for an explanation
concerning transfer options.
BlackBoard Supplement and PowerPoint Teaching Portfolio:
We will be using BlackBoard as a supplement for this class. You will be required to
hand in paper assignments through BlackBoard. You will be using it to discuss issues
and to journal your thoughts as we explore the various subjects in this course. All of
the assignments for this course can be found on BlackBoard as well. You may access
BlackBoard through MyHeartland. You may also look to this site for copies of the
syllabus, handouts from class, and links to useful websites for future teachers.
Additionally, students who are planning to pursue a career in education should be
collecting artifacts for their teaching portfolio. You may download a template of the
teaching portfolio for this class from any campus computer. Go into PowerPoint,
click on ‘open’. From the list of directories click on the ‘O’ drive (studyv on
‘cstudyv’). Click on the “Educ 135” folder and make sure that you have “All Power
Point presentations” in the ‘files of type’ field. Click ‘open’, the template should
come up for you. You may save this to a flash drive or other device that you have
that can save this type of file. Throughout the semester look for assignments that you
can upload into this portfolio to help you in your future job search.
Beliefs:
Education is one of the most difficult and rewarding fields of inquiry and practice in
our nation. Students of education must be open to new ideas and fresh perspectives.
In this course we will be exploring both of those. Students must also be able and
willing to talk in front of other people. Therefore, some of this course is geared
towards the students working with and talking to one another on projects and ideas
for their future classroom. Education is also a reflective practice. When you teach,
you are constantly learning new ideas and coming into contact with people of various
backgrounds. This will be incorporated into the course through the use of journaling.
Simply because a person is an educator does not mean that there is nothing new for
that person to learn. We will be fostering future educators as well as lifelong learners
in this class.
Course Objectives:
Upon completing this course, students should be able to:
Knowledge Objectives
Understands how students’ learning
is influenced by individual
experiences, talent and prior
learning, as well as language,
culture, family, and community
values.
Understands personal cultural
perspectives and biases and their
effects on one’s teaching.
HCC GE
Code
DI 2
DI 3
Understands how cultural and
gender differences can affect
communication in the classroom.
Demonstrate positive regard for the
culture, religion, gender, sexual
orientation, varying abilities of
individual students and their
families.
DI 5
Range of Assessment Methods
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Historical points of view and
contribution of culturally diverse
groups.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Impact of the dominant culture on
shaping schools and the individuals
who study and work in them.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Potential impact of differences in
values, languages, and customs that
can exist between home and school.
Variations in beliefs, traditions, and
values across and within cultures
and their effects on relationships
among individuals with exceptional
CT 1
CT 1
DI 1
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
learning needs, family, and
schooling.
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Cultural perspectives influencing
the relationships among families,
schools, and communities as related
to instruction.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Strategies for preparing individuals
to live harmoniously and
productively in a culturally diverse
world.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Ways to create learning
environments that allow individuals
to retain and appreciate their own
and each other’s respective language
and cultural heritage.
Ways specific cultures are
negatively stereotyped.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Strategies used by diverse
populations to cope with a legacy of
former and continuing racism.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Characteristics of one’s own culture
and use of language and the ways in
which these can differ from other
cultures and uses of language.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Ways of behaving and
communicating among cultures that
can lead to misinterpretation and
misunderstanding.
CO 3
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Personal cultural biases and
differences that affect one’s
teaching.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Prepare individuals to exhibit selfenhancing behavior in response to
societal attitudes and actions.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Demonstrate sensitivity for the
culture, language, religion, gender,
disability, socio-economic status,
and sexual orientation of
individuals.
DI 2
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
The competent special education teacher understands:
Knowledge Objectives
GE Code Range of Assessment Methods
variations in beliefs, traditions, and
values across cultures within society
and the effects of the relationship
among child, family, and schooling.
DI 1
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
effects of the cultural and
environmental milieu of the child and
the family on behavior and learning.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Strategies for preparing individuals
to live harmoniously and
productively in a multi-class,
multiethnic, multicultural, and
multinational world.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
how cultural and gender differences
affect communication.
Class presentations,
Class projects, Group or individual projects,
Exams/quizzes, Case studies, Reflective writing
assignments/journal,
Micro-teaching, Role playing, Multicultural portfolio
Students will have opportunities to post assignments that demonstrate the above learning
outcomes to their PowerPoint portfolio during the course of the semester.
Course/Lab Outline:
I.
Introduction to diversity & diversity in the classroom.
II.
Culture
III.
Social Class
IV.
Race & Ethnicity
V.
Gender
VI.
Religion
VII.
Language
VIII. Age
IX.
Exceptionality
X.
Characteristics of culturally responsive teaching
XI.
Education in a changing world
There is a more extensive and specific calendar at the end of the syllabus.
Method of Evaluation (Tests/Exams, Grading System):
There will be a total of 400 points available in this course. Below is a breakdown of
those points:
Quizzes: Each chapter of the textbook will have a corresponding quiz that you will take
in class. Each quiz will consist of multiple choice factual questions and one short answer
or essay question that will require you to use your critical thinking skills. Each quiz will
be worth 10 points for a total of 100 points across the semester.
Reflective Journal: This assignment will be completed in BlackBoard. There will be
more extensive instructions posted there. You will be required to write 1 ½ - 2 pages for
each topic presented (there will be 10 total topics). In this journal you will be expected to
reflect honestly on how you feel about the different groups that we will encounter over
the semester and also discuss what you have learned about those groups. If you are not
sure that your writing will cover up to two pages, I would suggest writing it in Word first
and then pasting it into your own journal spot on the BlackBoard site. We will discuss
this more in-depth the first day of class. You may be called on in class to share some of
what you have written, but you will not be required to do so. Since this class is to be a
learning experience, it may be beneficial to discuss our held stereotypes, where they
came from, and what they mean for our teaching. The total journal is worth 100 points
(10 points per topic). You will NOT be graded on your honest reflections; you will be
graded on what you have learned about yourself and how you think that will affect you in
your profession.
Portfolio Assignments: Each student will complete four assignments that can be
uploaded into their portfolio during the semester. There will be six separate assignments
that students will be able to pick from to complete this component. There is no extra
credit for students who wish to complete all six assignments. Each assignment will be
handed out separately and you will receive more information on them as the time comes.
Each portfolio assignment is worth 25 points for a total of 100 points this semester.
You may read through all of these assignments on BlackBoard. They are all available to
you starting at the beginning of the semester so you can plan accordingly.
Lesson Plan and Presentation: The summative assignment for this semester is for each
student to complete a lesson plan and present it to the class the weeks of April 25th and
May 2nd. We will draw presentation dates as we get closer to the end of the semester.
Once we finish the introductory work for this class, you will receive a separate
assignment sheet with the specifics for this assignment and it will also be available on
BlackBoard. This assignment is in place of a final exam for the course and will be
worth 100 points.
Attendance: You will not receive points for attending class, but since you are future
educators who have previously signed agreements to attend your education class, it is
assumed that you will be here each and every class period. You will be docked two
points per absence for each class period missed. Otherwise the standard policy on
attendance is that students are expected to attend all classes and participate meaningfully
in the activities each class day.
Incompletes: Allowed only under the most extreme circumstances. Students wishing to
have an incomplete grade must see the instructor.
Extra Credit: None.
Make-up of quizzes and assignments:
Quizzes will be given in class and since each student is expected to be in class at all
times, making up quizzes is not allowed.
Additionally, late work is not accepted. Students are not allowed to hand in
assignments late for credit. Any work done on BlackBoard will have strict deadlines and
you will not be able to submit work late.
Grade Scale: Letter grades will be assigned according to the following grade scale:
360 points - 400 = A
320 - 359 = B
280 - 319 = C
240 – 279 = D
239 or less = F
Student Conduct/Class Rules:
1. THIS CLASS REQUIRES YOU TO BE ENGAGED IN WHAT IS
HAPPENED IN THE CLASSROOM. THEREFORE, ALL
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT THAT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR
LEARNING OR RECORDING NOTES WILL BE TURNED OFF AND
PUT AWAY DURING CLASSTIME. THIS INCLUDES CELL
PHONES, MP3 PLAYERS AND PAGERS. TURN OFF AND PUT
AWAY ALL ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT BEFORE CLASS STARTS.
2. Do not interrupt other students while they are making a point or asking a
question.
3. Do not attempt to carry on a conversation with another student while in class.
idle chit chat is disruptive to the instructor and other students in the class. If
this behavior occurs, the students engaged in talking may be asked to leave the
class.
4. Athletes who must have the instructor fill out grade forms for them during the
semester, MUST come to instructor’s office either during office hours or by
making an appointment to receive their current grade.
Failure to follow the class rules will result in disciplinary action.
Syllabus disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to make alterations to this
syllabus as necessary.
Course Calendar:
Week
Topic
Readings & Assignments
1 (Jan. 10 &12)
Syllabus & Introductions
Teacher “In Service”
Syllabus
Work in class
First journal entry (complete
after “In Service”)
2&3
(January 18, 20, 25, & 27)
Foundations
Chapter 1
First quiz
Journal entry
3&4
(Overlaps January 27, also
February 1 & 3)
Ethnicity & Race
Chapter 2
Quiz
*Portfolio assignment
Journal entry
Week
Topic
Readings & Assignments
4&5
(Overlaps February 3,
also February 8 & 10)
Social Class
Chapter 3
Quiz
*Portfolio assignment
Journal entry
6 (February 15 & 17)
Gender
Chapter 4
Quiz
*Portfolio assignment
Journal entry
7&8
(February 22, 24,
March 1 & 3)
Exceptionality
Chapter 5
Quiz
*Portfolio assignment
Journal entry
9 (March 15 & 17)
Language
Chapter 6
Quiz
*Portfolio assignment
Journal entry
10 & 11
(March 22, 24, 29 & 31)
Religion
Chapter 7
Quiz
*Portfolio assignment
Journal entry
12 (April 5 & 7)
Geography
Chapter 8
Quiz
Journal entry
13 (April 12 & 14)
Age
Chapter 9
Quiz
Journal entry
14 (April 19 & 21)
Multicultural Education
Chapter 10
Journal Entry
15 & 16
(April 26 & 28, May 3
and final exam period)
Lesson plan presentations
You will draw your specific date in class.
(* - You are required to complete four portfolio assignments throughout the semester. You may
choose any four from the six listed options.)