Culminating Experience Essays / Case Study Project for Students in Master’s of Education
(M Ed.)
Program in Curriculum and Instruction with an Emphasis Concentration in Multicultural
Education
Multicultural Education Content Area Committee
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
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Culminating Experience Essays & Case Study Project
Content for the three Essays & Case Study Project:
Students will write three essays & a case study project according to the schedule set up by the
department in each semester. The first essay will be written at the beginning, second essay midway and
third essay & case study at the end of their Masters program of study. The three essays & case study
project should draw on the following course work in their program as well as on their own personal
practice knowledge and teaching practice (phenomenological approach to MCE):
Master of Science (M.S.) in Curriculum & Instruction (37 semester hours)
Emphasis in Multicultural Education (K-12)
I. Core (9 semester hours)
Research (select two: 6 semester hours)
EPY 702 Research Methods
(MUST be completed before enrollment in other research courses)
EPY 703Teachers as Producers and Consumers of Educational Research
EPY 705Teachers as Action Researcher
Foundations (select one: 3 semester hours)
EPY 711Human Growth and Development
EPY 712Foundations of Learning and Cognition
EPY 726History of Education in the United States
EPY 727Social Foundations of Education
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II. Multicultural Education Emphasis (21 semester hours)
Multicultural Education (12 semester hours)
Required
CIG 750 Multicultural Education
Select three: 9 semester hours
CIG 751 Topics in Multicultural Education (limited to 3 semester hours)
CIG 752 Theory and Research in Multicultural Education
CIL 728 Literacy Issues for a Diverse Society
CIL 741 Multicultural Literature and Materials
Teaching English as a Second Language (9 semester hours)
Required
CIL 751 Methods and Materials for TESL
Select two: 6 semester hours
CIL 752 TESL Curriculum
CIL 753 Theories of Second Language Acquisition
CIL 754 TESL Assessment
CIL 755 Linguistic Theory TESL
Expectations for the Essays & Case Study Project
The culminating experience Essays & Case Study Project and the evaluation rubric are consistent with
the following propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS):
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Proposition #1: teachers are committed to students and their learning
Proposition #2: teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
Proposition #3: teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning
Proposition #4: teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience
Proposition #5: teachers are members of learning communities
Format for the three essays:
The essays should be written using APA style. The first two essays should be about 10-15 pages, third
essay should be 20 -25 pages excluding cover, abstract, diagrams, figures, references, and appendix pages
and should include the following sections:
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Cover page should include the following information in this order:
 Name of the Student
 Student Number
 Email
 Telephone Number
 Emphasis concentration Area(s)
 Date of Submission
 Advisor
Abstract page for each essay (less than 150 words) that includes:
 Purpose of the essay
 Major content of the essay
 Brief conclusion
Brief outline of the Case Study Project that includes:
Reference pages
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List all your references according to APA style
At least 20 references are used throughout the essays/papers
At least 5 references are used from the bibliography attached below
Process for the paper writing:
Students who plan to take the culminating experience need to enroll in the appropriate CIG 715 for 1
semester hour during the semester in which they plan to graduate. As students start their one credit hour
seminar, CIG 715, they should meet with their advisor to discuss the issues relevant to their curricular
theme and ultimately determine content area(s) for their question as well as the contexts of school, grade
level, students in which their papers are situated.
The essay from each student should be submitted to the advisor no later than the C&I Department’s
posted deadlines: November 1, April 1 or July 1. Two copies of the paper should be submitted to the
advisor. Alternatively, the paper may be submitted electronically to the advisor.
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CIG 715 Curriculum and Instruction Culminating Experience: Multicultural Education
Rationale
The education of students with diverse learning and cultural characteristics is an area of intense
attention in research and policy. The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation focuses on
assessment of “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) for all children, including subpopulations of students
identified by gender, English language proficiency, race, and disability. Schools are searching for
instructional practices and qualified personnel who will enable children who have traditionally been the
lowest achievers to experience high rates of academic success.
The Culminating Experience (CE) offers K-12 teachers an opportunity to focus and reflect on varied
teaching methods and resources to serve the diverse learners who comprise today’s classrooms. This
Culminating Experience allows teachers to enhance their pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions
through reflecting on subject matter in a manner that accounts for varied student backgrounds.
Educators must address a variety of learner differences, with special attention to learner characteristics
as they might relate to gender, language, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and exceptionality.
Culminating Experience Goals
• To prepare professional educators to be more effective in working with students from
Diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, with sensitivity to gender
and exceptionality.
• To allow program participants to apply their knowledge of diverse learners by focusing
on one or two content areas
• To prepare educators who possess a love of learning, value democracy and
Multiculturalism, develops strong and evolving funds of knowledge, and engages in reflective practice.
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Purpose of Essays & Case Study Project
The purpose of the culmination experience is to have students reflect and demonstrate their awareness,
knowledge skills and disposition of Multicultural Culture Education (MCE) through three electronic
reflective essays and a Case Study Project.
The first two electronic essays should be a minimum of ten (10-15) pages.
The third essay should be a minimum of twenty (20 -25) pages.
The first essay in cooperation with the advisor should define levels of reflection and awareness/
dispositions related to MCE as you begin your Master Degree.
By beginning with personal theories, multicultural education moved away from an objectivist to a
phenomenological process, that is we move away from the perspective that multicultural theory is
comprise of a body of knowledge apart from teacher’s lived experiences.
By endorsing a phenomenological approach to MCE, we align two frameworks:
1) Personal practical knowledge,
2) Knowledge construction.
These two complementary frameworks supports our belief that teachers are active agents in
construction of their professional knowledge about teaching and meaningful learning occurs when
teachers are actively engage in inquiry, action and continuous reflection.
The second essay should focus on what reflection is in your classroom practice (Content Pedagogical
Knowledge & Skills) and how you have gained a deeper understanding of reflective practice in your
professional experience. The student and advisor will agree on benchmarks for this midpoint.
3). The third summative essay is a reflection on the UNLV experiences noting how your (Knowledge,
Skills & Dispositions) MCE professional theory and practice along with your Pedagogical and Professional
Standard knowledge will provide equal access and opportunity for all diverse students to succeed and
how the multicultural movement frame the following four (4) central curriculum questions related to
question five (5) Case Study Approach/Project.
1. What purposes should the curriculum serve?
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2. How should knowledge be selected, who decides what is most worth teaching and learning and what
is the relationship between those in the classroom and the knowledge selection process?
3. What is the nature of students and the learning process and how does it suggest organizing learning
experiences and relationships?
4. How should curriculum be evaluated? How should learning be evaluated? To whom is curriculum
evaluation accountable?
5. Construct/ design a Case Study Project with the following components/concepts:
CASE STUDY PROJECT FORMAT
F:\CASE STUDY\Case Studies.mht
1. Identify Problem (s)
Introduction
Identified problem (s) related to a national, regional or local school diversity
issue. Provide evidence of professional practice & research about the issue.
Provide a description of the students for whom you are developing the Case
Study (grade level, needs, ethnicity, and other demographic characteristics).
Identify Bank’s five Dimension of MCE & Goals of MCE Addressed / Teaching
Standard (s) you will address in the Case Study Project.
Provide a definition of MCE and note the seven characteristics.
2. Perspectives Regarding
Cite each student, group & institutions affected by the academic incidents
including victims.
Problem (s)
Cite information about the context (content emphasis concentration area(s),
school information, cultural perspective, curricular and instructional goals and
objective).
3. Challenges & Opportunities
Cite individual and institutional challenges, barriers & constraints to addressing
the situation.
4. Teaching Strategies
Identify & discuss four or more culturally relevant teaching strategies used
throughout the Case Study Project and rationale for the strategies.
List theoretical approaches of curriculum development used, and rationale for
identifying the model. i.e. culturally responsive teaching, Grant & Sleeter five (5)
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approaches to teaching diverse student.
How you are meeting the specific needs of students particularly in diverse
settings, society, and subject matter.
5. Expected Outcomes/Implication for
Teaching and Learning
Name the outcomes as a result of the strategies or solutions identified.
6. Assessment
Elaborate on approaches to formative and summative assessment of student
learning.
Provide a discussion about what you learned about students, curriculum,
instruction, management, and yourself as a teacher.
7. Media Use
Identify use of graphics, sound video, internet resources & technology you will
used.
8. Recommendations
Recommendations should be based on your knowledge, skills and disposition or
your phenomenological approach to MCE.
9. Citations and Web Resources
Cite twelve (12) or more references four (4) references can be website
references. APA
All reflective essays must be written in 12-point font, double-spaced with citations and bibliography
recorded in American Psychological Association (APA) format.
Scoring will be based on the department’s “Culminating Experience Instrument”.
Students will enroll in CIG 715 and will continuously meet with instructor for feedback
Final essay or project will be submitted to the MCE faculty for scoring.
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Evaluation of the essays/papers:
Once the Essays and Case Study Project (CSP) are submitted, a minimum of one faculty member in the
Department of Curriculum and Instruction will review the student’s work. For essays CSP with
questionable or marginal merit, at least two additional faculty will review the essays/papers. Academic
faculty will read and rate the essays/paper according to the following rubric.
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STANDARDS
LEVELS
Theory
into
Practice
Professional
Philosophy
Conduct
and/or
Evaluate
Research
Content and
Pedagogical
Knowledge
Professional
Standard
Knowledge
Presentation
and Format
Distinguished
(3)
Proficient (2)
Marginal (1)
Unacceptable
(0)
Faculty reviewers will complete the cells of the Culminating Experience Scoring Rubric with language
specific to the project required of students in that area independently. The following list of descriptors is
intended to help each group consistently distinguish among the performance levels so that as a department
we have comparable rigor.
DISTINGUISHED (3)
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exceeds expectations
multiple layers of connected and convincing evidence
exceptional performance
communicates distinctively and authoritatively
proposes original and creative solutions
PROFICIENT (2)
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meets expectations
multiple sources of clear evidence
satisfactory performance
communicates accurately
presents a clear and convincing argument
MARGINAL (1)
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meets minimum expectations
provides some evidence
limited performance
demonstrates limited ability to communicate ideas in writing
presents partial or faulty argument
UNACCEPTABLE (0)
•
does not meet expectations
•
provides little or no evidence
•
insufficient or incomplete performance
•
exhibits numerous errors in writing that disrupt meaning
•
presents unsupported, incoherent argument
Total Score:
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S (Satisfactory) or PASS: Total score > 12 with no score = 0.
NO PASS TO PASS: Total score > 8 and < 12 for NO PASS.
Revise and resubmit on or before the Friday of the last week in instruction.
Total score > 12 with no score = 0 for PASS; total score < 12 for FAIL.
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FAIL: Total score < 8 FAIL.
Students must receive an S (Satisfactory) or Pass on the culminating experience. Those who pass the
culminating experience will receive a mailed copy of the final culminating experience form for advanced
degree from the C&I graduate studies office.
If a student receives a No Pass to Pass for the culminating experience paper, he or she will have an oral
defense or revise and resubmit the whole paper on or before the Friday of the last week in instruction.
Total score must be score > 12 with no score = 0 for PASS after oral defense or revision of his or her
paper.
When a student receive a No Pass grade for the culminating experience essays/ papers, he or she must
retake the entire culminating experience in the following semester by following all the process described
above. The advisor will decide on the content of the question.
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If requested, the Graduate Coordinator and/or the Department Chairperson will be available to meet with
the student and advisor. Subject Content Area faculty may also be asked to meet with the student and
advisor. If the student fails a second time, requests for a third chance will not be permitted by the
Graduate College.
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REFERENCES
Banks, J., Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies 5th Edition Allyn and Bacon, 1997. Banks, J.,
"Multicultural Education, Development, Dimensions and Challenges", PDK, September 1993, p.
22.
Banks, J., "The Canon Debate, Knowledge Construction and Multicultural Education.
Banks, J., & Banks, C., HANDBOOK OF RESEARCH ON MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION MCMILLLAN,
2004 Second Edition
Billings-Ladson, Gloria, The Dreamkeepers, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, 1994.
Bush, M. E. L. (2005). Breaking the code of good intentions: Everyday forms of
whiteness. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Delpit, Lisa Other People's Children’, New York Press, 1995
Giroux, H. A. (1996). Living dangerously: Multiculturalism and the politics of difference.
NY: Peter Lang
Grant, Carl Educating for Diversity. Allyn & Bacon, Boston, 1995
Hacker, A., Two Nations Black and White Separate Hostile, Unequal. New York, Macmillan
Publishing Company, 1992.
Hooks, b. (2003). Teaching community: pedagogy of hope. NY: Routledge.
Howard, G.R, "Whites in Multicultural Education, Rethinking Our Role", PDK, September
1991 p.36.
King, Edith, Chipman, M.,Janzen, M,. Educating Young Children in a Diverse Society. Boston City,
Allyn & Bacon, 1994.
Kozol, J., Savage Inequalities. New York, Crown Publishers, Inc. 1991
Lee, Enid, Menkert, D., Rey, Margo (2006) Beyond Heroes and Holidays; a Practical
Guide to K-12 Anti-Racist Multicultural Education and Staff Development, Teaching for
Change Publisher
http://teachingforchange.org/publications/beyond_heroes___holidays.html
http://tilde.mhedu.com/catalog/0073545864.mhtml
Nieto, S., Bode, Patty (2008) Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural
Education (5th edition.). White Plains, NY: Longman Publishers.
http://www.ablongman.com/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,0205529828,00.html
Nieto, S. (1999). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. NY:
Teachers College Press.
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Nieto, S. (2003). What keeps teachers going? NY: Teachers College Press.
Powell, Zehm, & Garcia. Field Experience: Strategies for Exploring Diversity, First Edition:
Merrill, 1996
Rodriquez, N. M., Villaverde, L. E. (Eds.) (2000). Dismantling white privilege: Pedagogy,
politics, and whiteness. NY: Peter Lang.
Sacks, P. (2007). Tearing down the gates: Confronting the class divide in American
education. U. of California Press.
Schultz, F., Annual Edition Multicultural Education: 06/07 (Thirteenth Edition). Sluice Dock,
Guilford, C.T: Dushkin Publishing Group, Brown & Benchmark Publisher
Sleeter, C.E. & Grant, C.A. 2009. Making Choices for Multicultural Education: Five Approaches
to Race, Class and Gender, 6th ed. Wiley.
Grant, C.A. & Sleeter, C.E. 2009. Turning on Learning, 5th ed. New York: Wiley.
Sleeter, C. E., Ed. 2007. Facing Accountability in Education: Democracy and Equity at Risk.
Teachers College Press.
Grant, C. A, & Sleeter, C. E. 2007. Doing Multicultural Education for Achievement and Equity.
Routledge.
Sleeter, C. E. 2005. Un-Standardizing Curriculum: Multicultural teaching in Standards-Based
Classrooms. Teachers College Press.
Sleeter, C. E. 2001. Culture, Difference and Power, Teachers College Press.
Sleeter, C. E. 1996. Multicultural Education as Social Activism. SUNY Press.
Sleeter, C.E. & McLaren, P., Eds. 1995. Multicultural Education and Critical Pedagogy: The
Politics of Difference. SUNY Press.
Grant, C. A. & Sleeter, C. E. 1996. After the School Bell Rings, 2nd ed. Falmer Press.
Larkin, J. & Sleeter, C. E., Eds. 1995. Developing Multicultural Teacher Education Curricula.
SUNY Press.
Sleeter, C. E. 1992. Keepers of the American Dream: Multicultural Education and Staff
Development. Falmer Press
Sleeter, Christine, Keepers of The American Dream ' A Study of Staff Development and
Multicultural Education. The Farmer Press, 1992
Sleeter, C. E. (1996). Multicultural education as social activism. Albany, NY: State
University of New York Press.
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Sleeter, C. E., & McLaren, P. L. (1995). Critical pedagogy, and the politics of difference.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
West, C., Race Matters, Boston: Beacon Press, 1993..
Available from the publisher at:
http://www.mypearsonstore.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=0205529828
You may also purchase the text through other bookstores and online booksellers.
The textbook features a companion website that we will use at:
http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_nieto_diversity_5/
New Horizons for Learning
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/front_multicultural.htm
This site offers many links to on-line articles on theory and practice
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/biblio_multicultural.htm
A bibliography of many publications about equitable pedagogy
Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE)
http://crede.berkeley.edu/research/tier/intro2_4.html
Bibliography On Leadership and Interethnic Relations (Dated from 1998, the site lists
older works from the history of the field)
Gay. G. “A synthesis of scholarship in Multicultural Education.”
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le0gay.htm
The Multicultural Pavilion Teacher's Corner
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/external/mpteachcor
Teaching Diverse Learners (Brown University site)
http://www.lab.brown.edu/tdl/
New Horizons for Learning
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http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/front_multicultural.htm
This site offers many links to on-line articles on theory and practice
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/biblio_multicultural.htm
A bibliography of many publications about equitable pedagogy
Students are encourage to access article and website related to Multicultural Education.
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