Teaching in Support of Student Success

Multicultural Teaching and Learning

Conclusion
Your journey through the Multicultural Teaching and Learning module has reached its conclusion, but your own path of multicultural course transformation still stretches before you. Having explored many of the issues surrounding multicultural education and reflected on your own instructional practice, you have probably already asked yourself, "what's my next step?" Our invitation is for you to continue your multicultural efforts by planning to implement two or three new strategies by the start of next academic term.

In addition to recognizing that multicultural teaching and learning is a process requiring a long-term perspective, three continuous behaviors are characteristic of multicultural education:

  1. Reflection - take time to reflect on your own teaching practice, assumptions, and biases. How does your teaching reflect your own personal values? What impact might your teaching practice have on students?
  2. Discussion - don't hesitate to talk about your teaching with students and professional colleagues. Though it requires a great deal of academic humility, an honest discussion with others in your learning communities provides important and multiple perspectives on your teaching.
  3. Action - even if you only implement a couple of new practices each term, those changes can make a difference in the effectiveness of your teaching and, cumulatively, they become the basis of your own multicultural course transformation. 

Multicultural teaching and learning is both challenging and rewarding. Most of all, it is necessary if we are committed to the principle of meaningful and equitable education for all. We are pleased to be your fellow travelers on this journey.