Multicultural education is an important aspect in all areas of K-12 and post-secondary schooling. This means creating curricula that not only acknowledge marginalized groups, but that demonstrates anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-queerphobic values (Nieto and Bode, 2012, pp. 43-46). By providing consistent affirmative messages across the curriculum about respect and toleration, schools and districts can effectively cultivate students who are prepared to be confident, successful, and socially conscious (ibid. pp. 48-50).
Nevertheless, there are limited resources available for STEM teachers who want to make multicultural education an important part of their teaching practice. While organizations like Edutopia and Teaching Tolerance provide excellent resources for multicultural education, these are primarily designed teachers in Language Arts and Social Studies. This may be due to the widespread perception that those classes are the appropriate venues for conversations about values, while STEM classes should be reserved for facts only. But this is a mistake - STEM courses play a crucial role in the values that children and adolescents develop even (and especially) when teachers act like they don't. In order to help STEM teachers better address issues like racism, sexism, and institutional bias in their classrooms, I have gathered a variety of resources from the internet together on this website. The site includes lesson plans, handouts, slides, ideas for original content, and posters and classroom decorations. I have also included a selection of articles about multicultural education in STEM for teachers who are still unsure about how the two fit together. One observation I have made during this project is just that although existing resources are few in number, there is significant demand among teachers and students at all levels of education for more. For each published lesson plan there are ten blog entries, think pieces, or journal articles about the paucity of multicultural education resources for STEM teachers. This represents a significant opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Any teachers with existing resources should not hesitate to share what they know, because there is a very hungry audience waiting. Nieto, S and Patty Bode. (2012). Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education, 6th Edition. Ch. 6. Boston, MA. Pearson. |