What is Multicultural/Diverse Perspective Instruction?
The United States is becoming an increasingly pluralistic country. The traditional numerics of “majority” and “minority” are rapidly changing (Hodgkinson, 1985). Many educators, sensitive to the needs of students who must be able to function emotionally and academically in our pluralistic society, recognize the need to expose students to instruction based on multicultural/diverse perspectives – that is to say, instruction that is not limited to an Anglo-American perspective (Duff & Tongchinsub, 1990). According to Banks (1990), multicultural/diverse perspective instruction is comprised of three different and important dimensions. The three dimensions are related to content integration, knowledge construction, and an equity pedagogy.
