Cultural Diversity, Conceptual Pedagogy, and Educating Students for Their Futures

Abstract

This chapter focuses on cultural diversity, its conflicts, and its possibilities. Cultural diversity is the bringing together of individuals with different cultures. Immigrants bring cultural diversity to our country, communities, and classrooms. Conflicts are created in our country, communities and classrooms with the presence of cultural diversity. On the other hand, cultural diversity can boost the creative and innovative energy of a country, rejuvenate a lackluster community, and enable world-class education in the classroom. Young people are the future of our country and communities and minimizing the conflicts and promoting the possibilities that come with cultural diversity will not happen by itself. These young people must be educated for their future in a global community dominated by cultural diversity. Multicultural education provides what students need to be successful in the future. Preparing students for this future requires an education that is culturally sensitive and what might this culturally sensitive education look like and how might it be delivered? The knowledge and skills students need to successfully interact with diverse populations are the “what” and the practical experiences students receive by interaction and collaboration are the “how” multicultural education might be delivered. The what and the how of multicultural education are discussed in more detail in this chapter, but it is worthwhile to mention that the delivery mechanism for this multicultural education is the conceptual pedagogy in visual arts through project-based activities. Cultural diversity can be present in schools, but multicultural education is not promoted because of the lack of support from the community and the archaic systems and structures of the education enterprise can be a barrier to promoting multicultural education as well. The rationale for developing the pedagogical approach is not only to promote multicultural education directly but to encourage the community, as a stakeholder, to buy into the idea of multicultural education and to reimage the education enterprise systems making them responsive to the advancement of various tenets of multicultural education. If this pedagogical approach and strategy are successful, students will receive a multicultural education that enable them to be successful in the global community.