MTEL Cultural Competency & Diversity 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which term describes the process by which members of a minority group adopt the culture, values, and behaviors of the dominant culture?
- Multiculturalism
- Assimilation (Correct answer)
- Acculturation
- Cultural pluralism
Correct answer: Assimilation
Assimilation refers to the process by which a minority group increasingly adopts the cultural norms of the dominant group, often at the expense of their original culture.
Assimilation is distinguished from acculturation (adopting elements of another culture while retaining one own) and cultural pluralism (maintaining distinct cultures within a larger society). Contemporary multicultural education frameworks affirm students cultural identities while supporting their participation in mainstream academic culture.
Question 2: What does culturally sustaining pedagogy mean?
- Teaching students only about their own cultural backgrounds
- Pedagogical approaches that actively sustain students cultural and linguistic identities while meeting academic standards (Correct answer)
- Using only culturally neutral materials to avoid bias
- Separating students by cultural background for more targeted instruction
Correct answer: Pedagogical approaches that actively sustain students cultural and linguistic identities while meeting academic standards
Culturally sustaining pedagogy, developed by Django Paris, goes beyond relevance to actively perpetuate students cultural and linguistic practices in the classroom.
Django Paris extended Gloria Ladson-Billings culturally relevant pedagogy by arguing that instruction should actively sustain and revitalize cultural practices: honoring linguistic diversity, incorporating community knowledge, and critically examining power structures. For Massachusetts educators working with diverse populations, culturally sustaining pedagogy is an important framework for equitable teaching.
Question 3: A teacher notices that English Language Learner students rarely participate in whole-class discussions. What is the most culturally responsive first step?
- Call on ELL students more frequently to force participation
- Lower academic expectations for ELL students
- Provide structured opportunities like think-pair-share before whole-group discussion (Correct answer)
- Separate ELL students into a different group for discussion activities
Correct answer: Provide structured opportunities like think-pair-share before whole-group discussion
Think-pair-share gives ELL students low-risk opportunities to rehearse ideas with a partner before sharing publicly, reducing language anxiety and increasing participation.
Think-pair-share and other structured discourse protocols are evidence-based strategies for increasing participation of ELL students. These scaffolds allow students to rehearse language and ideas before the higher-stakes whole-group setting. Culturally responsive teaching designs inclusive participation structures that recognize cultural variation in participation norms.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of stereotype threat in an educational context?
- A student physically threatens a classmate based on stereotypes
- A student performs worse on a test because of anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype about their group (Correct answer)
- A teacher uses stereotyped examples in instruction
- A student refuses to participate due to cultural discomfort with competition
Correct answer: A student performs worse on a test because of anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype about their group
Stereotype threat, identified by Claude Steele, occurs when individuals underperform due to anxiety about confirming negative stereotypes associated with their social group.
Claude Steele research demonstrated that simply reminding students of a group membership linked to negative academic stereotypes before a test can impair performance. Teachers can mitigate stereotype threat by affirming students identities, emphasizing growth mindset, and removing cues that trigger stereotype awareness. The MTEL tests this concept as it relates to creating equitable learning environments.
Question 5: What is the key principle of funds of knowledge in multicultural education?
- Students from wealthy families have academic advantages that must be compensated for
- Students from diverse backgrounds bring rich knowledge from their homes and communities that teachers should incorporate into instruction (Correct answer)
- Teachers should fund after-school programs for underserved students
- Students financial literacy should be built into all subject areas
Correct answer: Students from diverse backgrounds bring rich knowledge from their homes and communities that teachers should incorporate into instruction
The funds of knowledge framework (Moll et al.) recognizes that all families possess extensive knowledge, skills, and cultural practices that are valuable instructional resources.
Luis Moll and colleagues developed the funds of knowledge concept through research with Mexican-American families, finding that households contain rich bodies of knowledge that schools typically ignore or devalue. Incorporating students funds of knowledge makes instruction more relevant, builds on their strengths, and communicates respect for their cultural backgrounds.
Question 6: Which approach best reflects a commitment to equity (as opposed to equality) in education?
- All students receive identical instruction and materials
- Resources and supports are distributed based on each student individual needs (Correct answer)
- All students are tested using the same assessment regardless of their background
- All students receive the same amount of teacher attention during class
Correct answer: Resources and supports are distributed based on each student individual needs
Equity means providing differentiated resources and supports based on individual student needs, recognizing that students start from different places and need different levels of support.
Equality means giving everyone the same resources, while equity means providing what each person needs to succeed. An equitable system provides additional resources and targeted supports to students with greater needs. Massachusetts education policy and the MTEL framework strongly emphasize equity over simple equality in addressing achievement gaps.
MTEL Cultural Competency & Diversity 2
Which term describes the process by which members of a minority group adopt the culture, values, and behaviors of the dominant culture?