ST.

FRANCIS XAVIER COLLEGE

San Francisco Agusan del Sur

Changes in Our Culture: Boon or Bane?

Every community has its own significant culture. It may vary from the customs it
has, its beliefs and even the standards. A group of people with shared visions and
perceptions, forming a culture with its own written and unwritten rules for behaviour.
Families, workplaces and communities had its own culture that gives a great impact
upon our behaviour as individuals.

We must adapt the set of standards from each cultural environment. Our
behavioural patterns change dramatically from one culture context to another.
Changes in culture that are initiated by a group need cultural support of members of
the group or else they will not long last. A supportive cultural environment is needed
for lasting change. There are two types of cultural changes, the multiculturalism and
the other one is the subculture.

According to Harrison (1984), multiculturalism is a theory about foundations of a

culture rather than a practice which subsumes cultural ideas; a systematic and
comprehensive response to cultural and ethnic diversity, with educational, linguistic,
economic and social components and specific institutional mechanism.

Multiculturalism is the co-existence of diverse cultures, where culture includes

racial, religious, or cultural groups and is manifested in customary behaviours,
cultural assumptions and values, patterns of thinking, and communicative styles.
(https://www.ifla.org/publications/defining-multiculturalism).

There are three interrelated but nevertheless distinctive referents of

multiculturalism, the demographic-descriptive, ideological-normative and
programmatic-political usage of multiculturalism. In dealing with this theory, we must
have to be educated in order to perfectly manage it; a multicultural education.

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 Since its earliest conceptualizations in the 1960’s, multicultural education has
been transformed, refocused, reconceptualised, and in a constant state of evolution
both in theory and in practice. Some discuss it as a shift in curriculum others talk
about classroom climate issues or teaching styles and still others are focusing on
institutional and systematic issues. Some go farther still, insisting on education
change as a part of a larger societal transformation and how education serves to
maintain the status quo foundations such as capitalism, global socio-economic
situations and exploitation.

According to James Banks (2001), he defined multicultural education as a field of

study and an emerging discipline whose major aim is to create equal educational
opportunities from diverse racial, ethnic, social class and cultural groups. Its primary
goal is to transform the school so that male and female students, exceptional students,
and students from diverse cultural, social class, racial and ethnic groups experience an
equal opportunity to learn. Its key of assumption is that the students are more likely to
achieve when the total classroom climate is more consistent with their diverse culture
and learning styles.

Multicultural education refers to any form of education or teaching that

incorporates the histories, texts, values, beliefs, and perspectives of people from
different cultural backgrounds. At the classroom level, for example, teachers may
modify or incorporate lessons to reflect the cultural diversity of the students in a
particular class. In many cases, “culture” is defined in the broadest possible sense,
encompassing race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, class, gender, sexual
orientation, and “exceptionality”—a term applied to students with specialized needs
or disabilities (https://www.edglossary.org/multicultural-education/).

One of its crucial goals is to help students to acquire knowledge, attitudes, and
skills needed to function effectively in pluralistic democratic society and to interact,
negotiate, and communicate with peoples from diverse groups in order to create a
civic and moral community that works for a common good. Another is to help
students acquire the knowledge and commitments needed to make reflective decisions
and to take personal, social, and civic action to promote democracy and democratic
living. Opportunities for action help students to develop a sense of personal and civic

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efficacy, faith in their stability to make changes in the institutions in which they live,
and situations to apply the knowledge they have learned. (Banks,1996)

A related goal of multicultural education is to help all students develop more

positive attitudes toward different racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious groups. To
achieve this goal is to transform the curriculum by integrating these groups.
According to James Banks, there are four approaches to use in order to accomplish
this goal. He levelled it from 1-4 namely, Contribution Approach (Level 1), Additive
Approach (Level 2), Transformation Approach (Level 3) and lastly, Social Action
Approach (Level 4). With these multicultural curricular curriculum, students learn all
about their own self and also to other peers as they learn about various cultures;
studying their behaviour, attitudes, values and beliefs. Therefore, teachers must be
aware to the necessities of her/his multicultural students (Rogoff, 1990).

According to Banks (1997), multicultural education have five dimensions namely,

Content Integration, Knowledge Construction Process, Prejudice Reduction, Equity
Pedagogy and Empowering Social Culture and Social Structure. Teachers and
administrators must attend to each dimension in order to implement multicultural
education effectively.

When teaching concept and skills, teachers should use subject matter from
different groups so that it can help the learners to understand how schemas in various
disciplines is build, aiding learners to develop positive intergroup attitudes and
behaviours. In order that students from different groups of society will experience
equal educational opportunities, teachers must change their teaching strategies
(http://depts.washington.edu.center/view.html).

On the other hand, we have seen people develop cultures to provide a structured
framework of rules for their behaviour. In turn, people’s behaviour is influenced by
their cultural background (socialization) and setting (their personal experiences in
society). People do not just form culture, however, they also form smaller groups
within society which is called subcultures. Sociologists define subculture as cultural
patterns that set apart some segment of a society’s population. Subculture cab be

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based on age, ethnicity, residence, sexual preference, occupation, and many factors.
(http://www.sociologycentral.com/text/culture.comp.htm)
A subculture is a group of people within a larger culture, such as a country, who
have something in common. They might share religious or political beliefs or be
science fiction fans, for example (https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/subculture).

A subcultural group can develop around any number of social activities (family,
work, education, religion, geographic region, and so forth). To exist, people must
identify with the subcultural group. They must also have opportunities for
communicating with one another, both directly; a face-to-face contact and indirectly
or through mass media. With the process of interacting with one another, members of
subcultures not only identify with their own groups but they also identify with the
dominant culture; the culture whose members tact power and influence but not
necessarily the numbered majority. In addition, culture and subcultures although
varied are not self-contained units in the society; on the contrary, there is a continuous
flow of influences from culture to subculture and vice-versa.

Tensions sometimes develop between members of the dominant culture and one
or more subcultures, especially those that directly oppose dominant norms and values.
Members of the dominant group usually termed this subculture as deviant. (Calhoun,
et. al. 1994). Sometimes subcultures develop that are not just distinct dominant
culture, but that are oriented toward challenging that culture or deliberately trying to
change it. Sociologists call them countercultures (Farley, 1990).

Subcultures perform specific functions such as; Permitting specialized activity,

identity in mass society and cultural adaptation and change. As our nation continues
to change, teachers as well as the students interact with others from quite different
background from their own in the classroom. It is important to remember that
different is not “deficient”. Learners from varieties of cultures are collaborating with
each other peers, demands innovative strategies on the part of parents, teachers and
administrators, thus, presenting parents and educators with genuine opportunities for
more learning beyond cultures. To be an effective teacher needs to be acceptable and
should value their students as human beings. If the teacher understands about the

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student’s cultures, she could develop and create a learning environment that meets the
emotional needs of different cultural groups.

Term Used (Unlocking of Difficulties)

 Multiculturalism – is a policy that emphasizes the unique characteristics of

different cultures, especially as they relate to one another in receiving nations.
 Demographic-descriptive – usage occurs where the word multicultural refers
to the existence of linguistically, culturally, and ethnically diverse segments in
population of a society or state.
 Ideological-normative – usage of multiculturalism generates the greatest
level of debate since it constitutes a slogan and basis for political action.
 Programmatic-political – usage of multiculturalism refers to the specific
policies developed to respond and managed ethnic diversity.
(http;//www.unesco.org.most/sydpaper.htm)
 Multicultural Education – is an emerging discipline whose aim is to create
equal educational opportunities from diverse racial, ethnic, social class and
cultural groups.
 Contributions Approach – ethnic heroes and holidays are included in the
curriculum.
 Additive Approach – a unit or course is incorporated, but not substantial
change is made to the curriculum as a whole.
 Transformation Approach – the entire Eurocentric nature of the curriculum
is changed. Students are taught to view events and issues from diverse ethnic
and cultural perspectives.
 Social Action Approach – it goes beyond the transformation approach.
Students not only learn to view issues from multiple perspectives but also
become directly involved in solving related problem. This approach promotes
decision-making and social action in order to achieve multicultural goals and a
more vibrant democracy. (Sadker and Sadker,2003)
 Multicultural Education – is a progressive approach for transforming
education that holistically critiques and addresses current shortcomings,
failings and discriminatory practices in education.

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  Content Integration – it deals with the extent to which teachers uses
examples and content from a variety of cultures and groups to illustrate key
concepts, generalizations, and issues within their subject area or discipline.
 Knowledge Construction Process – it describes how teachers help students
to understand, investigate, and determine how the biases, frames of reference,
and perspectives within a discipline influence the ways in which knowledge is
constructed within it.
 Prejudice Reduction – it describes the lessons and activities used by teachers
to help students to develop positive attitudes toward different racial, ethnic,
and cultural groups.
 Equity Pedagogy – it exist when teachers modify their teaching in ways that
will facilitate the academic achievement of students from diverse racial,
cultural, and social class groups.
 Empowering School Culture and Social Structure – this dimension is
created when the culture and organization of the school are transformed in
ways that enables students from diverse racial, ethnic, and gender groups to
experience equality and equal status.
 Subculture – refers to the cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a
society’s population. It can be based on age, ethnicity, residence, sexual
preference, occupation, and many other factors.
 Permitting Specialized Activity – essential in any society which is becoming
larger and more complex.
 Identity in Mass Society – preventing feelings of isolation and anomie,
enabling people with common interest, situation, or set of experiences to stand
out from the crowd.
 Cultural Adaptation and Change – the mechanism through which cultural
diffusion occurs, adopting a new set of values and beliefs that are better
adjusted to new realities and the values spread to other society.

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QUESTIONS
1. Explain cultural change and its effects on the life of people?
Explanations:
Cultural change refers to the repositioning or modernization of the cultural
concept of a society. Culture is dynamic or progressive, changes happens as new
innovations and discoveries are made possible by the intellect of people. With this
progress, it usually considered as an advantage to develop a society.
On the other hand, the modification of culture affects the life of people
through his psychological and behavioural aspect. As a person get used on a cultural
concept, any changes will affect the person's survival plan which may sometimes lead
to wrong adjustments, as it is difficult for them to adjust to a new cultural perceptions.

2. What is sub-culture? Is it advantage or disadvantage to the society?

Explanations:
Sub-culture is the smaller group in a society. It can be grouped according to
family, work, age, ethnicity, education, etc. They have opportunities for
communicating with one another, both directly; a face-to-face contact and indirectly
or through mass media. With the process of interacting with one another, members of
subcultures identify their own groups. They also identify the dominant culture; the
culture whose members tact power and influence but not necessarily the numbered
majority.
A subculture maybe advantage because you have the confidence to show what
you are, unprejudiced by other people because your co-subculture group knows who
you are. Each of the members in a certain group can interact with each other and
easily adapt the conditions and as well as its own significant culture.
On the other hand, a sub-culture may seem disadvantage. It may have tensions
that sometimes develop between members of the dominant culture and one or more
subcultures, especially those that directly oppose dominant norms and values; or
called deviant.

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 3. As soon to be a teacher, how can you meet the diverse needs of your
learners?
Explanations:
As soon to be a teacher, I can meet my learner’s needs through a culturally
responsive teaching; understanding the diverse cultures of learners to work effectively
with them. I should be culturally responsive in teaching that acknowledges cultural
diversity in instruction. A teacher must be in the best position to understand and
recognize that students have different cultural environment and should adapt an
instruction that meet those diverse learning needs.

REFERENCES
 Social Dimension of Education,370.115,Vega, Prieto Carreon,.
 Social Dimension of Education,371.115,Antonio I. Tamayo, PhD
 https://www.ifla.org/publications/defining-multiculturalism
 https://www.edglossary.org/multicultural-education/
 http://depts.washington.edu.center/view.html
 http://www.sociologycentral.com/text/culture.comp.htm
 https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/subculture
 http;//www.unesco.org.most/sydpaper.htm

Renefe G. Palencia
BSED-III
Social Dimension of Education
MW 7:30-9:00pm

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(Activity # 6 – Social Institution )
Make a video documentation focuses on one social institution with little conversation.
Group of 10

(Activity #7- Women Empowerment)

Interview at least, 3 women leader.

Make guide questions before the interview, A.S.A.P.!!!!!

1. what is your opinion about women gender issues?
inequality, power, education, opportunity.

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