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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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 Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Multiculturalism in education means that you can not discuss any issue honestly. There is no honesty. It is a platitude wrapped in pseudo-psychology ramblings about kids cultural pride (like the self esteem nonsense of the 90's). It is a fad, and like all fads from social sciences, will do a great deal of damage before jettisoned. Putting a couple non-whites in a picture isn't multiculturalism. |
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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
| Multiculturalism in education means that you can not discuss any issue honestly. There is no honesty. It is a platitude wrapped in pseudo-psychology ramblings about kids cultural pride (like the self esteem nonsense of the 90's). It is a fad, and like all fads from social sciences, will do a great deal of damage before jettisoned. Putting a couple non-whites in a picture isn't multiculturalism. |
Did Barack Obama talk about multiculturalism in education in Dayton, Ohio?
Is there a negative correlation to be found between promoting a student's self esteem and his or her eventual academic performance? |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Did Barack Obama talk about multiculturalism in education in Dayton, Ohio? |
I didn't watch it.
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| Is there a negative correlation to be found between promoting a student's self esteem and his or her eventual academic performance? |
Self esteem is an ABC After School obsession. Totally different from multiculturalism. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:28 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Multiculturalism in education means that you can not discuss any issue honestly. There is no honesty. It is a platitude wrapped in pseudo-psychology ramblings about kids cultural pride (like the self esteem nonsense of the 90's). It is a fad, and like all fads from social sciences, will do a great deal of damage before jettisoned. Putting a couple non-whites in a picture isn't multiculturalism. |
This whole discussion about a picture in a math book is a distraction. The publisher was going to put a picture of some kids in a math book for whatever reason. What's wrong with it being a picture of ethnically diverse kids? It wasn't like they decided to randomly stick in a picture.
It's slightly amusing to see comments on the board one minute bemoaning Korea's monoculture and then the next arguing for monocultural textbooks in other countries.
With a bit of effort, anyone with an ounce of tact can figure out how to say anything except maybe nigger, spic, wop etc. |
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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:11 am Post subject: |
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Here's a link to the Obama website that includes not only a full text version of the speech (as prepared) but also a rather detailed position paper outlining specifics of the reform package.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amandascott/gG5pB4
I haven't studied it with a magnbifying lens, but I don't see even a hint of anything close to the slightest mention of multiculturalism. This surprises me, since 3 or 4 posters on this thread felt it was worth discussing as a supposed culprit of what is wrong with education in America.
I see a lot of good ideas, but I'm skeptical of the federal govt being able to do all these things on a nationwide basis. I could be wrong, though, and I suppose it's better to attempt the large solutions rather than let things go on as they are with no evidence of improvement. |
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ytuque
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
Location: I drink therefore I am!
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:48 am Post subject: |
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| The Bobster wrote: |
| However, my question was intended in the direction of a couple of posters who were making sounds about the disadvantages of multiculturalism to the educational process, and my curiosity was about wehether and how the quality of instruction is actually damaged by the inclusion of drawings of children of different races in a textbook. |
Where is the appropriate place for multi-culturalism? Apparently, the educational establishment believes in every course and every textbook. I believe multi-culturalism belongs in the social sciences, not in math, physics, biology, and chemistry.
Does seeing pics or reading stories improve a student's ability to solve math or science problems? Based on test scores, it isn't working. |
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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:18 pm Post subject: |
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| ytuque wrote: |
| The Bobster wrote: |
| However, my question was intended in the direction of a couple of posters who were making sounds about the disadvantages of multiculturalism to the educational process, and my curiosity was about wehether and how the quality of instruction is actually damaged by the inclusion of drawings of children of different races in a textbook. |
Does seeing pics or reading stories improve a student's ability to solve math or science problems? Based on test scores, it isn't working. |
1. Was multiculturalism ever intended to improve test scores? I believe not, but perhaps you know more about it than I do, and if so, I hope you'll educate me about it. (Is it possible that there might be more to education than just creating a numerical rise in scores among students taking tests? Some people might think there could be other goals as well - are they wrong to suggest it?)
2. Is there evidence that test scores have declined BECAUSE of multiculturalism? If so, you'll want to show more than a correlation of the one thing happening during roughly the same time period as the other - you'll want to show, or at least posit, some mechanism whereby multiculturalism became the causative agent of low test scores. It might even be true (though I'm skeptical) but if it is, you need to do more than just say it and toss in an anectdote about illustrations in a math textbook as an example.
3. More germaine to this thread, is there any evidence that Barack Obama espouses or advocates multiculturalism in any of his stated educational policies? It doesn't seem to have been mentioned in his speech in Dayton, and I'm still scouring his website trying to find any mention there as well. I was curious before, and I remain curious why it bacame a topic for people on THIS thread ...
Looking at his platform, it appears to me that a lot of it is taking some of the best ideas of the conservative agenda (charter schools, accountability of teachers, etc) and applying them in a meaningful way, i.e., making sure they are adequately funded, so that they actually happen. He's also talking about creating financial and social instuitutions to support volunteerism and incentives to send the best teachers into the areas where they are the most needed.
I'm wondering what there is to disagree with about any of this, and I'm also wondering if McCain has any better ideas. |
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ytuque
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
Location: I drink therefore I am!
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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The quality of textbooks was not addressed in Obama's speech. I was not attacking Obama on multi-culturalism. My intent was to point this out as a problem which needs to be addressed.
I can't understand the logic of anyone who wants to add anything unrelated to math and science into public school textbooks for these courses.
The quality of math and science education in the US is a national disgrace. Obama's speech didn't offer anything of substance in this area. |
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