multiculturalism

This article stresses the importance of including more minority groups in science, specifically increasing the number of African Americans and Hispanics in science. The commentary suggests ... See More

This article stresses the importance of including more minority groups in science, specifically increasing the number of African Americans and Hispanics in science. The commentary suggests that the reason there are so few minorities in science is that the curriculum marginalizes minority groups. Therefore, it is important to takes steps to make science more welcoming to minority groups. It suggests specific steps for making science more welcoming. First, acknowledging the aspects of science that students are included and excluded. Second, help students see how science relates to them. Third, valuing classes that add more students to science, and placing less emphasis on “weed out” classes. Fourth, highlight the importance of the process of discovery, and place less importance on “facts”. Fifth, emphasize the student involvement in increasing knowledge, rather than assuming the teacher is the sole source of knowledge in the classroom. Sixth, acknowledge the difficulties certain groups have had in science, and the biases of science. Finally, acknowledge the negative effects that seemingly neutral tests can have on certain groups. The article states that the reason it is important to increase diversity in science is because having multiple viewpoints in science can lead to greater discoveries and understanding in science. This article was a nice quick commentary on the importance of implementing multicultural teaching practices in science classrooms, and easy steps to take to help make the classroom more multicultural.