Tímarit um menntarannsóknir - 01.01.2007, Side 154

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Tímarit um menntarannsóknir, 4. árgangur 2007
Banks (2002) vera skilyrði þess að þegnarnir
geti viðhaldið tengslum innan samfélagsins og
innan eigin þjóðarbrota. Í fjölmenningarlegu
samfélagi þarf hver og einn að geta tekið þátt í
mismunandi menningu án þess að missa sjónar
á eigin uppruna og menningu, sem þýðir að
hver og einn þarf að sýna ákveðna ábyrgð,
skilning og virðingu (sjá t.d. Banks, 2002;
McLeod, 1981). Kanadísku kennararnir höfðu
oft á orði hve reynsla þeirra af fjölmenningu
væri stór þáttur í öllum þeirra samskiptum
og störfum. Fræðimenn (sjá t.d. Gay, 2000;
Hare, 1993; Kristín Aðalsteinsdóttir, 2000 og
2002) hafa sýnt fram á að færir kennarar
hafa ótvíræða trú á mannlegri reisn og hæfni
nemenda. Þeir veita nemendum stuðning og
byggja brýr milli nemenda af ólíkum uppruna.
Þeir stuðla að vönduðu námi fyrir nemendur
sína með því að taka tillit til þessa í námskránni,
kennslunni sjálfri, við mat á starfinu og með
framkomu sinni við nemendur. Þeir íhuga
álitamál og stuðla að samræðum og þátttöku
til að auðvelda nemendum námið. Sjálfsagt
er talið að allir nemendur geti náð árangri. Í
samskiptum við nemendur sýna þessir kennarar
hlýju, eru styðjandi, persónulegir, áhugasamir,
skilningsríkir og sveigjanlegir, en krefjast þess
jafnframt að nemendur beri ábyrgð á námi sínu
og sýni árangur.
Abstract - Summary
Multicultural teaching in Manitoba (Canada),
Norway and Iceland.
Multiculturalism is a characteristic of
communities comprised of people of varied
nationalities and cultural and religious leanings,
with different experiences, aptitudes and skills.
Within a society, different values are regarded
including attitudes and positive lifestyles but
everyone has to recognise a community’s
setting. Schooling has to reflect these ideas.
Multicultural teaching encompasses teaching
methodology, ideology and a process by which
attempts are made to meet the requirements
set forth by demographic institutions and the
students’ learning needs.
Teachers’ attitudes and the environment that
is created for the students are of the utmost
importance. Teachers are in a prime position
and really control how students’ schooling
progresses. They can minimise prejudice
with multicultural teaching. This is done with
systematic methods, setting good examples,
appropriate choice of educational material,
equalising students’ opportunities and using
recognised communications of a democracy.
(Ainscow, 1999; Banks, 2002; Davidman and
Davidman, 2001; Lawrence-Brown, 2004).
The object of this present research, which was
conducted in Manitoba, Canada, Norway and
Iceland, was to examine teachers’ preparation
for teaching culturally diverse learners, how
they meet the individuals needs and teachers’
perceptions of how culturally diverse learners
adapt to a new cultural community. These
three countries possess various amounts
of experience of public policies regarding
immigrant issues, providing an interesting
research base for multicultural teaching
followed by a comparison of the countries.
Methods
Research for this study was first explored in
Iceland. The design and structure of questions
for the study were modelled on theoretical
background that touches cultural changes,
equal opportunity, individual needs of students,
language, the teacher’s relations with students’
families and homework. Formal interviews
were taken with the teachers and observations
conducted in the classroom. The theme of the
interviews was based on questions regarding
the teacher’s preparation for multicultural
teaching, the aforementioned theoretical factors
and the results of two focus groups.
Analysis of the data was calculated according
to the Kvale method (1996) of significance tests
and supported by interpretation of meaning.
The researchers searched for main themes in
all interviews, analysed those themes in the
data and drew conclusions on their meanings.
In due course, an overall view of each element
was discussed. The results were then compared,
Fjölmenningarleg kennsla í Manitoba í Kanada, í Noregi og á Íslandi