Teaching Multicultural Education From a Critical Perspective: Challenges and Dilemmas

Abstract

Preparing teachers for diversity is perceived as one of the challenges of teacher education in the 21st century. Among educators and researchers, teacher racial attitudes and beliefs about students from diverse sociocultural and linguistic backgrounds, especially low income and urban students, are the most compelling reason to prepare preservice teachers for diversity. In this article, I discuss my motivation to approach the preparation of preservice teachers from a critical multicultural perspective, my journey toward critical multiculturalism, and a reflection on the learning experiences, challenges, and dilemma associated with teaching from a critical pedagogical stance.