Practicing Multicultural Education in the English Classroom: Teaching Secondary Level English

This project addresses the current need to change the content and delivery of secondary English curricula in order to reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity which makes up Canadian society. It gives a rationale for a multicultural education while suggesting content, concepts, learning outcomes, and strategies for achieving this goal. Analysis of sections of the Ministry of Education’s guidelines, policies, and resources shows support for a multicultural approach in the English classroom. The review of teacher resources from existing books provides staff development ideas to assist teachers in the delivery of an antiracist and ethnoculturally-equitable program. Analysis of anthologies and individual literary examples demonstrates material and classroom ideas to provide positive examples for the study of writers from diverse backgrounds. The suggested authors include Canadian immigrant writers, Canadian writers of diverse cultural or mixed-racial backgrounds, and international writers. Suggested literature by Canadian Native writers along with relevant classroom ideas and discussion topics provides educators with the material and means to engage in discussion of Native experience and culture. A detailed analysis of Ruby Slipperjack’s novel Silent Words (1992) discusses issues and strategies for a study of this novel in a grade nine English class. The project provides the theoretical basis for and the practical application of a multicultural approach which can be used by English teachers in all Ontario boards.