Chapter 9 of "Discovery of Competence"

The chapter focuses on the role of a multicultural curriculum and texts in student competence. The authors propose using multicultural texts in the classroom that will engage students and teachers to internalize the content from the perspective of insiders.

The authors seek to debunk the arguments that a multicultural curriculum somehow dumbs down the curriculum; rather, they believe multicultural curriculum enhances student learning and engagement. We must remain flexible and allow the new students we acquire the ability to "renegotiate" and to determine to some degree the texts that are used. The theory here is socio-cultural in that students need to interact with texts and then be able to situate themselves within that text and in their relation to the world as a whole.

A multicultural curriculum has value for both white students (learning about other cultures) as well as students of color (learn about diversity within own race or ethnicity).

I agree with all the points in the chapter and I plan on using multicultural texts and a multicultural curriculum when I teach my own courses. In terms of actual assignments I would use that utilize the theories presented here, I would give students an essay assignment that asks them to relate their own culture to the one presented in a text. How is it similar? Different? How are cultural values expressed in both their own lives and in the text?