Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

“Our Greatest Songs Are Still Unsung”: Educating Citizens About Schooling In A Multicultural Society, Simona Goldin, Erin E. Flynn, Cori Mehan Egan

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examines how a practice-based unit informs undergraduates’ understandings of the dynamics of teaching and learning in a multicultural society, and how these intersect with equity in U.S. classrooms. Citizens’ nuanced understanding of teaching and learning is increasingly important for their engagement with U.S. schools. Practice-based opportunities can allow students to “see” the complexity of teaching and to challenge assumptions about teaching and learning, which are central to preparing an informed citizenry. Findings further suggest that a single course is not sufficient to expand undergraduate students’ understanding of the role of diversity in social life. More concentrated and ongoing …

The Benefits Of Oer In A University Arabic Course, Lina Gomaa

Open Educational Resources Symposium

I will share my experience writing and e-publishing my open textbook and using it in the classroom. It is the first Arabic textbook in the Open Textbook library at the University of Minnesota and Portland State University’s library website. The book has been downloaded over 300 times all over the world in a year and counting. In addition to the e-book, I will discuss my experience with mediaspace.pdx.edu in class teaching and the students’ reactions to incorporating it in teaching Arabic.

Culture Beyond Borders: A Postcolonial Analysis Of Multicultural Education, Alex Diaz-Hui

Student Research Symposium

Using Third-World feminist and postcolonial theory, this research complicates the narrative of culture in education. While multicultural education is well intentioned, it creates caricatures of communities of color. Multicultural education also functions through an anthropological perspective of culture, one that relays on portraying communities of color through national cultures. According to Third-World feminist scholarship, particularly through the writings of Uma Narayan, national cultures do not exist but are actually constructed through distinguishing the colonizer and the colonized. Culturally responsive pedagogy provides a theoretical framework that attempts to remedy the issues of multicultural education. However, it fails to separate itself from …

Pan-African Commons 1-Year Comprehensive Assessment Report, Shanice Clarke, Cynthia Carmina Gómez, Cece Ridder

Cultural Resource Centers Reports and Resources

The Cultural Resource Centers (CRCs) at Portland State University (PSU) create a student-centered inclusive environment that enriches the university experience. The CRCs value diversity, social justice, cultural traditions, student identities, success and leadership. On November 2, 2016, PSU held a grand opening celebrating the expansion of the CRCs with the addition of two new centers, including the Pan-African Commons (PAC). The growth of the CRCs marks a milestone in PSU’s commitment to social justice and equity.

The purpose of the Pan-African Commons 1-Year Assessment was to measure how student experiences and needs within institutional memory related to the experiences of …