Structures: Interculturalism and Teacher Education

• In Event: 46.060 - Intercultural Development in Higher Education: Bridging Ideas, Concepts, and Practices

Abstract

Objectives
Through the lens of interculturalization, we focus on higher education, specifically teacher education, as a structure. We argue that structures are overshadowed by major driving forces upon teacher education.

Perspective
Anthropological in origin, interculturalization is dependent upon defining culture. Samovar and Porter (2003) stress that culture refers to the “cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving” (p. 8). Interculturalism is that which lies between cultures. Teacher education requires a more nuanced and processed oriented understanding of culture since teachers are not simply cultural agents interacting with learners, but teachers and models of interculturalism.

Teacher Education (TE) programs serve as structures within the higher education system and are specifically organized to assist teacher candidates in learning how to become teachers. Across structures, particular variables serve as power differentials; accreditation and mission statements. Accreditation is critical. For TE, membership in the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP, 2014) is the preference.

In examining accreditation standards and mission statements, diversity is the language link between social context and structures through teacher education. According to Halliday (1993), “language is the essential condition of knowing, the process by which experience becomes knowledge” (p. 94). Diversity is synonymous with race, ethnicity, and or culture (Grant & Gibson, 2011). Becoming the bridge that links social context to teacher education to structures, diversity, more specifically culture and interculturalism, is the focus. Within diversity, interculturalism is implicit and must be examined for context in relation to teacher education structures.

Methods
We argue that PK-12 education struggles against being defined as an economic interest of the nation as opposed to balancing multiple interests (i.e., social and political interests of an educated and civic-minded populous). Through a neoliberal ideological lens, the argument posits that education as a business model produces future workers (students) through the efforts of the laborers (teachers) as managed by business managers (administrators) in the most cost-effective manner possible (Saltman, 2014). Structures have power differentials that affect teacher education (accreditation, law, etc,).

Data sources
Using accreditation standards and mission statements as the interconnection, we address interculturalism as it correlates to teacher education mission statements. Through public documents, we examined accreditation standards; specifically the Council for the Assessment of Educator Preparation (CAEP, 2014).

Results
For teacher education units, showing the parallels between assessment criteria is purposeful for reflecting the similar expectations found when examining mission statements. Embedded within varied standards are specific references to diversity and culture. Linking correlating language is important in that accreditation standards often, though not always, precede law and further educational reforms and/or policies.

Scientific
It is important to thoroughly analyze accreditation standards usage of “diversity” and “culture,” (Grant & Gibson, 2011) but what about interculturalism?

Authors

• Donna K. Pearson, University of North Dakota

• Cheryl A. Hunter, University of North Dakota