"Our world is rapidly changing and expanding. As a result, the face of today's classroom is also changing. (Lope z-Freeman 10)"

This quote from Maria Alicia Lopez-Freeman, Chairperson and Director of the NSTA's Committee on multicultural science education exemplifies the new and unique nature of the public classroom today. No longer are students homogenous in background and experiences but today's students are as diverse as the world itself. What remains is how we as aspiring science educators will rise to meet the challenges of today's multicultural classroom. Therefore the purpose of this paper will be to provide an overview of how to integrate and maintain multicultural education in the science classroom.

In order to get an idea of the critical need for multicultural education in the science classroom one need only look at the demographic s of this country. According to the 1990 census out of the nearly 250 million people who live in this country over 20% belong to an ethnic minority such as African-American, Latino, or Asian (Atwater-I 21). To add even more perspective to these numbers consider that many of these ethnic minorities are either first or second generation immigrants coming to America with vivid memories and experiences from there own home country. As educators these peoples have entrusted us with the sacred duty of giving the very best education and thus opportunity for success, to their children.

Recently, the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) established a policy on multicultural education in the science classroom . In doing this the NSTA encourages schools to recognize ethnic groups, promote ethnic identification, and to educate ethnic students in a way that does not alienate them from their own cultures(Melear 21). In a nutshell, educators must ensure that the contributions of ethnic and minority cultures are not overlooked in the process of instruction(Abdi 34).

In a recent article in The American Biology teacher entitled "Multiculturalism in Science Education" the author references the McIntosh five phase approach to integrating multiculturalism into science education(Melear 22). Although this particular system focuses on integrating just women and African-American culture into science curriculum, this model has the potential to easily be expanded to include other ethnic cultures. One important note about the McIntosh system is that it is not intended to be a quick systematic fix. Some of its proposals can seem relatively difficult to integrate successfully into the classroom while other steps in the process may be skipped or delayed depending on the particular classroom environment. Nevertheless, his model does represent one good way to begin the multicultural process in the science e classroom.

The first step of the McIntosh system represents conventional thought in science education, that of one devoid of referencing ethnic minorities for their roles in science(Melear 22). This step should not come as any great surprise since the average science teacher is a white male(Atwater-I 22). However since the average classroom is much more diverse, staying at this step only serves to reinforce negative stereotypes in the minds of students about science. The goal is therefore to simply recognize that this stage exists in the majority of science classrooms and then to move on from there.

In the second step of MacIntosh's system the educator should begin to recognize the contributions of women and ethnic minorities in the field of science(Melear 22). In this step the process of multicultural integration begins by acknowledging that science is a discipline that is built up on the contributions of many peoples of varying backgrounds. This step need not be overwhelming but simply an attempt to break student's stereotypes that science is just a "white man's field." The author points out that this process can be accomplished in a variety of ways including historical biographies, videos, and ethnic guest speakers working in the science field(Melear 22). The main point at this level though is for students to get exposure to multiculturalism in the sciences.

The third step of the McIntosh system attempts to address issue of how science has not historically been able to incorporate women and ethnic minorities into its rationale and thinking(Melear 22). In this step, the educator points out how old school thought in science equated the white male with being "normal" and used that as a benchmark to point out the differences in women and ethnic minorities as being deficits. The educator may reference any number of old research projects performed on American citizens to point out the racial and gender biases.

McIntosh points out that this step can be the most difficult and controversial one to get across the students(Melear 23). Because of cultural bias on the parts on many educators, white and ethnic alike, we often still perceive gender and racial differences as a kind of benefit-deficit relationship when in fact these so called differences should be seen as two different versions of the same thing. The author specifically uses the example of learning style differences between white males and women/ ethnic minorities. While white males tend to favor a more dogmatic lecture style of learning it has been shown that women and ethnic minorities tend to favor a more cooperative style of learning(Melear 23). This does not mean that one learning style is better than the other, as traditional stereotyped thinking might imply, it simply means that there are at least two unique styles of processing information. As educator it is important to recognize this both in the presentation of multiculturalism in the classroom and in the teaching of culturally diverse students.

In step four of McIntosh's system we can get an inverse of step one, that is, we look at science uniquely from the point of view of women and ethnic minorities(Melear 22). This goes much beyond merely presenting their contributions to science, it is in essence an attempt to see what we call the scientific world through the eyes of women and ethnic minorities. In doing so we need to acknowledge what the author terms as the subjective and experiential realities of students. From the viewpoint of women and ethnic minorities science is often interlaced with religion and history. Take for example the spiritual significance of rocks and earth to Native Americans or the scientific contributions of African-Americans that were born of adverse social conditions. Using the traditional science approach not only robs the students the important cultural concepts that surround these scientific topics, but it also does a great disservice to science itself by taking away that dynamic and captivating aspect that ties science to our lives and makes it meaningful for us all.

Utilizing step four the educator attempts to put scientific topics into a cultural framework. This can also prove to be a daunting task and according to the author should be reserved for selected topics. One other note in executing step four in the science classroom is that the educator need not always look for a historical or traditional cultural or gender tie on a specific science topic. Since culture and even gender are dynamic the educator should look to the present for ideas of presenting step four of this multicultural integration process. This could include drawing out aspects of urban, rural, or community cultural experiences to use as examples in teaching selected science topics. One example would be to study ecology from the standpoint of the effects of the city on the local environment citing issues commonly associated with both normal ecosystems and special issues presented by the influence e of a culturally diverse technologically advanced society.

In the last step of McIntosh's five phased model to integrate multiculturalism into the science classroom, the educator 's job is now to redefine science to include both traditional and gender/ cultural aspects(Melear 23). In essence, the educator presents science no longer as a dry, culturally sterile discipline , but as multifaceted, culturally rich, and dynamic process in which we are all a part of. It is here that the educator should be able to portray science as a quest for survival or improved quality of life constantly being developed and perfected in the laboratories of culturally diverse lives. Hopefully by this point the student will also began to see and appreciate science in a similar fashion while making there own culturally unique link to this discipline.

In addition to implanting McIntosh's five phase system, educators also have the responsibility of creating a multicultural environment in the classroom. Some tips for teachers in helping to create this type of environment in their classrooms include: 1) Using a multicultural curriculum program(Madrazo 22), 2) Encouraging discussion on cultural aspects of science topics(Madrazo 22), 3) modifying labs so that they incorporate elements of the culture in which students live, have interest or have experiences(Madrazo 22), and 4) present ways of getting women involved in the sciences(Melear 25).

As we approach a new millennium science teachers will face an even greater problem than Y2K could ever pose, for we deal not with outdated technology but with prejudiced and culturally biased scientific thinking. But unlike Y2K we stand to lose something more precious than a few computers. If we are to fix the science bug that has been continually separating science from any cultural or gender aspects than we must act now. As Maria Freeman pointed out earlier our world, both the one we see and the one we live in, will continue to expand and change. As peoples of varying cultures continue to add their unique experiences to our society it will continue to fall on educators to bridge the gap between science and the lives of our culturally diverse pupils today. The better prepared our science educators are to embrace this changing society, the more skilled today's student will be to work, live and be a productive part of this tossed green salad we call America

References

Abdi, S. W.. "Multicultural Teaching Tips." The Science Teacher, v. 64 (Feb. 97): 34-37.

Atwater, Mary M. "The Multicultural Science Classroom; Part I." The Science Teacher, v. 62 (Feb. 95): 20-23.

Atwater, Mary M. "The Multicultural Science Classroom; Part II." The Science Teacher, v. 62 (Apr. 95): 42-45.

Atwater, Mary M. "The Multicultural Science Classroom; Part III." The Science Teacher, v.62 (May. 95): 26-29.

Lopez-Freeman, Maria A. "Invited Papers." The Science Teacher, v 62 (Feb. 95): 10.

Madrazo, Gerry M. Jr. "Embracing Diversity." The Science Teacher, v 65 (Mar. 98): 20-23.

Melear, Claudia T. "Multiculturalism in Science Education." The American Biology Teacher, v 57 (Jan. 95): 21-28.