Defining ‘Multicultural Education’ and the Need for It in Singapore

more and more insensitive, crude and discriminatory racial remarks about ethnic groups other than their avow have been heard to escape the lips of our green preschoolers at an alarming oftenness and with a degree of nonchalance that is disconcerting. A good number of new-fangled pip-squeakren in the local childcare scene reveal a misrepresent impression of other races, especi bothy those of darker skin tones, as they pass comments such(prenominal) as, Eee Indians are so smelly, or create verses to juvenile games like, A, E, I, O, U Mangkali (referring to Indians) spang you Dr. Darlene Powell Hopson, co-author of Different and Wonderful Raising Black Children in a Race-Conscious Society explains that be nominate of their advancing perceptual skills, children are increasingly able to cope the apparent outward differences in people- varying skin tones, facial and embodied features, hair textures, and eye colors. With this enhancing perceptual ability follows the fixment of ch ildrens individual character.As each childs sense of identity and interpersonal skills deject to mature, his individual preferences, likes and dislikes, as well as his own opinions begin to make and become established in him. A sense of autonomy naturally unfolds along with the urge to exercise and assert this newfound personal undecomposed to make ones own views heard and known. This implies that the child entrust begin to form opinions and judgments of a person based inaugurally on the most open aspect of the other party- the outward appearance.The child testament decide if what he sees appears pleasing to his eyes. Because preschoolers also develop a believe for social acceptance, peer pressure allow for majorly influence his final purpose of whether he will open his arms in approval, acceptance and kick upstairs of that individual. Retaining a discriminatory attitude toward someone because of his/her race causes serious obstacles to young childrens healthy developme nt. They end up with a warped science of the realities and demands of e rattlingday life. (Veel, E. Singapores Child Celebrating Diversity (July 2008), pg. 29. ) If Feng Kai, a child with a bias against other races, is given the opportunity to make a choice between partnering with Govindasamy and Mei Ling, thinks to himself, I dont deficiency to hold reach with Govinda. I dont want my hands to become dirty, and ends up choosing Mei Ling instead, Feng Kai deprives himself of the chance to become check acquainted with Govindasamy and to benefit from his association.In judging Govindasamy by a baseless biasness, Feng Kai chooses to wear out himself from making a friend. If this misconception is not corrected, Feng Kai will learn to allow the footling aspects of things to influence his daily decision-making significantly. In teaching Feng Kai to look beyond the obvious outward differences of skin color, and into Govindasamys values and personality instead, we help Feng Kai to deve lop the ability to recognize and appreciate actuality beyond superficiality an ability that will help him function effectively as a person.Dr. Roy Kaplan, executive managing director of the Tampa Bay chapter of the National Conference for Communities and Justice, comments, Nobodys born a bigot. Evidence shows that prejudices which live on within the young are nurtured primarily by the influences that children are exposed to most often and most extensively. Principally, these include their kinfolk environment, the behavior of family members and close friends (including the peer pressure they are subject to in school), as well as the childcare setting.While the moral education children receive from home and the examples that family members and friends set that influence children most profoundly are factors beyond our power to control, the childcare setting is the only aspect in this, our cause to foster racial awareness, which lies within our ability to manage and steer in the d irection of our objectives. It is essential for children to learn that they must overcome racism and all forms of bigotry for if not, our societys rising generation will pay off up o sow racial discord which could reap very adverse repercussions for Singapore a breakdown of societal unity and a rise of internal contention and dissensions could very possibly ensue. But in order to achieve this democracy in the childcare sector, children must first understand why they ought to overcome racial biasness and look beyond the differences that exist within them. This is where our action research entitled Multicultural Education through and through Creative Drama comes into play in the picture, to facilitate the conversion of racial disharmony to racial unity among young children in Singapore.