Page 338 - Handbooks of Applied Linguistics Communication Competence Language and Communication Problems Practical Solutions

316 Albert Scherr

in its school curricula. An additional goal is to scrutinize all educational materi-
als for cultural stereotypes and prejudices. Schools not only permit but encour-
age pupils to express their identities with cultural and religious symbols and
clothing. In all school subjects an effort is made to make reference to the tradi-
tions and cultural accomplishments of various groups. So, for example, the
mathematics curriculum includes both Chinese arithmetic and that of the ‘first
nations’. Such curricula are seen not only as necessary for improving the moti-
vation of minorities and improving their chances of success, rather, on a more
fundamental level it is assumed that how the elements of knowledge are pres-
ented and transmitted has a significant influence on attitudes that the majority
groups develop with respect to the minorities. To this end, members of the ma-
jority culture are compelled to learn about cultural accomplishments and im-
portant items of knowledge that stem from the minority cultures.
Multiculturalism on this pattern is vehemently rejected in France and there-
fore plays no role in curricular development. In the framework of citizenship
education, cultural differences and variety are primarily discussed in terms of
defining the boundaries between legitimate claims to cultural particularity and
the demands imposed by republican values and civil rights. In emphasizing the
supreme claims of democratic values and norms, as well as of human rights,
French curricula try to present an orientation having universal validity, superior
to all traditional cultures (Centre nationale de documentation pédagogique
2000a, b).
Like the French Education à la Citoyenneté, the British Citizenship Cur-
riculum takes a skeptical view of the labellings implicit in naive multicultural-
ism. This position has nevertheless led to quite different consequences. The
Citizenship Curriculum recognizes the positive importance of social and indi-
vidual alliances, as well as the ways in which cultural and ethnic labelling can
lead to discrimination (Department of Education and Skills 2002).

4. Conclusions

The various ways of dealing with cultural differences in education can be under-
stood adequately only against the background of each country’s social and
political situation and the goals underlying its national policies. These express
socially influential assumptions about cultural differences and their significance
which cannot be ignored in educational communication, and which are often felt
by teachers, parents and pupils to be the correct view of their social reality.
Nationalistically oriented concepts of education have not lost favor and are
still in force in many countries. However, programs like those of Canada and
Britain, based on political and pedagogical multiculturalism and meant to en-
courage sensitive appreciation of cultural differences and to overcome social