Abstract

Coming to terms with the ethnic diversity of my student population, I find myself arguing for the recognition of the responsibility that befalls on teachers' shoulders of actively and positively exposing their students to issues relating to cultural diversity. Different options are open to those who chose to accept this responsibility: intercultural education, anti-racist education, and global citizenship education. However, which one is the best educational philosophy to apply to teachers' and students' day to day classroom realities? This is what this thesis attempts to discover. For indeed, there is a need to recognize that the ties that bind multiethnic diversity and education in the context of everyday classroom interactions are powerful, and I firmly believe those ties need to be addressed in order to instill in our student population a strong sense of cultural awareness. Ultimately, the objective is to empower students so they can be moved to become influential actors in the creation of an equitable and ethical social order for all citizens. This is an issue that is no longer an educational imperative we teachers can afford to neglect.