Drawing
on a combination of prior experience, theoretical stance, and intuition, along
with pedagogical practices identified to be effective in addressing diversity
with teacher candidates, a model for teaching multicultural education to
teacher candidates was designed. This study examined how particular elements of
this model were effective in developing teacher candidate’s cultural competence.
The results indicate that teacher candidates gained substantial knowledge about and experiences with issues of
diversity by the end of the course. Participants pointed to the multiple
methods employed in the class; in particular the interactive strategies, group
work, diverse cultural experiences, and opportunities to critically reflect on
these experiences as accounting
for their gains. Their sense of ownership and understanding has given them the ability to
use these strategies in their own future work. Implications
for research and teacher education are discussed.