For teachers, however, one of the most important differences centers on personal beliefs about identity—the sense of self or of “who you are.” A number of other cultural beliefs and practices can be understood as resulting from how members of a culture think about personal identity. Every school and early childhood education program has a culture too. Both languages are developed and supported, and students ideally become able to use either language permanently, though often for different situations or purposes. Effective teachers of culturally diverse students acknowledge both individual and cultural differences enthusiastically and identify these differences in a positive manner. Wait time is the gap between the end of one person’s comment or question and the next person’s reply or answer. From this perspective, the most worthy person is not the one who is unusual or who stands out in a crowd. But this kind of understanding can get complicated. Types of Cultural Diversity in the Classroom Teaching diversity in the classroom is a key part in establishing an overall school or district policy of cultural diversity. In addition, it is important to engage students in exploring the culturally-based assumptions of whatever subject they are studying. Cultural diversity in the classroom involves celebrating those differences and creating a culture of inclusion and acceptance among students and the greater school community. For a few years, though not forever, young students are encouraged to use both of their languages. In addition to differences in language and in practices related to language, cultural groups tend to differ in various other attitudes and beliefs. ELL students essentially present teachers with this dilemma: how to respect the original language and culture of the student while also helping the student to join more fully in the mainstream—i.e. The large majority of bilingual students (75 percent) are Hispanic, but the rest represent more than a hundred different language groups from around the world. 1995; Francis, 2006). People who exhibit behavior different than our own may have good reason for doing so. competitive, and the competitive atmosphere can interfere with cultivating supportive relationships among students or between students and the teacher (Cohen, 2004). In a classroom, this habit can make it easier for a child to learn not to interrupt others, but it can also make the child seem unfriendly. As the makeup of the US population becomes more diverse, there is more cultural dissonance—which impacts children’s behavior. How might a culturally responsive educator push against human nature’s natural aversion to the unknown and help students become more respectful of cultures with different ideas? In 2001, President Bush signed into effect Public Law 107-110, better known as the No Child Left Behind Act mandating that schools administer achievement tests to students and publish those results so that parents have an idea of their children’s performance. Consider these examples: In some cultures, it is considered polite or even intelligent not to speak unless you have something truly important to say. For this reason, another subculture in the school is the classroom where one teacher’s preferences may not be shared by his/her colleagues. In the United States, for example, African-Americans and American Indians may have been involuntary minorities originally, although many present-day individuals from these groups may now feel very much a part of American culture. These are useful actions, but they are only a starting point for truly multicultural education (Banks, 2009). The following are tendencies, not simple predictions: In some cases, dominant cultural attitudes can oppress or alienate particular students to the point where they feel they have no choice but to put themselves on the margins of mainstream activity. In fact, however, things are not that simple. Note that in the early years of schooling, language loss can be minimized to some extent by the additive or parallel-track bilingual programs that I mentioned above. A student may end up using English in the classroom or at work, for example, but continue using Spanish at home or with friends, even though he or she is perfectly capable of speaking English with them. A multicultural society is best served by a culturally responsive curriculum. Consideration for individual learning preferences, student interests, student readiness, and cultural/gender differences can account for variance in student behaviors and student motivation, which may ultimately, indirectly or directly impact student performance as well. Here are 5 tips to prevent cultural misunderstanding: Be aware of cultural differences and potential challenges students may face when adjusting. Research has found, in such cases, that the specialist can be more effective if the specialist speaks and uses the first language as well as English (Kohnert, et al., 2005). Schools that showed significant gaps in these levels of performance were mandated to work toward narrowing these gaps. Problems may happen when a teacher and a student prefer different social distances. Chitchat, or talk that simply affirms a personal tie between people, is considered immature or intrusive (Minami, 2002). Such languages are especially at risk for being lost. Teaching Cultural Differences in the Business Communication Classroom. In such an instance, it is especially important for educators to recognize these differences and how to assess the challenges that come with it. The first sort of student—sometimes called an English language learner (ELL) or limited English learner (LEL)—has received the greatest attention and concern from educators, since English is the dominant language of instruction and skill and obviously helps prepare a student for life in American society. Still, there's another gap that often goes unexamined: the cultural gap between students and teachers. This view of the self is assumed by educators, for example, when students are expected to take responsibility for their own successes or failures, or when students are evaluated individually rather than as a group or team. Additionally, the government would have information on the gaps in educational achievement between children from various social class, racial, and ethnic groups. This is especially true when it comes to the topics of race and racism, cultural differences, language and bilingualism, and the myriad questions that arise in a world where these issues have such a powerful place in children's lives. In studying the “Westward Movement” (the settlement of the American West), for example, it is important to point out that this movement was “westward” only from the point of view of the white Americans living in the eastern United States. Their children, however, experience strong expectations and pressure to learn and use English, and this circumstance dilutes the children’s experience with the heritage language. This positive identification creates a basis for the development of effective communication and … As the comments in the previous section imply, accommodating cultural diversity involves more than adding cultural content to the curriculum—more than celebrating Mexican holidays in an American social studies class, for example, and more than discussing the history of slavery of African-Americans. Consider these examples: Figure 5.16 How do Classrooms Accommodate Different Cultures? The first two of these were mentioned in the paragraph above, but not the next three: Of all of these strategies, the most important is the third: being flexible about the choice of teaching strategies. To the indigenous American Indians, the “west” was the center of their world; to the Mexicans, it was “north”; to the Asian laborers living in California, it was “east.”. In high school, in addition, some conventional foreign language classes— notably in Spanish—can be adjusted to include and support students who are already native speakers of the language alongside students who are learning it for the first time (Tse, 2001). As you might suspect and as research has confirmed, a fully fluent bilingual student is in a better position than usual to express concepts or ideas in more than one way, and to be aware of doing so (Jimenez, et al. Since some of the patterns differ from those typical of modern classrooms, they can create misunderstandings between teachers and students (Cazden, 2001; Rogers, et al., 2005). But students can only realize the savings if their first language is preserved. Your culture and the children’s cultures aren’t the only cultures at work in your classroom. I know that as good teachers, we all invest the time and … A student may wonder, “What sort of sharing or helping with answers is allowed?” The answer to this question may be different depending on the cultural background of the student and teacher. http://dept.clcillinois.edu/psy/LifespanDevelopment.pdf, CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Complete descriptions of the details of the differences have filled entire books and encyclopedias (see, for example, Birx, 2005). A student who expects a negative wait time, on the other hand, may seem overeager or even rude. Unfortunately, the bilingualism of many students is “unbalanced” in the sense that they are either still learning English, or else they have lost some earlier ability to use their original, heritage language—or occasionally a bit of both. At one extreme are students who speak both English and another language fluently; at the other extreme are those who speak only limited versions of both languages. In a culturally responsive classroom, diversity of language is celebrated and the level of instructional materials provided to non-native speakers are tailored to their level of English fluency. The cultures of most American schools are based on White European American values. Achievement tests are often used as measures of teaching effectiveness within a school setting and as a method to make schools that receive tax dollars (such as public schools, charter schools, and private schools that receive vouchers) accountable to the government for their performance. Among its other goals, culturally responsive instruction aims to educate students that differences in viewpoint and culture are to be cherished and appreciated rather than judged and feared. 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