Ongoing globalization is bringing together a mix-and-match of people under the same roofs of classrooms and workspaces. People with different cultural backgrounds and mentalities have to find ways to coexist and function in a shared environment. While globalization is also causing cultures to synchronize and homogenize, there is still significant cultural diversity between peoples to be considered in daily interactions. Until we can all be rightfully called citizens of the world, multicultural societies will take time to fully get on the same page. Let’s see why cultural diversity is important in a 21st-century classroom and what the ways are to overcome the language barrier between students.
Know Your Audience
A primary way of ensuring cultural awareness is for the teachers to understand and approach each student on an individual level. Commit some time to get to know each student on a personal level and learn about their cultural background, mentality, interests, and, most importantly, what makes them unique and different from the rest of the classroom.
Such a hand-on approach will help you build rapport with each student on a personalized level. Communication is the foundation of a socially sensitive and inclusive classroom, so if kids feel valued by and at ease with the teacher, they are more likely to feel the same way about and respect their classmates. Also, keep in mind that kids with a foreign first language will have a harder time soaking in and comprehending everything on the fly, so grant them extra attention.
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Devise an Inclusive Curriculum
Personalized communication aside, your actual lesson plan will need to be inclusive and evenly relevant to all students.
For example, we all know that Americans tend to forget that the rest of the world exists, so try to expand your history lessons to include more than United States history alone. On the same note, try to use references and draw parallels to other cultures and nations to help non-natives feel included and find a personal touch.
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Help Students Find Common Ground
Additionally, it’s essential that kids acknowledge and appreciate both their own and one another’s various origins. Teachers can encourage pupils to learn about their own heritage by having them conduct research when appropriate. This enables them to comprehend their own culture as well as the variations and subtleties among their peers. Additionally, this task may be a fantastic icebreaker since it gives students a chance to speak to the class about customs and cultures that are outside their own personal experiences.
Final Thoughts
Whether teaching elementary school, middle school, or high school students, it is more important than ever for instructors to include a culturally inclusive curriculum and learning processes in the classroom in our increasingly varietal and multicultural society. And the variety among students is growing not just in terms of color and ethnicity but also in terms of social status, sexual orientation, and linguistic background. Students representing minorities in some regard can be especially touchy. They will feel distanced and neglected lest teachers find adaptive ways of involving them equally in the classroom processes and treat their cultural distinctness with due regard.
Author’s bio
An independent writer and a senior SM marketing manager, Joanne Elliots’ life involves a lot of professional and leisure writing. Over the years, she has been behind scores of effective advertising projects spearheaded by her pitch-perfect copywriting. Joanne has a built-in talent for identifying the weak point in her target audience and exploiting it with her persuasive writing and unique communication style.
