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importance of cultural diversity in education
importance of cultural diversity in education
importance of cultural diversity in education
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While there are an array of definitions for multi-cultural education, one of the most relevant is arguably presented by Parekh (2002), who stated: “An education free of inherited biases, with freedom to explore other perspectives and cultures, inspired by the goal of making children sensitive to the purity of the ways of life, different modes of analysing experiences and ideas, and ways of looking at history found throughout the world.”
Research has shown that teachers who disregard diversity automatically disadvantages students, due to their capacity to learn and feeling of acceptance being significantly compromised. What is needed is an inclusive curriculum, which Campbell (2004) says in turn will ‘contribute to developing international
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Matthew Szulik a provider of LINUX and open source software, was recently interviewed on what he deemed as being desierable skills that employers look search for in new hires. Szulik believes that workers from the United Sates of America stuggle to ‘compete in a new globally competent workforce’ He states that all the workers stuggle with similar problems: ‘collaborating in a global business, flexibility to work with people from a variety of cultures, adaptly to changr and lacking a willingness to embrace lifelong learning as a necessity’ (Asay, 2007). Szulik believes the most important issue workers in general need to overcome is the "We do it this way" mindset, as this results in a serious limitation of vision and creativity. (Asay, …show more content…
While some cultures perceive laughing as happiness, others perceive it as being rude or uncomfortable. As well as responses, language is a core part of culture, as Samovar & Porter (2014) state, ‘On the one hand, without language, culture would not be possible. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture; it reflects culture.’ Without in-depth knowledge, sensitivity and appreciation, students of diverse cultures are at risk of simple misunderstandings leading to teachers perceiving students differences as problems due to understandings, thus responding with negative feedback, inappropriate teaching, unfair marking criteria and low expectations (Grassi & Barker 2009). In response students may feel demotivatied by the hostile learning envrionment, leading to low self-esteem and academic
The implementation of policy and legislation related to inclusive education, thus being a focus on the diversity and difference in our society (Ashman & Elkins, 2009), would have vast implications on the way society views that which is different to the accepted “norm”.
Biculturalism is the integration of sensitivities and competencies of two cultures in a person (Gorski, 2006). Through multicultural education, students from the various cultural background learn the mainstream culture but also maintain theirs. The bicultural individuals are equally conversant and a part of both the ancestral and the new culture. They have the option of inter-changing the social norms to fit in a certain environment. Through biculturalism, students can embrace their culture as well as the mainstream culture and hence do not detach themselves from their minority group.
As an educator one must understand that the children you will be teaching will all come from different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different homes with different values. No one student will be the same, and no one student will learn the same. The role of a modern educator is to harness this idea of diversity and channel it into a positive learning atmosphere for children of all backgrounds. “I define culturally responsive teaching as using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them” (Gay, 2013, p.50.). The hope for all teachers is to capture the minds of their children, as educators we must learn how our students learn, adapt to their skill set and channel our curriculum to their strength.
Ashman, A & Elkins, J. (2009). Education for Inclusion and Diversity (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
It is an educator’s job to embrace and acknowledge the rich diversity all the children collectively bring to the classroom, while understanding that the children do not need to be treated the same because they are not the same as each other, but be respected and accepted for their differences. Inclusion is an essential; plank in the broad platform of social justice and raising achievement is a goal which all educators much hold for their pupils, It is important that early year professionals are aware of all different ways in which society constructs (Neaum 2010) this involves taking account children’s social cultural and linguistic diversity and including learning style, family circumstances, location in curriculum decision making process so all children are recognised and valued (Nutbrown and Clough 2006)
Students who are enrolled in elementary schools with a diverse population usually develop an understanding of insights and perspectives of children from different backgrounds and learn to function in a multiethnic, multicultural environment (Morrissey, 2014). Therefore, students need to learn how to interact in diverse environments. Teachers face challenges of making lessons and instructions “culturally responsive” for all students to avoid favoritism (Griner, 2012). Some students’ cultural backgrounds may have a negative impact on them in a modern classroom (Burt, 2013). It is imperative for elementary school teachers to be knowledgeable of different cultural beliefs and practices to help students adjust to traditional classrooms (Nigma, 2015). Defining the
...Elkins, J. (2008). Education for Inclusion and Diversity Third Edition. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
Diversity in classrooms can open student’s minds to all the world has to offer. At times diversity and understanding of culture, deviant experiences and perspectives can be difficult to fulfill, but with appropriate strategies and resources, it can lead students gaining a high level of respect for those unlike them, preferably than a judgmental and prejudiced view.
When evaluating myself on the Cultural Proficiency continuum, I’d place myself at “Cultural Competence” part on the continuum. This evaluation takes into account my experiences and practices while working in various schools and interacting with students of varied cultures, needs and ability levels as both a teacher and a learner. An effective educator is continually maintaining this dual role of teacher and life-long student in order to not grow stagnant within the classroom; this dynamic allows for growth along the continuum toward maintaining cultural proficiency.
Students in the United States experience varying degrees of Multicultural Education. To my benefit, I was brought up in a learning environment that was culturally accepting and engaging. I was enrolled in the Franklin Pierce School District for my entire public education career and at Pierce College during my last two years of high school. Since the beginning of my academic career, I’ve been exposed to a learning environment filled with a rich amount of diversity among students which in turn produced well-roundedness in myself. In my experience as a FPSD student, I’ve shared experiences with fellow peers of different races, cultures, and socioeconomic standings. Pierce College boasts an even more specific type of diversity within the student
In Australia, teachers must be familiar with the many federal and state laws, regulations, and frameworks, which apply to inclusive education. At a national level, the following Acts and Standards protect students: the Commonwealth (Cwlth) Anti-Discrimination Act 2004; Cwlth Disability Discrimination Act 1992; Racial Discrimination Act 1975; Cwlth Sex Discrimination Act 1984; Human Rights Commission Act 1986; Australia’s ratific...
The class activity was simple: draw a self-portrait. As Ms. Caldera began to look through her students' work, one stood out to her. The drawing was of a young fair-skinned, blond-hair, and blue-eyed girl. Normally this would not be a problem, but in this case it was. The girl who had drawn herself was actually quite the opposite: rich dark skin, brown hair, and brown eyes (Caldera). Considering that the United States is such a large melting pot of cultures, it is normal for children to have difficulty balancing between two cultures. Culture, is really important for a child's development because it ultimately influences their morals and values. Although it is difficult for children to balance the traditions and such of two cultures, they are recompensed with a greater knowledge about the world, and understanding of people.
In order for multi-cultural education programs to achieve their goals, they must aim at knowledge through engagement and inquiry-based activities that build on cultural similarities and differences and life experiences of students themselves. As Nieto and Bode (2013) stated, “True multicultural education both generates coherence and synergy from student and community diversity, and teaches students how to continue to thrive in, benefit from and contribute to the pluralistic world in which they will inevitably
Learning about culture, language and fairness. It is important that educators must aware of the differences and similarity of the families and children. “Families communicate their culture’s values, beliefs, rules, and expectations to their children. What is acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in another” (Edwards, 2010, p. 55).
According to David O. McKay (2013), multicultural education is constructed to prepare pupils for citizenship in a democratic society by facilitating them to take into account the needs of all individuals; it shed light on how issues of language, ethnicity, culture, religion race, abilities/disabilities, and gender are entwined with educational content and processes. A multicultural curriculum is needed to accommodate for diverse learning and teaching styles of facilitators and pupils and to expose biases, stereotypes, and policies that can restrict achievement. What is more, a multicultural curriculum is also needed to help pupils, faculty, and staff become advocates for multicultural awareness, to ensure that content is fair, accurate, and inclusive, and to prepare pupils for diverse workplaces and multicultural environments. In writing this paper, the author will describe key issues of culturally diverse students, recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected. In addition, she will describe three key issues of male and female students recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected. In closing, she will describe three key issues of students with disabilities, who are mainstreamed, recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected.