Effects of Cultural Diversity on the Modern Classroom Essay Example

Effects of Cultural Diversity on the Modern Classroom Essay Example Effects of Cultural Diversity on the Modern Classroom Essay Effects of Cultural Diversity on the Modern Classroom Essay Running Header: CULTURAL DIVERSITY Effects of Cultural Diversity on the Modern Classroom Abstract This paper examines the effects that increasing diversity in the American classroom has had on the teaching profession. With the massive changes in cultural and linguistic minority levels within the classroom, the field of education as a whole has been forced to evolve. This adaptation is necessary for the American education system to maintain the levels of success that it has achieved in years past. Included within this work are personal experiences highlighting my own sensitivity to the increasingly diverse classroom, as well as explicit connections to education experts. The last few decades have seen a notable change to the face of education. No longer are classes predominantly comprised of the cultural or ethnic majority. Classes have grown to reflect the cultural diversity that is prevalent throughout society in the United States. Due to the great change in the face of the classroom today, schools are adapting their instructional strategies to be considerate and respectful of the massive amounts of culture within the classroom. This newly emerging cultural diversity is what is shaping the field of education today. Unlike classrooms throughout history, teachers must now consider cognition, as it is influenced by culture, to determine how to best teach their students. Culture in the classroom does not create nor allow a uniform teaching style anymore. Traditional means of teaching, for all intents and purposes, have gone stale. The drastic increases to the cultural and ethnic diversity in the classroom have paved the way for a new style of instruction. Within the field of educational psychology there are many people working diligently to reveal more about student learning with respect and acknowledgement of each individual studentâ„ ¢s culture. This explosion of discovery, on the part of the psychologists, has revealed that learning and cognition, although varying from person to person, are shaped on a higher level by each individualâ„ ¢s culture (Greenfield Cocking, 1994, p.4). Gardenerâ„ ¢s theory of Multiple Intelligences established precedence for this, as it states that not every person learns in the same fashion. Some students may excel in a lecture-style classroom while other students are more inclined to learn in a hands-on based setting (Eby, Herrel, Jordan, 1994, p.209). This proves the distinct possibility that each student in a classroom will process material differently and, therefore, teachers must work to diversify their instructional approaches to meet the individual needs of the students. In recent years, educational psychologists such as Ruby Takanishi and John Ogbu have acknowledged that this phenomenon of students learning material differently extends beyond the basic capacity for cognition. In addition to needing variation of instruction, students also process information differently. They have concluded that the ability to process information also stems from a studentâ„ ¢s cultural influences. A great example of the variation of cognition dependent on culture comes from Greenfield and Cockingâ„ ¢s Cross-Cultural Roots of Minority Child Development. Within this collection of analyses of education, Jacqueline Jamin utilized the comparison of Inuit children of Canada to Baoule children of the Ivory Coast. In her comparison, Jamin concluded that certain concepts and the acquisition of cognitive skills are stronger in some cultures rather than others (Greenfield Cocking, 1994, p.147). From this analysis, she determined that Inuit children have a greater understanding of the concept of space whereas Baoule children comprehend the concept of quantity on a deeper level. Jamin noted in her summation of this comparison that these differences in cognition are derived from certain aspects of daily life that are highly valued among these cultures (Greenfield Cocking, 1994, p.147). It is facts such as this that teachers must consider when planning and instructing in the dive rse classroom of today. The influence of culture on cognition extends beyond conceptual knowledge of course material. Furthermore, it also extends beyond the two-culture model that compares the Baoule and Inuit children. As Takanishi wrote in her article pertaining to children of Japanese descent, the influence of culture extends far beyond excelling in specific topics or areas. Takanishi described the hardships that students of various Asian heritages face within the classroom. The situation that is illustrated presents the cultural influence pertaining to the respecting of authority figures and elders. In this model, students are often viewed as timid, shy, and reluctant to ask questions (Greenfield Cocking, 1994, p.352). Considering this, a teacher will experience very little success when instructing students of some Asian cultures if they engage them using the Socratic method or a similar approach (Johnson, Musial, Hall, Gollnick, Dupuis, 2008, p.304). In order to experience success in the class room, teachers must be considerate and respectful of different cultures and how it applies to their instruction because a studentâ„ ¢s culture is an engrained aspect of their personality. These two articles from Greenfield and Cockingâ„ ¢s text reveal quite a bit about what profound influence culture possesses over learning. Educational psychologists have revealed much about the scope of influence that culture has over an individualâ„ ¢s learning process. Teaching to a diverse classroom should be given as much respect as teaching to students of varying skills and abilities. Teachers must find a way to reach every student regardless of their skill level or background and experiences. Culture does not hinder a childâ„ ¢s educational performance, it creates a unique opportunity for teachers to personalize their education further to assist all students in their adventures in learning (Slavin, 2009, p.92). The above examples help to illustrate the additional uniqueness that culture adds to each student. Within the classroom there are students who will learn differently, behave differently, and experience success in different subjects. Educators have begun to give consideration to the varying degrees of learning and variation of skills and abilities in recent years. Instructional trends throughout the field of education, such as bilingual education, accommodation, modification, active learning, discovery learning, and many other approaches to teaching, have developed from the recognition of diversity within the classroom. Students who would have traditionally struggled in the former sink or swim types of immersion are finally receiving the necessary attention to assist them in learning (Ovando, Combs, Collier, 2006, p.41). Teachers are becoming better trained for the increased diversity within the classroom. These teachers are the ones who work hard to develop the educational app roaches responsible for the successes in educating culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse classrooms. Throughout the Greenfield and Cocking text, the need for sensitivity towards the culture of students is a recurring theme. A simple awareness to a studentâ„ ¢s culture is not enough for a teacher to have when teaching a diverse class. Sensitivity goes beyond awareness, as it is an acknowledgement of the various cultures that may exist and also an accommodation for any cultural needs that may be present. An educator who does not possess the necessary sensitivity to a studentâ„ ¢s cultural needs might not take the initiative, or not know to take the initiative, to meet the varying needs of their students. In both instances of neglect and ignorance the needs of the student, as related to, and a result from, their cultural upbringing, go unmet. Sensitivity to culture can also be interpreted as being knowledgeable and respectful of a studentâ„ ¢s culture to the point where it serves as a reference point for accommodation within the classroom. The action of accommodation should function similar to the way accommodation and modification does for students with disabilities. The theory behind accommodation and modification is basic in scope and thus can, and should, be applied in the instance of diversity. General accommodations already in widespread use include the production of handouts in majority and minority languages, advanced notice of assignments, assistive learning devices, course modifications and many others (Greenfield Cocking, 1994, p.32). With accommodation strategies such as these already employed, it is an easy and logical step to apply them beyond their original, intended scope, and apply them with regard to cultural needs of students. If this is done, the students will receive the added and necessary attention to help increase the quality of learning they are receiving. In achieving this, educators are making it easier for students to process the information presented in the classroom. The sensitivity toward culture is derived from an understanding and knowledge of the various cultures that are represented within the classroom. Although there may be a wide range of cultures within the classroom, teachers should be conscious of the audience that they are instructing (Ovando et al., 2006, p.32). Being aware of your studentsâ„ ¢ cultures will help the teacher maximize the probability of achieving success in the classroom. A teacher with a true understanding of the cultures of his students will be better equipped to teach to the whole, not to the particular. Understanding culture can reveal much about studentâ„ ¢s wants and needs. Furthermore, the teacher will be able to understand their studentsâ„ ¢ mannerisms and body language, a skill that will help prevent any misconceptions of bad behavior or rudeness. This understanding does not just apply to lesson design and instruction, but rather it paves the road for appropriate and constructive student/teach er, parent/teacher, and student/parent/teacher interactions. From 1994 to 1996 the number of linguistic minority students skyrocketed from three million to nearly ten million students (Nieto, 2000). The increased volume of minority language students has had great effects on the education system in the United States. This growth of minority language students has greatly increased the demand for teachers to have an improved awareness of the needs of all of their students. Teachers are not the only aspect of the American education system that has needed to become more modernized to suit the diverse culture of today. The prevalence and high amounts of diversity in the classroom has resulted in a need for reform of instructional settings, classroom compositions and the focus of the school as well. Change is not something that the teachers are entirely responsible for, as school districts and the field of education as a whole must develop and adapt into a more responsive and adaptable institution. The act of refining the teaching profession to become compassionate and accommodating to cultural and linguistic diversity has not been developing on its own. Alongside this development, the fundamentals and teaching strategies used within the classroom have also experienced great changes. As previously mentioned, there is a transition away from traditional instructional methods. The lesson planning and execution processes are continually being refined in a manner that heavily suggests incorporation of cultural learning. Although lessons are still encouraged to maintain the traditional style of review, introduction, presentation, seatwork, summary, and conclusion, the inner-workings of each aspect of the lesson has experienced revision. Lecturing, as a tool for presenting subject matter, has undergone many changes to assist students of various culture and language differences in understanding course content. With the incorporation of modern technology, either via visual presentation and/or translated course materials, achieving a bilingual setting has become much easier to attain. Furthermore, constructivist-learning theory has begun to influence educational approaches and strategies to the point that the presentation and seatwork sections are intertwined (Johnson et al., 2008, p.331). Discovery learning calls for students to explore the course materials and learn in a manner that best suits their needs (Eby et al., 2006, p.218). This is entirely conducive to cultural sensitivity and consideration within the classroom as teachers facilitate and supervise learning rather than control it. The constructivist approach is defined as a situation where students learn best through meaningful, first hand experiences (J ohnson et al., 2008, p.331). In this model, in compliance with constructivist theory, teachers give the students the necessary tools for them to learn the material in a fashion that best suits their needs. The implementation of constructivist theory, namely through discovery learning, has become much more commonplace in the school systems today. Before taking this class on Cognition, Culture and Language I was unaware of the profound effect that culture can have on student learning. Though I had learned the importance of understanding the culture of the students to establish connecting points within the curriculum, I did not possess any further reason to have a personal cultural understanding with students. It is now evident to me that understanding the cultures of students will achieve more than establishing connecting points. Teachers with the understanding of the cultures of their students are better equipped to assist their students in the learning process. Moreover, teachers who understand the cultures and cultural values of their students are more inclined to be accepting of their students and not violate any cultural norms that the parents might have instilled in their children. Also, when a teacher has a grasp of the cultures of their students, it is unlikely that they will misinterpret behaviors that are spec ific to various cultures as being insubordinate, rude, or timid (Greenfield Cocking, 1994, p.352). Rather than assume a student is exhibiting negative character traits, a teacher with cultural understanding would be more inclined to research alternate methods of instruction that move away from situations where students exhibit these behaviors. With respect to cultural sensitivity, I have learned many things about the implications of diversity within the classroom. Cultural sensitivity, or the sincere acknowledgement of the diversity within the class, is essential for teachers to excel in the classroom. Possessing sensitivity to culture is on a greater level than a simple awareness and understanding. When a teacher has a combination of awareness, sensitivity, and understanding, they will know how to respond situationally and appropriately. Sensitivity also has beneficial effects when establishing relationships that extend beyond the classroom. A teacher who is culturally sensitive will interact with students and their families. When they do this, they will be conscious and respectful of culture and will conduct themselves with tact and dignity. In addition, when teachers employ ideas that are centered on accommodation and lesson modification, they will ensure success among all students, not simply the minority or the majority. Culture exists, and has influence on, so many levels of our everyday lives. The effect that culture has on a person is uncontrollable. It is a continual pattern that goes from parent to child and, although it may be changed overtime, still possesses the same common origin. As time progresses, specific groups may develop characteristics different from their original, inherited culture but common traits may remain the same. Regardless of the changes that may occur over time, people are still shaped and developed in accordance with their culture. The effects that culture has on a personâ„ ¢s comprehension and learning have become much more evident as our classrooms become increasingly diverse. Now, to help students learn subject material in a manner that is best receptive to their culture, teachers must develop awareness to these cultures. For the American education system to experience continued success, teachers must work to improve the quality of education it is delivering. Throughout the years there have been continual modifications and evolutions to instructional approaches in order to demonstrate the success that has been occurring in the field of teaching. Now, as the education system faces the challenge of an increasing diverse population, teachers must work to develop educational strategies that best appeal to the whole of their classes. Older, traditional approaches have grown stale and more ineffective as diversity in the classroom continues to rise. Therefore, to experience continued success within the classroom, teachers must once again change their approach. It is the teachers who go through comprehensive preparatory programs that are more receptive and responsive to the needs of the students. These programs teach future educators how to experience success with unique instructional approaches. Various movements within the field of education, such as Constructivism, Bilingual Education, and Discovery Learning, are at the forefront of accommodating classrooms for students of diverse cultural needs. These instructional strategies cannot achieve true success on their own though, as it takes the creative work of open, informed, and compassionate teachers to continue to develop teaching strategies for the benefit of all students. It should be the goal of all future teachers to develop into the culturally sensitive educators that are needed for continued and increased success in the classroom. I feel that, through the requirements that I am working to fulfill at National University, I am being adequately prepared to educate students in the increasingly diverse classroom of today. My own personal experiences, coupled with the facilitated learning activities, are increasing my awareness of studentsâ„ ¢ needs and cultures, thus providing me the adequate tools to be a successful teacher of the future products of the American education system. References: Eby, J., Herrell, A., Jordan, M. (2006). Teaching in K-12 schools: A reflective action approach (4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Ltd. Greenfield, P. M., Cocking, R. R. (1994). Cross-cultural roots of minority child development. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Johnson, J. A., Musial, D., Hall, G., Gollnick, D., Dupuis, V. (2008). Foundations of american education: Perspectives on education in a changing world (14th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. Nieto, S. (2000). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education. New York: Longman. Ovando, C. J., Combs, M. C., Collier, V. P. (2006). Bilingual and ESL classrooms (4th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Slavin, R.E. (2009). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (9th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.