Multicultural Tendencies

Today’s K-12 classrooms, as well institutions of higher learning, reflect the diversity of our national population. Race, religion, socio-economic status, ethnicity and language are but a few of the characteristics that make up our student population and to be effective as educators we must raise our cultural awareness so that we meet the needs of our students who come to class with different cultural backgrounds and culturally-related learning styles. Embracing and gaining an understanding of the cultural differences present in our classrooms is the first step in developing an assorted repertoire of teaching styles and assignments to meet the needs of our learners.

Early in my teaching career at a private vocational institution, I gained first-hand experience in what happens when multicultural tendencies are not considered when providing instruction to a culturally diverse classroom. I presented the guidelines for an independent culminating project to my computer applications class where students were allowed to work in a group or in pairs on previous assignments, but the “final” was an individual project. One of my female Asian students who had performed admirably on prior assessments did not meet the requirements of the final project and, unfortunately, I assumed that there was a misunderstanding with regard to the instructions I provided or that her previous work was more a result of the group effort than her own. I took her aside and asked if she understood the instructions and whether or not she was comfortable with the applications. She smiled during my inquiry and responded “yes” and “thank you.” I was baffled by her response and questioned my teaching ability until a seasoned colleague shared with me the Asian cultural tendency to refrain from saying “no” (sign of conflict) and to always smile (to maintain harmony). With my newfound “awareness” I was able to communicate with my student using phrases and questions that enabled her to complete the assignment correctly.

I have developed a strong cultural awareness since that experience applying these basic guidelines in teaching culturally diverse students:

• Actively pursue learning about the differences between cultures.
• Don’t leap to conclusions and avoid using stereotypes.
• Be adaptable with your expectations and teaching style.

As an educator, developing a strong cultural awareness is important to your professional and personal growth, but more importantly it will greatly benefit the students in your class.