Cultural Diversity

Cultural Diversity in Classrooms

Introduction

Culture can be defined as the moral norms and values of individuals. With increased globalization, there has been an increase in cultural diversity in today's schools and classrooms. Thus, it has become challenging for teachers to address the problem of managing this culturally diversified group of people (Whitbourne, 2012). Teachers lack understanding of different cultures other than their own, as a result, this creates a negative impact on their students' ability to become successful learners. It is important for teachers in a culturally diverse classroom to enhance cultural diversity. The phenomenon of cultural diversity in the classroom introduces us to the difficult task of building a paradigm of thought about diversity (Mbakogu, 2004). Teachers need to change their curriculum in order to remain culturally responsive to students and hence creating an environment that is cooperative and learner centered. In order to ensure that students are successful, it is imperative that teachers assist their students to bridge the discontinuity between home and school. To reduce students' alienation teachers should attempt to create a culturally responsive instructional environment. This can be defined as culturally responsive pedagogy, which determines how teachers can address the challenges of meeting instructional needs of a diverse population (Quintana,1998).

Discussion

Schools in US are serving a growing number of students that belong to culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Teachers need to create an environment that will enable to enhance their students' self- esteem when they are able to construct a learning environment that will reflect cultural membership in a class. It is essential that each student should receive equal attention by the teacher and should be equally engaged in all class activities (Whitbourne, 2012).

Culture and Development

Culture and Development occur as a result of economic growth and modernization, traditional values of culture determine the pace at which the people accept or reject the demands of modern industrial operations (Mbakogu, 2004). Thus to ensure the development and bring change in an economy to form a modern society it is essential to respect values of different cultures. Teachers need to understand the needs of the students that arise in the classroom. A teacher or an instructor should have two competencies to address diversity in the classroom: Technical or professional competency: ability to address the education process with clear and precise knowledge. Personal values, which provide analysis tools and encourage the creation of universal ethics based on respect for human ...