6/5/21; Week 7; Response to "Culture and Psychology".

 

Culture is the system of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that that form a distinctive way of life of people. Sometimes, the term is also used to refer specifically to the artistic, intellectual and other aspects of life. In this sense, culture is nearly synonymous with ethnicity, which refers to the common language, history, and future experienced by a group within society. 

Culture has elements that are obvious, like unique holidays or customs, but also features that are subtle or easy for outsiders to overlook, like beliefs about the nature of intelligence or about the proper way to tell a story. When a classroom draws students from many cultures or ethnic groups, the students bring to it considerable diversity. Teachers need to understand that diversity, and understand how students’ habitual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors differ from each other, and especially how they differ from the teacher’s.

How would you help students of different cultural backgrounds feel comfortable in your classroom? Let me know in the comments section!

6/5/21; Week 7; Response to "Differences in Manners".

 

How do you greet someone you meet for the first time? The answer to this probably depends on where you are. If you try an Asian bow to say hello to someone in South America, you will get a confused reaction. However, if you try to give someone in Japan a kiss on the cheek, they may become genuinely scared. As a result of globalization, the world has become more neutral in some ways, for example, the handshake has become the most normal way of greeting people in international formal situations. 

Topics of conversation that are considered taboo change a lot as well. Generally, in the Western world, asking someone’s age is  disrespectful, however, in Japan and Vietnam it is pretty normal. It’s no surprise when a Chinese person asks how much money you make either. In India it is very common to ask young people if they are married, and, if the answer is “no”, then they are not afraid to ask “why?“.

Regarding table manners, there are some things which unite most of the world. It is common on all continents to say something before eating, usually something like ‘good appetite’. Interestingly, one language where this is not said is English, in which it is more common to use the French “bon appetit”. One thing that most people would always consider rude is burping at the table, however, in China it is seen as a compliment to the cook.

In a classroom, our students may come from different cultural cultural backgrounds and have different manners. What can be rude to us, can be completely normal and acceptable for them. That's why as educators we need to be respectful and accept our students as they are. Instead of being quick to judge when they do something that doesn't seem quite right, we can ask them "why do you this? Can you explain it to me? I want to understand your point of view". By doing this, we will create a safe learning environment in our classroom.

6/5/21; Week 7; Response to "Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom".

 

What is Multicultural Education?

Multicultural education is not a task to be done or even an end goal to be accomplished. Instead, it is an approach to education that aims to include all students, promote learning of other cultures, and teach healthy social skills in a multicultural setting. “It is the present and future of education,” according to Shilpa Bhouraskar, who runs a business offering online courses to students worldwide. “Multicultural classrooms are a melting pot of learning,” she says. “Rather than a passive, one-way flow of learning from teacher to student, there is a brainstorming of ideas, stories, and experiences that enrich the educational experience in ways that are impossible in monocultural classes.”

Classroom Resources for Multicultural Education

Using different activities and games in multicultural classrooms is a great way to promote inclusivity and encourage students to share their heritage. It’s also a beneficial way for teachers to involve students in different styles of study to immerse them in their learning. Sharing about oneself within the confines of an activity is often much easier than being asked open-ended questions and being put “on the spot.” These activities can then provide a safe space for dialogue and serve as an entryway into more in-depth interactions later on. It also gives us the opportunity to get to know better our students and their cultural background. For example, some immigration stories where students have the opportunity to share how their family arrived to the country they are now and the struggles they went through.

What are some other ideas for activities on a multicultural classroom? Let me know in the comments!