Accommodating for Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

http://portfolio.project.tcnj.edu/summer2004/Cohen/Cultural%20Diversity.htm

Many teachers, myself included, will be teaching in culturally diverse classrooms

during their teaching career. Every classroom is diverse and unique in its own
way. Teachers must possess knowledge on how to accommodate for cultural
diversity in their classroom. Because of this and as part of an assignment in my
Teaching Students with Mild Disabilities class, I researched cultural diversity in
the classroom. This paper is a result of my research and will be a key ingredient
in my teaching.

Introduction

Culture encapsulates various aspects. There are a number of cultural factors,

which have direct implications for teaching and learning. Teachers need to be
responsive to individual ethnic groups cultural values, practices, language,
learning preferences, involvement and familial patterns. Todays teachers must
also be more than just aware or respectful of the idea that ethnic groups have
distinct values or they may display similar values in unique ways (Gay, 2002).

This paper will explore cultural diversity in the educational setting, examining
first how cultural diversity can be accommodated in the classroom, then
identifying five crucial issues in the literature for accommodating for cultural
diversity in the classroom. Then a discussion will ensue on how decisions of
pedagogy should be effected by cultural diversity. Finally, this paper will discuss
the emerging issues of empowerment and natural support and provide a brief
personal reflection.

How cultural diversity should be accommodated with in the classroom

Despite the disproportionately below average achievement of students of
color, disagreement still exists over including multicultural education in
curriculums. Culturally responsive teaching holds that explicit knowledge about
cultural diversity is necessary to meet the needs of all students today (Gay,
2002). In order to accommodate for cultural diversity, this type of teaching
method is imperative. Culturally responsive teaching includes: a knowledge
base about cultural diversity, including ethnic and cultural diversity in the
curriculum, displaying care, constructing learning communities and reacting to
cultural diversity in the presentation of instruction (Gay, 2002). Culturally
responsive teaching is defined as:

Using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically

diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively (Gay, 2002, pg.
106).

There are many contributions that various ethnic groups have made to
certain subject areas, and too many teachers are unaware of these
accomplishments. To accommodate cultural diversity, teachers must convert the
curriculum into culturally responsive curriculum designs and instructional
strategies (Gay, 2002, pg. 108). This can be achieved by performing in depth
cultural analyses of textbooks. In my opinion, this will take an extraordinary
amount of time and many teachers would not have the available free time to do
this. More realistic methods to accommodate for cultural diversity are needed.

Another way to accommodate cultural diversity in the classroom is

through symbolic curriculum, most commonly seen in the form of bulletin board
decorations, signs, banners, or posters around the room. I feel this is much
easier for teachers to accomplish than in depth analysis of text and many
teachers I have seen do utilize their bulletin board space to celebrate diversity.
Teachers can take advantage of these so-called advertisements and encourage
their students to learn important multicultural lessons from these symbols (Gay,
2002). Teachers must make sure that the images in their classrooms represent a
variety of age, gender, time, place, social class, and all types of diversity across
ethnic groups. It is also important for teachers to clarify and explain inaccurate
portrayals of ethnic groups in the mass media and popular culture. For many
students, unfortunately, the television can be a powerful and believable source
of knowledge (Gay, 2002).

Cultural scaffolding is another way teachers can accommodate for

cultural diversity. This can be paraphrased as using students unique cultures
and experiences to increase their academic success. Teachers must not expect
anything less than high performance from their ethnically diverse students (Gay,
2002). Unlike the typical American culture, many other cultures, such as Asian
cultures, tend to place group success over individual success and effort;
therefore ethnically diverse students may have different styles in which they
perform work. Because of this, a variety of assessments, such as performancebased assessments should be utilized in the classroom. A community of diverse
learners, in which all learning styles are appreciated and accepted, is important
(Gay, 2002). Not only do various ethnic groups have different work styles they
also have different communication styles, which reflect their cultural values and
form their behavior (Gay, 2002). It is imperative that the classroom environment

be a welcoming and accepting environment of all types of communication

patterns.

One way I have seen cultural diversity accommodated in the classroom is

by sharing of individual cultures from the students themselves. One way I saw
this achieved was having each student bring in an ethnic dish of their choice and
sharing it with the class on a multicultural feast day. Another way to easily
accommodate and celebrate diversity in the classroom is to have parents or
family members of the students come in to the classroom during a specific
holiday and share with the class their holiday practices. I saw this done by a
student of the Jewish faith whose mother came in during Hanukah to read a story
about the holiday and share a traditional craft with the class.

Cultural diversity needs to be accommodated in our classrooms because

it provides a number of benefits to children. For elementary school children, it
gives them an increased warmth to and appreciation of being human. It also
helps children to have a more logical understanding of the existence of ethnic
diversity in the history and culture of not only our society, but also the world
(Gay, 1979).

5 Critical Issues in Accommodating for Cultural Diversity

One key issue in accommodating for cultural diversity in the classroom
involves transforming curriculum into culturally responsive and culturally
accurate curriculum. One type of curriculum present in the classroom is formal
plans, which policy makers often approve and go together with textbooks. Many
of these textbooks, although improving over time, have been inaccurate in their
portrayal of ethnic and cultural diversity (Gay, 2002). One example I thought of
regarding this issue was how in school we only learned about the civil war
through the lenses of the North, since we are part of the Northern United States.
One-sided views can often be biased, in my opinion.

Another key issue found in the literature that may pose a problem with
accommodating for cultural diversity in the classroom is the issue of communal
communication styles (Gay, 2002). In different cultural groups there are unique
roles of the speaker and listener when communicating. For example, some
African-Americans use a call-response method of communicating; NativeHawaiians use a method called talk-story. These communication patterns can
prove problematic in a classroom if a teacher is uniformed of this particular way
of communicating. To accommodate for this type of diversity, the teacher needs
to handle a situation involving communal communication styles of a particular

ethnic group very cautiously because denying a child of their natural way of
speaking can inadvertently stifle their academic achievement (Gay, 2002).

Preparing teachers more effectively to work with diverse groups of

students is another issue in accommodating cultural diversity in the classroom.
Teachers cannot accommodate for cultural diversity if they are unaware of the
unique aspects of different ethnic groups. Teacher preparation programs must
provide more thorough understanding of students who are not from the United
States ethnic, racial and cultural norm. Future teachers need to learn more
about how specific cultures of certain ethnic groups affect learning strategies,
behavior, communication, and classroom interactions (Gay, 2002). I feel that
there is not enough time in teacher preparation to go over every ethnic groups
culture but I think an effort should be made to focus upon the majority of ethnic
groups in a certain area where a future teacher may be teaching. For example,
in the Miami area there is a large population of Cubans so maybe teacher
preparation programs in Florida should include aspects of the Cuban culture for
example. Teacher preparation classes should also include the opportunity for
future teachers to become aware of their own cultural beliefs that affect their
behavior (Lin and Kinzer, 2003).

No matter how much a teacher may try to be un-biased by their own

culture, it still may occur, even when trying to accommodate for cultural
diversity. Our cultural knowledge provides us with information that molds our
explanations of events and our behavior (Lin and Kinzer, 2003). For example, a
teacher could be reading her students an un-biased simple nursery rhyme and
asks her students a question about it, expecting an answer reflected by the
rhyme itself. Western culture will usually interpret Mary Had a Little Lamb as a
nursery rhyme about a girl and her lamb, but other non-western cultures may
see this rhyme as being about Mary and the lamb as her meal, for example. If a
student were to give this answer a teacher may consider it incorrect and
therefore have lowered expectations of an ethnically diverse student (Lin and
Kinzer, 2003). Being aware of cultural knowledge and mismatches between
cultural knowledge is a key issue teachers must keep in mind when
accommodating for cultural diversity.

Some teachers seem to feel that subjects, such as math and science, are
incompatible with cultural diversity. This is another key issue when
accommodating cultural diversity in the classroom. Gay (2002) does not feel this
is true and she proposes that there actually is a position for cultural diversity in
every subject. For example to accommodate for cultural diversity in
mathematics, a cultural focus could involve a lesson on Egyptian numerals, the
Chinese calendar, or counting words in different languages. Many teachers are
not aware of the significant contributions that different ethnic groups have made

to certain subject areas. What teachers perceive they are aware of about the
field may be based upon vague information stemming from popular culture of
the media (Gay, 2002). This problem can also be solved by adding more
knowledge of contributions of different ethnic groups to a vast variety of
disciplines in teacher preparation programs. There are less publicly observable
but, nonetheless, extremely noteworthy contributions of many ethnic groups in
science, technology, medicine, math, theology, law, etc. (Gay, 2002). This
website provides a lesson used for celebrating German-American day on October
6th, which would be very beneficial for a teacher attempting to accommodate for
cultural diversity in any subject: http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/kade/g_immigr.html

Decisions of Pedagogy

This discussion of how cultural diversity can be accommodated in many

content areas brings us to our next section on how decisions of pedagogy should
be effected by cultural diversity. As already previously discussed, teaching in a
culturally responsive manner involves many changes to the curriculum. When
planning a lesson or unit, teachers should try to choose texts that are free of
stereotypes, which sometimes can be difficult (Davis, 1999). When deciding
what to teach, teachers must also get a sense of how their students feel in the
cultural climate of the classroom. Gay (2002) feels that teaching ethnically
diverse students need to be multiculturalized, meaning that instructional
methods should attempt to counterpart the learning techniques of diverse
students (pg. 112). The cultural characteristics of a particular classroom should
provide the measure for deciding how instructional techniques should be altered
for ethnically diverse students (Gay, 2002). Ethnic learning styles include eight
elements, some of which are: preferred content, methods of working through
learning activities, ways to model and explain ideas, physical and social settings
for activities, and so on. These components can allow multiple points of entry
and importance for matching decisions of pedagogy to the learning methods of
various ethnic groups (Gay, 2002).

Davis (1999) also feels it is important to keep in mind, when assessing

students or assigning tasks, that English may not be the first language of many
students. When I am a teacher, depending on the subject area, perhaps for
certain assignments I will allow students who do not speak English to compose
the assignment in their primary language. Assigning collaborative assignments
and choosing tasks which recognize students diverse backgrounds and unique
interests is another way cultural diversity should effect decisions of pedagogy
(Davis, 1999). For example, a teacher could assign a book report, which allows
students to explore the aspects of a traditionally underrepresented ethnic group.
I believe this is an important aspect of cultural diversity in the classroom and
that all teachers should take into consideration the interests and backgrounds of

their students when assigning tasks. Another example of how teachers could
accomplish this would be allowing students to choose an ethnic group or culture
of their choice to do a report or presentation on, relevant in some way to the
unit. Freedom of choice is a way to empower your students, which will be
discussed in more detail in the following section.

Natural Support and Empowerment

Our text discusses natural supports as an integral source of assistance to

pupils with disabilities. Natural supports can be friends, classmates, teachers or
family (Downing, 2002). The idea of natural supports in our environment for
students with disabilities can be applied to students who are ethnically diverse.
Natural supports should be in place for all students so each pupil can feel that
they are a vital part of the classroom atmosphere. Grigal (1998) discusses staff
members, time, and space as natural supports that can be made available to
students with disabilities, but I feel these same supports need to be in place for
students who are ethnically diverse, as well. Staff members, such as ESL
(English as a second language) teachers can be available resources that general
education teachers can turn to for information about tailoring lessons to include
all students. One way in which time can be used as a natural support for diverse
students is allowing flexibility when turning in assignments, since these students
may not be speaking the same language the paper needs to be written. Grigal
(1998) discusses how setting up a classroom in a strategic way, by utilizing
space is another way to provide a natural support. This can be accomplished by
seating children with disabilities next to children who are not disabled. To
accommodate and provide space as a natural support for diverse students would
include placing a student from the dominant culture next to a student from
outside the dominant culture. Not only could the ethnically diverse student be
assisted by the other student when he or she is confused with certain ideas, but
these seat buddies learn a great deal from each other.

Of course the common natural supports should also be used in ethnically

diverse classrooms, such as: peer tutoring or lunch buddies. A teacher could
ask a number of students to join her for lunch once a week hopefully providing
an opportunity for friendships to form across cultural lines. The teacher could
also receive feedback from her students on how accurately they feel the teacher
is accommodating cultural diversity in the classroom. Peer tutoring is also an
effective way for both students involved to help each other and possibly become
friends, another support.

Student determination and empowerment are also essential

characteristics of a classroom, which supports diversity. Providing students with

more choices and allowing them to be involved in their own education are
essential when empowering your students. As stated before, a classroom, which
supports and celebrates diversity and provides a welcoming environment for
every student allows students to feel empowered. Allowing students themselves
to have a say in how they will be assessed or what subject material they will
concentrate on to some degree are ways to accomplish this.

Cummings (1989) lists a number of ways to empower students who are

ethnically diverse. Some ideas are to have signs around school and your
classroom that are written in various languages, not just English. She also
suggests providing opportunities for students to be able to communicate in their
primary language and to be able to write plays or newspaper articles for the
school in their primary language. Students should also be permitted to study
their primary language and culture in elective subjects (Green and Hsu, 2000). I
think these are all excellent ways to empower students and by permitting
students to feel that they are in control of their own educational success, in a
comfortable, welcoming, and diversity-accepting environment, I believe all
students will excel above and beyond their capabilities.

Personal Reflection

As a future teacher, in the process of completing a teacher education

program, I knew there was a lot I had yet to learn about teaching. I feel that I
was more concerned about how to teach and what to teach, than the many other
issues involved in this profession. After researching and writing this paper I have
realized that cultural diversity in the classroom is not something to merely be
aware or respectful of, but something that needs to be thought about and
accommodated for each and every day. It is a much more important aspect of
teaching than I had not previously considered until now. I am glad I had the
opportunity to write this paper and obtain ideas of how cultural diversity will play
an active role in my classroom.

References

Davis, B.G. (1993). Tools for Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Downing, J.E. (2002). Including Students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities in
Typical Classrooms. (Practical Strategies for Teachers.) 2nd ed. Baltimore: Paul
H. Brooks Publishing Company.

Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher

Education, 53, 106-116.

Gay, G. (1979). On behalf of children: a curriculum design for multicultural

education in the elementary school. The Journal of Negro Education, 48, 324340.

Green, B. and Hsu, K. (2000). Multicultural education: Common problems

experienced by various cultures. (Report No. S0 032 855). Houston, TX:
National Association of African American Studies & the National Association of
Hispanic and Latino Studies: 2000 Literature Monograph Series. (ERIC
Document Reproduction Service No. ED 454 143)

Grigal, M. (1998). The time space-continuum: Using natural supports in inclusive

classrooms. Teaching Exceptional Children, 30, 44-51.

Lin, X and Kinzer, C.K. (2003). The importance of technology for making cultural
values visible. Theory Into Practice, 42, 234-242.