An Online Peer Reviewed / Refereed Journal

Volume 2 | Issue 7 | July 2024

ISSN: 2583-973X (Online)
Website: [Link]

Cultural Diversity and Classroom Teaching: A Critical Analysis

Ruchita Saha
[Link]. (Physics), M.A (Education)

ARTICLE DETAILS ABSTRACT

Research Paper This study is an attempt to emphasize the importance of cultural

diversity in Indian classroom situation. India is the sacred land where
Keywords:
people with diversity in language religion, cast, creed, race, gender,
Cultural Diversity,
colour etc live in with peaceful co-operation. Here, classroom
Cultural Unity, Diverse
represents miniature society of this first cultural diversity. Hence, it’s
Learning Environment,
become a challenging as well as important task for teachers to promote
Responsible Citizen.
‘multiculturalism’ among the learners developing diverse learning
environment through proper classroom transactional techniques and
cocurricular activity management. The essence of rich cultural
heritage and respect for other cultures keep the thread of cultural unity
strong. Hence Multicultural Education system needs innovative ideas,
technical assistance, cooperation between teachers and learners and the
participation of community to prepare the learners as future responsible
citizens.

Introduction

India is very famous for her ‘unity in diversity’. Despite of her diversity in various aspects, this country
utilizes it to flourish her beauty through harmony, tolerance, perseverance and hospitality. Naturally, the
education system in India plays a very crucial role in building the nation by preserving and transferring
her beautiful culture and diversity. This great work of education starts from the very holy classrooms.
Most of the classrooms in India are a representative of her huge cultural diversity irrespective of caste,
creed, gender, religion, language, colour, food, festival, economy, society and many more. So, naturally

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considering such a beautiful but challenging scenario teaching in such a diverse classroom is certainly a
challenging and as well as interesting job. First education of a child begins from his/her home. The
socio-cultural influence of his/her home and neighborhood influence his/her thought, activity, behaviour
and all other characteristics. When different cultures mixed-up in a classroom, the exchange of cultures
and preservation of cultures occur by the art of teaching. An effective teaching helps to flourish different
individual culture, maintain the diversity with harmony and also it transform the cultural heritage with
the help of a proper curriculum. To promote multiculturalism teacher has to face many difficulties. Still
through proper teaching and interaction strategies he/she continues this very important work of
maintaining the ‘unity in diversity’.

Culture & Cultural Diversity: An Overview

The word ‘culture’is first used by the Brutish Anthropologist Edward Tylor in an inclusive and
universal [Link], in middle English the noun ‘culture’ originated from French ‘culture’or
directly from Latin ‘cultura’which means ‘Growing’or ‘Cultivation’. This verb also arises from French
‘culturer’ and mediaval Latin word ‘culturare’and both of them are based on Latin ‘colere’meaning
‘tend’ or ‘cultivate’.In 16th century this means ‘cultivation of the soil’and gradually by broadening its
aspect, now it means ‘cultivation of the mind,faculties or manners’from early 19 th [Link] culture
is synonym of Sanskrit word ‘samskriti’. ‘Samskriti’is derived from the word ‘samskrita’which is
derived from the root word ‘Kri’by adding prefix ‘sam’and suffix ‘ktah’.’Kri’ means to do, make,
perform, accomplish, [Link] another way,’samskriti’means purified,refined and
[Link],without culture there existence of society.

‘Culture’has two main [Link] are ‘materialistic’ and ‘non-materialistic’domains and on basis of
these aspects there are many types of ‘culture’ namely High culture, Low culture, Ideal culture,Real
culture, Popular culture, Folk culture, Sub culture, Corporate culture, Counter culture, Global culture,
Youth culture, National culture, Cyber culture, Consumer culture, Dominant culture etc.

Hence, ‘culture’ is defined as a common belief, thought ,art ,ethics, volume , language,possessed by a
group of people in a society to live peacefully with understanding.

According to Anthropologist Cristina De Rossi “Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how
we were it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table,
how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones and a million other things”.

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‘Cultural Diversity’ is similar to ‘Multiculturalism’. Cultural Diversity is the difference in thought,
belief, ethics, behavior, value, norms possessed by different communities or societies for mutual
understanding and peaceful living.

Cultural diversity is important for creative growth and development. Knowledge of cultural diversity
enhances mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. ‘Multiculturalism’ does not create separation,
it promotes unity.

According to Robert Alan, “Cultural differences should not separate us from each other, but rather
cultural diversity brings a collective strength that can benefit all of humanity.”

Multiculturalism and Indian Classroom Context:--

Culture influence our education system is many [Link] school is a miniature of our cultural diversity
which act as an active fuel to keep running our classroom with the harmony.

Cultural diversity and curriculum:

Curriculum is the machinery which controls the entire classroom education so it is very crucial to
develop a diverse curriculum for a culturally diverse group of pupils. Curriculum of a country like India
naturally differs from state to state and develops cultural values giving respect to her cultural diversity.
This multiculturalism is promoted through different classroom activities and co curricular activities
throughout the whole academic session. Hence students develop gratitude for other cultures and this is
very important.

Cultural diversity and students:

In a classroom students came from the different cultural background with difference in language,
religion, economy, society, ethics, values etc .Through their interaction they share their different cultures
and shows respect for other cultures too. This creates a healthy and enriched environment.

Cultural diversity and teachers:

Teachers also come from different cultures and they work with pupils to promote this multiculturalism
through their activities and classroom interactions. In Indian context teacher tries to know every culture
which belongs to his/her students so that he/she can know the student better and make the education

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machinery a better one. Thus teacher also try to promote multiculturalism environment for the sake of
our society.

Cultural diversity and learning:

In a culturally diverse classroom students developed the concept of cooperative learning through proper
interaction, exchange and understanding. This develops the values of sharing, tolerance, harmony among
them. This multicultural environment enrich them with different ideas, believes, values and develop
sense of respect for other cultures along with conversation and transmission of own culture.

Cultural diversity and behaviour of students:

Citizens of a country are developed in a classroom through proper education. In an autocratic cultural
classroom environment, students do not have the right to share their own believes or ideas whereas in
democratic one they possess the right to share, to argue logically and challenge someone's thought. This
develops gradually in them the citizenship characteristic in future.

Cultural Diversity and Equality:

In a democratic classroom situation we give respect to different cultures irrespective of religion, caste,
creed, economy etc. Hence, each culture is given equal opportunity to develop and transmit. This
concept giving importance to each and every culture strengthens our cultural equality in future.

Cultural Diversity and Unity:

Cultural Diversity in classroom not only differentiates us by specific sub-cultures but also enhances our
cultural understanding. Exchange of different cultures creates a mixed cultural environment and this is
the root of unity among people belonging to different cultures.

Cultural Diversity and National Value:

In a multicultural classroom national values are shared by different cultures. There may be manyness in
ideas but they all are attached with the thread of our national values and morals.

Cultural Diversity and Creativeness:

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Creativity needs divergent thoughts. In a multicultural classroom different beliefs are present in different
cultures. When pupils share their ideas among each other, then new ideas occur. Thus, a culturally
diverse classroom helps to promote creativity among learners.

Multicultural Classroom and Challenges:--

Multicultural classroom is a reflection of our multicultural society. It is very important to promote

cultural democracy. But, in a culturally diverse classroom there are several challenges too. These are –

Language Barrier:

Language is the media to connect with people. But, when in a multicultural classroom pupils from
different language come together it becomes very difficult for them to communicate with each other
and even for a teacher , it is a big challenge to understand different languages of his/her pupils. This
creates a huge communication barrier. Again, many students may be learning all necessary knowledge
materials and instructions in a second language rather than their mother tongue. So, it has become a
harder task for them because first they have to adapt a different language and then have to understand
the content knowledge.

Individual Leaning Style:

Culture also effect learning styles of learners. Students come from different cultural traits with
individual differences. Hence, for a teacher it becomes extremely difficult to follow different learning
techniques respecting learners’ individuality.

Behavioural Differences:

Many students sometimes feel worried about how to speak or behave as a consequence of any talk of
teacher. These behavioural differences based on their cultures also confuse teachers and make the
whole situation more complex to manage.

Non-Verbal Communication:

Cultural difference has great influence on non-verbal communication. Students belonging to different
cultures use different signs, gestures, and movements for communication. A teacher may not be
accustomed with all these things and effective communication cannot happen there.

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Absence of Co-ordination:

Due to difference in socio economic, religious, racial cultural diversity, students sometimes do not
understand each other well and similar is the situation with the teachers. There is always a lack of
coordination between the students and in between teachers and students.

Managing Co-curricular Activities:

Co-curricular activities are the way to express gratitude for individual culture. Sometimes, concept of
one culture may be misunderstood by another. Thus, managing co-curricular activities in such situation
showing respect for every culture is really a sensitive and challenging one.

Lack of Exchange Interaction:

Cultural Diversity also creates interaction barrier among learners and also between learners and teachers.
Thus, the main purpose of a multicultural classroom hampers. The objectives of preserving and
transferring cultural values and establishment of harmony sometimes remain a dream for a teacher.
Moreover, without effective interactional exchange, knowledge exchange do not occur. This is a great
loss for our education system.

Pupil -Teacher Relationship:

For effective learning, effective communication between teachers and learners is a necessary condition.
But, cultural diversity is a huge hindrance here. Sometimes, for a teacher it becomes impossible to
understand his/her student’s thoughts, behaviour and emotional level to form rapport with them. But, for
effective learning, this friendly and healthy communication is crucial so that a learner can talk freely to
his/her teacher about the difficulties he/she facing to learn content in school environment.

Ways to Promote Multiculturalism in Classroom Situation:--

To promote multicultural environment in a classroom following activities can be taken by a teacher--

Understanding the Nature of Learners:

Teacher can make rapport with his/her diverse learners within classroom through listening their daily
life stories and experiences. These ultimately help the teacher to understand his/her learners better.

Identifying the Strength and Weakness of Learners:

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Teacher can identify the strength and weaknesses of his/her learners by daily assessment in classroom
and checking the previous academic records of learners.

Open Mindedness:

Teacher can discuss with learners open mindedly about their learning environment at home, what type of
socio-cultural and language related difficulties they are facing to receive knowledge and their economic
barrier can also be discussed sensitively. Thus, learners feel comfortable to share their problems with
their teachers.

Using different TLM:

Considering the individual differences in learning style, a teacher can use different types of TLM to
create a learner friendly interesting environment.

Organising Quiz:

Co- curricular activities on culture related issues can be organised so that learners can achieve the
knowledge of different cultures and share their cultural heritage with others in a very interesting and
joyful way.

Group Activities:

Group activities faster the sense of cooperation and create the environment of cultural exchange. Hence,
this is a very effective technique to promote multiculturalism.

Appropriate use of Assignment:

Assignment on different culture based topics can be given by teachers to his/her learners so that learners
inculcate the knowledge based on their own culture and get opportunity to comprehend the culture of
others.

Organising Food Festival:

Food festivals can be organised in a school where students from different cultural background represent
their cultural heritage for preparing food and presenting it to all others. Thus, cultural understanding
become stronger and harmony established.

Involving Community:

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Involving community in various co-curricular activities enhances the exchange of culture and
collaborative mentality and teachers become more familiar with the cultural background of his/ her
learners.

Organising Seminars on Cultural Diversity:

Seminars on cultural diversity or multiculturalism can be organised to promote culture based knowledge
as well as to show respect for other cultures. In future, these play very important role for learners to
become responsible citizens.

Celebrating different Culture based Festivals:

Co-curricular activities can be organised in school celebrating the cultural believes of diverse learners
with different cultural backgrounds. These provide opportunity for the learners to involve directly in
cultural activities and develop inter cultural understanding and respect for all cultures

Conclusion:--

Nowadays, it is very important for teachers to add up new innovative techniques to promote
Multiculturalism in classroom. Diversity regarding cast, creed, economy gender, language etc has very
crucial role in cultural cooperation and tolerance. Moreover, cultural diversity influences tremendously
the development of future citizens. Hence, as a nation builder this great challenging responsibility comes
upon teachers. This is not easy but an interesting task and needs a clear and respectful understanding of
the cultural heritage of the diverse learners to keep the flow of cultural unity in diversity unaltered.

References:--

 Kymlica, Will (1989), Liberalism, Community and Culture. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
 Kymlica, Will and Baogang He (eds) (2005). Multiculturalism in Asia. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
 Davis, G., Anroop, D., Ahmadian, A., Dumais, N., & Shamisa, A. (2022, April1).
Multiculturalism in the classroom is the gateway to a richer learning environment. Classroom
Practice in 2022. Retrieved on March 31, 2024, from https:// ecampusontario. Pressbooks.
Pub/educ5202/chapter/multiculturalism-in-the-classroom-is-the-gateway-to-a-richer-learning-
environment/
 Retrieved on March 31, 2024,from [Link]/ [Link]

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 Retrieved on March 31,2024, from [Link]/ teaching-learning/culturally-responsive-
teaching-culturally-responsive-pedagogy/2022/04
 Retrieved on March31, 2024 from [Link]/blog/2022/4-ways-to-practice-culturally-responsive-
teaching/
 Retrieved on March 31, 2024 from, [Link]
in-classroom/
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sciences/multiculturalism
 Modood T. (2013). Multiculturalism (2nd ed.). Polity Press. (Original work published 2007)
 Retrieved on March 31, 2024, from, https:// [Link]/10.1080/03906701.2022.2045141

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