diversity in culture in australia. Communication in multicultural classrooms

Communication in multicultural classrooms

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The current uncertainty and complexities on crucial issues pertaining culture has triggered some questions of interest on how primary students would deal with intercultural communications in a multicultural class. This topic of interest has incited research to investigate on intercultural communication plan for a multicultural classroom in Australia.

The study found out that Australia classrooms are heavily influenced with different cultures particularly from Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America and the Asian continent. The different cultures have influenced the need of communication between diverse cultures. The language difference was particularly viewed as central barrier within students such that teachers were required to come up with competent communication skills to help break down the barrier.

Introduction.

The rise of sporadic events that have mostly left several countries in devastated situations such as war or even terrorism and terrorist attacks within a country have incited mixed reactions concerning certain cultural beliefs. Effectively, the results of the traumatizing events have introduced a stereotype within individuals. This has been clearly defined by Henderson (2004) who states that ‘the events of September 11, the aftermath of the Bali bombing and the current situation on Iraq, indicates the increasing uncertainty and interconnectedness that characterizes our world today’. This has forced many individuals to reflect on their culture, compare and contrast it with the other different cultures. The diverse in culture has prompted debates within the Australia’s multicultural policy and changes have been introduced to assimilate other cultures as well as condone others. The knowledge of culture is quiet necessary for our children as it help them learn and accept the diversity of cultures either through appreciation, respect or even impact on other cultures. According to Dillon & Maben (1996) it is significant for educators who are responsible for teaching our children to learn the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to live in harmony with people from different cultures.

According to McLaren (1998) culture is a human phenomenon; it is the way we are, both physically and mentally. It is both a state in which each of us exists and a process which changes constantly according to individuals, the time and place. The combined state and process called culture affects us all as we respond to others to events and to the environment. On the other hand, Brislin introduces culture as concept of ideas, values and assumptions about life that are widely shared amongst people and that guide specific behaviors.

I personally perceive culture as a way of life as it is a learning experience which an individual gets to get throughout life. This set of guidelines is never inborn but it is inherited from a particular society

In Australia, we are expected to find people from different backgrounds with different cultures naming the few are people from Asian continent and those from Africa. The amalgamation of different cultures within learning institutions in Australia has created a platform for knowledge and exchange of ideas about the diversity and multicultural practices. Not only has it intrigued some open minded individuals but also has scared the conservative ones based on vibes fed to them by their guardians regarding the different cultures. According to research, Queensland has been a safe haven for people from diverse backgrounds with schools in that region embracing and accepting many students from different parts of the world

Cases.

In Sydney, at one point in time particularly from 2001, the young Muslim society was struggling with identity. They aired there grievances on how they felt the need for acceptance as they struggled for the sake of identity between two worlds. They felt they were being neglected and excluded from the rest of the community. Following the events of September 11, pressure on exclusion and racism in Sydney escalated and many of the Muslim students were perceived to as terrorists. They complained on how their dressing code associated with their religion made them not to be accepted as Australian citizens and felt to be associated with aliens within the boundaries of their country. Since Australia is a Christian country, the young Muslims felt that they were associated with outcast members of the community. This was indeed a major concern in need of immediate attention.

In another high school case in the shores of Cornella beach, the events of the violent riots in Cornella beach impacted negatively on the school population. The reasons behind the riots was mainly of race issues which is related to the diversity of cultures. This critical incident prompted the administration to address the concept of diversity in culture. Some inter-school programs were initiated to facilitate exchange of cultures. It was also a way for students to develop relationships with other students from other backgrounds. This was seen as one of the way forward and strategies in addressing the diversity in culture. It was productive as the program was truly effective in addressing this concrete issues.

In one area, high schools were seen as being monoculture simply because they did not factor in the emergency of other few mushrooming communities which did not speak English. As refugees and other documented immigrants gained access to Australia. The high schools have now seen the need to address cultural diversity issues through providing ESL (English as a second language) classes which aimed at helping and improving non-English speaking students. Such classes have also been introduced in primary schools to help refugees learn the English language. Such changes have been implemented to help us understand the existence of people with a different culture. Moreover, The Australian government managed to introduced celebrations such as harmony day to recognize and appreciate the different cultures within its boundaries

Community resources and social services

The community need for addressing multicultural in Australian schools has led to focus on community resources and social services that will be of help. A community resource is anything that can be used to improve communal quality of life as in our case, to address the vital issue of divergent cultures and multicultural practices.

The use of other people to help me address this issue did also prove to be very efficient. Some of the open minded students have proven to be valuable resources as they help start discussion groups on how we are supposed to handle the different cultures within us, how we are to assimilate their cultures and what we can learn from them too. Also involved are the initiative groups to address such alarms especially after an embarrassing event particularly on racism and nepotism. Such as after the Cornella beach riots, many people come up to advocate for acceptance of the divergent cultures within our borders to ensure a peaceful co-existence.

Other community resources include some of the physical structures and places. Apart from the schools being one of the resource for addressing multicultural, other social clubs and even worship sanctuaries can prove to be even helpful. Religious teachings within the churches and mosques have proven to be a source of unity among different cultures. Teachings on how to accept, love and appreciate one another has enabled us give much concerns on humanity issues as opposed to selfish thinking on ethnics or cultures. Social places such as Parks and open spaces will also be a resourceful area for such educative experience as people do converge and socially interact. This form of interaction will intrigue the curious individuals on knowing more about the cultural practices of non-Australians. In addition to that, businesses and other enterprises play a major role to ensure that their staff are rated on performance and productivity but not on anything regarding their backgrounds. In Australia, employment opportunities open up to anyone as long as the state and federal laws are all considered. Employee and other staffs will have an opportunity to share ideas that will be used to steer the firms. This gives an opportunity to eradicate on any dogmatism concerning culture.

As a teacher who aims at addressing the issue on diversity on culture, it will be beneficial as well as educative for students to participate in social services within the community. This show the unity of purpose to give back to the community. I.e. in cleaning of towns and helping the aged run their errands. Other forms of social involvements will nurture personal relationships even with people whom you have no common grounds with.

Some of the very common platforms are indeed very necessary to address multicultural in a classroom. Interactive debates is one of the most important where students will get to exchange ideas and share opinions regarding relevant class issues or topic of interest. Apart from this, the availability of community resources such as sporting arena that will automatically bring people all together in a bid to participate towards a common agenda has proven to be very effective.

Institutional barriers

According to Banks (1993), research has shown that teachers continue to have limited perception of multicultural education and view its implementation as the infusion of content about ethnic groups, with title attention paid to critical theory, integration with the core curricula, instruction practice and evaluation.

According to Banks (2004) multicultural education does not just include cultural content in the curriculum but also proposes the instructional methods and assessments be personalized and adjusted to the diversity of student’s cultures and learning styles. From bank’s statement, it is evident that rigidity in bureaucracy within the learning institutions impairs multicultural education. Thompson (2004) recommends the use of multiple ways of assessing what the student knows either through writing, projects, individual or group projects. The lack of flexibility within the institutional curricular limits the teacher’s ability to meet specific need of students. Bureaucracy has diverted the worries of teachers towards administration evaluations as opposed to students concerns. Gay (2000) admits that it is difficult to ‘teach against the grain’ when administrators make frequent and unannounced visits to classrooms.

This shows that we do not individually assess our students. We tend to be so much concerned with entire performance of the education system but give little or no personal concerns to the needs of students. My plan will aim to address this issue where I will lobby for flexibility in the system to help accommodate diverse cultures through creating more intimate time to understand the views of the students and even if possible introduce other study perspectives concerning related issues. Particularly on history of cultures, races and religion. Introducing the different views and giving students the opportunity to give out their explanations and not only follow the teaching guides.

In my bid to infuse multicultural practices in a class, resistance is something I anticipate as it impedes my ability. Resistance from students, parents and even my fellow staff. The ‘culture wars’ has for long inspired resistance either from the fact of historical injustices or superiority complex. The different perspectives of different students concerning the different cultures will always create a barrier of thoughts and many will not agree to a multicultural approach on studies. Example is the perceived ‘inhumane profile’ created by the Arab countries either by their involvement in terrorism activities or how they publicly behead their enemies. It will prove to be very difficult trying to explain to other people how even the Arab students should be accepted in the Australian community.

Resistance has proven to be a very complex problem as mainly it is oiled by what a person believes in. ethnocentricity has been blamed to be the causal effect of resistance and no one would want to tolerate another form of belief or aspect of thought. The approach plan to this problem should not only be given an individual scope on the student but also his/her background community. An institutional approach only may prove to be unreliable and so should also be given a national approach. Students should be aided to understand how unexpected events brought up the existence of the different cultures and no one chose to be a member of a certain culture. The approach on life as a blessing for any infant and no one choses to be in a certain community.

Within the institution, the lack of clear knowledge on the concept of multicultural education will also impede the ability for a culture free society. Many people tend to think that multicultural education is simply finding a way to include all students without biasness in the educational process. This is entirely true but it does not entirely define multicultural education. Such common comments made by the teachers among many is ‘every one ought to do the assignment’. Although this statement is all inclusive with no possibility of biasness, it is evident that it is more of ‘getting along’ and not on a sincere approach on multicultural education practice. Teachers should use a different approach to show the similarities in the different cultures instead of using such lame vibes which are not impactful to the future generation.

Knowledge of true multicultural education is key. It is prudent to understand the true human relationship model. My plan is to ensure that I get to have the activist social reconstructive model on multicultural educations as opposed to the politicized one. The ultimate goal will be to understand the similarities and differences within different cultures and aim to reveal how our characteristics and cultures are more alike than different. Orientations of other teachers on human relationships will help them understand the activist’s concept of multicultural education.

According to Hofstede (2001) the inception of intercultural communication in history is the time when people from two different tribes meet. This was later reaffirmed by Samovar and Porter (2004) that intercultural communication involves interaction between people whose cultural perception and symbols are distinct enough to alter the communication event.

As a teacher, there are various forms of communication skills that I’ll have to be proficient in in order to help communicate effectively with students in from other cultures. It is important to speak effectively to make sure my thoughts and opinions are relayed effectively. I will have to be assured that the intended purpose of the message is relayed. This can only succeed if the message is clear and with correct pronunciation and also it matches the interest of the receiver. The speed should also compare to how receptive the receiver is.

Interpretation and translation skills are necessary for the purpose of understanding. A variety of options may be applicable to help you such as pictures. As in the case of language barriers, I will require proficient translation skills. Considering culture majority of my students, it will be very essential to undergo some training on a particular language for the purpose of communication. In class environments where some students may have no basic knowledge in English speaking, my interpretation and translation skills may help me out.

Non-verbal communication skills is also necessary particularly in one-on-one situations in all cultures. This form of communication may differ between cultures and so it will be prudent for me to take not of the difference in the embedded messages. This form of communication may prove to be a little tricky as your desired message may be wrongly received and so it will be very important to make sure that my intentions are clearly defined

It is with no doubt that the fundamental purpose of education is to avail knowledge received from the facilitation of learning. Many schools in Australia are striving in reducing social inequalities and racism. The introduction of multi-cultural education practices has been seen to be effective but very few of the practices have given positive feedbacks. In addressing multicultural education in my school system, if bureaucracy rigidity is not handled with the necessary urgency, the plans to ensure a multicultural school will always be met by hurdles. The system should be flexible to help teachers adjust their teachings to meet the needs of the students. Respect and appreciation of beliefs and practices of people from diverse backgrounds is necessary as it will give us the opportunity to get to understand other cultures and associate with them.

Conclusion

It is with no doubt that radicle tribalism and fear of different cultural practices define our humanity. And for the sake of peace and acceptance, the topic of multicultural education has to be openly discussed and addressed particularly to our young generation as in their hands lies the future. Times are tough and Australia is faced with global cultural issues. The world is becoming a global village with people from diverse backgrounds gaining access to Australia. It is indeed necessary for cultural competence on the different cultures to maximize the advantages gained by sharing the different cultures. Exchange, appreciation and knowledge of different cultures will encourage friendship, exchange of ideas and even business transactions. We should remember that no one makes choices at birth and life is a blessing regarding the practices and beliefs of people from a diverse culture. Culture is a practice we learn throughout life, not a birth package. Just like we did find pleasure in learning our respective cultures, we have the ability to learn and understand other cultures.

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