‘Culture is the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterizes a society or a group. It includes creative expressions, community practices and material or built forms.’ The UN World Commission on Culture and Development Report (1)

A teacher must be aware of different cultures and be sensitive to them. This is essential if a teacher wishes to be effective, create a bond and a mutual respect for his/her students and for them to learn to the best of their abilities. A lack of Cultural sensitivity can create divisions in a classroom between the students and between the teacher and students.

A study in Milwaukee (USA) examined 12 instructors. The study involved interviewing teachers with questions about their preparations for teaching in a diverse setting and about their curriculum goals. The study showed that the teachers had 'extensive preparation in handling a diverse classroom' but 'they still suffered from a cultural shock.' The study also showed however, that 'After being immersed into the classroom, these teachers learned many new necessary traits for being culturally sensitive. They learned to respect bilingual students, introduce diverse literature, and acknowledge background knowledge and experiences (Cross, 2003).' (3)

This study shows that no matter how prepared a teacher feels, cultural sensitivity is always a challenge. The teaching experience in itself helped the teachers to overcome the cultural barriers. This could be due to the teachers understanding the characters of the students, their interests, lives and forming a bond.   

Ways to avoid cultural insensitivity in the classroom:

'Cultural knowledge, even cultural sensitivity, cannot be translated smoothly into course design and teaching style when that knowledge and sensitivity is still a matter of abstractions.' (5)

1. A teacher should create a welcoming classroom atmosphere by 'using cooperative groups and projecting genuiness.'(4) The teacher should familiarise his/herself with the students and focus upon the unique nature of each person. It is important to ask the student what he/she needs.

2. It is important to 'Incorporate different cultures into teaching content.' (4)

3. A teacher should 'Recognize that cultural differences are often adaptions.’ (5) A different way of doing things is not there to impede teaching.

4. It is important for a teacher to 'Make expectations as clear as possible right from the beginning and give students a chance to comment on them.' (5)

5. A teacher should make it clear that questions and comments are welcome in the classroom and the students should feel free and comfortable to speak in class. They should be told how they can be good students. The students should not be punished for not being responsive or for working in a way that the teacher is not used to.

6. Sometimes compromise is necessary. It is important to be '...prepared to negotiate modes of participation so students can find ways of completing the assignments that are comfortable for them and which meet the standards of the course.' (5)

7. it is vitally important to give '...clear, early and supportive feedback so that students have maximum opportunity to adapt themselves to the course as much as they can...'(5) this helps the student to understand where they need to improve and what their current level of language is. Also positive feedback is a great way to provide encouragement and motivation to the students.

8. Students from different countries will often work in different ways so a teacher should 'Distinguish between quality of work and mode of expression' so that the grading 'depends only on the quality of the work presented, and not on the individual's way of presenting that work.' (5)

In conclusion:

A teacher must understand the fact that '...people are different, and that profound differences between people often arise from the long-standing cultural traditions within which those people have been raised.' (5) These differences must be respected and the teacher must understand each individual and try to form a bond with them.

Denise Gates explains how a teacher can be culturally sensitive, it is important for a teacher 'to establish a climate in which all students feel comfortable, starting by identifying their own teaching styles and the biases they bring to the classroom. Acknowledging the difficulty of conducting class in a culturally inclusive manner…it will serve to enhance their teaching skills and foster an environment conducive to learning.’ (2)

Word Count: 700 words exactly (not including source references, numbering in text and the title).

Jason Stone