Techniques for Dealing With Other Cultures in the Classroom

There are many techniques for dealing with unique cultures in your classroom.

Every classroom has a variety of students from varying religious and cultural backgrounds. As an educator, it is important to not only encourage the acceptance of all individuals, but celebrate the differences they bring. There are a variety of activities and techniques you can use in your classroom to accommodate people from varying cultures.

Guest Speaker

Invite a speaker from your diverse student's community to speak to your class. This might be a member of your student's family, or anyone else from the community who is representative of the student's culture. Ask the speaker to bring in clothing or items unique to the culture and show them to your class. Allow students to ask questions, but be sure they are respectful and appropriate. Discuss these expectations prior to the speaker's arrival.

Holiday Celebration

Choose a holiday that your diverse student celebrates in her home, and celebrate this in your classroom. Teach a lesson on the history behind the holiday and provide students with food typical of that cultural celebration. Encourage students to make appropriate decorations for the celebration, and invite your diverse student to share her own family traditions with the class.

Student Presentation

Including a student from a unique background in your classroom is crucial to establishing an accepting classroom community. Ask the student to prepare a short presentation on his culture. Have him explain both the similarities and differences between his culture and the culture of other members of the classroom. Allow the class to ask respectful questions they may have about his culture after the presentation. Lead a follow-up discussion on the similarities and differences of each student's culture in your class.

Language Labels

A student from a diverse background may not speak English as her primary language. To help her feel both included in your classroom community, as well as help her learn English words, label common items around the class using both her native language and English. Not only does this help your diverse student feel more welcome, but also will teach other members of the class basic words in the class member's native language.

References

• "Ordinary Families, Special Children: A Systems Approach to Childhood Disability Second Edition"; Milton Seligman and Rosalyn Benjamin Darling; 1997
• "Human Exceptionality: Society, School, and Family Sixth Edition"; Michael L. Hardman, Clifford J. Drew, and M. Winston Egan; 1999

Resources

• Scholastic: Creating a Classroom Community