Multiculturalism in the classroom is beneficial for the students and for the general atmosphere at university. Students and instructors need to be from different nationalities because that is what enriches the experience of everybody and raises the influence of the university. People feel best when they are surrounded by people of various cultural, racial and ethnical backgrounds which is why multicultural classroom is what matters most when it comes to the benefits young people can have from their learning experience.
The advantages of multicultural classroom are numerous because students have the opportunity to get familiar with other cultures and socialize with them instead of having prejudice. It is best to establish the atmosphere of mutual understanding in the classroom because the situation in the world is the same as the situation in a classroom which is multicultural because people cannot be separated from one another and have to live connected in the community. People share mutual goals in the world and their bonding in the classroom is essential for their future careers in the world and their attitude towards people who belong to other cultures, races and ethnicities. The American society is especially interesting when it comes to multiculturalism because there is the greatest number of different cultures in this country and that is why it is advisable to have classrooms which are multicultural so that young people can create mutual bonds from an early age. “a person using an intersectional perspective would assume that the experiences of African American male students cannot simply be understood as the “additive” qualities of being African American (a marginalized group) and being male (a privileged group)” (Ouellett, 2012, p. 361). There are marginalized groups and privileged and as soon as this is understood, it can be dealt with. There is no group which deserves to be privileged or marginalized because everybody needs to have equal opportunities in life. Multicultural classroom is the place where people are challenged to accept differences and to be able to overcome them.
It is essential for the instructors to have a good approach towards the different groups of students. This includes: “an intersectional approach: (a) centering the experiences of people of color, (b) complicating identity, (c) unveiling power in interconnected structures of inequality, and (d) promoting social justice and social change” (Ouellett, 2012, p. 361). People of color need to feel integrated and accepted and their identity should be preserved which can be a challenge in the society because they are in the minority and the society promotes the mainstream culture. There is great power in the structures which are interconnected because their equality needs to be worked on and it has to be improved. The main challenge related to the classroom diversity is the approach which has to be taken towards different social and cultural groups because every culture needs to be preserved and everybody should be welcome to give their contribution to the general atmosphere. The disadvantage is related to the fact that people need to have a special approach to different groups while everybody needs to have a special treatment due to the fact that people are equal according to the Constitution. Everybody has equal rights and the differences have to be promoted to become useful and to be obstacles.
The disadvantage of a multicultural classroom is that the instructors respond to students and the way they behave judging from the norms which are mainstream. However, the students who are in the minority suffer from discrimination. “Such discrimination occurs when teachers do not recognize that behavior is culturally influenced; when they devalue, censure, and punish the behaviors of non-mainstream groups; and when they fail to see that their management practices alienate and marginalize some students, while privileging others” (Weinstein, Curran & Tomlinson-Clarke, 2003, p. 270). This approach has to be changed and it is the disadvantage of the students who are in the minority and who have to fit in. The mainstream culture should not make the minorities change their cultures instead of fostering an atmosphere in which all of the cultures would be equally appreciated. It is all about diversity and there is the necessary creativity that has to be engaged, the effort has to be put in and the instructors have to make much effort. It is difficult for the instructors to treat all of the students equally and they need to create a climate which fosters that.
The educators need to be able to respond to the students in the way they need which means that they have to acquire knowledge related to their specific culture. “We must learn, for example, about our students' family backgrounds, their previous educational experiences, their culture's norms for interpersonal relationships, their parents' expectations for discipline, and the ways their cultures treat time and space” (Weinstein, Curran & Tomlinson-Clarke,2003, p. 270). The students’ differences ask for extensive work, understanding, determination as well as being open to sharing new experiences and the points of view of other people. Having the instructors of different nationalities and cultures is also important because they will have integrated in the society but the time they have become the educators which is why they will be familiar with the struggles that the newcomers are having. Instructors who had to integrate in the multicultural society will be better at understanding the students who are attending educational institutions in multicultural societies for the first time. The management in the classroom ask for the instructors to be open about different cultures because the classroom is the first step towards the society as a whole. “We must understand how differences in race, social class, gender, language background, and sexual orientation are linked to power. We need to recognize that the structure and practices of schools can privilege select groups of students while marginalizing or segregating others” (Weinstein, Curran & Tomlinson-Clarke, 2003, p. 270). The power in the classroom lead to the power in the society as a whole because the distribution of power begins in the educational institutions. It is all about education because being able to accept other cultures and in order for the society to be truly multicultural, people need to have extensive education. The needs of the students have to be put first and they have to be acknowledges as important because they will be future leaders.
The instructors need to have an open attitude towards their students so that they would feel accepted in the class as well as outside of it where they would socialize with their peers. What is important is to work on ” (a) creating a physical setting that supports academic and social goals, (b) establishing expectations for behavior, (c) communicating with students in culturally consistent ways, (d) developing a caring classroom environment” (Weinstein, Curran & Tomlinson-Clarke, 2003, p. 270). The setting is important because it is aimed at promoting the atmosphere which is supportive of the goals that students want to achieve. The expectations have to be clear to the students so that there would be no misunderstandings and that everybody would be integrated in the best possible way. The communication with other students has to promote care and the environment needs to be created in a way that would make students comfortable in achieving their learning goals.
The number of intercultural students is increasing each year because the world has become a place in which distance does not matter anymore. This kind of diversity creates the atmosphere “that can enrich the educational experiences of all and at the same time contribute to the cultivation of a global mindset and intercultural competencies. The potential can be realized when students interact and learn from each other both academically and culturally, both inside and outside classrooms” (Lehto, Cai, Fu & Chen, 2014, p. 838). It is important to create the atmosphere which will create bonds between students inside the classroom although the extracurricular activities matter as well. The university is supposed to foster socialization among students of different cultures which is why everything in the classroom needs to be adjusted in accordance with the cultural diversity. The power is derived from the fact that students learn from one another and from the fact that they are culturally diverse. The global vision needs to be incorporated and the multiculturalism has to be seen as the advantage and not as the obstacle. The benefit is academic as well as cultural which is why students need to spend their time together in order to get to know one another more.
The needs of the students come first and instructors have to be open towards students and allow them to express themselves. The students need to be able to make mistakes and they should not be discouraged from achieving progress in their studies. This can be achieved only in an environment which accepts cultural diversity and promotes it as something which is essential for the empowerment of the whole nation. These students become American citizens and they make the mainstream culture richer by adding their own cultural approaches to the society. They need to be encouraged to become influential members of the society which can be accomplished by allowing them to develop their intellectual potential.
The attitude towards the international students is important in the spare time as well and not only in the classroom. “Some of the key influential factors are personal in nature, such as intergroup attitude, intergroup anxiety, and personal value” (Lehto, Cai, Fu & Chen, 2014, p. 838 – 840). People are accustomed to being surrounded by what they know which is why they tend to focus more on what is familiar for them than to what is new although the new things are the only capable of developing their intellect in the best possible way. The international students need to feel accepted and not rejected and they need to form groups which would be interdependent. If students depend in one another it will make them feel better about those coming from other cultures because they will feel appreciated. Both the members of the mainstream culture and the people from other cultures can add their contribution to the creation of the new multicultural bond among people.
“There is also social involvement in activities of leisure orientation. Leisure can be defined by the universe of social relations it generates, by the nature of interactions, and by the identification of the preferred partners. The most evident function of the norms of interaction is to contribute to the integration of groups” (Lehto, Cai, Fu & Chen, 2014, p. 840). The interaction of the crucial importance because there can be no integration without interaction. It is necessary for everybody to give their contribution to the development of a multicultural society and it begins in the multicultural classroom. A country, such as America needs to be multicultural because there are many cultures living there and they can learn from one another. It is best to learn than to try and change someone because each culture has its privileges and advantages. It is all about perspective and the perspective should be the benefit of the community as a whole.
Different people have different attitudes about cultures, but culture is a dynamic term and it changes with the arrival of new people. It all starts with education and both the instructors and the students need to be familiar with the integration because the students are not supposed to be privileged. The students who belong to the mainstream culture should not be privileged because it is already easier for them than for those who are new in this culture, while those who came from other cultures need to relax and not to be afraid to show the benefits of their cultures because education is the only way which can bring peace.
Works Cited
Ouellett, M. L. (2012). An Integrative Approach to Diversity in the College Classroom. Journal of College Student Development, 53(2), 361.
Weinstein, C., Curran, M., & Tomlinson-Clarke, S. (2003). Culturally Responsive Classroom Management: Awareness Into Action. Theory Into Practice, 42(4), 269-276.
Lehto, X. Y., Cai, L. A., Fu, X., & Chen, Y. (2014). Intercultural Interactions Outside the Classroom: Narratives on a US Campus. Journal of College Student Development, 55(8), 837-852.
