Cultural Diversity in Schools - Essay Example

Running Head: CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN SCHOOLS Title: Name: Course: Date: Cultural Diversity in Schools Introduction Education is used to open an opportunity for many people in different parts of the world especially to the “have-nots” living in the United States. Some of the factors affecting people with low incomes in both developing and developed countries are such as having fewer resources, inadequate facilities, insufficient financial assistance and not having effective cross-cultural leadership in their educational institution. Education serves many purposes in the modern world because it acts as a socializing factor in the society for both the educated and the uneducated (Bernice, 2010). Cross-cultural leadership requires one to have interconnected concepts since it affects the quality of life of individuals and different communities and empowers them. When a student has been taken into a school that has people from all parts of the world, then he is bound to learn more about the culture of his colleagues and this is very important as part of his education since he is bound to learn more languages and diversified cultural behavior which is also very essential for his learning. There are several factors that are very important to consider when focusing on culture diversity in education because it affects education in very many ways (John, 2009). Teaching cultural diversity in schools is very important because it ensures that students have appreciated their own culture and they also get to appreciate the culture of other students in their classes. This is very influential because a student is able to appreciate his or her cultural heritage and thus able to develop a super ordinate identity. This also encourages cooperative learning which ensures that students place themselves in different groups that helps them to share more ideas on how to approach different learning techniques in class. Through this cooperative learning, a student acquires more knowledge on how to approach factors affecting him or her in the society and it also equips him knowledge on his rights. Cooperative learning is mainly based on how students perceive it and this means that they also learn to share different ideas on leadership thus improving effectiveness in the group. In order to have effective information and conceptual framework that is associated with cultural heritage to both an individual and a group of people in the modern world, it is important to have cooperative learning. Through this form of learning, are going to learn more, use strategies of learning that are more complete and have conceptual structures (Christian, 1994). This cooperative learning also contributes a lot to their studies because it ensures that competition within the educational institution is stiff. Cultural diversity cannot be learned through books but through interaction of students from different parts of the world when they come together and start sharing their culture with their other colleagues. It is through knowing, interacting with members of a diversified group at a personal level and working with them that students get to learn the value of culture diversity, use it to solve problems and developing an ability of working with diverse peers in the modern society. Even though information alone is enough sometimes, it mainly helps when it comes to dealing with people at a personal level or through direct interaction with people of diverse culture that one can develop a professional relationship in the modern society and this is one of the importance of cultural diversity in schools. Culture Diversity Culture can be referred to as a certain level of attaining civilization in a given country or state. When focusing on cultural differences in the United States, there are many things to consider because culture differs from one state to another. Culture can be well defined when focusing on the traditional food that people in a given place eat, their mode of dressing and other perspectives of their lifestyle. The United States is composed of very different people from all parts of the world thus talking about their culture can be very hard. There are people from all corners of the world who come to live permanently in America every year thus making it a little bit hard to claim which is the culture of the American because people who migrate there come with their own culture and bring it into that country and settle there. If an Italian comes to settle in America, he or she comes there with her culture and settles there with it but with time if they do not get someone whom they share a common culture with, they stop upholding it and with time they do not follow it at all. The United States is a country that has a lot of things to be proud of but the culture can only de defined by knowing who the early settlers of the country are and to date it is quite hard to state who owns the country of America. The early settlers of the United States were the red Indians and they have their culture which is highly known all over the world but the problem is that their number in the country is very little. Their population is decreasing with increase in time and that is one of the reasons as to why their culture might end up being forgotten or to be assumed that it never existed in the first place. In America it is possible for someone who comes from another country to easily find their cultural food because in America there is Japanese, Mexican and Indian food among other foods. In so doing an individual is able identify him or herself with the American culture that is related to his own origin. The mode of dressing in America is very wide because there are very many fashion designers who come from America and also those who come from other countries such as Italy but are based in America. It is evident to state that America is rich in culture though they can be differentiated according to people and their origin and settlement in America. The cultural differences that exist in America are influential because this is one of the reasons as to why the country of America is easily accessed by everyone who wants to. Cultural differences that exist in America is what makes it a very interesting place for someone to live and this means that this is one of the most attractive thing about the country. If America was a country composed of a certain nationality then it would not be such an interesting place to be in because it would not be very welcoming the way it is currently. The United States is one of the most appreciated countries in the world because it is composed of people of different communities and culture thus the cultural difference remains to be one of the most important aspects of the country that attracts people from all over the world (Appiah, 2007). Multiculturalism in Education Multiculturalism can be described as the act of appreciating, accepting or promoting multiple cultures and applying them in different demographic places especially at the organizational level like in businesses, cities or nations and schools. It can also be referred to as the respect for culture diversity. In a political context, this can be viewed as employing people from different ethnics so as to enhance cultural diversity within an organization and some aspects of the ethnic groups that need to be promoted are such as religion, ethnic and others like community values (Banks, 2006). Multiculturalism is also described as a form of assimilation in the modern society since it entails having people from different cultural backgrounds to come together and learn to do things the way it is done where they have come. Employees in a given society are taught to do things in a way that the environment requires them to do. It also encourages social integration through ensuring that there is effective communication between people from different cultural backgrounds and this also creates other opportunities for people to go and work in other places other than where they are and this is very important (Appiah, 2007). It also enhances communication between different groups of people in the society because individuals are bound to learn different languages from their peers in the society and in most cases this greatly enhances cultural diversity in the society. There are many cultural differences existing in a school environment and this means that when multiculturalism is implemented in an educational institution, then students are bound to learn the unique cultures of their peers and get to know how different people lean in the society. They are bound to learn culture differences and appreciate them since it also ensures that they become transformed into symphony, they attain a positive image and also attain social competencies to work with other people effective in diverse peers. One is able to develop a personal identity, ethnic identity and this helps the student to increase his self esteem and also his psychological health. Multicultural education entails promoting equal education between people from different parts of the world or equal education opportunities for all the students within an educational institution especially in a setting where students come from different social, racial and ethnic groups. Both students and teachers contribute a lot to multicultural education because the teachers and students could be coming from different ethnic backgrounds thus making both parties get deeper into the concept of cultural diversity (Banks, 2006). Effective Communication in Multiculturalism Communication is one of the most attribute that one should have in order to become successful in the modern society since it is through effective communication that people get to interact in the society. There is no profession that does not require communication thus it helps one to be in a better position to share ideas that can contribute to the success of an individual or a group of people. Communication can be categorized into either informal or formal provided that they are aimed at making economic and social sense in the society then any can be applicable although it should be done according to who is being regarded (Modood, 2007). Multiculturalism as trains the students to interact with all types of people in the society thus they should have effective communication skills be it informal or formal. They are taught to share the knowledge that they have acquired in relation to daily activities that different people do in the society thus they are taught to communicate as professionals after finishing their education. Students are aware that they will have to meet individuals from different communities and so they are taught to avoid incidences of language barrier since this can contribute a lot to their failure as engineers in the society. Multiculturalism and culture diversity in education ensures that students are able to communicate effectively both in written and verbal form since they will be required to present themselves in front of many people thus having knowledge on how to explain concepts to both non-technical and technical people in the society. Having competency in both verbal and written English is very important since this is one of the only ways in which one can avoid language barrier in the society and make his work as an education very effective. During effective communication one should only be focused on the fundamental things in a business since other things may not be very important and through doing this the standards are followed in order and work is done effectively. Cosmopolitanism Cosmopolitanism is an ideology that claims that human ethnics in the society should all belong to one community and this is mainly based on shared morality. This is differentiated with theories associated with nationalism and other ideas of patriotism. Cosmopolitanism may entail having moral, political and economic relationships between different nations in the world. An individual who sticks to the idea of cosmopolitanism is referred to as a cosmopolite (Bernice, 2010). At times a community could be inclusive of a specific shared economic or political structure that encompasses several nations that are different. In a cosmopolitan community is where there are people from different communities with different cultural and spiritual beliefs and they have mutual respect for each other despite all these differences. These people could be coming from very different places in the society but decide to live together and cooperate in most of the things that they do. Education in such a community becomes very interesting owing to the fact that students get to interact with people from different communities thus learning other cultural behaviors. Conclusion Finally, Cultural diversity in education is a very important thing because it ensures that students learn to appreciate both their own culture and those of their friends and this enhances peace and harmony in the society. The concept of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism can be used to improve cultural diversity in different parts of the world and this can be very influential to the lives of different people in the society. Through effective communication and other concepts of multiculturalism in the society, many people are bound to learn how to live in peace with each other. Learning about different cultural perspectives of people in the society is a very important factor because it ensures that people are acquainted with information that is important in the society and this is very important. References John, N (2009). Multiculturalism's double bind: creating inclusivity, cosmopolitanism and difference. Ashgate Publishing Christian, F (1994). Cultural diversity in schools: from rhetoric to practice. SUNY Press Modood, T (2007). Multiculturalism: a civic idea. Themes for the 21st century Edition reprint Polity Bernice, E (2010). Multiculturalism and diversity: a social psychological perspective Contemporary social issues. John Wiley and Sons Appiah, K (2007). Cosmopolitanism: ethics in a world of strangers Issues of Our Time. W.W. Norton & Co. Banks, J (2006). Cultural diversity and education: foundations, curriculum, and teaching Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Read More

Even though information alone is enough sometimes, it mainly helps when it comes to dealing with people at a personal level or through direct interaction with people of diverse culture that one can develop a professional relationship in the modern society and this is one of the importance of cultural diversity in schools. Culture Diversity Culture can be referred to as a certain level of attaining civilization in a given country or state. When focusing on cultural differences in the United States, there are many things to consider because culture differs from one state to another.

Culture can be well defined when focusing on the traditional food that people in a given place eat, their mode of dressing and other perspectives of their lifestyle. The United States is composed of very different people from all parts of the world thus talking about their culture can be very hard. There are people from all corners of the world who come to live permanently in America every year thus making it a little bit hard to claim which is the culture of the American because people who migrate there come with their own culture and bring it into that country and settle there.

If an Italian comes to settle in America, he or she comes there with her culture and settles there with it but with time if they do not get someone whom they share a common culture with, they stop upholding it and with time they do not follow it at all. The United States is a country that has a lot of things to be proud of but the culture can only de defined by knowing who the early settlers of the country are and to date it is quite hard to state who owns the country of America. The early settlers of the United States were the red Indians and they have their culture which is highly known all over the world but the problem is that their number in the country is very little.

Their population is decreasing with increase in time and that is one of the reasons as to why their culture might end up being forgotten or to be assumed that it never existed in the first place. In America it is possible for someone who comes from another country to easily find their cultural food because in America there is Japanese, Mexican and Indian food among other foods. In so doing an individual is able identify him or herself with the American culture that is related to his own origin.

The mode of dressing in America is very wide because there are very many fashion designers who come from America and also those who come from other countries such as Italy but are based in America. It is evident to state that America is rich in culture though they can be differentiated according to people and their origin and settlement in America. The cultural differences that exist in America are influential because this is one of the reasons as to why the country of America is easily accessed by everyone who wants to.

Cultural differences that exist in America is what makes it a very interesting place for someone to live and this means that this is one of the most attractive thing about the country. If America was a country composed of a certain nationality then it would not be such an interesting place to be in because it would not be very welcoming the way it is currently. The United States is one of the most appreciated countries in the world because it is composed of people of different communities and culture thus the cultural difference remains to be one of the most important aspects of the country that attracts people from all over the world (Appiah, 2007).

Multiculturalism in Education Multiculturalism can be described as the act of appreciating, accepting or promoting multiple cultures and applying them in different demographic places especially at the organizational level like in businesses, cities or nations and schools. It can also be referred to as the respect for culture diversity. In a political context, this can be viewed as employing people from different ethnics so as to enhance cultural diversity within an organization and some aspects of the ethnic groups that need to be promoted are such as religion, ethnic and others like community values (Banks, 2006).

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