When I started teaching my classroom, I did not have the privilege of learning about different cultures right away. That occurred about six or seven years into my teaching career. Once it happened, I was delighted to receive an in depth understanding of Asian culture.

In a diverse classroom, a teacher will have students from different backgrounds, including white, black, African, Asian, Hispanic, India, Middle Eastern as well as other distinctive cultures. Such a classroom will be an exciting place to step into each school day.

America is a country of diverse groups of people It is in our best interest to teach our children how to dwell in harmony with others who do not look like us. Getting to know such people begins with understanding their culture and livelihood.

The Wisdom of Teaching Diversity

A classroom teacher must be wise when dealing with a diverse classroom. Many situations can arise that might cause conflict among students. Teachers must know enough about multi-culturism to know what to do when questions need to be answered.

In a classroom filled with students who are unfamiliar with each other, a teacher’s priority is to make everyone feel safe and comfortable. Celebrating the different culture types are the beginning of educating students about one another’s cultures.

A teacher’s goal is to not only to create in each student a sense of safety, but to also give each student a sense of pride and appreciation of his or her own culture.

Tools and Tips for Teaching Diversity 

Many methods and tools are available for teachers to develop a diversity consciousness in which each student knows about the other cultures and norms. Such methods and tools include:

• Worksheets and Materials
• Read Aloud with cultural oriented characters
• Student CNN News stories
• Videos, DVDs
• Wall Posters
• Learning Centers
• Research
• Student culture presentations
• Cultural Crossword puzzles
• Field Trips
• Discussions about diversity
• Learning of Cultural Rituals
• Note taking about someone’s else’s culture

Keeping all students appreciative of their cultures will goa long way in creating diverse classroom in which understanding, respect, peace, and excitement.

The above tools and materials provide students and teachers with a variety of opportunities to obtain a comprehensive knowledge of other cultures.

Advantages of a Diverse Classroom

When students understand others, who do not look or live like them, conflicts are reduced. Appreciation of others are increased. For many student’s life becomes more exciting when they understand the culture of their fellow classmates, especially in the grades k-6.

Higher grade levels should already have an appreciation of the different cultures within their school environment.

Students must come to understand that we all are enriched by one another’s culture.

Disadvantages of a Diverse Classroom

Sometimes it takes an entire school year for some students to understand diverse cultures sitting next to them. They have a hard time accepting the language barriers, rituals, and dress codes of their classmates.

What they have been taught negatively or what they have seen contrary to positivity can result in such resistance.

Although it is a challenge for some students to accept diversity, the educator’s job is to continue to instill an appreciation for diversity among students.

A Sense of Unity

An extraordinarily successful diverse classroom should thrive with a common understanding that all are unique in their own cultures. Everyone should be excited about this.  When the principle or other teachers walk into the classroom, they should detect a strong unity among students.

Diversity is here to stay. It is the gift of diversity that has made America what it is today.

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Graduating without a global mentality is a severe limitation in today’s interconnected world. Diversity, growing trends in business, technology, and product innovations are operating on an international level, and to participate on such level, graduates must be highly competent individuals.

Knowledge masters or teacher trainers must be highly competent themselves and must be provided the necessary resources to get the job done.

To equip students to operate effectively on the international scale, global-minded trainers approach the task with intentness, conviction, research, knowledge and a dedication to fostering excellence.

Once the global competencies are instilled within graduates, the result will be enhanced global awareness, value, collaboration. execution and growth.

Competencies for Global Ready Graduates include:

• Understanding and working with diverse cultures
• Knowledge of current and emerging trends
• Planning and implementing assignments, projects, and programs
• Communicating effectively in an information-driven world
• Demonstrating the ability to adapt to changing dynamics in the global environment
• The knowledge of new and advancing technology and its appropriate usage

Diverse Cultures

Understanding and working with diverse cultures are global competencies which all graduates must master in order to make vital connections and establish relationships, especially overseas. Getting used to different cultures will go a long way in preparing students for dealing with owners of international markets and customers.

Studying the languages, styles, and approaches of different cultures will help alleviate misunderstandings when working in collaboration with people who think, dress and communicate differently.  Providing cultural driven tours, field trips, and cross-culture communications channels via skype, videos and other means of interacting and understanding diversity are a few strategies to consider.

Emerging Trends in Education

Educating pre-graduates about the emerging trends happening all around them in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (S.T.E.M) is vital. But also, critical in preparing the next generation for effective citizenship is teaching them regarding the changes occurring in the real world of commerce and exchange. Awareness of new breakthroughs, involving products, services, marketing, investing and real estate will help students achieve success in both their personal and professional arenas.

The global competency of recognizing change is crucial if potential business owners and entrepreneurs are going to keep up with the competition and thrive in the new global marketplace.

Planning and Implementation

One of the reasons for instilling pre-graduates with global competencies is to create strong leaders and entrepreneurs capable of planning and implementing new ideas, projects, and programs which reach across borders.

Teacher leaders must train students to come together for the sake of brainstorming and finding new solutions for emerging global problems and demands. Students need to know that brainstorming can generate huge numbers of potential solutions.

Once solutions are discovered, students must learn how to effectively plan and implement these solutions. Such task will require courage, knowledge, and risk-taking. Starting new initiatives also takes a determination to get back up after failure, readjust ideas and move forward.

Great organizations such as Google and Apple to produce new technological ideas and introducing them diverse cultures.

Multicultural communication Effectiveness

Learning how other cultures communicate will help pre-graduate to effectively interact with multicultural personalities. Success in today’s global marketplace demands that leaders are skilled in making their ideas known and accepted in the international market.  An inability to master this competency will result in communication barriers which can jeopardize an organization’s ability to expand products and services into other countries.

Understanding how to connect and negotiate with individuals in foreign markets will go a long way in establishing graduates for resolving challenges dealing with real world situations.

Awareness of Changing Global Dynamics

In Today’s ever-changing environment, it is imperative that teacher leaders stress the importance of staying aware of the emergence of ideas, information, and services which affect society as a whole. However, individuals and organizations who ignore innovative change will be left behind by their more proactive and diligent counterparts. Therefore, students must be taught to be aware of new research, studies, and initiatives which drive global change.

Many organizations have come and gone (and are yet going) because they failed to adapt to changing dynamics occurring all around them.  Awareness and engagement are the keys to success.

New and Creative Technology

Developing this competency will go a long way in teaching pre-graduates how technology is changing how the world works. The miracles of technology are making products and services more efficient, accessible, and available. For example, Amazon’s goal of making drone delivery a reality is only a legislative approval away.

The advances in Apple technology has been astonishing. Loaded with apps of all types, the iPhone series has thrilled millions of users who cherish the phone for its sleek build and powerful megapixel camera.

Such technological innovations and breakthroughs must be the visions of new graduates who are equipped to lead society into higher levels of growth and advancement. Establishing within each student a masterful knowledge of the 6 global competencies goes a long way in producing such powerful leaders.

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