Why do you think that people want to visit different places in the world? Well; the answer is that they are curious about different cultures around the world. The scenic beauties and the huge buildings stay the same but it is the cultural diversity that attracts the people to leave their homes and to quest more about different cultures. Many people have written books and have conducted research works on various cultures around the world. Students even buy Dissertation Proposal Writing Services from professional writers to get the research work done on the related topic.
Taking Sociology Dissertation Help when it comes to the exploration of such topics is the best way to broaden your understanding. However; if you don’t have time to go over such extensive research works or to do the research yourself then this post will well explain the types of cultural diversity, cultural awareness, and its importance.
Inter-cultural diversity:
“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”Stephen R. Covey
The most basic definition of cultural diversity is the existence of multiple cultural groups and ethnicities in the same place or different regions of the world. Did you know that there are more than 1000 cultures and sub-cultures in the world which is three times the number of total countries? All individuals are a part of at least one culture (Hughes Fong et al, 2016). Each of these cultures has its own style of clothing, eateries, religions, languages, literature, art, music, and so on.
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Types of cultural diversity found in the classroom:
Intercultural diversity is not only confined to countries or states rather it can also be found in the classrooms. You might encounter the following types of cultural diversity in your classrooms;
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Religion:
It is very important to realize that different students have different religious beliefs and you cannot force them to practice the beliefs of your country or the religious rules that your school is practicing. In fact; you cannot force them to be part of the festive they don’t believe in.
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Race:
Another cultural diversity found in the classrooms is race. It is the cultural difference of color and has a great impact on their experience in society as a whole.
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Language:
The English language might be the Lingua Franca but it ain’t the only language. There are over 7000 languages in the world and each language speakers have a different dialect so they might have a different accent while speaking the language being spoken in the class. Language techniques might help you to score good numbers in academic, novel, story, and poem writing (Carvin, 2022) but you cannot practice these techniques in your daily lives so easily as each individual has a different mother tongue.
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Ethnicity:
Ethnicity is the person’s culture and nationality; it has nothing to do with skin color. Many people have black skin color or white skin color but that does not mean that black ones come from Africa and white ones come from America.
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Socioeconomic status:
Another prominent difference found in classrooms is the difference in socioeconomic status. For instance, some students have access to a laptop while some don’t so teachers must keep this in mind while assigning home tasks.
What is intercultural awareness?
Fostering inclusion and awareness about different cultures is the briefest definition of intercultural awareness. Being self-aware prevents us from projecting our values onto others and in the process, helps us relate more effectively across cultural lines. Not only does culture define who we are, but it also shapes the way we interact with others. By being culturally aware, you can build meaningful connections with people from around the world, while improving your own sense of self.
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How to implement cultural inclusiveness in the classroom?
Teachers alone cannot promote cultural awareness; rather the administrators, principal, and staff will have to work in cooperation to implement multiculturalism in classrooms. The following strategies will help in cultural inclusiveness in the classroom;
- Get to know your student’s cultural identity.
- Acknowledge and respect every student along with his cultural identity.
- Practice cultural diversity in classrooms.
- Incorporate diversity lesson plan.
- Give student flexibility with respect to their culture.
Importance of inter-cultural awareness for students:
The importance of cultural awareness is that it enables us to communicate with people more effectively, beyond words and grammar, by understanding their culture. By being culturally aware, you can recognize and appreciate other people’s beliefs. The following points will enlighten the readers about the importance of intercultural awareness for students;
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A better understanding of different cultures:
When you expose students to different cultures and different opinions, you encourage them to be more open-minded and understanding. This comprehension is not only about accepting and treating people equally with different cultural ethnicities but it is also about being accepting & non-judgmental at the same time.
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Become more empathetic:
Promoting cultural awareness among the students creates a personal connection for each student with different cultural backgrounds. This frees them from any sort of prejudices from being taken place at present or even in the future.
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Boosts confidence & security:
Cultural awareness imparts confidence in students who come from culturally different backgrounds and give them a feeling of security.
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Ready to work in diverse workplaces:
It is cultural awareness that enlightens the students and makes them progressive enough to work in different workplaces no matter which cultural background they belong to.
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Influences communication:
While you may have control over what you personally say and how you say it, you can’t control how other people interpret your words. Misunderstandings in communication are common even among those who share the same native language and culture. So; cultural awareness removes all such sorts of misunderstandings.
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Removes hatred:
Misunderstandings often lead to hatred but when you have knowledge about different cultures then there won’t be any hatred so this is yet another benefit of acknowledging students about different cultures.
Conclusion:
Cultural awareness holds a lot of importance and everyone must be culturally aware enough to communicate with people of different cultural ethnicities without any kind of biasedness. Hopefully; the above-mentioned post will help the readers in understanding the importance of acknowledging students about different cultures.
Bibliography
Carvin, J. (2022, May 26th). Language Techniques That Will Help You To Complete Your Assignment Like a Pro. https://www.ukassignmenthelp.uk/language-techniques-that-will-help-you-to-complete-your-assignment-like-a-pro .
Elizabeth Hughes Fong, R. M. (2016, Feb 4th). Developing the Cultural Awareness Skills of Behavior Analysts. Behavior Analysis in Practice volume , 84-94.