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Cultural Sensitivity in the ClassroomThe diversities of cultures of the world results in different behaviors and this often provides challenges for teachers and students alike. These differences can create opportunities for meaningful learning within an educational framework. When dealing with languages, it is useful to recognize that teachers carry their own cultural values in any learning situation. On the same plane, learners arrive to the classroom with their own world views, which possibly are very different from the teachers. So it is reasonable to assume that both teachers and students come up against situations which contrast between the teachers? and students perceived conduct of correct behavior. In an international institution of learning, like those of many english language schools, the matter may be complicated further, as there may exist cultural differences between the students themselves. Learning a language in the classroom situation involves, talking and listening, both of which include cultural practices and behaviors. Whether working with a monolingual class, where the students are taught in their native country, or a multilingual class, where the students are from all over the world, the teacher of ESL (english as a second language ) needs to understand the ideas, values and perceptions of their students. As there is no standard approach, the teacher needs to explore and experiment with different methods. The teacher, who works in the monolingual classroom, would benefit from doing some research on the culture of the country he is working in. In this way it would be easier to create and deliver lessons that are culturally relevant and meaningful in the context of learning english. Students in a multilingual classroom come from diverse cultural backgrounds and do not share a common native language. It would seem an important aspect for the teacher in this setting to make tolerance and diversity an important part of the learning experience. Incorporating activities that raise cultural awareness, tolerance, and appreciation for linguistic differences, eases both academic and social problems (e.g. students socializing and getting along with other classmates). When a new language is taught, understanding the contexts and contrasts between the teacher?s and student?s cultural perspectives can be challenging. When working with language, the teacher may introduce questions into the teaching plans which can be the focus for comparison of cultural differences. One example may be approaching the varied cultural area of greetings and introductions; Questions asked: What are the common greetings used in your (students) country? What greetings are common for english language speakers? How are introductions conducted in the students own country? What is a common way to conduct introductions for an english speaker? Another area of concern may be levels of politeness in spoken exchanges: Questions that can be put to students: How can questions be made in a polite way while still getting the information one needs? How is this done in the students country/how is this done in the english speaking world? How can a person be direct in his questioning? is this possible in all cultures? How many ways is it possible to get the same message across to someone? This is only one small example to show how the teacher may be able to bridge the complexity of cross cultural communication and at the same time relate to cultural sensitivity while teaching english as a second language. (ESL).
