Culturally Diverse Students in American Classrooms Essay Example

Nowadays, the composition of the American classrooms has seen many changes. Due to the increased immigration, culturally diverse student population has been constantly growing. The statistics predict that by 2030, more than 40% of students in the United States will be students of color. The wide cultural diversity may cause misunderstandings and controversies in the teacher-student relationship. How should the teachers respond to this situation? What do they need to know and what can they do to prevent conflicts? In my research paper, I would like to explore on these issues while touching upon related topics such as: different learning styles of diverse students, multicultural education, culturally responsive teaching, stereotypes, generalizations, stereotypical threat, multicultural curriculum, and various programs to help accommodate minority students with language barriers. For instance, different students may bring different learning styles to the classroom. What is normal in one culture may not seem normal in another. Some cultures value cooperation and teamwork while others emphasize competition and individuality. If the teacher is unfamiliar with different learning styles, he/she may interpret students’ behavior as inappropriate or as avoidance of work. For example “some students devote time and attention to ‘stage setting’ (checking pencils, rearranging sitting positions, watching others), getting ready before work can begin” (Sadker, Zittleman, 177). Such students may therefore look (appear) lazy, while in fact they might be more interested than the teacher thinks. Also in some cultures talking out loud in front of the crowd ‘showing off your knowledge’ is considered inappropriate. Being aware of different learning styles will help teachers to asses their students better as well as apply multiple teaching strategies to accommodate diverse students. Consequently, by practicing multicultural education, teachers can become more successful in