Welcoming Families From Around the World

Creating a classroom of equity is a lifelong endeavour that involves self reflection and may be personally revealing (Shade, Kelly, & Oberg, 1999). Teaching in an international school, the reality of this statement is a constant occurrence to me. There seems to be no semester that I will not have a students coming from another country or part of the world that I have never had in my previous classrooms. I was told a few days ago by the middle school principal in my school that I will be having a student from Azerbaijan in my class next semester. Educators working in today's culturally rich and varied classroom environments must create a welcoming atmosphere that enriches and interlinks all students (Hooks, 2010). In order to create a culturally welcoming classroom environment for the boy and his family I will make the following preparations:

1. Gain a general knowledge of the cultural background of the family: Having some knowledge of the cultural background of the family will give me a window to understanding the boy's behaviour, etiquette, learning styles, and communication styles.

2. Be aware of my own cultural biases: A helpful step for all teachers in order to have a culturally inclusive classroom is to explore and reflect upon where their assumptions, attitudes and biases come from and to understand that how they view the world can lead them to misinterpretation of behaviors and inequitable treatment of culturally different students (Weinstein, Tomlinson-Clarke & Curran, 2004).


3. Look for a range of culturally sensitive instructional methods and materials to be used in the class: Using culturally sensitive instructional methods and materials increase the chance for students to succeed in the class.

4. Collaborating and cooperating with the family: Connecting with family plays an important role in the success of any students. For a new student that is coming from a different background, establishing positive relationships with the family and collaborating with them will not only give me the opportunity to understand their culture but will additionally help the student feel safe, welcomed, and cared for in the class.

5. Build a caring classroom environment.

Students from diverse cultural backgrounds have a greater chance of success when the classroom is welcoming to them, they are valued, and they have a sense of belonging as well as ownership of their learning. The foundation for these is to create a culturally responsive classroom which I hope to achieve with the above plans.

References:

Hooks, J. (2010). Understanding culturally responsive instruction. Retrieved from http://jennifer-hooks.suite101.com/understanding-culturally-responsive-instruction-a233257

Weinstein C., Tomlinson-Clarke S., & Curran M. (2004). Toward a Conception of Culturally

Responsive Classroom Management. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 25-38.

Shade, B., Kelly, C. & Oberg, M., (1999). Creating culturally responsive classrooms. American Psychological Association (APA);