Culture Conflicts in the Classroom
Wendy J. Rybinski, MA, Ed.
Adjunct Faculty at Dominican University
In the U.S., teachers are called upon to design curriculum and instruction for a variety of races and cultures within the same classroom. In a master's-level Multicultural Perspectives and School Climate course, educators explore specific events in their teaching career where they experienced a cultural conflict with a student, parent, administrator or colleague. These events are discussed in detail, allowing teachers to dialogue with colleagues throughout the country, as well as other parts of the world. Online MAEd students specializing in English as a Second Language (ESL) or Elementary Education take this 3-credit course.
Various questions are asked about these events so as to train teachers to differentiate between high-context versus low-context cultures, and the differences in communication styles, orientation and intellectual modes and social values. Having a safe forum to share experiences allows educators to compare and contrast anecdotal information so that their next cultural conflict might be resolved in an improved manner. For instance, low-context American students are taught not to share information during tests. However, in high-context cultures, offering aid to another student is considered the right thing to do within their culture; in fact, not aiding a fellow student might be seen as discourteous. Teachers are often perplexed as to how to handle this situation. In the online discussion boards, techniques are shared and discussed, allowing colleagues to offer suggestions as to what worked and what didn’t in their own teaching practice.
Understanding the diversity of verbal communication – including grammar, semantics and various modes of how students speak and listen while in classroom discussions – can be especially perplexing to teachers. Should students be penalized for using speech patterns that are more comfortable for their personal expression? The same goes for nonverbal communication such as body language, frequency of touch, and even clothing type and style. Looking another person in the eyes is a sign of respect in many cultures, but it is not so for some high-context cultures. And to complicate matters, communication styles vary depending on factors such as age and gender. From a multicultural perspective, we must appreciate the concept that communication styles are different, and teachers must make an effort to facilitate mutual understanding.
Orientation modes are also debated. Such an example is in the concept of time, as the polychromic and monochromic cultures often clash. For example, time is more flexible in the high-context cultures while the U.S. low-context society emphasizes adherence to timetables – arriving on-time to class and following a schedule. Many teachers rely on precise timing of lessons to ensure that all necessary content is covered. A program candidate related a story about teaching in a polychromic culture where she was once unavoidably late to school and the administrators were not at all concerned. In fact, the school released the students to go home rather than find a substitute.
Teachers who do not have a multicultural perspective of their schools might make false assumptions about the behavior of their students. However, with increased education in this area they can put themselves in a student’s position to better understand and work through challenges. Teachers want all students to reach their potential and must be cognizant of how they handle culturally sensitive topics in the classroom.
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