Why Multicultural Education is Crucial in Our Diverse World?
In an ever-changing world, it is imperative to equip students with continued experiences to be citizens of a global future. These experiences come from an education model that includes diverse narratives, qualities, and viewpoints, which facilitates an understanding of social pluralism. The key aspects of social pluralism in multicultural education are race, ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, gender, gender identity, and socio-economic status. Students become aware of different histories and cultures by adopting these approaches to diversity in schools. Multiculturalism promotes principles of inclusion, democracy, and a sense of togetherness, among many other positive traits. Students learn to share space with a variety of peers from around the world and gain the ability to operate in a truly international environment. There are many other advantages of a multicultural classroom/education.
A top reason why multicultural learning is beneficial to students is that they are encouraged to learn beyond their own cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This ability to transcend one’s contextual perspective created by family, race, religion, gender, and ethnicity creates greater opportunities and benefits for the learner well beyond their years in the classroom. Students at schools with diverse student and teacher nationalities have opportunities to discuss and share their cultural experiences while learning from others. Cultural festivals ranging from Japanese Children’s Day to Halloween to Diwali are celebrated in schools these days. Students interact with various communities and experience first-hand various cultural celebrations and their similarities and differences. The multicultural classroom allows students to understand and honor an enormous range of knowledge, perspectives, and insights.
Multicultural teachers and education encourage tolerance and diversity in a learning environment
Multicultural teachers and educators create a moral and engaged community through opportunities for learners from diverse ethnic groups to have a wider perspective of the world. Multicultural learners develop a positive attitude about their culture and the culture of their peers and foster acceptance of diverse cultures. Multicultural celebrations encourage students, teachers, and parents in a global environment to learn and grow in their day-to-day experiences with each other. They develop a greater appreciation of how we are more connected and similar to each other than not. This approach builds respect and tolerance for people from diverse backgrounds.
Builds confidence and fosters skills among students
Important skills students must develop in their younger years are communication and collaboration. These skills will help them lead their peers in higher education and in their professional lives. Communicating well with others increases student confidence as they grow older. However, one of the challenges of communication is interacting with students from different backgrounds. Thankfully, a multicultural classroom helps facilitate this in a natural and safe environment.
Fosters critical outlook
A vital attribute that exposure to multicultural education brings is the quality of self-reflection and identification of assumptions and beliefs. Students get the opportunity to examine a variety of materials to identify potentially prejudicial and culturally inappropriate content. Evaluating this with both teachers and their student peers helps students gain a broader understanding of a global learning environment. Schools have programmes integrated into the curriculum to impart ethics, values, honesty, integrity, and transparency.
Helps build a global network
Students studying in a multicultural classrooms can network with other students from different countries and learn from them. Students bring a broad network of international contacts to the school. With students and faculty from multiple nationalities, learners are encouraged to start networking from a young age and build contacts that help them forge lifelong friendships and expand their career perspectives to a global level. Several internships are also offered to students from universities all over the world to foster global networking as well as to study and observe a truly international environment.
Learning multiple languages aids greater success
Students who speak several languages are more likely to succeed later in the broader macroeconomy. In an ever-expanding global economy, studying languages is unquestionably beneficial for corporate success. The global business community has long recognized the advantages of multiple languages as an essential tool for relationship creation and business success.
In conclusion, I can say that a multicultural educational setting encourages students to assimilate while keeping their culture and values intact. This makes them feel a sense of inclusion. It promotes a students’ culture and helps keep a sense of pride and confidence. A multicultural international school is a true blessing in this age of globalization. Growing and learning in a multicultural environment gives children a greater understanding of others’ beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. With this knowledge of others, children will have better interpersonal and social skills. This is significantly beneficial for children who leave school and enter higher education and the workplace. With the variety of lifestyles and beliefs engaged in the working world, future generations become more liberal in their approach to life. We should welcome liberalism, which is truly a great value of multicultural education.