Cultural diversity is an important concept to grasp during childhood. Understanding that people are not all the same will enable children to embrace and value the things that make each person or group of people different. Children notice differences, and taking time to teach what is important to each culture can help foster acceptance and understanding, writes Richard Greggory Johnson, author of "A Twenty-First Century Approach to Teaching Social Justice: Educating for Both Advocacy and Action."
Step 1
Make a list of goals that you want to achieve when teaching culture and cultural diversity. Get all teachers involved and consider what lessons you want your students to learn, suggest Diane Tillman and Myrna Belgrave, authors of "Living Values Activities for Young Adults." Each month, some schools choose to focus on one value, such as compassion or respect, while other schools may incorporate teaching all values throughout the school year.
Step 2
Tell students that the school will be making some changes in order to learn more about different cultures. Tillman and Belgrave suggest completing a visualization exercise with students to determine what they already know and what remains to be learned. Encourage students to think about what a peaceful school would look like. After they have been given time to think, ask students to share while you take notes. Your students can be a powerful influence on how to teach culture.
Step 3
Build celebrations into your curriculum. Mary Mayesky, author of "Creative Activities for Young Children," suggests incorporating important elements of cultural celebrations into your classroom to provide a hands-on way to show students what is important to other cultures. Celebrations are one way to teach students about the different foods, music, art and songs that have value in different cultures. Students are able to learn why cultures behave in certain ways and believe certain things, because they have a chance to actively participate in the celebration.
Step 4
Incorporate the arts into your classroom. The arts can teach a wealth of understanding about what is important to people of different cultures, write Tillman and Belgrave. Teach your students songs from different cultures and explain to them the meaning behind the songs. Allow children to use techniques from other cultures to create pieces of art. You can also read stories from different cultures, learn cultural dances or play games from other countries to expand your students' understanding of people from different cultures.
Step 5
Include personal reflection sessions for students. Tillman and Belgrave say that it is important for students to discuss what they have learned by talking about how they felt and what they experienced. In order for cultural diversity lessons to have meaning, your students must be able to work together to make sense of the differences between groups of people. Understanding what they are learning will ensure that they are able to apply it to their relationships with others.
Step 6
Use books and videos to help make different cultures come alive for your students. Geneva Gay, author of "Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice," writes that if your students can visualize how other people live, they are more likely to understand more about different cultures. Seeing pictures in books or watching documentaries about other groups of people will enable your students to experience what is important to cultures other than their own. Gay goes on to state that increased awareness of different groups of people can help eliminate ethnic stereotypes and lead to greater acceptance. Check you local library for books and videos for specific age groups as well as guidebooks to help you teach various cultural concepts.
Tips and Warnings
- If your classroom includes students from different cultures, you may consider allowing each student to share information about family, celebrations and important beliefs.
- Do not call attention to the stereotypical differences between groups of people. Present an unbiased introduction to different cultural groups so your students learn true acceptance rather than just tolerance.
Things You'll Need
- Music from different cultures
- Stories about different cultures
- Foods from different cultures
References
- "A Twenty-First Century Approach to Teaching Social Justice: Educating for Both Advocacy and Action"; Richard Greggory Johnson; 2009
- "Living Values Activities for Young Adults"; Diane Tillman and Myrna Belgrave; 2001
- "Creative Activities for Young Children"; Mary Mayesky; 2008
