The Adaptive Dimension - The Learner

The Government of Canada recognizes the diversity of Canadians as regards race, national or ethnic origin, colour and religion as a fundamental characteristic of Canadian society and is committed to a policy of multiculturalism, designed to preserve and enhance the multicultural heritage of Canadians, while working to achieve the equality of all Canadians in the economic, social, cultural and political life of Canada.

Canadian Multiculturalism Act, 1988

How Do We Define Our Cultural Identity?

There is no easy answer to the question of what constitutes the cultural identity of a person or group.

Our cultural identity defines who we are, and how we are viewed by other people. It is constructed very broadly, in terms of your association with a number of important social groups, including family, gender, place of residence, economic position, and ethnicity. Although none of these social groups on their own build the complete identity of a person, taken in combination they provide some of the basic elements of cultural identity. By being able to explicitly understand how individual people see these different social groups, many stereotypes can be addressed and challenged.

Saskatchewan schools serve students who have immigrated from may parts of the world. The variety of lifestyles and customs that result from this diversity can both enrich and complicate the classroom setting.

Challenges

As school populations become more diverse, the opportunities teachers create to connect home and school cultures are critical to student success. Classrooms contain students coming from very different backgrounds bringing with them very different experiences. From gaining an understanding about each student's background, the teacher is able to design classroom practices to accurately reflect students' needs and thus make for an effective learning experience.

Sometimes it might be hard to determine whether a specific student behavior is the result of cultural differences or evidence of a specific learning or behaviour problem. Teachers need to model respect for cultural diversity as well as be sensitive to the possibility that what at first appears to be a learning or behaviour problem is actually a difference in the beliefs or customs of the student and their family.

Promoting Cultural Identity In The Classroom

Get to know your students' backgrounds. It provides a wealth of knowledge to design classroom practices to accurately match students' needs. You could gather this information by means of interviews or questionnaires.
Send a 35mm camera home with students to take pictures of home and neighborhood life and have students share them with the class or use them for springboards for written stories.
Invite community members or family members to share information about ethnic celebrations.
Have a food fair or cultural day and have students bring artifacts or share favorite dishes.