Teaching the Multicultural Classroom: Lessons for the “Monocultural” Teacher

Abstract Book of the 9th International Academic Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education

Year: 2025

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Teaching the Multicultural Classroom: Lessons for the “Monocultural” Teacher

Sara Fine-Meltzer

 

ABSTRACT:

The first question this paper deals with is the following: How will we define “multiculturalism”, as teaching to students of at least four different cultural backgrounds, none of them Western, in the same class poses problems for the teacher who comes from a distinctly Western culture. Once we can agree on a working definition, we will proceed to address the problems inherent in such a classroom. Finally, we will offer some suggestions for making it work. While the framework is teaching English as a Foreign language, the lessons are applicable to nearly every academic discipline.

Keywords: multiculturalism, monoculturalism, lessons