Index

Number Content Page

1 Introduction 2

2 Importance of Cultural Diversity in Education 2-5

To avoid stereotyping

Produce Students That Have Sense of Respect

Acknowledging Differences in Children

To Prepare the Teacher with the Upcoming

Challenges

Experience is the Key in managing Classroom

3 Role of Educator 5-6

Create More Communication Opportunity

Promote Unity and Respect Towards Each Other

4 Conclusion 6

5 References 7

ABDUL AZIZ AFKAR BIN MOHD RAWI 1

Based on the two articles, discuss the importance of managing cultural diversity in the
teaching of English in the Malaysian classroom. Support your arguments with theoretical
and/or practical considerations.

1.0 Introduction

In this modern day, people has been discussing about culture thoroughly and as a

result, there are many definitions of culture. Furthermore, according to Woolfolk (2013), culture

is defined as the knowledge, values, attitudes, and traditions that guide the behaviour of a

group of people and allow them to solve the problems of living in their environment. Moreover,

according to Damen (1987), culture means learned and shared human patterns or models for

living; day- to-day living patterns. Therefore, cultural diversity in education can be concluded

as the makeup of various aspects of knowledge, attitudes, beliefs that other cultures use to

adapt to life situations during the process of teaching and learning. Thus, in this essay I would

like to deliberate more about the importance of managing cultural diversity in the teaching of

English in the Malaysian classroom based on the two given articles.

2.0 Importance of Managing Cultural Diversity in Classroom

2.1 To avoid stereotyping

As we all know, it is obvious that Malaysia is renowned by its multiracial citizen and as

a result, Malaysia is rich with different festivals, various foods, beliefs, norms and also religions

too. There are several races in Malaysia which are Malay, Iban, kadazan, Chinese, Indian and

many more. Likewise, the three dominant ethnic groups in Malaysia are Malay, Chinese and

Indian. According to Najeemah (n.d.), these three dominant ethnic groups have their own

beliefs, culture, values and norms that will affects their behaviors and actions. Thus, the

process of teaching and learning in Malaysia will be very interesting because there will be

differences in culture, learning styles and beliefs. In order to tackle a multiracial or multicultural

classroom, a teacher should practices and applies different strategies and methods as it will

ensure that all the students get the knowledge from the teacher as Multicultural education is

a process of comprehensive school reform and basic education for all students (Woolfolk,

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2013, as cited in Nieto & Bode, 2008). Based on the article, there are abundant of importance

of managing cultural diversity which I will highlight later. First, according to Najeemah Mohd

Yusof, she said that when we can manage cultural diversity in classroom, it will avoid

stereotyping among the teacher and the students. Before that, what is meant by stereotype?

According to David J. Schneider (2004) in his book which entitled The Psychology of

Stereotyping, stereotypes are qualities perceived to be associated with particular groups or

categories of people. An example of simple stereotyping is we judge someone by its race or

religion. Based on the article, while teachers who assume that Malay students are rude and

Indian students are dumb will close communication in the classroom in the classroom and any

hope of having a multicultural classroom is the noticeable example of stereotyping happened

in Malaysian classroom. Evidently stereotyping will bring more negative effects rather than

bring positive effects. For instance, it will disrupt the teacher-student relationship and thus will

lead to miscommunication. In order to maintain the good teacher-student relationship, the

teacher and the student must avoid stereotyping between each other.

2.2 Produce Students That Have Sense of Respect

Next, Najeemah Mohd Yusof also highlighted that if we able to manage multicultural

classroom successfully, it will produce students which have sense of respect towards other

cultures although they have different culture and beliefs. According to Najeemah (n.d.), Its a

goal of Malaysian education and schooling practice to enhance social integration among these

various ethnic groups beyond mere physical integration, and intends to eliminate social

prejudices and discrimination. Thus it is evidently clear that the teacher has to play their role

to ensure that the students are able to respect each other cultures and beliefs. For example,

the teacher should teach the students to respect other students beliefs and religions such as

the Muslims must be thought that they cannot make fun about cow in front of the Hindus

students as cow is a sacred animal for the Hindus. It is essential to maintain respect towards

each other as it will circumvent the students to have prejudices among themselves and as a

ABDUL AZIZ AFKAR BIN MOHD RAWI 3

result, they will fight among themselves and thus the goal of Malaysian education cannot be

achieved.

2.3 Acknowledging Differences in Children

Furthermore, Najeemah Mohd Yusof also emphasized that the teacher also should

acknowledging differences in children. According to Najeemah (n.d.), However, the most

important thing to remember about all classrooms is the premise that every child is unique. All

children are different and beautiful in their own way, no one student should feel excluded from

the class especially if the reason they feel they are exclude is based on race, ethnicity and

color. This means that every teacher should try to seek the differences in the students and

try to understand them as they are unique and one of a kind. The teacher should give equal

treatment to the students and no one is allowed to have special treatment as it will interrupt

the harmony of the classroom. For example, the teacher cannot give more attention to one

specific student as the student is quite proficient in speaking English while the less proficient

in speaking English get less attention from the teacher. Based on the argument above, it is

clear that there are three importance of managing cultural diversity in the teaching of English

in the Malaysian classroom which are to avoid stereotyping, to produce students which have

sense of respect towards other cultures and to acknowledge differences in children.

2.4 To Prepare the Teacher with the Upcoming Challenges

In contrast with the first article which discuss more on Malaysian context, this article

highlights more on the preparation of pre-service teacher when managing culturally diverse

school. From the article, the author tried to convey that the teacher should be well prepared

when teaching culturally diverse classroom because studies have found that Education in

many communities of color, as well as many poor White communities, is in a state of crisis

(Sleeter, 2001). As a result, Students are learning far too little, becoming disengaged, and

dropping out at high rates (Sleeter, 2001). To avoid the stated problems, the teacher should

be really prepared and one of the solution is by improving the communication skills. Ornstein

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(1990) as cited in Nurzali and Khairul Najmi (2009) indicates that most classroom activities

involve communication. So, the teacher can overcome the problems stated by improving his

or her communication skills. For example, it is important for a lecturer to generate different

volumes, tones and inflections while delivering his lectures. (Nurzali and Khairul Najmi,

2009).

2.5 Experience is the Key in managing Classroom

Apart from that, the second article also highlighted the importance of experience in

teaching culturally diverse schools. Sleeter (2001) stated that only those who bring

experiences, knowledge, and dispositions that will enable them to teach well in culturally

diverse urban schools. This means that experience might be a key role in managing a

culturally diverse classroom. This is supported by Bosch (2006) as cited in Unal and Unal

(2012) Classroom management is not a gift bestowed upon some teachers and though it is

true that some teachers adapt to classroom management techniques easily, classroom

management is a skill that can be gained through training and many years of experience in

the field. Thus it is clear that experience is a key role for a teacher in managing culturally

diverse classroom.

3.0 Role of Educator

3.1 Create More Communication Opportunity

In Malaysia, the government always emphasized the spirit of unity among the citizen

especially among the pupils and students nonetheless of the races, skin colours, beliefs and

religions. As Najeemah (n.d.) indicated that In Malaysia, the objective of nation building and

forging national unity amongst the various ethnic groups ranks very high in her educational

and political agendas. Plus, Najeemah (n.d.) also stated that One way to achieve these goals

is to provide an opportunity for students of different ethnic groups to interact with each other.

So, as an educator, the teacher can achieve this goal by providing more communication

ABDUL AZIZ AFKAR BIN MOHD RAWI 5

opportunity among other races during the teaching and learning session. The teacher can

produce more activities that require the pupils to talk among each other. For example, role-

play, debate session, dialogue and many others. Besides promoting unity among students,

communication also can enhance students interpersonal skills and this will help them to

communicate better in the future.

3.2 Promote Unity and Respect Towards Each Other

Apart from communication, the teacher also should always emphasizes the importance

of unity and respect towards each other to the students. This is because the students should

be instilled with these moral values during their early age so that they will implement it since

they are young and hopefully it will continue as long as they lived. Unity and respect are very

essential in order to build a successful and peaceful nation as It was stated as our major

goals of the national education policy (Najeemah, n.d.).

4.0 Conclusion

All in all, based on the two articles that I have reviewed, I have learnt that there is many

importance of managing cultural diversity in the teaching of English in the Malaysian

classroom. Hence, once again I want to emphasize that to avoid stereotyping, produce

students that have sense of respect, acknowledging differences in children, to prepare the

teacher with the upcoming challenges and experience is the key in managing classroom are

all examples of importance of managing cultural diversity in the teaching of English in the

Malaysian classroom which should be worth to be taken into account. As a teacher, I will try

my level best to equip and prepare myself with knowledge and various skills in order to give

full attention to my future students so that they will successful in their life.

ABDUL AZIZ AFKAR BIN MOHD RAWI 6

References

Damen, L. (1987). Culture Learning: The Fifth Dimension on the Language Classroom.
Reading. Addison-Wesley.

Najeemah Mohd Yusof (n.d.). Multicultural education: managing diversity in Malaysian

schools. Penang: School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Nurzali Ismail and Khairul Najmi Idris, (2009). The effects of classroom communication on

students academic performance at the international islamic university

malaysia(IIUM). Retrieved on February 25th, 2015, from

http://www.academia.edu/3194236/The_Effects_of_Classroom_Communication_on

Students_Academic_Performance_at_the_International_Islamic_University_Malaysi

_IIUM_ .

Schneider, D. (2004). The psychology of stereotyping. New York: Guilford Press.

Sleeter, C. E. (2001). Preparing teachers for culturally diverse schools: research and the

overwhelming presence of whiteness. Journal of Teacher Education, 52(2), 94-103.

Unal, Z., & Unal, A. (2012, July 1). The impact of years of teaching experience on the

classroom management approaches of elementary school teachers. Retrieved on

March 7, 2015, from http://www.e-iji.net/dosyalar/iji_2012_2_3.pdf

Woolfolk, A. (2013). Educational psychology. United States of America: Pearson Education,

Inc.

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