Students and identity

1- Everyone comes with a different Identity and look for who has
a similar one to his :

To begin, Identity is : who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group that
make them different from others.

Every student comes to the classroom with a set of behaviors and characteristics
that makes him or her unique and that will affect his or her academic
achievement.

Furthermore, students identify with certain groups to experience a feeling of

belonging. Many studies have shown that students of all ages have a strong need
to belong to groups, because groups provide a source of motivation.

Students may identify with certain groups because of race, social class, or
religion. These categories are some of the social constructions of culture ; they
provide a sense of cultural identity. To enhance academic success, teachers can
use information about cultural identity to create learning environments that
recognize the cultural contributions of students.

2- How students deal with identity differencies and co-exist

The set of beliefs that individuals hold about themselves is termed self-concept.
peer groups, media, parents, and teachers-influence the development of a
positive or negative student self-concept

In school students develop what we call Cultural identity : “Cultural identity is

adapted and changed throughout life in response to political, economic,
educational, and social experiences”

An awareness of their self-concept and cultural identity provides the foundation

for how students define themselves in terms of how others view them. Thus,
students are viewed as cultural beings, and by embracing their diversity, and
their cultural identity classrooms that model tolerance and appreciation of
student differences will be created.

3- School environement

Developing an awareness of cultural identity and how it affects education and

interactions with others in school can be challenging for students. In addition,
teaching practices, interactions between students, and their own ideas about
identity influence the academic success and social development of their
students.

Teachers can help students feel comfortable with their cultural identity and
assist them in their learning by using a multicultural teaching approach that
embraces diversity in the classroom.