Name :Lindelwa

Surname :Nene

Student number :ST10099725

Group :1 BEI3

Module :MCED7311
Activity 1

The phrase Diversity comes from the Latin word Diversus meaning more than one
of a different kind (Concise oxford dictionary 1983) .For centuries factors such as
colonisation and migration have resulted in demographic shift all over the world
.Therefore this essay will Analyse and Discuss how Mr Smith displays ignorance of
diversity in class ,Whiles focusing on areas of Cultural diversity ,Gender diversity and
lastly race diversity .

Cultural diversity

Goodman and Max (1978) “Provide a comprehensive definition by referring to

culture as a learned ,socially transmitted heritage of artefacts ,knowledge ,beliefs
and normative expectations that provides the members of a particular society with
tools of coping with recurrent problems” .In simple terms culture is created by people
and it is learned and shared (Lemmer,Meier & Van wyk,2012) .IT is noticeable how
culture has many faces which are easily recognisable due to attires food and
languages .Therefore it is important that teachers are aware of both implicit and
explicit cultural forms .Which Mr Smith is not aware of as he could not comprehend
why Siphiwe could not Look at him when he was greeting .Which in an African
culture is a implicit sign of respect (Lemmer,Meier & Van wyk,2012).

A classroom has learners from diverse linguistic setup ,religion and economic status
therefore it in inevitable to have learners who show different behaviour ,learning
habits and communication skills .This diversity needs acceptance encouragement to
which allows leaners to withhold their roots .Mr Smith does not accept or encourage
diversity as he excluded the learners who could not attend the Easter concert
because they are Hindu and issued them detention (Peck,2019) .Sustaining a
cultural diversity in a classroom is crucial as it plays a huge role in learners growth
in understanding and respecting different cultures .Moreover it helps in maintaining
a healthy relationship between teachers and learners .Mr Smith does not maintain
cultural diversity in his classroom as he states that How is he supposed to know the
quichies he was going is Halal when Farzana try’s to ask him a question (Peck,2019)
.
Gender diversity

According to Lemmer,Meier and Van wyk (2012) “The term gender describes
masculinity and femininity the thoughts ,feelings ,behaviour and physical factors that
identify people as male or female” .However in modern society it is term used to
describe gender identities that show a diversity of expression beyond the binary
framework described by Lemmer .Gender diversity helps schools provide a
supportive and non-discriminatory environment to all students .Especialy gender
diverse and transgender children to create a more inclusive classroom(Gender
diversity,2020) .However Mr Smith does not support gender diversity in his class
reason being he stated that he watched rugby over the weekend it was a shocking
game and girls could have done a better job .

Which shows that he was being a bit discriminative towards the boys who played the
match .Supporting Gender diversity creates an understanding on the concepts of
gender identity whiles also providing support to transgender or non-binary learners
.IT guides gender separated spaces such as sport to accommodate gender diverse
learners .IT limits violence or bullying in schools .Whiles also increasing the schools
and community understanding of gender expression and identity(Gender
diversity,2020) .Moreover gender diversity in a classroom helps learners explore
gender roles and diminishes the their styreotype example girls are supposed to be in
the kitchen and boys are supposed to clean the garden(Operam education group
,2020) .

Race diversity

Racial diversity refers to the acknowledgement and celebration of different racial

groups (Howard university,2023) .Racial diversity in the classroom is very important
because it does not only promote equity but innovation as well .Packard(2011) states
that “Research assessing the impact of racial diversity in college campuses has
firmly established that students from different racial backgrounds bring different life
experiences and understanding” .Which is something that Mr Smith does not posses
as he put he could not understand why Hindu learners where in a Catholic school
and ,Stated that that would have not happened in his day as those kids would have
been place where they belonged .
Racial diversity continuously show demonstrate positive effect of cultural awareness
, intellectual motivation and self confidence .Moreover the ability to intergrate
multiple perspectives ( Packard;2011) .Racial diversity also helps leaners
understand and relate to people better as they come from different backgrounds
which stretches their understanding of what is being taught in class .IT also helps
student become more empathetic as it prevents prejudice or racism towards other
races .IT allows people to be more open minded and become global
citizens(Drixel,2014) .

In conclusion this essay has Analysed how Mr Smith displays ignorance of diversity
in class ,Whiles focusing on areas of Cultural diversity ,Gender diversity and lastly
race diversity as discussed above .
Activity 2

There is interdependence between education and culture .Therefore this essay will
discuss the influence of culture on teaching and learning ,Cross-cultural
communication and lastly language needs .

The influence of culture on teaching and learning

Cultural diversity in a classroom has an impact in the teaching and learning process .Though
many educationist believe that cultural factors should not be considered when working with
learners from different cultural backgrounds(Lemmer,Meier & Van wyk,2012) .Others
believe that it near impossible to ingnore them .Therefore a few factors have been discussed
to elaborate the influence of culture on education(Lemmer,Meier & Van wyk,2012) .Such
as socialiasation which refers to the process on acquiring knowledge ,values ,language or
social skills in order to interact within a society .This relates to the scenario as its States that
English is a an international language which can be used to gain knowledge and travel
across boundaries .

Moreover Communication is another cultural factor that has an influence on teaching and
learning .Reason being children from different cultural groups speak different language
therefore teaching through a foreign language such as English influences the success in
learning (Lemmer,Meier & Van wyk,2012).This correlate with the scenario as it states that
English is employed more by people globally and is regarded as the international language
of communication .Learning preference also has an influence in teaching and learning as it
states that ways in which people learn is related to culture .Therefore not all learners will
learn the same way .This relates with the scenario as it state that when one learns a
language the acquire knowledge from both social and cultural rules .

Cross-cultural communication

As explained by Lemmer,Meier and Van wyk (2012) “Communication as is a process

of transmitting information or ideas from one person (the sender ) to another or a
group of peoples (the receiver) .Forms of address in cross-cultural communication
states that some cultures are formal and people with in them willingly use titles such
as Sir or Madam .To address or indicate the status of a person .It is vital for the
children belonging to this culture to use specific forms when speaking or addressing
older people of high status such teacher(Lemmer,Meier & Van wyk,2012) .This
correlate with the scenario as it states that it is necessary to be aware of the culturally
appropriate ways to address people ,express gratitude ,make request or agree or disagree
with someone.

Language needs

States that learners who may be using not only a third fourth or fifth language in their
community ,end up speaking English(heavy accent english ,or foreign English) as it is often
used in multiligual communities .Therefore it is rare that standard English is used as a result
this reveals that learners have language disorders because of the influence of other
languages (Lemmer,Meier & Van wyk,2012).This relates with the scenario as it states
that it is mandatory to know the behaviour and inotonation patterns of one’s own language
and compare itself with that of the target language speech community .

In conclusion this essay has discussed the influence of culture on teaching and
learning ,Cross-cultural communication and lastly language needs as mentioned
above .
Reference list

Drixel,M .2014.Racial diversity in the classroom . [Online] .Available at

:https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges.drixel-university/student-life/diversity/chart.
[Accessed 21 May 2023] .

Gender diversity .2020 .Best practices for schools gender diversity . Available at
:https://genderdiversity.org/best-practices-schools/ . [Accessed 21 May 2023] .

Howard university.2023.Howard university diversity racial-ethnic diversity breakdown

. [Online] .Available at :https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/howard-university/student-
life/diversity/.

Lemmer,EM.,Meier,C . and Van wyk ,JN .2012 .Multicultural education .Second edition
.Cape town .Van schaik . [Accessed 21 May 2023] .

Operam education group .2020.Equality and diversity in the classroom .[Online]

.Available at :https://www.teacghers-uk.co.uk/equality-and-diversity-in-the-classroom/ .
[Accessed 21 May 2023] .

Peck,L .2019 .Cultural diversity and ethnic minority psychology . [Online] .Available at
:https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/cdp. [Accessed 21 May 2023] .

Splashlearn.2023.6 Teaching strategies in 2023.[Online] .Available at

:https://www.horizoneeducational.com/6-teaching-strategies-for-
2023/t1441?currency=usd.[Accessed 21 May 2023] .