Creating a Culture Friendly Environment

Malaysia is a multi-cultural society. The main ethnic groups are the native Malays as
well as large populations of Chinese, and Indians. The findings of a study carried out by
Salfarina, Mohd Zaini and Azeem Fazwan (2009) showed that ethnic groups in
Malaysia, like many other developing countries have gone through various historical
and development changes. Besides that, influence from immigration and emigration has
shaped ethnic relations into a complex, dynamic and fluid situation. Thus, teachers
teaching in a classroom where diversity of culture becomes an integral part of the
student population, have an important role in creating acceptance among the diverse
ethnic groups. The feelings of acceptance towards each others cultural and ethnic
difference can be inculcated by creating a culturally conducive classroom environment.
In fact, it is the best and most important place to teach about different cultures, since it
is in the classroom that students from diverse cultures grow up and learn together. If
children are exposed to a multicultural classroom environment where they learn to
appreciate each others differences and respect each others strengths and
weaknesses, right from the beginning of their academic years, it will be easy for them to
get along with children from other cultures and this would eventually strengthen the
relationships of the diverse ethnic groups in the classroom. In order to accomplish this
role, teachers themselves must believe in the importance of creating a healthy
multicultural environment which treats everyone as equals.

For any child the classroom is a second home where they spend half their time learning,
communicating, playing, building relationships, forming an identity and forging a unique
place for themselves. This makes it even more important for a teacher to understand
the dynamics of diversity such as ethnicity, race, language, culture, education, religion,
socio-economic standards of the students in the classroom. The success of a
multicultural classroom can be studied by the advancement of the educational goals of
all the students, and the fostering of a supportive and respectful teaching environment.
In order to achieve the success of a multicultural classroom, teachers need to have

diversity of teaching and learning activities in the classroom which can culture-friendly
environment in the classroom among the students.
First of all, before having the activities, teachers need to be aware of the learning
style in the classroom. Every culture has its own way of imparting knowledge which may
be remarkably different from the dominant culture into which a child is thrust. Take for
example East Asia: students from China, Japan and Korea are used to a teachercentric, book oriented, rote memory learning style. The students themselves are
introverted and are uncomfortable with public touch and intense displays of opinions or
emotions. Students from countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
will look to the teacher for constant guidance, and accept everything the teacher says
as absolute truth. On the other hand, students from progressive western cultures are
more comfortable with asking questions, challenging information, and communicating
their displeasure with the teacher or the lesson.

A teachers openness to and

acceptance of the varied learning styles can make teaching in the classroom a more
tolerant, inclusive and cohesive experience.
Next, teachers should encourage diversity rich activities in the classroom. For
example, teachers can create their own classroom library and encourage each child to
contribute one book from their culture or their background to the library. Then, the
students can take turns reading the books about different culture in Malaysia from the
library and have an open discussion about the content with the teacher and other
students. Through the activity of sharing the book from different cultures, the students
can gain more new knowledge about different cultures in Malaysia. By having that
knowledge, the students will be more aware towards other cultures and they will respect
their friends from different cultures and try to avoid sensitive issues related to the culture
in the classroom. From this activity, it can create tolerance among the students from
different cultures. By having tolerance in the classroom, the students will feel more
accepted to be in the multiracial classroom. This clearly can create a culture-friendly
environment in the classroom.
In addition, teachers can plan a cultural exchange unit where students are asked
to bring in something that reflects their heritage or their cultures. This could be a piece

of handicraft, food and traditional clothing. In this activity, the students will have to share
their handicrafts, traditional foods with their friends from different cultures and they also
can show their traditional clothes in the classroom. This activity is very interesting
because the students can share their culture background in term of food, handicraft and
clothes. By sharing foods and their cultures, the students will be closer to each other
because they already know their friends background. This will create sense of
acceptance among the students in the classroom. By having sense of acceptance
among the students from different cultures and background, they will create a harmony
classroom and at the same time the teachers manage to create a culture-friendly
environment in the classroom through this activity.
Besides that, in order to create a culture-friendly environment in the classroom,
teachers can organize trips to museums or galleries which show and explain about
different cultures in Malaysia. This is another way for students to come into contact with
the history and art of different cultures and ethnics in Malaysia and learn a great number
of things from there. Some museums and galleries even offer hands-on experiences for
the students, so they can create things they can even take home with them. This will be
a great experience for the students where they can learn about different cultures in
Malaysia and at the same time they can practice the cultures in the museum also. This
will strengthen the students knowledge about the multicultural in Malaysia.

Implications of Socio-Cultural Diversity

Historic colonizing empires like Spain, Portugal and England, and modern nations like
the United States, South Africa, Japan, Germany, and now newly emerged nations with
their ethnic cleansing efforts, have managed diversity most effectively as communities
have also managed diversity well. Managing diversity is an on-going process that
unleashes the various talents and capabilities which a diverse population bring to an
organization, community or society, so as to create a wholesome, inclusive
environment, that is safe for differences, enables people to reject rejection, celebrates
diversity, and maximizes the full potential of all, in a cultural context where everyone
benefits. Multiculturalism, as the art of managing diversity, is an inclusive process where
no one is left out. In an age of cultural pluralism, multiculturalism is needed to manage
diversity effectively. In essence, then, multiculturalism is nothing more than the art of
managing diversity in a total quality manner. It is the only option open to educators,
leaders and administrators in an ever-increasing culturally pluralistic environment.
Malaysias diverse population is simply not going to go away, but increase. This is the
direction of the futuremulticultural, multiethnic, multilingual communities.
` Teachers in multicultural classrooms must be open to their students and put forth the
effort needed to get to know their students inside and outside of class. If a teacher is
hesitant about being open, the class will reciprocate and the students will become
estranged from one another and the teacher. In order to be open, teachers must be
interested in their students, fearless, willing to try new and different things, sure of
themselves in order to avoid taking things personally, and non-judgmental of his or her
students. Also, openness is not making assumptions and being prepared for the
unexpected (Canning 1995). In the MexicanAmerican culture, children are accustomed
to hugging, kissing, or touching (arm squeezing or rubbing the back of) figures of
authority. Christine Canning (author of "Getting From the Outside In: Teaching Mexican
Americans When You Are an 'Anglo'") writes of her experience, "I noticed that students
touched my hand or arm while talking to me. I was feeling uncomfortable with this until it
occurred to me that touching might be a cultural behavior" (1995). Canning's initial
closemindedness toward the touching could've caused an awful situation especially

because the students were doing their best to be absolutely respectful. After discussing
the students' behavior with a fellow teacher, Canning learned that the students were
showing her respect and in no way trying to make her feel uncomfortable.
Many cultures have many different mores and folkways. Teachers must be open
to what the students are doing and find out why they do what they do. This openness
will create communication in the class, which will ultimately develop into a classroom
that is learning, understanding, and culturally fluent. In addition to openness, teachers
must know the learning patterns of the students in their class. Teachers must
understand the learning patterns of the students who grew up in a culture other than
their own.
Moving on to school aspect, we can see that some schools do not focus on
interactions among students as teachers as the centre of the classroom and not the
students themselves. School are the agents of knowledge. School factors can
sometimes influence students cultural diversities where it leads to students achievement
later. The syllabus should be adapted to the job market and economy This to ensure
that students know what they are going to be in the future as they are the future leaders.
Next, the establishment of vision school, and the use of computers in teaching
and learning. The facilities of the school must be up-to-date where students feel
comfortable and it is easily accessed by the teachers and the students. This is because,
to ensure that students can gain access to the Internet and browse for information
whenever they need.
Apart from that, during exams, school authorities will deliver the schedule of
examinations and ask students to study hard and make revision before exams.
Motivational camps are held as motivation to students to study harder for the sake of
their future and to instill moral values among them. For example, students are taught
about respect other races, help each other and be responsible in many activities such
as jungle trekking and during talk.

Inequality of Educational Opportunities

Inequality in educational opportunities has been discussed in early years and this has
sparked off many studies related to effects of schools, influence of socioeconomic
status on the inequality of race and ethnic towards academic achievement. Coleman
Report (1966) actually documented the low performance among minority groups and
poor children due to the lack of teaching resources in their schools. The report found
many differences among school not in terms of learning resources in the schools but in
terms of the impact of students family background. One of the ways to reduce the gap
between the upper class with the rest of the population is to increase the equality of
educational opportunity among people regardless of gender and race. Therefore, the
Ministry of Education Malaysia has been working to improve the situation in order to
close the gap between populations, in order to increase the quality of education.(Noriati
et.al, 2011) The New Economic Policy (1970 to 1990) aims to strengthen national unity.
Many educational programs were designed to bridge the gap in educational
opportunities between the rich and the poor; different regions and communities through
the development of resources and facilities in countries with more equitable distribution
of wealth. (Noriati et.al, 2011) This is one of the way to balance the educational
opportunities in Malaysia.
A social class is a group of people of similar status, commonly sharing
comparable levels of power and wealth. In sociology, social classes describe one form
of social stratification. In addition, sociologists define social class as the grouping of
people by occupations. Doctors and lawyers and university teachers are given more
status than unskilled labourers. The different positions represent different levels of
power, influence and money.(Barrow, 2012) On the other hand, Meighan (1986, as cited
in Noriati et.al, 2012) explains that no matter how it is defined, it still represents the
diversity of lifestyle or income in a similar race. Social class can be classified as upper
class, middle class and lower class. Capitalist society divides social class in two groups
that is bourgeoisie and proletariat (Karl Marx). Bourgeoisie is a class that has a source
of production, distribution and exchange while the proletariat is the class that does not
have the above but only labour only.

Based on these social class, inequality of educational opportunities exist

because the high-income elite have the financial capacity to enjoy access to a variety of
educational options and opportunities available, whether within or outside the country.
They are capable of meeting all the requirements related to the education of their
children. The students are taken care of in terms of health which they get balanced
nutrition and supplements to upgrade their intelligence and also other facilities that may
not be derived from the low-income students. While access to education is limited to the
lower classes because they do not have a strong financial base to fund their children's
education abroad or in private college. In terms of information and communication
technology, the digital divide occurs because of their social class who are able to
provide various types of equipment such as computers, sophisticated software, ipod
and iphone so that their children can access information and material assistance of
virtual learning easily and quickly . On the other hand the lower group are not able to
enjoy unrestricted access to information as a result of lack of ability to supply equipment
and internet access to their children. It is closely related to educational opportunity,
where access through the Internet can provide a borderless world for students from high
social class compare to lower class group who are deprive of all the facilities.
In countries where women and men experienced educational opportunities,
empowerment is one-sided, where girls are always neglected. Gender inequalities in the
school can be viewed from various aspects such as lack of security among women,
transportation to school, gender bias in textbooks and teaching materials. Besides,
women has always been portrayed as limited in skills and teachers often link women to
certain jobs in society. In the teaching profession, gender inequality has long been a
phenomena. This is the field where number of women are more than the men. In
school, men and women teachers often encounter differences in making decisions in
classroom management, work environment, status, training and resources available to
them. In many countries, men dominate higher positions in the profession but the
scenario has since changed. Gender aspects has been an issue in the curriculum
building. Curriculum construction and revision need to raise an understanding on how
students and teachers react towards the learning materials. This is necessary as
students differ in their thinking and learning styles. Also, in some countries, female

students are not allowed to undertake subjects such as carpentry, technical or

advanced mathematics that can improve their career opportunities. The inequality of
educational opportunities among men and women can be improved by changing the
pedagogical practices. Changes in teaching and learning process should take place in
an effective manner by considering sensitivity towards gender issues in the classroom.
Although there are efforts to improve the quality of education, gender inequality in the
teaching and learning remains a serious problem. Teachers should be aware that girls
just like boys are able to give responses in classroom is an example of sensitivity of
teachers on gender aspects and this need to be inculcated. Similarly, the notion that
girls are less skilled and interested in mathematics and science should be reduce and
the teacher should ensure that there is impartial to everyone.
In Malaysia, Malay is the majority group while other groups such as Chinese,
Indian, Kadazan, Iban, Bidayuh, indigenous people and other ethnic groups are
minorities. Aboriginal considered a minority group in Malaysia as the numbers did not
reach 141,230 people and they stay in rural and remote areas where they seem to be
marginalized in most aspects. In addition, they had a distinct feature of the physical,
cultural, economic and behavior that caused them to lag behind the mainstream. Efforts
have been made by the Ministry of Education to bridge the gap between minority groups
and the majority especially in the inequality of educational opportunities. Other minority
groups such as indigenous groups in Sabah and Sarawak also faced the issue of
inequality of educational opportunities as a result of their location in the interior parts of
Sabah and Sarawak. These places are deprived of basic amenities such as clean water,
electricity, communication and transportation, infrastructure, and basic supplies to
school. These factors contribute to high dropout rates, wide student achievement gap
as compared with the majority, and the digital gap amongst students and teachers are
too wide. In addition, minority groups also exist in a particular school in the locality. For
example, in national-type Chinese School, there may exist a minority group of Malays
and Indians. Similarly, at the National type schools, the minority group consists of
Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups. In such circumstances, the school should be
aware and concerned about the way of life and culture of a particular race which form
the minority groups are not marginalized in the educational opportunities available. They

should also be given equal opportunity to achieve their goals. Furthermore, teachers
should be able to adjust and adapt the existing curriculum to suit all students,
regardless of race, religion and culture.

Communication Skills for Teachers

Teaching is generally considered as only fifty percent knowledge and fifty percent
interpersonal or communication skills. For a teacher, it is not just important to give a
quality lecture but it is more important for the presentation of a lesson or lecture in class.
Communication skills for teachers are thus as important as their in-depth knowledge of
the particular subject which they teach. Teachers should be aware of the importance of
communication skills in teaching. They must also realize that all students have different
levels of strengths and weaknesses. It is only through communication skills that a
teacher can introduce creative and effective solutions to the problems of the students.
Thus, a teacher can enhance the learning process.
Positive Motivation This is one of the important things that a teacher must possess. In a
class, students always have different kinds of taste and preferences over subjects. So it
is the job of the teacher to create enthusiasm and interest in the minds of the students
towards a subject. It is also a teachers role to remove any fear and inhibitions that a
student may have towards a subject.
Effective Body Language This is the most powerful communication skill that a teacher
must possess. Good presentation skills include a powerful body language supported by
verbal skills. This can create a long lasting impression in the minds of the students.
Thus, a teachers lectures will inevitably become more interactive and interesting for the
students. Besides, a teacher should maintain the volume, tone and rhythm of their voice
during a lecture.
Sense of Humor The importance of this factor has been regularly underestimated. A
good sense of humor keeps the students active and interested in the teachers class. A
teacher who is dour and lacks humor doesnt contribute to the overall well being of the
students.
Understanding the Students Teachers should encourage students to communicate
openly. There should be emphasis on cultivating a dialogue rather than a monologue.

So while solving any kind of problems in the classroom, it is always wise to hear the
opinions of the students also.
Team Formation This is a good method where you can divide the classroom into small
teams and ask them to solve different problems or complete assignments. This practice
will increase not only the interaction among the students but also among the teacher
and students.
Technical Skills It is also important that teachers should be up to date with all the latest
teaching aids like computers, video conferencing and especially the use of internet. This
will also help the students to keep up their interest in the learning process.
Students are the future of every nation. That is why the role of teachers is so important
to the society. It is through a teacher that generations of youngsters are deeply
influenced. Overall improvement in a student can be expected when communication
skills for teachers is given due importance. Thus, it is important that communication
skills become an important ingredient of a teachers professional competency.

Citation
Margaret Heffernan (2015). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved from BrainyQuote.com:
Website:http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/margarethe556959.html