Non-verbal communication and multicultural education

Maria Valentina Poggioli.
Dr. Joyce C. Nichols.
Multicultural Education
06-24-2011
Nonverbal communication Vs. Multicultural Education.
Teachers who want to be successful and effective in current multicultural classrooms must pay attention to their students as individuals; they must appreciate the unique needs and characteristics of each student, and they need the ability to equalize thesedifferences to build a balanced educational environment
For teachers to achieve this educational environment, first teachers have to understand the importance of looking at other behaviors and communication in different countries and cultures more closely. Second, teachers must to recognize one of the most important factors of the human communication, which is nonverbal communication, exploringhow such gestures and body movements directly provide important clues into the educational process. Third, they have to understand the differences between the low- and high-context cultures to be aware of diverse communication styles of their students to appreciate certain cultures. Finally, teachers must be able to increase their cultural sensitivity to create a welcoming and equalized classroom.Thus, this paper poses the following hypothesis: To make a more welcoming and effective classroom, teachers must have an extensive knowledge of differences between cultures, and they must clearly understand not only explicit verbal communication but also certain nonverbal communication of their students.
Population ethnic diversity is happening all over the world and American classrooms are noexception. Intercultural communication is not a new topic; as long as people from different cultures have been encountering one another there has been intercultural communication, because of it, nowadays teachers and educators need to focus more on the multicultural communication.
According to the United States Census data, in 2010 Hispanics represented over 16.3%, African Americans 12.6%,American Indian and islanders 1.1%, and Asian and other cultures represent another 13.9% (U.S. Census data 2010). Also estimates suggets this number may increase in the following years. In summary, the minority current enrollment in the American classrooms is around 43.9 % and this will increase. In fact, American society is a melting pot with too many cultures to count in it; this reality reflectsthe American classrooms.
At the present time, Multicultural education is one of the most important areas in education. Teachers need to start looking at the importance of this topic now, because this is a factor that is currently affecting the education process. The diverse classroom is an actual reality and needs attention. Today, teachers have to combine their own knowledge, without forgettingthe importance of the task and skills necessary to perform effective multicultural communication in a diverse classroom.
According to Banks (2004), “A teachers receiving a teaching credential today will probably be responsible for educating more diverse student body that any teacher at any time in the history of formal education” (p.498). Multicultural teachers have the responsibility to helpall the students acquire the knowledge needed to face a diverse world.
For all the reasons mentioned above, nowadays teacher must have a good understanding of diversity in the classroom, which means teachers have to focus on the skills and strengths of each student, in order to address a successful teaching and learning process in today’s classrooms. Therefore, teachers play one of the mostcritical roles in ethnic students’ academic success.
Effective instructors need different ways of understanding the communication of culturally diverse students and also they need ways to adapt their behaviors to enhance the students’ learning environment. In a diverse classroom, teachers need the combination of sensitivity and consideration to create interest in their students, furthermore the...