first issues that should be addressed is recognition that a culturally diverse class will
likely have students who have been conditioned to learn differently. Students from
the United States will have been taught that debate, argumentation, public speaking
skills, and critical thinking are important classroom attributes. However, Asian stu-
dents, especially if they are coming from abroad, will have learned that the proper
classroom deportment is to sit silently, to not challenge the teacher, to take copious
notes, and to memorize all the materials. Left unaddressed, this situation could result
in a class divided along cultural lines—some sitting quietly and others dominating any
discussion.
Second, in learning situations, regardless of the level, it is vital to understand that
different cultures have varied thinking patterns that influence reasoning, problem
solving, and social interaction. Cross-cultural psychology research has demonstrated
that Westerners generally use a linear, cause-and-effect thinking process that empha-
sizes logic and rationality. Problems are approached through a systematic, in-depth
analysis of each component, progressing individually from the simple to the more dif-
ficult. In contrast, the research showed that people from Northeast Asia (Chinese,
Japanese, and Koreans) rely on a holistic thinking pattern. Problems are seen as com-
plex and interrelated, requiring a greater understanding of and emphasis on the col-
lective, rather than on separate, individual parts. This produces an emphasis on
intuitive and contextual thinking. These varied patterns of cognitive processing will
influence the way students and employees communicate, interact with others, and
perform problem-solving tasks.^38
Third, cultures also have distinctive ways of presenting educational information.
Some prefer to present information orally, and others emphasize texts. Elsewhere in
this book we mentioned that Arabs have an oral tradition. This is also true for
many West African cultures, North American Native tribes, the peoples of Central
Asia, and Australian Aboriginals. Societies with a tradition of oral learning will
engage in more conversation, use storytelling to transmit knowledge, and rely more
on what they hear. We also pointed out in our discussion of history that East Asian
cultures have historically emphasized written text over verbal eloquence. This is why
the use of books and other print formats tend to take precedence in Asian schools.
From this background, it would not be unusual to see Vietnamese students sitting qui-
etly and being somewhat reticent to join in classroom discussions while African
American students eagerly voiced their thoughts. Western cultures generally tend to
give greater precedence to while African cultures emphasize orality.^39
Fourth, Limited English Proficiency (LEP) in the U.S. classroom is an obvious
impediment to learning and will only worsen if left unattended. LEP students are
faced with both cognitive and linguistic issues. The requirement to move between
languages involves managing different grammatical structures, inexact word meanings,
vocabulary shortfalls, unfamiliarity with colloquialisms, and other issues. This not
only deters comprehension but also demands greater cognitive effort, which produces
mental fatigue. In other words, in addition to grasping subject content, LEP students
also have to make the new language express what they are learning. Therefore, they
must perform at a much higher cognitive and linguistic level than their native
English-speaking peers who need only manage the cognitive aspects of learning.
When teaching a multicultural audience, instructors need to be attentive to signs of
incomprehension by the students and must also self-monitor for speaking rate and
appropriate vocabulary usage.The Multicultural Classroom 363Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).