Introduction
Quality education is not just an ideal; it is a method that draws on every linguistic and cultural tool at the disposal of teachers and students alike. A multilingual ethos can guide educational practices and policies where multiple languages are commonplace and cultural diversity is seen as a resource for individuals and communities (Valdiviezo et al., 2015). Under such a philosophy, there is no wall between tongues. Instead, it helps students become more linguistically aware, opens them to learning multiple languages, and makes them accept cultural diversity. It prepares them to be effective communicators in multilingual contexts by helping them appreciate how cultures and languages in contact enrich one another.
As a result of globalization, people from all walks of life now regularly interact with those from other cultures. Therefore, we need cultural understanding and competence to empathically relate to people from other cultures who may have different values and worldviews, rituals and traditions, and modes of communication (Valdiviezo et al.., 2015). Other than linguistics and conversation, subjects relevant in the classroom of foreign languages include aspects related to modern culture and civilization as well as civilization and culture from some time in the past. All historical customs and events need to be presented in light of their continued relevance to the present. Modern society is becoming multiethnic. Thus, multilingual and multicultural education should begin in elementary school, continue in secondary schools, and be compulsory in colleges.
Why It is Crucial to Promote Multilingual and Multicultural Education in Schools
Students gain a sense of comfort and security with people different from themselves when taught about other cultures. This boosts their self-assurance and broadens their social circle allowing them to make friends more easily (Nieto, 2015). Multicultural education aims to ensure that all students are given a fair shot at succeeding in school by adjusting every aspect of the learning environment to reflect better the many different cultures and communities in the classrooms today.
Individuals fluent in more than one language tend to excel in all areas of learning, including reading, writing, and social interaction (Nieto, 2015). This advantage is especially noticeable in the academic realm. The value to society comes from increased tolerance and familiarity between people of different backgrounds (Cummins, 2001). The ability to communicate in multiple languages is a crucial factor in fostering peaceful and respectful communities.
Helps Cultural Groups
According to Alidou (2009), multicultural and multilingual education aims to help all students feel like they belong at school. Students of color and immigrants benefit from this because they are more invested in their education. Concerns about the widespread lack of representation of some cultural groups in secondary and higher education curricula and textbooks have been voiced (Alidou, 2009, p. 110). Their textbooks’ contents are seen as unimportant because there is so little to which they can make a cultural connection. They may be unable to apply what they have learned because it does not make sense in light of their language, culture, or way of life. Adapting to a new culture is difficult, but the task can seem insurmountable for recent arrivals who may have fled a war-torn country or spent years in a refugee camp (Alzayed, 2015). They may need help adjusting to their new environment if they are taught material irrelevant to their lives. When students see themselves reflected in their lessons, it can pique their interest in the material. According to experiences in the field and a student teaching case study conducted by Kea, Cathy, Trent, and Stanley in 2013, It has been shown that students exposed to other cultures throughout their schooling are better prepared to cope with diversity in the real world. This broadens their social circle and boosts their self-assurance, allowing them to engage more effectively in conversations and build relationships. Kea’s (2013) study finds that incorporating culturally specific elements into the curriculum has improved academic performance among students of different ethnic backgrounds.
An education that is both multicultural and multilingual benefits its students and the larger community. Misrepresentation of culture in school textbooks contributes to the problem of underrepresentation and marginalization of that culture (Kea et al., 2013). Education should be more agnostic and objective to ensure students learn accurate information about cultures they know little about (Alzayed, 2015). Similarly, there are likely students unfamiliar with aspects of their culture, such as those raised in the same area but from different racial or ethnic backgrounds. As a result, they should spend much time learning about their heritage in the classroom. Learning about the music, celebrations, and belief systems of one’s peers’ cultures and what their perspectives symbolize is a potent means of fostering inclusiveness and helping to promote intercultural understanding among students who make up the majority.
Provides a chance for early diversity
According to Kea et al. (2013), multicultural education aims to ensure that all children have access to high-quality education by altering all aspects of the school environment to reflect better the many different cultures and groups in today’s classrooms. Learning multiple languages allows students to appreciate various human civilizations (Kea et al., 2013). In contrast to being threatened by diversity, multilingualism offers the opportunity to learn from it. By educating ourselves about the world’s many cultures and ethnicities, we better understand ourselves and the world around us (Park, 2013). When individuals can see the big picture, they better grasp their place.
According to Park (2013), tolerance and acceptance are fostered through a multiethnic faculty and classroom. Educators who value diversity foster a moral and actively involved society by giving students of all backgrounds a chance to broaden their worldviews. Students exposed to multiple cultures are likelier to adopt a positive outlook on their own and their classmates’ backgrounds while promoting greater cultural understanding (Park, 2013). Students, educators, and parents worldwide benefit from the lessons and relationships fostered by multicultural celebrations. They learn to recognize that we are more alike than different and that our similarities strengthen our bonds. This method fosters understanding and acceptance of others’ differences.
Encourages language acquisition
The common language spoken by its members is what holds society together. It is how we express ourselves to one another, bond over shared histories, and build relationships with others (Alidou et al., 2011). Although one language or culture may play a more central role in a person’s life than another, the function of language in identity formation depends on the transmission of information about how to form a multicultural identity.
Learning a new language can be affected in various ways by a person’s level of multilingualism. If informal language learning is implemented, the understanding of conversations will be prioritized, and notions of applied linguistics will be provided theoretically, practically, or a combination of the two. Second, speaking more than one language can better prepare students for life after high school in a multicultural and multilingual society (Ozfidan et al., 2020). According to Ozfidan and Toprak (2020), students who speak multiple languages have a larger linguistic toolkit for communicating with others outside of the classroom. Speaking more than one language paves the way for new friendships, new cultures, and new possibilities in life that a monolingual person could otherwise miss out on (Ozfidan et al., 2020). Learning a new language is also the first step toward comprehending a new culture, complete with its ideas, values, and practices (Alidou et al., 2011). Students who take the time to learn a second or third language often develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the world’s diversity. If students from different cultural backgrounds are in the classroom, the teacher accounts for their knowledge and experience with other languages when designing lessons and activities. Third, having a working knowledge of multiple languages can facilitate learning and teaching by allowing students and teachers to connect the languages they already know and the ones they are studying.
Encourage cultural concord and interaction.
According to Cummins’s (2001) research, social justice, human rights, and democracy are at the center of multicultural education, a term that describes a method of teaching that embraces and celebrates. Multicultural education lays the groundwork for students to embrace and comprehend differences as social realities. It teaches them how to incorporate their cultural background’s key values into their social experience, way of life, and sense of self (Alidou, 2009. Multicultural education facilitates understanding and mutual respect between students of various backgrounds and traditions (Ozfidan et al., 2020). Cummins’s (2001) research finds that Because of a lack of familiarity with their histories, beliefs, and points of convergence, students may develop a bias against those of other cultural backgrounds. In this setting, people are more likely to “other” one another, fostering a “us and them” mentality because they are more likely to isolate themselves. Some of the prejudice and misunderstanding that students hold toward members of other cultures can be dispelled through disseminating accurate information and an appreciation of diversity (Alidou, 2009). As a result, it could reduce bullying incidents directed at people of different backgrounds. Teachers are uniquely positioned to facilitate students’ intercultural communication and understanding. When discussing multiculturalism in the classroom, they can have students work on group projects or have open discussions. The culturally diverse learners’ body is encouraged to share their traditions, customs, music, food, and beliefs with their peers in a safe environment.
To better understand and appreciate cultural differences, both in terms of language (especially pragmatics) and in terms of values and perspectives, multilingualism can help. A person who speaks more than one language can communicate effectively in various settings because of their familiarity with the nuances of language and cultural contexts other than their own (Alidou, 2009). Communicating in more than one language can help students become more culturally aware, which may make it easier for them to learn a second foreign language. To help their students learn a foreign language more quickly, teachers can use parallels to other languages that are more widely spoken in the classroom.
Conclusion
Teaching inclusive of and sensitivity to cultural differences benefits students of all backgrounds. Schools should foster an environment that welcomes and includes them to better equip children from all walks of life and skill levels to thrive in today’s increasingly varied global community. Teachers should seek behavioral wellness and emotional and social programs to understand better how to promote classroom diversity (Ozfidan et al., 2020). With increasing diversity inside and outside the classroom, teachers must help students adjust to new situations and appreciate differences.
There are several ways for the government, educational institutions, and educators to support multicultural and multilingual education. Teachers can implement multilingualism by asking their multilingual kids to impart a greeting in their native tongue to their classmates (Kea et al., 2013). A teacher can establish a routine in which they first greet each student in the school language, followed by a greeting in their native tongues. The class can then respond to the series of greetings as appropriate. According to Alzayed (2015), any school can support the linguistic, cognitive, and social development of its bilingual and multilingual students by embracing all the languages used there, both verbally and physically, and by encouraging kids to speak their different languages with one another and to recognize the similarities and differences between them. According to Park’s (2013) study, the government can promote multilingual education, which gives the young learner’s mother tongue priority in instruction, and bilingual education, which uses more than one language of instruction.
References
Alidou, H. (2009). Promoting multilingual and multicultural education in francophone Africa: Challenges and perspectives. Languages and education in Africa: A comparative and transdisciplinary analysis, pp. 105–131.
Alidou, H., Glanz, C., & Nikièma, N. (2011). Quality multilingual and multicultural education for lifelong learning. International Review of Education, 57, 529-539.
Alzayed, N. N. Y. (2015). Preserving immigrants’ native language and cultural identity in multilingual and multicultural societies. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 5(2), 263-267.
Cummins, J. (2001). Bilingual children’s mother tongue: Why is it important for education.
Nieto, S. (2015). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. Teachers College Press.
Ozfidan, B., & Toprak, M. (2020). Cultural awareness on bilingual education: A mixed method study. Multicultural Learning and Teaching, 15(1).
Park, S. M. (2013). Immigrant students’ heritage language and cultural identity maintenance in multilingual and multicultural societies. Concordia Working Papers in Applied Linguistics, pp. 4, 30–53.
Valdiviezo, L. A., & Nieto, S. (2015). Culture in bilingual and multilingual education: conflict, struggle, and power. The handbook of bilingual and multilingual education, 92-108.
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