1.0 Introduction 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 !eem "a!wan #$%%&' showed that ethnic groups in Malaysia, li(e many other developing developing countries have gone through through various historical and development development changes. changes. )esides that, influence from immigration and emigration has shaped ethnic relations into a comple*, dynamic and fluid situation. situation. Thus, teachers teachers teaching in a classroom where diversity of culture culture beco becomes mes an integ integral ral part part of the the stude student nt popu populat lation ion,, have have an import importan antt role role in creat creating ing acceptance acceptance among the diverse ethnic groups. groups. The feelings of acceptance acceptance towards each other+s other+s 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 e*posed to a multicultural classroom environment where they learn to appreciate each others+ differences and respect each others+ strengths and wea(nesses, 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 classr classroo oom. m. In order order to accomp accomplis lish h this this role, role, teach teachers ers themse themselve lves s must must believ believe e in the the importance of creating a healthy multicultural environment which treats everyone as euals.
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2.0 The Development of Culture-Friendly Environment in the Classroom 2.1 Teaching and earning !ctivities egendary writer Maya ngelou once said that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength./ This is true even in a multicultural classroom. "or 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 uniue place for themselves. This ma(es 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. "irst of all, before having the activities, teachers need to be aware of the learning style in the classroom. 0very culture has its own way of imparting (nowledge which may be remar(ably different from the dominant culture into which a child is thrust. Ta(e for e*ample 0ast sia1 students from China, 2apan and 3orea are used to a teacher-centric, boo( 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, )angladesh, 4a(istan and Sri an(a will loo( to the teacher for constant guidance, and accept everything the teacher says as absolute truth. 5n the other hand, students from progressive western cultures are more comfortable with as(ing uestions, challenging information, and communicating their displeasure with the teacher or the lesson. teacher+s openness to and acceptance of the varied learning styles can ma(e teaching in the classroom a more tolerant, inclusive and cohesive e*perience. 6e*t, teachers should encourage diversity rich activities in the classroom. "or e*ample, teachers can create their own classroom library and encourage each child to contribute one boo( from their culture or their bac(ground to the library. Then, the students can ta(e turns reading the boo(s 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 boo( from different cultures, the students can gain more new (nowledge about different cultures in Malaysia. )y having that (nowledge, the students will be more aware towards other 2
cultures and they will respect their friends from different cultures and try to avoid sensitive issues related to the culture in the classroom. "rom this activity, it can create tolerance among the students from different cultures. )y 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 e*change unit where students are as(ed 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 vey interesting because the students can share their culture bac(ground in term of food, handicraft and clothes. )y sharing foods and their cultures, the students will be closer to each other because they already (now their friends+ bac(ground. This will create sense of acceptance among the students in the classroom. )y having sense of acceptance among the students from different cultures and bac(ground, 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. )esides that, in order to create a culture-friendly environment in the classroom, teachers can organi!e trips to museums or galleries which show and e*plain 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 e*periences for the students, so they can create things they can even ta(e home with them. This will be a great e*perience 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+ (nowledge about the multicultural in Malaysia. s a conclusion, there are many opportunities in class where we can present multiculturalism to our students. s long as we avoid stereotypes and over generali!ations, students can benefit a great deal from learning about people and the countries they come from. The most important thing they will have learned, however, will be how beautiful diversity is. 7old these awareness activities on a regular basis, especially at the start of a school year, so that what is considered different becomes something familiar and e*citing to the students. 2.2 Teaching and earning "aterials 3
Teaching and learning materials are very important aspect that needs to be considered by teachers before teaching and learning session in order to create a culture-friendly environment in the classroom. Teaching and learning management begins with the planning and preparation of appropriate teaching materials. creative teacher will adapt teaching aids with the lesson so that students can easily master a comple* abstract concept. This is ac(nowledged by Mayer 8 9allini #:&&%' who argue that ;teachers should clearly e*plain and give e*amples related to improving the effectiveness of teaching;. The use of effective and appropriate teaching aids is very important to help teachers e*plain difficult and abstract concepts to students. The use of teaching aids can help to e*plain a concept. mong the e*amples of teaching aids that are often used are materials such as photographs, graphics, mind maps, diagrams, radio, computer, video, flash card, diagrams, newspapers, maga!ines, audio visual aids, model, prototype or historical materials. The selection of appropriate teaching aids is very important to enable teachers to use them to e*plain abstract concepts effectively. )esides that, teachers should be aware of cultural issues in Malaysia. Teachers should avoid from using sensitive teaching materials which can humiliate the students+ cultures or bac(grounds. This can avoid the teachers from being bias towards the students who are not from the same race as the teachers. )y using suitable teaching materials in the classroom, teachers can create an interactive lesson and at the same time the culturefriendly environment can be established in the classroom. In addition, teachers also need to select materials from the right resources. Teachers should avoid from choosing sources which can give negative influences to the students such as the teachers use an article about politics as a reading material. This is not suitable for the students especially the primary students. ll this information can influence their minds, so teachers should select materials from suitable sources such as te*tboo(s, reference boo(s, the Internet, information newspapers, maga!ines, radio and television, and
information from various sources before starting each
lesson but the selection of the teaching and learning resources has to be appropriately done.
2.# Classroom "anagement teacher is a =manager= in the teaching learning process. The ability of the teacher to manage the classroom effectively is vital in order to create a conducive teaching and learning 4
environment. ccording to Salhah bdullah #$%%>', the teacher as a facilitator plays the role as planners, managers and implementers have guided systematic management. Management involves the processes of planning, implementing, evaluating and ta(ing initiative to improve the process. 5n top of that, in order to create a friendly cultural environment in a multicultural classroom, teachers need to stay alert and aware of surrounding situation. Teachers should be aware of their surrounding especially the students. Teachers need to be able to meet the needs of students of varying abilities and cultures within the same classroom. 0ven though many teachers would li(e to be able to teach a class of students with similar bac(ground (nowledge and motivation, this rarely if ever happens. Therefore, teachers have the responsibility to vary instruction and enable all students an opportunity to learn. Teachers have to ta(e the students+ interests into consideration while teaching them. ?hen the students loo( bored, teachers should prepare with interesting activities so that the students will not feel bored to continue learning the lesson that the teachers carry out. ?hen the students feel motivated to learn, then lesson can be carried out effectively. )esides that, teachers also should be systematic in planning the lesson and evaluating the students. This is a criterion that can ensure the effectiveness of classroom management. Teachers must be organi!ed. ?ithout a good system of organi!ation and daily procedures in place, the
of teachers leave the profession in their first five years of teaching. This number is so high because teaching is a stressful
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2.$ !ssessment for %tudent &erformance ssessment is a systematic process of collecting and analy!ing data to determine whether any of the ob
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accommodate the needs of students from diverse cultural bac(grounds. In the conte*t of culture-based assessment, formative assessment that is designed or constructed should revolve around the same conte*t or issues as in teaching and learning with the purpose of gathering data to assess the effectiveness of teaching. )esides that, the assessment tools design should focus on matters that are not sensitive to students from any cultural bac(ground. In fact, teachers should not create any (ind of cultural sensitivity or biasness in the assessment procedures or even in any of the items. 5ne of the important characteristics that can affect the performance of students is the language used in the assessment tool. anguage has a great influence on the way students respond to tas(s. ll in all, there have been challenges in the assessment process but a greater challenge is related to appropriate teaching strategies and the development of teaching and learning. Culture-friendly process is ways that can be used to evaluate students without affecting its validity and reliability when ma(ing a decision. The type of assessment discussed can reduce bias elements against a particular ethnic group and suggestions posed by the teacher should be considered when preparing a formal or an informal assessment. If the curriculum is culturefriendly with relevant content for students, there will not be much problem when designing the assessment tools for students. ?e will succeed if we use all our resources and manpower to do the best for our students who are at ris( and if we do
#.0 esson &lan Sub
1 0nglish anguage
Theme
1 ?orld of Self, "amily, "riends
Topic
1 4eople round Me 8
Class
1 Cerdi(
Date
1 :$ "ebruary $%:
Time
1 ::.%% a.m E :$.%% p.m.
0nrolment
1 % pupils
"ocused s(ill
1 ?riting S(ill
Integrated s(ill
1 Feading S(ill
4revious (nowledge
1 4upils already learnt to construct simple sentences
Content Standard
1 . )y the end of the >-year primary schooling, pupils will be able to write and present ideas through a variety of media using appropriate language, form and style.
earning Standard
1 ..: ble to create simple te*ts using a variety of media with guidance1 #a' non-linear
esson 5b
1 )y the end of this lesson, pupils will be able to1 :' Fead at least $ out of simple sentences correctly $' ?rite at least $ out of simple sentences about themselves correctly. ' ?rite at least out of G simple sentences about the friends that they have chosen correctly.
0ducational 0mphasis
1 Multiple Intelligences E Interpersonal, Moral @alue E respect for beliefs and cultures of various races
Teaching ids
1 "amily photo, traditional clothes, traditional foods, G papers, whiteboard, mar(er pen, mah
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%tage' Time
Content
%et Induction
ets no/ "y Family
Teaching' earning %trategies
:' Teacher brings his or her family photo to the classroom. $' Teacher shows the photo to the
*+ minutes, %ample of uestions :' ?hat can you see from this photoH 2, Can you see who the people I point out in this photo areH #, 7ow many people can you see in this
(emar)s
Teaching aids •
"amily photo
pupils and as(s them a few uestions about the photo ' Teacher points to his or her picture in the photo and as(s the pupils whether they (now who the teacher point out is. G' Teacher e*plains about the family photo to the pupils
photoH
&re-/riting
Criteria of culture that
*1+ minutes,
teacher eplains to the pupils :' )ac(ground $' "oods #, Traditional clothes
Eample of sentences :' I am a Malay people. $' Malay people li(e to eat 6asi lema( and teh tari( everyday. ' Malay people wear )a
G' )y using the photo that the teacher brings, teacher e*plains the culture of his or her family. A' Teacher e*plains the bac(ground of the culture of his or her family to
Teaching aids • •
Fealia Traditional clothes
the pupils. >' Teacher draws a mind map on the whiteboard about the criteria of the teacher+s culture. ' Teacher shows the pupils the traditional clothes of the teacher+s race and culture. J' Teacher shows the foods of the teacher+s culture and gives the pupils to taste it. &' Teacher tells the pupils that
"oral value Fespect to
Malaysia has many different races
each other
and cultures and teacher also
without
e*plains that the pupils need to
considering the
respect to each other without
different in
considering the different in religion
religion and
and culture.
culture
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:%' Teacher shows how to construct simple sentences based on the teacher+s culture. ::' Teacher read first the sentences. :$' Teacher as(s the pupils to read the sentences constructed by the teacher.
3hile-/riting
Epected sentences
*1+ minutes,
from the pupils :' I am a Chinese people $' I li(e to eat (uih bulan and char (ue tiaw. ' I wear cheong sam cloth.
:' Teacher distributes the wor(sheet which consists of mind map which
Teaching aids •
?or(sheet
needs to be completed by the pupils. $' The teacher as(s the pupils to fill in the wor(sheet by referring their own culture and bac(ground. ' Teacher as(s the pupils to fill in the mind map by following the way teacher has shown on the whiteboard. G' fter the interview session done, teacher as(s the pupils to say than( you to their friends. A' )y using the mind map, teacher as(s the pupils to construct simple sentences based on mind map that they have filled. >' The pupils may refer to the e*amples given by the teacher while constructing the sentences. ' Teacher chec(s the sentences by as(ing the pupils to read their own sentences.
&ost-/riting
Intervie/ activity
A' Teacher as(s the pupils to choose one of their classmates from
*20 minutes, 4uestions prepared 5y
different races. >' Teacher e*plains the activity that 11
Teaching aids •
G papers
the teacher :' ?hat race are you fromH $' ?hat are your traditional foodsH ' ?hat are your traditional clothesH G' ?hat do you do with your family during your festive dayH
they are going to do. ' Teacher as(s the pupils to interview their friends by using the uestions prepared by the teacher. J' Teacher distributes plain G papers to the pupils so that they can write the sentences on the
"oral 6alue ?e need to say than( you to the pupils that helped us.
papers given. &' 4upils start interviewing their friends and as( all the uestions prepared by the teacher. :%' )y using all the information gathered by the pupils by interviewing their friends, teacher as(s the pupils to construct simple sentences about heir friends. ::' Teacher as(s the pupils to read their sentences in order to chec( their wor(s. :$' Teacher gives comments to the pupils+ sentences and corrects them if there is any mista(e. :' Teacher praises the pupils for giving cooperation in the interview activity.
Closure
ets sing
:' Teacher paste a lyric the song on the whiteboard. $' Teacher sings the song first and
*+ minutes, I love you song I love you, Kou love me, ?e are happy family, ?ith the great big hug and a (iss from me to
ma(es actions based on the song. ' 4upils listen and see to the teacher+s performance. G' Teacher then as(s the pupils to sing the song together with teacher and with the actions.
you, 12
Teaching aids •
Mah
?on+t you say you love me too.
$.0 7ustification on the esson &lan )ased on the lesson plan that my friend and I have prepared, I have chosen Communicative anguage Teaching method as the method to be applied in the lesson plan. The goal of the communicative language teaching method is to develop what 7ymes #:&$' referred to as ;communicative competence;. The goal of this method is to enable students to communicate in the target language. This is in line with the activity provided in the lesson plan which the students need to interview their friends from different races about their bac(ground and culture during the lesson. ctually, this lesson is prepared to develop culture-friendly environment in the classroom but at the same time the activity helps the students to develop their communicative competence by having the interview session among the students. The activity in the lesson plan is in line with the aims of the Communicative anguage Teaching method which are to develop the communicative competence among the students and enable the students to communicate in the target language, 0nglish language. This method is really suitable with the activities provided in the lesson plan. It will help the students to develop their competency in using 0nglish language in their daily life. "urthermore, by using Communicative anguage Teaching method, it will ma(e the activities become more interesting where the students can interact and communicate with their friends to get new (nowledge and this will avoid them from feeling bored during the lesson.
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The strategy that I have used in the activities in the lesson plan is based on the studentcentered learning strategies. In the lesson plan, the students need to move around and meet their friends and they also have to communicate and cooperate together to get the information from their friends based on the tas( given. I have chosen the student-centered learning strategy because it helps the students to develop the s(ills that will help them through their life, such as the communicational and team wor( s(ills, since they are cooperating, negotiating and wor(ing all together in the class. )y having this (ind of activity, the students will mi* around with their friends with different races, cultures and ethnics. This can increase harmony among the students and this also indirectly can enhance the culture-friendly environment among the students in the classroom. In addition, through the activities in the lesson plan which used the student-centered learning strategy, the students can develop tolerance, understanding and respect of other+s opinions by listening carefully to each other. Since all the students are involved in the learning process, they become more confident and independent in their own learning. I believe that the student centered learning can be really an opportunity for those students who love to be fully involved in the learning and teaching processes in the class. This strategy is very suitable to be used in the classroom in order to create a culture-friendly environment in the classroom. In addition, the activities in the lesson plan are more towards developing communication s(ills among the students. "or e*ample, the students need to interview their friends to (now their friends+ bac(ground and their cultures. The students will get new (nowledge through the activities provided in the lesson plan and at the same time, all activities in the lesson plan help in creating culture-friendly environment in the classroom. The students get to (now their friends from different races and cultures. This will avoid the students from having negative perceptions towards their friends who are not in the same race with the students. The activities are very suitable for the primary students as the value of culture-friendly environment need to be foster in them since (ids yet. So, when they grow up they will respect other races and ethnics and this will maintain the harmony in the multiracial country, Malaysia. Indirectly, creating culture-friendly environment is being fostered in the students through the activities prepared in the lesson plan. 6e*t, the materials needed in this lesson plan are the traditional clothes and the traditional food. "or e*ample, if the teachers are Malays, teachers need to prepare )a
students and e*plain to the students especially the students who are from different races about the culture of Malay people. Then, from that stage, the students then have to introduce their races and cultures to the classroom in term of interview activity among the students. Teachers will act as the facilitator during the activity is being conducted. ll in all, I thin( the activities prepared in the lesson plan are suitable for the students especially in order to create culture-friendly environment in the classroom through the lesson prepared. This will ensure the culture-friendly environment can be established in the classroom and the students (now their responsibility in maintaining that environment in the classroom.
+.0 Conclusion )ased on the discussion about culture-friendly environment in the classroom, it is clearly seen that teachers play an important role in creating a united Malaysian. In order to achieve this goal, teachers need to understand and appreciate the cultural diversity among the ethnic and culture groups first before they can encourage and inculcate such feelings amongst the students in the classroom. 7ence, creating a conducive atmosphere whereby students from all culture and ethnic groups can wor( together in peace and harmony is the responsibility of the teachers since, as we can see there are many benefits associated with creating a harmonious, culture-friendly environment in the classroom. "irst, it encourages collaboration, teamwor( and cooperative social s(ills among the students irrespective of their race and ethnics. )esides that, it also creates the feeling and understanding of unity in diversity among students from the diverse ethnic and cultural groups. It also helps the students from different cultural bac(ground to be comfortable and respect with each other and in a way, this boosts their self-esteem. ll of this in turn will benefit society on a whole for it helps to develop united Malaysian citi!ens.
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(eferences Mar!ano, F. 2. et al.#$%%>'. A Handbook For Classroom Management That Works. @ictoria1 7aw(er )rownlow. Santroc( 2.?. #$%%>'. Educational Psychology: A Tool for Effective teaching !rd edition" .6ew Kor(1 Mc 9raw E 7ill 2ones, ). ". #:&&A'. Com#rehensive classroom management: Creating #ositive learning environments for all students$ Massachuset1 llyn 8 )acon. 6oriati, ,F., )oon,4.K., Sharifah "a(hriah 8 Zuraidah .M. #$%::'. %udaya dan Pembela&aran . Shah lam1 5*ford "a
#G', ugust, A$->>.
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Micheal 8 Mi(e, #$%%J', Motivation on the 'tudents . ssessed on $J "ebruary $%:. http1LLwww.behavioradvisor.comLMotivation.html
!ppendi
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