The document discusses the advantages and disadvantages of learning in a multicultural environment. The key advantages are that students are exposed to different cultures through international celebrations, it fosters acceptance and tolerance, teaches multiple perspectives, encourages critical thinking, and helps build an international network. However, there are also challenges like language barriers, cultural differences in behaviors and expectations, difficulties communicating with families from other cultures, and needing proper training for teachers to be prepared. Overall, the conclusion is that the benefits of multicultural learning outweigh the challenges.

1. THE MULTICULTURAL
SCHOOL
By The Multicultural Group

2. INTRODUCTION

3. ADVANTAGES OF LEARNING IN A
MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT
• Exposes students to different cultures
One of the top reasons why a multicultural classroom is beneficial is because students are
encouraged to learn about the cultural backgrounds of other students in a class. Since CIS
has a multitude of different nationalities on campus, students from different cultures are
given opportunities to discuss and share their cultural experiences. Several international
festivals such as Japanese Children’s Day and Diwali are celebrated on campus. Students
interact with various communities and get first-hand knowledge about multiple
celebrations; for example, indulging in Japanese snacks on Japanese Children’s Day or
dressing up in traditional Indian attire on Diwali.
• Fosters acceptance and tolerance in a learning environment
A multicultural education at CIS provides educational opportunities to
learners from diverse ethnic cultural groups and social classes. It enables
students to acquire skills and develop a positive attitude to communicate,
interact, and foster acceptance and tolerance with individuals from varied
cultures to create a moral and civic community. A Multicultural Day is also
celebrated annually to engage students, teachers, and parents in a global
environment. The entire CIS community gets the opportunity to bond over
sports, food, and by donning traditional costumes and performing local
songs and dances.

4. • Teaches multiple perspectives
At CIS, multiple perspectives and references are taught in class. The multicultural
classroom provides an opportunity for students from different cultures to bring their
enormous range of experiences, knowledge, perspectives, and insights to the classroom.
Teachers are encouraged to incorporate learning experiences and content relevant to their
personal cultural perspectives and heritage. Teachers also participate in Professional
Development Days to stay up-to-date on new teaching techniques that cater to
multicultural students and their requirements. The Contextual Learning program also
emphasizes on teaching cultural awareness by providing opportunities for students to
partake in activities from around the world, such as yoga sessions and Indian art.
• Encourages critical thinking
Students are given the liberty to examine learning materials to identify potentially
prejudicial or biased materials. Both teachers and students evaluate their own cultural
assumptions and then discuss how learning materials, teaching practices, or schools
policies reflect cultural bias, and how they could be changed to eliminate bias. At CIS, the
WiseSkills Character Education program is integrated within the curriculum to impart
ethics, values, and civic sense to the students.
• Helps build an international network
The creation of international markets and the lowering of trade barriers worldwide has led
to many businesses that span the globe. In an international scenario like the one at CIS,
students bring a broad network of international contacts to the school. With students and
faculty from over 40 nationalities, students are encouraged to start networking from a
young age and build a network of contacts that can not only help them forge lifelong
friendships but can also help expand their career perspectives to a global level. Several
internships are also offered to students from universities all over the world to foster global
networking as well as to study and observe a truly international environment at Canadian

5. DISADVANTAGES OF LEARNING IN A
MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT
• Language Barrier
Teaching hinges on meaningful communication between instructors and students. This is
much harder to achieve when the students have imperfect mastery of the language in
which the class is being taught. In a multicultural classroom, many of the students may
understand only some of what the teacher says and may lack the vocabulary to ask detailed
questions. Some students may be too embarrassed to speak at all. Teachers may struggle
to figure out how thoroughly their students are understanding the material and may not be
able to persuade the students to seek additional help.
• Cultural Behaviours
The basic systems for presenting arguments vary across cultures. Americans are
taught from an early age to be direct and specific; in academic writing and
discussions, they are taught to state their premise, support it, refute the other
viewpoints and conclude strongly. People from other cultures may have been raised to
be nonconfrontational, submissive or otherwise indirect. Teachers may find that
students with these mindsets struggle to write persuasive essays in the American style
or to participate fully in class discussions, because doing so requires that they rewrite
cultural training.

6. • Family
Teachers of multicultural classes may be at a disadvantage when it comes to
communicating with their students' parents. Even if the child has a solid command of the
English language, his parents may not, making it very difficult for teachers to be certain
that they are well-informed about and participatory in his education. Teachers of
multicultural classes may also find that some parents have different expectations than
others regarding the importance of a classroom education, particularly for girls.
• Teacher Preparedness
Given that students from different cultures have different values, assumptions,
expectations and behavioral patterns, teachers in multicultural classrooms must be
prepared to handle the conflicts and miscommunications that can stem from this. Cultural
beliefs are deeply ingrained but unspoken, and people often are not aware of their own
cultural rules until those rules are violated. Teachers can easily break rules their students
cannot even articulate, or may unknowingly demand that the students break them
themselves, creating a deeply uncomfortable situation for the student.

7. CONCLUSION
After comparing the Advantages and Disadvantages taken by
Interviewing people of different community we have concluded that :
IT IS BENEFECIAL TO LEARN IN A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT.