Cultural Identity In Learning Communities

Cultural Identity in Learning Communities Cultural identity encompasses various elements in its ambit such as personal identity, ethnicity, and education, social or economic class. We all are born into our respective cultures and inherit some basic traits of that culture. When we talk about cultural identity, it refers to the cultural group that we represent on a personal and social front. We all have unique cultural ties that are evident in our social interaction within social communities. In fact, not only social community, but within learning communities it is important to address the issue of cultural identity as it is an essential aspect of it (Oliver, 2000). Cultural identity is often reflected in the manner we interact with the people …show more content…
For any educator, the most challenging situation is to deal with diverse students who carry their intrinsic values and cultural roots into the classroom. Teachers often have to embrace the situation and can either ignore the issue of cultural identity or discuss it freely to stimulate learning outcomes (Thomas, 2009). Discussing a child’s cultural identity can be an exhausting task and time consuming one, but then the benefits are huge. It works in two ways. First, it removes the communication gridlock among the students and faculty members and opens an interactive forum between them. Secondly, it acts as a catalyst in stimulating development of learning skill and outcomes which could not be possible otherwise. So, the interplay of cultural identity development and learning outcomes is important for faculty members understand and effectively implement in the classroom. A classroom is a place that cultivates the basic values and skills among the students and therefore it is important to be open for different challenges at this …show more content…
This makes the task of the educator even more difficult and tedious. Within a learning community there is interplay of multiple factors that inhibit the growth and development of the students. An educator has to address all of these factors for an effective understanding of the cultural backgrounds and gridlocks. The most common risks involved in the process are that students have their own baggage within the learning communities that might inhibit their personal growth and affect the learning outcomes (Grossberg, 1996). If students are trapped in the cultural web, it becomes difficult for them to be open for new ideas and thoughts, which is self-deprecating and dissatisfying to them. Therefore, to achieve a point where there is cultural competence, it is essential to have an understanding of the thought process and cultural dynamics of the