What Are Language Barriers In A Multicultural Classroom

When one thinks of the multicultural classroom the person may think of language barriers. Will the students understand English? Will the teacher understand the language of the student? These questions often lead into thinking about second language acquisition and English Learners. This is important to the multicultural classroom because the teacher should not only be patient with English Learners, who are acquiring English as their second language, but also should be culturally aware of the students they are teaching. If a student speaks Spanish only it does not mean they are specifically Mexican. The student could be Spanish, Colombian, or Cuban. Each culture speaks the same language, but each has their own specific culture. The teacher should …show more content…
When looking at it from a legal context, the teacher cannot ask if the student is here legally. The teacher must also treat the student as if they are here legally, whether they believe it or not. As for the ethical implication, one teacher stepping out of their comfort zone to help students feel welcome can start a movement of other teachers doing things to make their students feel welcome in their classroom. And as a result, the students may become more excited about attending school because their teacher is attempting to know about them. When talking about the practical implication, the students who are learning English as a second language and are part of a minority culture may increase their high school graduation rate from the teachers attempting to make them feel welcome in the classroom. This all ties back into the multicultural classroom in the sense that each student should feel welcome in classroom despite acquiring English as a second language or being a minority. The teacher should also remember to teach in a way that is culturally responsive while remembering that not each student is fluent in English like many of the students will