Transcultural Dynamics in the Classroom

Abstract

In every classroom where interactivity is part of the learning process, teachers become facilitators. Facilitating in the multicultural classroom presents special challenges for teachers in overcoming psychosocial problems that may be present when people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds interact. Students represent different cohorts: citizens, permanent residents, and international student sojourners, the latter required to return home on completion of their studies. Meeting students’ long-term needs also requires a curriculum with international relevance and the skills required for globalisation. At the heart of facilitating multicultural education, there remain the importance or otherwise placed on classroom dynamics and whether teaching staff are equipped to manage these to enhance individual well-being, learner satisfaction, and learner effectiveness. This article addresses some of the cultural and psychosocial dynamics found in transcultural interactions in the classroom that may make or break the learning environment, particularly in the tutorial where discussion forms the means of instruction.