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Global Diversity

Teaching is getting complicated enough. What with having to follow the curriculum and yet give children the creative and emotional advantage that every parent is clamouring for. Throw into the mix the necessity for children to be sensitive to global multiculturalism. Phew! What is a teacher or a parent to do?!

When Aristotle first theorized the philosophy of tabula rasa, and later century philosophers took it up, no one really thought on it seriously. The notion of the mind as a blank slate largely passed unnoticed for a good six centuries till in the 17^th century John Locke expressed the idea in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. According to Locke, tabula rasa was the theory that the (human) mind is at birth a "blank slate" without rules for processing data, and that data is added and rules for processing are formed solely by one's sensory experiences. But how does that help us?

This nature vs. nurture debate helps us understand a child’s learning patterns. Almost all teachers and parents will vouch for the fact that children learn by seeing, hearing and doing. Since teachers and parents are in a position to aid this kind of learning, it’s important to set the stage for meaningful experiences that stimulate young minds to grow.  

Multicultural Learning Materials

1. It’s in your backyard: Believe it or not, most learning material is easily accessible and within reach. The trick is to know where to look. For example: Go to your local supermarket and check out the ‘exotic food’ aisle. Or stroll along a farmer’s market and identify foods that are not a part of your native culture, though it is now an essential ingredient of local cuisine.  Use the opportunity to discuss with your children about local foods and foods that belong to other cultures. Help them understand that a lot of factors go into determining the food that we eat – climate, weather patterns, terrain, tastes, availability of resources etc.
    
2. It’s all in the design: Most of us may not realize that the types of materials we use to build a house are heavily dictated by what’s available and the ethos of a community. For example: communities that prefer minimalism may highlight it through landscaping, bare spaces and using materials locally available. On the other hand, in nations where space is closely linked with socioeconomic status, ostentation may be everything.
    
3. Fashion speaks: In Asia, cotton is preferred over every other material during long summer months. In certain Western countries, fabric is often synthesized and strict dress codes are followed. Discuss this with your child. What makes us prefer certain clothes and styles over others? Why do Indian women wear a saree, while women in other parts of the world were shorts and t-shirts? Contrast this with the practice in certain tribes where clothes are not a necessity at all.  
    
4. A time to play: Cultures have invented their own ways to play and have fun. However, there are certain games that are played all over the world but are known by various names. Such games can prove to be a great learning and teaching ground. For example: Hopscotch is a popular playground game in western countries. However, there are many forms of hopscotch played all across the globe. A child from India will know it as Kith-Kitch; in Spain it’s Rayuela, In Poland, it’s known as Klasky and in Italy it’s called Campana. In Malayasia you will encounter it as Tengteng, in Romania it’s Sotron, and in Iran Laylay.

Other resources:

The ideas listed above are meant to help you begin the process of a global multicultural learning. As you and your child become more excited about the journey, here are some more ways to make the learning meaningful.

1.       Take them to the world playground: Teach them simple words from other languages, for example, Hello, Thank you etc. Then when you take them to the local playground, encourage them to practice it with their friends. To help make this easier, try the World Playground Activity Kit. The kit features a full-length CD, sing-a-long lyrics and translations, more than 50 hands-on activities, reproducible pages, "cut, color and paste" artwork and a Children's Passport Journal. The World Playground Activity Kit is designed to take children to Senegal, Bolivia, Chile, Jamaica, Australia, Canada, Greece, France, Congo, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Israel, Ethiopia and the USA.

2.       The need for water: In many countries, we don’t think twice about the amount of water we use or waste. It flows merrily when you open the tap and there is no need to think it would do so otherwise. However, in many countries water scarcity is a way of life and sometimes people spend hours just walking to the nearest well. Use stories from mythology and folklore to focus on the need to protect, conserve and value water. In Water Stories from Around the World well-known writers draw upon the oral traditions of Ivory Coast, China, India, Greece, Australia, North America, Spain, Nigeria, Botswana and places beyond names to reflect upon an intrinsic connection, while the pictures are inspired by the rich, visual representations of water across cultures. 

3.       Hone their memory: To improve cognitive retention, try our Children of the World Memory Game. Inspired by the title "If you’re happy and you know it", this memory game utilizes one of the greatest attributes of the book, the adorable children from all over the world-to encourage memory and matching skills. The game improves recognition according to the traditional dress, country, name and colour featured on each card. Combine this with our Geo Bingo, which has 50 country cards, representing the world’s most populous nations, show each country’s capital, land area, population, and geographic location. Multiculturalism meets geography!

4.       A visual journey: Use of visual aids greatly enhances the learning process. Our Interactive World Map is a one of its kind product that features 1000 facts and quiz questions about the countries of the world including capital cities, language spoken, settings and monuments, landmarks, flags, neighbouring countries, emblems etc. Team this up with Children from Australia to Zimbabwe book that takes children on a photographic journey through the alphabet and around the world.

These resources are guaranteed to give your child a multi-dimensional and multi-cultural learning. Enjoy and see you around ther world!

Article written on behalf of Global Kids Oz and Simply Multicultural by Annie Besant