How can teachers teach in a multicultural classroom?

In today's changing society, Australia is becoming more and more culturally pluralistic. This changes the dynamics of the classroom. No longer do all students only speak English - in fact some will speak English as their third, forth or fifth language. There is also a realm of different cultural practises in the class and some conflict with others. Dealing with this is not easy but it is worthwhile. Many teaching try to ignore that fact …

…different to life. This broadens the experiences of all students and allows culturally diverse students to feel comfortable with what they are learning. In addition to this, teachers must recognise that the way culturally diverse students interpret the texts may be different than from themselves. Ideas may often differ but rather than saying that they are automatically wrong, one needs to research into what they are saying and why this has impact on their identity.