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Cultural sensitivity means being aware that cultural similarities and differences between people exist, while not assigning them a value. When teaching English as a foreign language, it is especially important to be culturally sensitive in order to create a healthy classroom environment, keep the students interested and motivated, and to foster positive student-teacher relationships. It is also necessary to keep in mind how culture influences how people express themselves and the way that they use language. Even if the students are comfortable using English with their teacher, misunderstandings and misinterpretations still may occur. As a teacher, and as someone in a position of authority, you must be aware that the things you say and do set the tone for the classroom. If you assert stereotypes, seem uninterested in the culture of your students, or dismissive of the cultural norms, it may create an uncomfortable atmosphere in the classroom and your students may become less confident and feel unwilling to participate. For example; an American teacher is teaching an English class in Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country, and tries to get the class engaged in meal vocabulary by talking about breakfast foods. He lectures only about western foods and brings up bacon as a great addition to a breakfast, but when politely told by a student that pork is a meat that is forbidden in the Islamic religion, he expresses an opinion about how weird and unnecessary that rule is and how they should all eat bacon anyway. By being dismissive of a part of the students’ culture, even if it may seem like a trivial thing at the time, the teacher has now alienated the students from himself and the lesson material. Keeping an open mind and being willing to learn about the culture of your students are just some ways to be culturally sensitive, which can help make your teaching methods more effective and the curriculum more relevant and accessible to the people that you are trying to teach. If a teacher understands the controversy that might surround certain topics, takes the time to get to know each student individually, gives students a chance to express their culture through their work, and gives examples that can be put into context from experiences in the students' day to day lives, they can improve a student's enthusiasm for and understanding of the given material. For example; another American teacher is teaching in Indonesia. He is also discussing breakfast. To engage the class he asked them to bring in their favorite breakfast food to share. Before sharing a dish, the students had to speak about what else they eat for breakfast on a daily basis and why this dish is their favorite. By doing this, the teacher gets the students involved in the lesson material and allows them to apply what they learn to their everyday lives. Creating a culturally sensitive classroom allows the students to build meaningful connections between the coursework and their own lives, which opens the door for more comprehensive learning.
