INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE AS A NECESSITY FOR THE EDUCATORS
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Studente FSE - creato da SG 18/02/2019
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You are absolutely right in your analysis regarding the educator’s need to see the students with the cultural glasses of the students. The need for these “cultural glasses”, of course, is not limited to the educator either. The student also has the need and responsibility to wear the “cultural glasses” of the context in which he or she is in, as much as possible. Speaking from personal experiences, dealing with a new culture is a very daunting experience. As a result, the lack of awareness of the nuances of the culture could even make simple conversations difficult, due to the fright that is felt inside by the student who is new to the culture.
Therefore, while not understanding the culture of the other people around him fully, I would propose that the newly arrived student to the culture can also wear “cultural glasses”, but one which is created from “human elements” first, rather than “particularly cultural elements.” That is, even if the student (or the educator, for that matter) do not understand the entire culture of the other person before him, he can see the other person as a human being first, before seeing him/her as a product of a certain culture. The common factors of humanity that makes one feel welcome and appreciated include smiles and common greetings. So, even the students who are new to a culture can see and address the other person to fulfill the other person’s need with a smile or a greeting, even when he is unaware of the cultural nuances….thus perhaps leading to a friendship for life and to the fuller development of those “cultural glasses” that he wears.
I quite agree with you because “humanity” is not definitively identified with any “particular culture”, and no singular culture can exhaust the totality of human values, otherwise there will be no need for this variety. In the variety of cultures, we can find a thousand ways of being human in the one human family. Therefore, rising to the multicultural challenges of the time especially in educational fields is inevitable for all. A culturally diverse classroom is a reality of the time. Intercultural competence, though difficult, can improve class participation and facilitate learning. Hence, if managed well, our cultural diversity will be seen as a gift and not as a problem.