Cross cultural communication in organizational contexts

Classroom context is one that is typical for Australian P-3 schools. The seating is arranged to ensure that students can communicate with one another in group activities, yet also separated enough so they can concentrate on lessons. The work patterns and social groups of the classroom are conducive to team problem solving and learning the valuable lessons of collaboration. In addition the psychological setting of the classroom concentrates on being an inviting, low-stress environment that nurtures learning and feelings of belonging and safety for the students. There are also many visual cues, symbols and reminders of key topics and concepts covered in class during the school year. Most significantly there are many projects, posters and other items that connote the students' ownership of the room as well. There are also visual cues to motivate students to good behavior and timeliness of tasks, including charts and graphs showing relative student progress on specific projects.

Justification for Design of Lesson Plans

In justifying the lesson plans for the special needs student Neal, a Maori 6-year-old boy who is the subject of the lesson plans attached, the empirical studies that illustrate success in using cultural context (Bryant, Metz, Sheehan, Vigier, 2006) are cited. Scaffolding teaching strategies (Wallace, 1994) originally defined for distance education has implications for elementary school level children with unique special education needs. A learning program based on scaffolding that incorporates the concepts of cultural assimilation is critical for this Maori boy to equate common concepts (Vance, Fitzpatrick, 2007). Researchers have shown that to the extent that cultural presentations by students' parents assist in the cultural assimilation process as well (Zhu, 2007). Breaking down cultural barriers for children from other cultures also alleviates ethnocentrism in the children accustomed to the culture where the school is located. In one study of Latino children (Dawson, Williams, 2008) the extent of their ability to internalize the learning objectives was directly associated with the extent of cultural flexibility present in the classroom context. The need to be inclusive and nurturing of students from other cultures begins with recognition of how the assimilation process needs to vary by student's ethnic background (Brach, Fraser, Paez, 2005) followed by specific scaffolding and learning lesson plans to ensure each student has an opportunity to accomplish the learning objectives necessary for continual advancement and growth.

Cultural Considerations

For Maori children their assimilation into the Australian school system must be supported by scaffolding strategies that provide the critical links to their cultural frame of reference. This is well-documented in the existing literature specifically on creating scaffolding strategies for children who are learning a second language (Brach, Fraser, Paez, 2005). The use of scaffolding must also encompass the cultural norms, values and beliefs of the student, including their parents as critical members of the process as well. Participation from parents is crucial to ensure the students have a sense of security and trust in the foreign and often intimidating concepts being presented by teachers in a new, unfamiliar environment (Zhu, 2007). There is also the need to create a series of learning opportunities that concentrate on using both verbal and visual skills to strengthen the overall learning experience (Vance, Fitzpatrick, 2007). The use of class projects including the development of posters, alphabet books and the development of stories all are excellent for creating the necessary framework for students to learn in while also giving them a sense of ownership for their learning outcomes. Ultimately it is in the use of these specific learning projects, serving as frameworks upon which scaffolding can be applied (Wallace, 1994) which gives students an opportunity to learn while keeping the lessons learned in the context of their own cultures (Bryant, Metz, Sheehan, Vigier, 2006).

What is the most challenging aspect of these scaffolding and learning strategies for students including Neal is the need for overcoming resistance to change. The fear of the uncertain and the need for finding a greater level of ownership in the learning process must transcend just the child and also include the parent is the scaffolding strategies are to be effective (Dawson, Williams, 2008). Studies conclusively show that there is a definite need to ensure a high level of parent involvement in the assimilation process, and that it must become a family-based objective over one that is merely enforced by the Australian school system. Ensuring that there is a high level of parental involvement ensures scaffolding strategies will succeed. The second lesson plan defined includes having a multi-cultural day in class so that students from different nationalities can have their parents in to speak about the specific nature of their own cultures, how their cultures are comparable to the Australian culture, and what is unique and interesting about their culture. This is a strategy for teaching ESL students that is endorsed as a means for increasing assimilation while at the same time increasing learning by having the parents make allegorical references between each culture (Vance, Fitzpatrick, 2007). In the case of Neal, his father, studying veterinary science, could discuss how he chose this as a profession and how daily like in their Maori village is heavily dependent on livestock for their livelihood for example. This would be an excellent learning experience for the other students who may have been raised in urban or suburban areas. To them, animals are more like pets than vital members of the local economy. This could also assist in easing the ethnocentrism both Neal may feel and sense and his classmates as well. The development of teaching strategies specifically aimed at breaking down these barriers with the parents' assistance also gives the parents themselves ownership in seeing their students improve and become more conversant in English. Being able to assist student and their parents internalize learning objectives is crucial if scaffolding (Wallace, 1994) strategies are to be effective in breaking down barriers to learning (Dawson, Williams, 2008). The classroom context must also change after the visits from parents of other cultures, as having continual reminders of the diversity represented in the classroom is crucial for Neal and his fellow students learning English to be successful in accomplishing their learning objectives. For the entire series of strategies to work, scaffolding must be continually relied on to give Neal and students like him and opportunity to see progression in their English language skills and gain a sense of mastery over them.