Cultural Identity in Education Essay

Nowadays, the problem of heathenish indistinguishability should non be underestimated. In fact, in the modernistic globalized world there is a unshakable trend to losing national identicalness in the result of the amalgamation of assimilation, or, to assemble it more than precisely, in the result of the growing impact of western culture on other culture of the world. At the same time, individuals naturally send packingnot continue without individuation. This is why willingly or not they develop trustworthy ethnical individuality under the impact of a variety of internal and out-of-door factors that actually shape their character.In fact, individuals identity is inseparable from their personality. Consequently, piece transaction ar, to a substantial extent, predetermined by their heathenish identity that make dramatically their communication. As a result, it is always essential to take into precondition the peculiarities of ethnical identity of from each one i ndividual, oddly in education because modern education, being an extremely complicated process, is based on the idea that each individual is unique and his/her needs should be met in the process of education. heathenish identity in the modern world Before discussing cultural identity in the context of education, it is primarily necessary to briefly dwell upon the theory of cultural identity in the modern world. In fact, the modern imagination of cultural identity is based on two key elements, notably modern identity implies being alike other commonwealth at heart a group and common categorizing of outward phenomena, such as die hard or clothes people wear .However, in recent form such an attitude to identity is considered to be simplistic and specialists insist that it should be expanded. Obviously, such a definition of identity implies that cultural identity is essentially formed in the process of the development of individual, i. e. it is acquired in the result of genial congenator backships of an individual with other people. In stark contrast, to this position, there is an ultimately contrary visible horizon on cultural identity as the product of piece nature.To put it more precisely, A. J. Ayer insists that the general criteria of personal identity whitethorn be solely physical in nature that instrument that the idnividuals identity is based on his/her physical identity . Nowadays, such a view is widely criticized, and Baum for instance, underscores that in the postmodern world identity is becoming reconstruct and redefined and, what is more, the problem of identity is one of avoiding a fixed identity and memory our options open .Nevertheless, regardless the concept of flexible cultural identity it is necessary to underline that that it is still an integral part of the individuals personality. In actuality, we are neither only what we inherit nor only what we acquire unless, instead, stop from dynamic relationship between what we inheri t and what we acquire . In this respect, the tractability of cultural identity also implies individuals freedom which is actually based on what an individual inherits and what he/she acquires . Cultural identity in educational systemObviously, cultural identity is of a paramount sizeableness and its role in education is particularly significant because the individuals identity is constantly developing and, being submitted to changes, it can affect his/her personality dramatically. At the same time, as cultural identity is molded in the result of relationships between people, than the education process involves the interaction between people who open incompatible cultural identity, different fond and economic background, and whose views whitethorn vary significantly.At the same time, it is important to underline that the cultural identity of all agents of the education system, i. e. both educators and learners, is evenly important because they constantly reciprocally influence each other. Also, it is worthy of mention that cultural identity is touch by different factors, including inherit and acquired ones. This is why the cultural identity in the modern education system implies the necessity of the development of such a relationship that would provide the possibility to possibly fuller realize the secernate-so of each individual on the basis of his/her unique cultural identity.Unquestionably, cultural identity is partially inherited since it is kinda natural that an individual acquires certain stereotypes, norms and models of behavior from his/her parents and in the course of times such similarity of a child and parents are growing stronger as the child learns more from his/her parents and develops his/her cultural identity. In fact, in such a situation, a child inherits not just traditions and experience of his/her parents but also traditions and experience of the whole people, or culture, and naturally acquires the experience of this culture that h as been accumulating for decades and centuries.Furthermore, cultural identity is, to a significant extent, predetermined by social position of the individual and his/her social background. As a result, it is likely to estimate that cultural inheritances of an individual which he/she receives from his/her family, interact with social reality and position of the individual in the community. Consequently, it is in these cultural inheritances that much of our identity is constituted and is thus marked by the social tier to which we belong . Also, it should be said that the development of cultural identity oversteps in the process of education.It is important to realize that human beings are aware of the fact that they are affected by their cultural identity and the personal effects of their social environment that creates opportunities to overcome the strength of cultural inheritance that can occur in the process of education. As a result, it is possible to say that cultural identi ty can be changed and this change can occur in the process of education. Moreover, to a significant extent, cultural identity is shaped in the process of accomplishment that is a natural process for human beings who are simply programmed to learn.As a result, in the process of learning individuals create their own historical and cultural worlds, which are our products, and we become animals who are permanent inscribed in a process of learning and seek . The role of cultural identity in educational process Obviously, as the cultural identity is extremely important in the educational process, it is quite a natural that it is necessary to provide individuals with the opportunity to nonplus freedom in the development of their identity. What is more, their own cultural identity should not be by no means discriminated or simply ignored.In stark contrast, in the modern really democratic school, it is necessary to provide all school-age childs from different socio-cultural background with equal opportunities. However, in the current situation, it is quite difficult to do because the problem of equal opportunities is extremely serious and not often the cultural aspect is taken into consideration when educators attempt to solve this problem. To put it more precisely, it should be said that different students have different cultural identity.At the same time, there exist the dominant class in the hunting lodge which caprioles the primary role in the socio-economic life of society and tend to overleap in the cultural sphere. Naturally, such relations are extrapolated on schools as well. As a result, nowadays, there exist private schools where basically student from upper classes study and there are exoteric schools where students from reject classes persist . Naturally, in such a situation the teacher-student relationship may be affected dramatically.For instance, teachers fiting the middle class could touch inferior to the upper class students in private sch ools and, in contrast, feel superior in public schools in relation to cut down class students. Obviously, such attitudes are exclusively unacceptable for progressive educators. This is why it is extremely important to develop formula relationship with students with different cultural identity and treat them objectively avoiding despiteful attitude to upper class students or scornful attitude to lower class students.In fact, it is necessary to take into consideration the cultural identity of students and stimulate the development of the conscious and objective position of students in relation to their self- think of and, thus, change their cultural identity making it more objective. Practically, it means that working with lower class students it is necessary to stimulate their self esteem and make them feel respectful to their own cultural identity. It is not a secret that often the overwhelming majority of students in public schools represent lower class families.Consequently, a s the experience shows, their self esteem is quite low and they do not really believe that they can play any important role in the society. In fact, often they feel as if they are outcasts and, as some students believe, if they disappeared, no one would have even noticed their disappearance. In this respect, it is particularly dangerous when teachers ignore their social background and cultural identity since often such students have precise peculiar semantics, accents and syntax which do not correspond to the norms of standard lyric used in the modern education.As a result, the students from lower classes guess of being academically less successful than students from the middle and upper classes and, as a rule, they actually are. On searching possible solutions of such a situation, it is possible to recommend referring to the cultural identity of students that will help fracture understand their personality and reveal their real skills and abilities. To put it more precisely, th ey should have a chance to realize their skills and abilities regardless the linguistic specificity.It means that they may use different terms and language to explain different phenomena but they may be correct. Furthermore, in order to improve the position of lower class students with cultural identity which may be characterized as that of outcasts, it is possible to recommend the improvement of the current education policy which actually leads to separatism of public schools for in some scools the percentage of non-white students is reaching 100%, bandage white students from upper classes often turn to be in a privileged position studying at private schools, for instance.Conclusion Thus, victorious into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that nowadays the cultural identity is extremely important and affects the educational process dramatically. It is necessary to underline that in the current situation cultural identity cannot remain fixed, especially in the sphere of education but, instead, should be constantly modified in order to make students conscious of their own cultural identity and that it is not always an objective concept.Moreover, one of the major tasks of progressive educators is to treat students equally and objectively, taking into consideration their cultural identity. What is more, teachers possess certain authority in education process, consequently, they should use it properly in order to avoid despiteful or scornful attitude to students. At the same time, in relation to lower class students, teachers could change the cultural identity of such students for violate and improve their self-esteem.