Interactive Workshop: Embracing Multicultural Classrooms

Workshop Details:

Fraser International College, SFU’s international college, hosts international students from dozens of countries around the world, and, according to the 2021 SFU Fall International Student Report*, international students represent 20.7 per cent of the total undergraduate population and 34 per cent of the total graduate population at SFU. This results in culturally diverse classrooms with students coming from different cultural and academic backgrounds. In this session, we will focus on some of the common concerns and challenges associated with multicultural classrooms and discuss how to address them. We will examine some case studies (e.g., on group work, participation, language challenges, power distance and respect) in order to further explore the kinds of issues you may encounter as an instructor and will identify possible solutions. The session will include discussions in small groups followed by sharing ideas by participants and presenters. By the end of this session, participants will be able to recognize some of the underlying reasons for students’ practices and become more familiar with strategies that embrace diverse cultural backgrounds in the classroom.

*Source: https://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/irp/students/documents/visa.rpt.1217.pdf