Multiculturalism in the education sector has come with various challenges and benefits in equal measure. Schools usually bring together different cultures together, and that brings about the issue of the “hidden curriculum”. The hidden curriculum is often caught rather than being taught because cultural assimilation does not require teaching in an environment where several cultures are gathered. Teaching cross-culturally was settled on as the perfect topic because it is contemporary and is posing challenges. Teaching cross-culturally is daunting as it requires a Christian tutor to teach in a cultural setting different from their beliefs. The paper focuses on cross-cultural education, constructivism, orality, teacher's conduct, and the biblical worldview. The paper further explores the Implications for teaching cross-culturally from Biblical worldview and examines elements to consider for the improvement of cross-cultural engagement. Teaching cross-culturally enhances teacher spirituality and the spread of biblical worldview.
Cross-Cultural Teaching, Constructivism, and Orality
Constructivism is one of the vital elements of teaching cross-culturally. Due to differences in cultural backgrounds of learners and teachers, constructivism is touted as the best way to approach teaching cross-culturally. New information is usually sieved through the pre-existing mental block of the listener[footnoteRef:1]. The actual learning process occurs when listeners, who in this case are the learners, engage actively in the learning process as opposed to waiting for the reception of information passively. Constructivists root for individual construction of personal knowledge and understanding of the world using real-life experiences and through recalling the experiences. Constructivism is crucial in breaking down barriers brought by cultural differences. Cultural differences in educational setup build different expectations of the learning process; for example, learners from western countries culturally expect the teacher to be a guiding figure, but they can be challenged. African learners expect tutors to be their foster parents, whereas those of Asian origin view teachers as figures of authority never to be challenged. Constructivists argue that learner engagement in the learning process does not water down the position and authority of the teacher in the learning process. [1: Thornton, Phil. “Constructivism, cross-cultural teaching, and orality.” Orality Journal 3, no. 1 (2014): 31]
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The traditional learning process requires teachers to be on the driving seat, which may be fatal in cross-cultural teaching because of differences in the cultural backgrounds of both the learners and the teachers. The constructivist approach of the learning/teaching process can be of more significant benefit as it does away with some of the forced hindrances. It will also permit non-western primarily oral students in rediscovering culturally suitable paths for packaging and delivery of the gospel message. To a certain extent, the constructivist learning or teaching process is parallel to appreciative inquiry. In that capacity, the method seeks the identification and use of what individuals performed excellently as opposed to what they are perceived to do wrongly. The traditional learning or teaching strategy in western academics, together with that of pastoral training emphasizes materialism (curriculum). It starts with individual pieces and builds to fullness. The approach reiterates on the necessary skills and advocates for the strict following of the fixed curriculum.
How Teachers Should Act
Tutors using cross-cultural teaching face differences in the expectations that learners have on how tutors are expected to conduct themselves in a classroom setup. The first factor an individual should explore to comprehend is the extent to which the social order values conformity about a group or collective expectations of a community or a family. The second significant factor to take into account is the degree to which cultural values role separation and attachment of value to the roles[footnoteRef:2]. For instance, a Confucian tutor has a highly rated and special role placed among the prestigious positions in society. To that extent, the tutor commands authority and learners cannot question their proclamations. The tutor is totally and highly respected, commanding respect to the extent that when they enter into class, their students stand up. Students also in deference bow and listen carefully noting down word by word what is being dictated by the teacher. On the other hand, a western tutor’s role differs broadly. Even though they command respect and have the authority, they encourage being questioned and challenged by the learners. The differences in these cultures lie in the degree of status and separation. There is a big difference in expectations between students seeing a teacher as a symbol of authority and those viewing the teacher as a facilitator. Learners perceive tutors to be symbols of authority disregard independent thinking they expect their teachers to instruct them on what to do every time. This group of learners hope their teachers to tell them areas to be examined for them to memorize to pass tests. When handling such a group of students, teachers find it hard to encourage them to ask questions because they see that as a waste of time. When teaching cross-culturally, teachers are supposed to understand all these groups of students and handle them accordingly. Teachers are encouraged to live up to the expectations of each group of students they are handling. [2: Choudhury, Rahim Uddin. “The role of culture in teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.” International Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Research 1, no. 4 (2014): 3]
The Biblical Worldview
The amalgamation of the learning and teaching process with Christian faith is considered a distinctive core aspect of Christian education. In the process of cross-cultural teaching, a combination of faith and the teaching/learning process is mandatory. In the realms of teaching cross-culturally, a biblical worldview is a unifying factor that combines learning and faith[footnoteRef:3]. Teachers often depend on the Holy Spirit for guidance in the process of imparting knowledge to students. Frequent calls for the combination of the two demonstrates that the learning and teaching process and the Christian faith are of different classes of practice and knowledge. Despite the differences, the two ought to unify, and the two realms should be combined since it is what teachers rely on in the process of learning and teaching in cross-cultural environments. The concept of the worldview is a picture of the world painted on every person’s mind dictated by the social and cultural background of a person. Since cross-cultural teaching and learning process involves various cultures, it is prudent to heavily involve biblical worldview in the process because it is the most appropriate unifying factor across the world. Despite the cultural differences and the variations of worldviews, the Bible is universal. The universality of the Bible enables it to be understood by everyone in the learning or teaching process irrespective of their cultural backgrounds. Theological know-how offers the focal point of integrating the bible physiology and anatomy courses that proves a biblical worldview will provide the basis for tackling the issues in the cross-cultural teaching or learning process[footnoteRef:4]. Theological know-how denotes the significance of a biblical worldview in education, especially the cross-cultural teaching or learning process. [3: Heiser, Michael S. The unseen realm: Recovering the supernatural worldview of the Bible. Lexham Press, 2015.] [4: Sled, Elizabeth. “Biblical integration in anatomy and physiology: A design approach.” Answers Research Journal 11 (2018): 141]
Implications for Teaching Cross-Culturally from the Biblical Worldview
Teaching cross-culturally enhances teacher spirituality. Teachers involved in cross-cultural education are most likely to strengthen their spiritual understanding because they interact with different cultures which provide new religious worldviews[footnoteRef:5]. Additionally having to deal with challenges reinforces one’s biblical worldview. The teachers rely on spiritual guidance in their work when in cross-cultural environments. These two combined can have implications on the teachers’ faith. The teacher’s faith and biblical worldview will likely strengthen their spirituality. Teaching in a cross-cultural setting provides an environment where there is a likelihood to spread the ideology of a biblical worldview. Teaching cross-culturally offers Christian teachers a platform in which they may impart knowledge to others on the philosophy of biblical worldview. Teachers in a cross-cultural setting encounter different students from different backgrounds with different worldviews. That opens room for them to spread the biblical worldview to these students. [5: Miedema, Siebren. “From religious education to worldview education and beyond: The strength of a transformative pedagogical paradigm.” Journal for the Study of Religion 27, no. 1 (2014): 84.]
Elements to Consider to Improve Cross-Cultural Engagement
The first consideration is the development of cross-cultural understanding. Developing cross-cultural know-how allows teachers to adapt to the different cultures and establish fundamental changes to the way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. The cross-cultural expertise can be referred to as an on-job informal training, which is efficient in the long run. The teacher is mainly dependent on the experiences, knowledge, and personality of a person to succeed in the informal approach and thrive in other people’s cultures. It is not only informal training that does the job in cross-cultural teaching, but formal training does the trick as well. Furthermore, formal training can instill the necessary changes needed for individuals to interact cross-culturally. Another consideration is combining both cultural training and language in the intense instruction program. Language study is crucial in cross-cultural understanding as it is pinned on other people’s languages, which are at the core of values and cultural logic.
Conclusion
The paper has researched cross-cultural teaching, constructivism, and orality, how teachers should act, and the biblical worldview. The paper has further explored the implications for teaching cross-culturally from the biblical worldview and has examined the elements to consider for the improvement of cross-cultural engagement. Constructivism is one of the critical aspects of teaching cross-culturally. It has been established that teachers in a cross-cultural setting face difference in the expectations of the learners. Students’ expectations on tutor’s conduct in a classroom setup differ. The amalgamation of the learning and teaching process with Christian faith is considered as a distinctive core aspect in Christian education. Teaching cross-culturally enhances teacher spirituality and the spread of biblical worldview. The first consideration is the development of cross-cultural understanding. Another consideration is combining both cultural training and language in the intense instruction program.
Bibliography
- Choudhury, Rahim Uddin. 'The role of culture in teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.' International Journal of Multi Disciplinary Research 1, no. 4 (2014): 1-20.
- Heiser, Michael S. The unseen realm: Recovering the supernatural worldview of the Bible. Lexham Press, 2015.
- Miedema, Siebren. 'From religious education to worldview education and beyond: The strength of a transformative pedagogical paradigm.' Journal for the Study of Religion 27, no. 1 (2014): 82-103.
- Sled, Elizabeth. 'Biblical integration in anatomy and physiology: A design approach.' Answers Research Journal 11 (2018): 141-148.
- Thornton, Phil. 'Constructivism, cross-cultural teaching, and orality.' Orality Journal 3, no. 1 (2014): 31-9.
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