by Corinna Craddock

Created on: November 20, 2009   Last Updated: November 21, 2009

Establishing a Standard of Tolerance: The Multi Cultural Fair

In order for students to become familiar with other cultures, any school may organize a cultural fair that will spark research interest in different cultures and countries. Students who are asked to prepare presentations will be able to demonstrate the information that they have received. Of special importance is the opportunity that a cultural fair provides for bringing family members to the school and increasing parent's school involvement during a fun and festive event that requires no extreme measures of planning in order to make happen. Carrie H. Smith created a lesson plan for educators to communicate the details of a successful multicultural event in the form of a fun fair:

The breaking down of the barriers of prejudice is of great importance and a goal that we as educators must try to promote. One of the best ways that have been found to achieve this outcome is to educate students about the positive aspects of the different cultures. This Multicultural Fair is designed to both create an interest in, as well as educate the students involved in the different cultures, and how they can benefit through the knowledge gained through (Multicultural) study (Smith, 1996).

In today's academic world the potential for school place violence exists. Racial tension arising from close proximity of students with culturally diverse backgrounds adds to the number of factors having the potential to be linked to such tragedy. Cultural interest that is gained through joyous interaction, such as when attending a school fair, will likely reduce fear that comes from unfamiliarity across personal boundaries of experience and perception. Multicultural Fairs offer an important remedy to the question of how to reduce classroom anxiety, student stress, and school tension.

Beyond the issue of student diversity is the ongoing need to prevent disruption and undesirable behavior through measures that work to minimize the likelihood of an unwanted behavioral occurrence before it occurs. By taking action in advance to avoid disruptive outbursts, unruly behaviors, or student defiance, a teacher can take a proactive role in preventing learning from being interrupted.

Color-Coded Behavior Monitoring

For instructors whose teaching style qualifies them as best able to prevent behavior problems before they become major disruptions and to minimize any behavior that diverts students from learning, using colored markers to track student

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