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communication can take place where cultural significance is shared and explained so that different view points and perspectives are recognised and understood.

Teachers must be able to make adjustments to their layout and lesson plan and to use teaching aids to help overcome language and other communication barriers. In addition to this it is important to the teacher to have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter to enable discussion using different view points and cultural references, i.e. when teaching about land ownership in Africa a teacher should be able to guide the learners authoritatively through the Western and African beliefs and ideals pertaining to the subject to ensure complete understanding and rounded knowledge.

A teacher must take into account the different learning styles and abilities of the learners and understand the cultural values that are behind the learning styles. All learners have an individual style of learning and this is dependent on many intrinsic and external factors by which they are influenced. Culture plays a large role in determining these factors. It is the responsibility of the teacher, therefore, to understand the cultural diversity on the learners and to implement certain teaching methods to overcome the challenges they pose.

The teacher must also have the ability and knowledge to identify suitable sources and resources that are culturally acceptable within each learning environment. Teachers should be able to apply knowledge of important aspects of the learner's local community and culture to the lesson, as students learn best through application of prior knowledge.

Teachers must also have the ability to create a comfortable social context in the classroom in which the learners of all backgrounds feel confident, capable and able to learn. In this aspect cooperative learning is an invaluable tool to use as learners of all types of backgrounds and ability can be grouped together. This means that the teacher must have the ability to guide culturally, economically and socially diverse learners through cooperative interaction, to combine their diverse skills and background knowledge to gain the most rounded education possible.

Implementing Cooperative Learning and Peer Tutoring in a
Multicultural Teaching Situation

In order to successfully implement cooperative learning and peer tutoring in a multicultural situation, it is important to choose topics that support a diverse learner population. This means that all the topics must

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