As parents of multicultural children, it’s important that the school you choose will embrace and nurture their multicultural identity. Their educational experience should help them discover who they are, and guide them through their formative years as they find their place in the world; this is best accomplished through a multicultural environment and by embracing the benefits of multiculturalism at school.
The benefit of an international education for children who are multicultural is that it provides the environment necessary to discover their true selves.
Reasons Why International Education Is Essential for Multicultural Students
Having access to an international education in a multicultural environment is one of the many benefits of attending an international school. Host to students from all over the world, NIS understands the importance of providing a multicultural education that reflects not just the realities of our school community but of the world as a whole.
Below, we’ve outlined the dimensions of multicultural education as well as the benefits of a multicultural education.
1. An International Education Fosters an International Outlook
By being exposed to culturally diverse people who speak different languages, your children will learn from a young age what it’s like to coexist and thrive with people who have different cultural perspectives. Multiculturalism is an essential skill in our modern world as your children will most likely live and work in a multicultural environment in their futures.
At Nagoya International School (NIS), our curriculum is designed to incorporate this international outlook so your children are able to work and collaborate within our diverse student body and multicultural environment.
“Our learning spaces are designed in a way that brings out the best in what you want your kids to know, how you group things together, and how you collaborate. Our school gets your kids thinking, debating, and asking questions,” said Associate Principal for Secondary, Marika Farrell.
2. International Schools Open Doors
There are a multitude of benefits of an international education that your children can take advantage of, but only when they are embraced at a school like NIS.
Studies show that students who are either multicultural themselves, learn in a multicultural environment or are exposed to various cultures, ideas, and opinions not only perform better on projects, they also incorporate more innovation and creativity into their work than those who are not exposed to an international environment during the course of their education.
At NIS, we celebrate students’ mother tongue while also nurturing an appreciation of different languages and perspectives within a vibrant multicultural environment. Click here to find out how we incorporate code-switching in the classroom.
3. A Multicultural Education Instills Critical Thinking Skills
In an international education setting, there is less focus on rote memorization in order to pass a test and more of a focus on a comprehensive multicultural education to help your children understand how to learn.
With this shift in our approach, your children will be better prepared for the reality of our modern, interconnected , and multicultural world.
“Learning is very conceptual and it has a lot of student agency, it has a lot of real-world connections; we try to tie in service and interdisciplinary learning,” said Farrell.
4. Greater Opportunities for Nurturing Cultural Identity and Native Language
The benefits of a multicultural education extend far beyond what can be measured on your childrens’ report cards. Our students are encouraged to embrace their multicultural identity and maintain their heritage and native language. By exposing them to other students who are from various backgrounds and multilingual, your children will learn there is nothing wrong with embracing their many different identities.
Not only have studies shown the academic advantages of embracing one's multicultural identity, but doing so also leads to increased overall happiness. In an article published by Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology studying 338 schools, researchers found a positive relation between perceived school multiculturalism and the subjective happiness of students, with its overall findings indicating that “one way to facilitate psychological growth among youth is to encourage multiculturalism in school settings.”
“In an international school, the community becomes your family. It’s not just about learning, it’s about the whole package. We’re bringing kids into a whole new culture with language and the diversity of the people around them,” said Farrell.
Helping your children find, nurture, and embrace their multicultural identity is one of the greatest benefits of international education.
