In today's fast-paced society and a world that integrates many different ethnic groups, it is important to understand how others think, feel and act. As a teacher, the importance of this is even greater, students are the future and must be equipped with the ability to interact and communicate effectively with people of different ethnic backgrounds. One of the ways educators can prepare themselves and their students is to understand where they are in intercultural awareness and how they can progress to those levels. The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) is one of the ways one can categorize oneself into different levels of intercultural competence. Milton Bennet created the DMIS in 1993 and this model can increase teachers' awareness of how people develop intercultural competences. Cushner, McClelland, and Safford (2009) suggest that the DMIS “provides a framework for understanding individual development and awareness along a continuum…” (Cushner, et al., 2009). The DMIS is divided into 6 different phases. The first three are ethnocentric and include denial, defense and minimization. The last three groups are classified as ethnorelative; these are acceptance, adaptability and integration. Denial, defensiveness, and minimization all focus on ignorance of other cultures. Denial tends to support stereotypes or beliefs that everyone is the same. In the defense phase we feel superior to other cultures and peoples. The minimization phase is when you begin to see more similarities than differences in others. Ethnorelative groups are the ideal place for teachers and students to move towards. Acceptance phase one acc... halfway through the document......you will be able to help your student develop better communication skills and greater multicultural competence. This also allows a teacher to understand his or her students, their home life, and how they perceive the world. The more teachers understand multicultural education, the better they will be able to adapt to students' needs and the more readily they will be able to improve said students' learning. Works Cited Cushner, K., McClelland, A., & Safford, P. L. (2009). Human diversity in education: An integrative approach (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.Munoz, C., DoBroka, C., & Mohammad, S.. (2009). Development of a multidisciplinary course in cultural competence for nursing and human services professions. Journal of Nursing Education, 48(9), 495-503. Retrieved July 6, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1857389841).