Understanding Culture and Multiculturalism

RULES FOR DISCUSSION

Treat others as you would like to be treated Classroom discussions are confidential Mutual respect for each other must be tolerated Attacks on another person are not permitted We can agree to disagree Everyone must speak from their own

experiences Try to refer to one another by name

Commonly used terms

Culture Ethnicity Race

CULTURE A totality of learned behaviors in the context of a social

system (Slonim, 1991) Includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom,

and any other capacities and habits acquired by individuals as members of society

The characteristics of that individual’s society or some subgroup within that society

We live it and may cause some distress when we are out of our culture.

Attributes include familial, linguistic, religious, spiritual, aesthetic, socioeconomic, educational, dietary, gender etc.

Culture-explicit and implicit

Explicit aspects of culture-language, dress, food habits, religion, aesthetic conventions-taught deliberately and learned (tip of iceberg)

Implicit aspects of culture-equally important; habits often invisible to us-timeliness, what is proper or improper

RACE

A socially determined category that is related to physical characteristics in a complex way (Banks & Banks).

Not a stable category; has changed over time Used often in US as if there is total agreement

about definition ( school forms, Birth/death certificates etc)

Has been defined socially, biologically and geographically

RACE-PHYSICAL

Physical and inborn characteristics Skin color, body build or facial features Unlike culture-race cannot be changed or

learned or acquired after birth Other terms used-Negroid, Caucasoid and

Mongoloid

RACE-GEOGRAPHICALLY

Determined by the region of the world and country

African, American Indian, Asian, Australian, European, Indian, Melanesian, and Polynesian

RACE-UNITED STATES

Should not be reviewed solely but important to note

Individuals are asked to state race on forms Society places emphasis on race and some

individuals may claim that their race affects the quality of their life experiences

( Some African American and Latino American men may feel some harassment due to their race)

RACE-Why is it difficult to discuss?

May be considered taboo to discuss

(especially in mixed settings) There may be denial on personal

prejudice, racism, failing to acknowledge its impact on the individual’s life

Not easily defined or understood

Ethnicity

An individual’s sense of identification and provides a sense of belonging to a reference group [derived from five major racial categories-African American, Native American, Asian American, Latino American, European American] (Slonim, 1991)

African-Caribbean , Jewish American, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Italian American, Muslim, Cherokee, Navajo

More on Ethnicity

Persons can be at different stages of the ethic awareness

Ethnic group is a cultural group with a sense of peoplehood, shared history, common ancestry, and common set of political and economic interests

MULTICULTURALISM

A WORLD VIEW THAT REJECTS THE GLOBAL CENTRALITY OF ANY SINGLE CULTURE OR HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

A PRINCIPLE, AN APPROACH, OR A SET OF RULES OF CONDUCT THAT GUIDES THE INTERACTIONS AND INFLUENCES THE PERCEPTIONS, BELIEFS, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIORS OF PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS

Multicultural Education-IT IS

An idea An education reform movement A process

Multicultural Education A multifaceted, organizational, change-oriented strategy

aimed at seven goals1. Educational equity2. Empowerment of students, parents, and teachers3. Development of society that values cultural pluralism4. Understanding and harmony in classroom, school and community5. Maintenance and expansion of freedom and democracy6.knowledge of cultural and ethnic groups7.develop all staff , parents and students with multicultural perspective

Cultural Pluralism

The notion that groups should be allowed and even encouraged to hold on to what gives them their unique identities while maintaining their membership in the larger social framework.

It does not advocate separatism but promote diversity - not a melting pot but a salad bowl concept-unity with uniqueness!

Multicultural Education-A little history

Grew out of the civil rights movement of the 1960s which was grounded in the democratic ideas of freedom, justice and equality

Extends the values and beliefs inherent in a democracy- the promotion of human rights and privileges, the sharing power and equal participation in all social contexts

Communication and Culture

Playing by the Rules

Educational Setting

Schools have a culture that has values, beliefs and norms that are related to school success

School Culture

Rigid schedules Analytical reasoning Individual achievement Competition Definition of disability according to laws Certain learning styles (visual and

auditory)

Possible home cultures

Flexible schedules Intuitive reasoning Achievement through cooperation Definition of disability by physical

characteristics, intuition, other family members with disability.

Different learning styles

Language and Communication

“language and culture are so inextricably intertwined that it is often difficult to consider one without the other” (Padron & Knight, 1990)

It includes: Pronunciation Vocabulary Phonology (rhythm, tempo pitch) When to speak and what is left unspoken Questioning Dialects, accents

Language and Communication

Students whose spoken and written language does not match the requirements of mainstream language experience academic difficulties due to differences in language capabilities.

May cause overrepresentation of students in Special Education due to language differences- especially students who speak English as a second language .

Nonverbal Communication

65% of all communication is related to nonverbal communication

Proxemics (interpersonal space) Kinesics (body language) Haptics (frequency of touching) Paralanguage (voice, tone, pitch and rhythm) Inexperience teachers often overreact to

nonverbal cultural manifestation by imposing rules and prohibitions

Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD)

Students

Addressing Learning Styles is affective way of instructing CLD

student

Example:Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Field dependent learners vs field independent learners

Field independent learners

Focus on parts instead of whole Focus on things Prefer learning by watching and listening Prefer learning individually Can learn without the need for hands-on

activities

Field dependent learners

Respond to things in terms of the whole instead of isolated parts

Prefer learning in groupsFocus on people rather than thingsPrefer learning by doingMore proficient in nonverbal communicationPrefer kinesthetic, active, hands-on instructional

activitiesDoes not focus on competition

“All students have an incredible capacity for developing the ability to use multiple learning styles in much the same way that multiple language competency can be accomplished” (Hillard, 1992)