ARE YOU CULTURALLY COMPETENT???

I know you think you are.

So.what does it mean??

CULTURAL COMPETENCE
A set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively cross-culturally.

CULTURE: A set of VALUES, NORMS, INSTITUTIONS, AND ARTIFACTS

Objectives

I. Cultural Sensitivity
II. Communication III. Classroom Implications

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IN SCHOOL.

How does my own cultural background effect how I interact with my students and their families?

Whats my OPINIONbased on my values,experiences, and beliefs??????

AMERICAN CULTURAL AWARENESS QUIZ

How did you do??????

90-100= 75-89= 60-74= 45-59= 30-44= 15-29= 0-14= You truly are a cultural expert. Your knowledge of culture is superior. You have a better than average understanding of culture You have a good understanding of culture You are probably guessing You are a poor guesser. You are a terrible guesser.

We dont all eat off the same plate, but we all bring something to the table..
RAW SQUID TUBES & TENTACLES

Rats are surprisingly common food in some parts of the world. In North Korea they are eaten because there is often little else to eat in the villages

Bat Paste Soup-Asian origin

Fried Cow-brain sandwiches-American origin

Cockscomb French origin, fleshy part of a roosters Head

Larvets
Mexican origin, flavored crunchy worms

Cooked Sheeps Head

Greek origin, served over rice.

And the BEST for last

Americas Finest

It is helpful to remember that some aspects of culture are easily observable..and some are not:
Easily Observable Food Dress Language Customs for greetings Not Easily Observable Spiritual beliefs Values Authority Gender roles

Holidays
Religious practices Celebrations

Attitudes toward education

Recognition of disabilities Attitudes toward people with disabilities

So..How do we understand each other?

COMMUNICATION

85% of communication is non-verbal.

Movements, Gestures and Posture
We use movements and gestures to:

1) illustrate a verbal point

2) communicate a simple idea

Expression and Eyes

23 distinct motions of eyebrows can communicate even more emotions and non-verbal thoughts.

Intonation

Focuses on how words are said, rather then the words themselves.
SARCASM..speaker says one set of words. but his/ her voice communicates separate meaning.

Display and Appearance

Can communicate gender, age, comfort, class, social participation , climate, era and mood. .Skin tone, hair style, and good oral hygiene communicates how well a person cares for her/himself. Clothing, footwear, jewelry also send strong, sometimes superficial, messages.

What about in the classroom??

Non-verbal cues cannot convey factual information or complex ideas

TEACHING AND LEARNING does.

So. its up to YOU to deliver the GOODS!!!

HOW DO I AVOID CULTURAL BIAS IN MY CLASSROOM???

1. RECOGNIZE CULTURAL BIASES IN YOUR OWN LIFE.

List YOUR assumptions YOU have made about students based on:
race nationality national origin gender age physical/ mental disability sexual identity
This will help you be more sensitive to cultural biases expressed in your classroom.

2. Think about your language patterns.

Use gender and race neutral language when lecturing and writing.

Avoid colloquialism that may be perceived as biased or demeaning.

Remove assumptions about other people from your speech and writing.

3. TREAT EVERY STUDENT WITH RESPECT.

Appreciate their individuality without regard to cultural, ethnic, racial or national backgrounds.

Do not presume that students from one culture may perform better or need more help than students from another culture.
Avoid using labels and grouping people from certain areas of the world.

TIPS AND WARNINGS

Use language and descriptions of cultural groups in lectures that are sensitive to that cultures history. Require that all students treat each other with respect and use respectful language in your classroom. Never permit students to use derogatory words or language about any culture or about each other.

RESOURCES FOR THE CULTURALLY MOTIVATED EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONAL: ONLINE Teaching Tolerance www.tolerance.org www.pbs.com (nova/American experience) www.npr.org (storycorps) www.loc.gov social justice league Exercises and activites cultural circles project ETHNOGRAPHY: (values, norms, institutions, artifacts analysis) If the world were a village of 100 Where are we going video

Theyre not as cute as this one..

but they are still YOUR babies!! (you did sign a contract)

THANK YOU !!!

YOU MAY GO BACK TO SLEEP.