Continuing the Journey to Cultural Competence

“Cultural competence is active, developmental, an ongoing process and is aspirational rather than achieved.” Sue & Sue (2003)

When we first looked at the steps of cultural competence adapted from Sue & Sue (2003), I was confident I had passed the awareness stage, and was well on my way to developing a solid structure of knowledge and skills. However, taking a closer look at the breakdown of each stage presented in the self evaluation, I realize I have strengths and opportunities at each level. For example, though I feel I am consistently aware of my own biases, I cannot say I am always comfortable with the differences that exist between my students, their families, and my own cultural upbringing. On the other hand, I frequently work at the advocacy level, especially surrounding gender issues and inclusion of children with special needs. In those areas and others, I speak up against bias and discrimination, and am known as a referral source to those who need resources or want to become more aware of the issues affecting these cultures.

In order to improve my own cultural competence, and that of my students, I have selected a few action items from Cole (1995). First, my classes and I will identify and dispel stereotypes that may appear in our instructional material or learning environment. Since we cannot, and probably should not, study in a cultural vacuum, it will be important to address bias when it is present in order to try to determine its roots and impact. For example, many classic American novels have overt or subtle instances of racial stereotyping and prejudice. Instead of banning them in an English literature class, it might be more useful to examine the conditions under which the author was writing, and what may or may not be different today.

Second, I hope to create culturally compatible learning environments with my students. If I have students that come from collectivist cultures, I can make the most of this by assigning group projects and pair work. If I have students that come from cultures with oral storytelling traditions, what a great opportunity for class presentations and creative writing. I think the key is to be varied in the way I present material and flexible in the ways I allow students to express their knowledge. A time must come to practice clear, standard writing and speaking, but if neither of these skills are part of the main learning objectives, why not give multiple options for an assignment?

Finally, when I am more knowledgeable about my students’ cultural backgrounds, I plan to capitalize on students’ language, culture, and experiences to make lessons more meaningful and interesting. Geography lessons are naturally a great time for this, but culture can manifest itself in many disciplines. In social studies lessons, we can compare social and government structures across cultures, and together gain a better understanding of the system in the United States. In language arts, we can discuss various ways of telling a story, and which styles best suit different audiences.

References:

Cole, R. (editor). (1995). Educating everybody’s children: Diverse teaching strategies for diverse learners. ASCD Improving Student Achievement Research Panel.

Sue, D. W., and Sue, D. (2003). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice, 4th Ed. New York: John Wiley

Addressing Curriculum Bias

“Researchers argue that texts are written in such a way that they are divorced from the lives and experiences of student readers, thus rendering them difficult to assimilate and understand by their intended audience.” — (Marino, 2011, p 422)

I hooked into this quote in the Marino (2011) article about history textbooks, because I think the major sin in my field is not that biased history is offensive, but that it is boring beyond belief and does not reflect the true diversity of the people of the United States. This was certainly the impression that I got from reviewing Magruder’s American Government (McClenaghan, 2003), and from reading a few of my classmates reviews of other social studies texts. If we as educators try to remove all bias from our teaching materials, and treat it as if it is not there, we risk giving students the impression that there exists one truthful perspective, and we (or the textbook) are the keepers of it. I would hate for one of my students to become uninterested in politics, because he or she did not feel represented by the textbook’s photos, or because the issues discussed were superficial.

I think it is best to make bias a topic for explicit discussion, so that students learn how to identify it and think critically. Even a highly biased and reactionary article teaches something about a topic, though it should not be considered a faithful representation of facts. For my classroom, I would select a decent basal text for vocabulary and background, then supplement it with articles that reflect diverse perspectives. We could practice evaluating claims and formulating arguments while engaging with more transformative texts from an ethnic or gender perspective. These have their limits as well, but they help form a complete worldview. I would also consider having my students evaluate their textbooks as we did, and identify instances of bias or under-representation. This would hopefully give them a sense of power over what they are learning, and help them engage with key concepts

References

Marino, M. P. (2011). High school world history textbooks: An analysis of content focus and chronological approaches. History Teacher, 44(3), pp 421-446.

McClenaghan, W. A. (ed). (2003). Magruder’s American Government (2003 edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Cultural Competence

According to the OSPI, “Cultural competence allows educators to ask questions about their practice in order to successfully teach students who come from different cultural backgrounds.” It is not necessary to know everything there is to know about all the cultures of the world, as if that were possible for one person to do. In fact, adhering to a list of presumed facts or relying on stereotypes is exactly the opposite of what a culturally competent teacher should be doing. Cultural competence is necessarily student-centered. Being culturally competent means admitting that I cannot possibly understand what it means to live the lives of my students and their families unless I am willing to open myself and be changed.

At the high school level, it is possible that I will not interact with my students’ families on many occasions unless I initiate contact. However, I will certainly learn something about my students’ family dynamics by the way they interact with me. Depending on whether students come from a culture with high or low power distance, or whether they were brought up with collectivistic or individualistic values, they may or may not be comfortable speaking up to me when they have questions or concerns. Parents may be interested in getting involved in class activities, but are unwilling to volunteer themselves. In this case, it might be useful to ask students about their families as I am getting to know them, and offer group and one-on-one opportunities parents to meet me.

Above all, the multiple perspectives aspect of cultural competence is crucial to social studies instruction. It has been said that history is told by the winners, but students from all cultures invariably see different sides of the story. It is impossible to talk about the American Civil War without addressing slavery, or westward expansion without the disenfranchisement of Native Americans, because the social consequences continue to reverberate to this day. To ignore the hurts we have caused each other in the past is to prove that society has learned nothing. Cultural perspective can also add depth to literature study, and help students connect to themes they recognize in their own lives.

Privilege and Discrimination: Making Sense of Sensitive Topics

Due to the complex mix of emotions that come up, I think many people avoid talking about privilege and discrimination. Howard (1996) writes about “emotions that kill”: denial, hostility, fear, and guilt. I noticed that these are similar to the first four of the five stages of loss and grief: denial, anger, bargaining, and depression (Axelrod, 2006). Then there are responses that heal: honesty, humility, respect, and co-responsibility (Howard, 1996). All of these could be grouped together as “acceptance.”

I come from a privileged race and class, which I find has largely shielded me from discrimination based on other characteristics like gender and age in my part of the United States. However, I have experienced discrimination several times in my travels abroad, in countries that consider foreigners of any color to be second-class. I remember a bartender in Poland refusing to serve me, or even acknowledge my presence after she heard me speak broken Polish. My first feeling was one of confusion. I could not believe I was being ignored, and wondered if she could not see me somehow, or if she was taking orders according to some complex system in which it was not my turn yet. When I realized I was being passed over intentionally, I felt angry and frustrated, but I did not want to make a scene and risk humiliation, so I went back to my table. The more I thought about what I had experienced, my anger changed to sadness. Why wasn’t I good enough to be treated like everyone else?

All teachers should have an experience like this, because it is only by experiencing these negative feelings that I think it is possible to move on to more productive, healing responses. It is the only way we will truly understand how important they are. I had heard of Mrs. Elliot’s eye-color discrimination activity before, and participated in a few simulations based on her original experiment, but I had not before seen the Frontline footage of her students’ reactions. My favorite moment is on the end of the second day when Mrs. Elliot tells them they can throw away their collars, and both groups of students are absolutely ecstatic (Peters & Cobb, 1985). The reunion footage shows that this experience was memorable to the students, even 15 years later.

References:

Axelrod, J. (2006). The 5 Stages of Loss and Grief. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 2, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/000617

Howard, G. (1996). Whites in multicultural education: rethinking our role. In J. A. Banks (Ed.), Multicultural Education, Transformative Knowledge, & Action (pp. 323-334). New York, NW: Teachers College Press.

Peters, W (Writer, Director, Producer) & Cobb, C. (Writer). (1985, March 6). A class divided. Frontline. Boston: WGBH. Accessed at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions

One of my big life goals was to live abroad and immerse myself in a different culture. Although I hope to repeat the experience many more times, I effectively accomplished this goal when I moved to Ukraine in 2009, and spent nearly three years learning how to walk, talk, and think like a local. Unfortunately, Ukraine is not included in Hofstede’s research (nor is any other country in the Former Soviet Union–FSU), but I have made some conjectures based on my own impressions, scores for other Slavic countries, and scores for countries that experienced the influence of Communism.

One thing that initially surprised me was Russia’s high power distance score. I figured Ukraine would probably score much closer to Poland in this case (68 versus 93 for Russia)(Kwintessential, nd), but then again, I am not sure. My guess is that this number is so high because business and social relationships in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) vary greatly depending on whether someone is in your “circle” or not. I am speaking from my own experience and not as a cultural expert, but I found the work environment to be very collaborative across power levels, but only within organizations. When the director from one school visits another, he or she will most likely interact with someone on the same level. In public, great pomp is associated with rank, and there are different forms of address for people you know and people you do not know, based on their age and social rank in comparison to yours.

I also noticed my students had been trained to be very deferential to my position as “teacher,” even though I was less than five years older than some of them, and something of a toddler in terms of language ability and cultural competence. It took several months for them to open up to me and have dialogues instead of waiting for directives. Reading through the “Intercultural Business Tips,” I can say that some of them are accurate, but a few miss the mark, or may be more applicable outside of big cities. Business culture in the capital, Kyiv, is becoming increasingly more like that of Western Europe.

With regard to the other three measures, I think Ukraine tacks fairly accurately with Russia in places where scores may diverge from Poland, Hungary, or Slovakia. Individualism is moderate, so you are expected to look and behave like the group, for the most part, but there is a reasonably large allowance for tastes and opinions to differ. I personally found that my style of dress and concept of femininity set me apart, but I was considered more of a lovable oddity than a threat.

Uncertainty Aversion is high. New ideas are usually met with a response of “That’s impossible,” followed (sometimes weeks later) by “What would that look like?” and finally, “Ok, I guess we can try that.” My Ukrainian friends are notoriously unwilling to taste new foods, but after much cajoling, I have convinced many of them that tacos are delicious.

Masculinity is low to moderate. Ukrainian men love to be macho and show off their strength, but their top priorities are family and the community. There are clear gender roles for men and women, and what English speakers might call “chivalry” has no equivalent in Ukrainian, because it is an engrained way of life. If there was a male within 100 yards, I was never allowed to carry a bag or even move a chair. The man is considered to be the head of the household, but as the saying goes, “the woman is the neck, and she moves the head where ever she wants.” This is especially true, as Ukraine has one of the lowest ratios of males to females at .85 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013). Collaboration is emphasized over competition, and “work to live” is the more appropriate motto.

References:

Central Intelligence Agency. 2013. The CIA World Factbook: Ukraine. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/up.html. Accessed: January 27, 2014.

Kwintessential. ND. “Hofstede’s Intercultural Dimensions.” http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/intercultural/dimensions.html. Accessed: January 27, 2014

Tribute from my students for Teacher’s Day. I attempt to fit in with the other teachers by wearing make-up and sparkles.

 

 

Carter G. Woodson and Allison Davis: Transformative Scholars

This week, we read about two black scholars and their contributions to the area of transformative scholarship. I am sad to say, I had heard of neither of them before this module. Carter G. Woodson was a historian whose work “challenged mainstream interpretations of history” (Roche, 1996, p 91). Rather than take a reactive stance to discrimination through boycotts, demonstrations, and legal battle, Woodson’s solution was to work more proactively by advancing awareness of African American historical perspectives by forming the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and publishing The Journal of Negro History and the Negro History Bulletin. I would argue that his strategy was successful, as he was able to reach both scholarly and general audiences (Roche, 1996, p 93). If I were a teacher in his time, I think I would be very interested in subscribing to the Association’s materials.

Arguably, one of Woodson’s most lasting achievements was the establishment of Negro History Week in 1926, expanded 50 years later to Black History Month. It is particularly odd to me that I do not recall Woodson’s name mentioned during a single Black History Month lesson in school. We talked about George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington, but not the man who originally pushed for increased awareness of black history. I wonder if Woodson would be pleased with his legacy, or if he would have some criticisms of the way we treat the African American experience in school.

Allison Davis was perhaps not as immediately successful in his attempts to bring transformative knowledge into American academia, though his works “provide a theoretical foundation upon which many of the goals and premises of multicultural education are built” (Hillis, 1996, p 126). I can understand why I had not heard of Davis before this module, although his work is of particular interest to me. While I think Americans would readily admit to the existence of a social class hierarchy, the idea that a caste system exists in the United States, one that could prevent a hardworking family from fulfilling the “American Dream,” is unpalatable. In the Pacific Northwest, does our outward culture of acceptance mask an inward structure of institutionalized racism?

References:

Hillis, M. R. (1996). Allison Davis and the study of race, social class, and schooling. In J.A. Banks (Ed.).  Multicultural education, transformative knowledge and action: Historical and contemporary perspectives (pp 115-128). New York: Teachers College Press.

Roche, A. M. (1996). Carter G. Woodson and the development of transformative scholarship. In J.A. Banks (Ed.).  Multicultural education, transformative knowledge and action: Historical and contemporary perspectives (pp 91-114). New York: Teachers College Press.

My Personal Background and Early Influences

My cultural identity, or perceived lack-thereof, is a big part of my personal background. I am the elder of two children born to white, educated, Protestant parents. Both of them came from families of the same sort, with a little more German flavor on Dad’s side and Norwegian connections on Mom’s side. They bought the house I grew up in before I was old enough to remember living anywhere else, solidifying middle-class status. My neighborhood had a considerable amount of young families and ethnic diversity, but only retired white couples occupied my particular street. The church I went to as a child was almost exclusively white families with a similar make-up to mine.

Something inside me has always hungered for a foreign place to point to on the map and call my home, which is probably why I surround myself with friends from diverse cultural backgrounds, and why I chose to spend three years of my early adulthood in Ukraine. When I started at the local elementary school, I met many children who were first and second-generation immigrants, and I became fascinated by geography and language. One of my two best friends was Vietnamese, and I would pester him to teach me new words or trade lunches.

In second grade, I was encouraged to test for the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program, and the next year, I took the bus to a new school. It seemed like a punishment at the time, but I made new friends quickly, and we were together for the next four years. Most of my classmates were wealthy and white, but several were of Korean heritage, and our class potlucks strongly reflected that. My new best friend’s father was from Lebanon. From seventh to tenth grade, I attended the Federal Way Public Academy—a small, college preparatory experiment where classes took place in portable buildings. My best friend was Polish, and she is my best friend to this day. Together we braved the Running Start program at Highline Community College and graduated with our Associate of Arts degrees before we were awarded high school diplomas.

While I would say I have a strong positive bias toward people of various ethnicities, religions, and creeds, I acknowledge a bias against those who are less educated or less interested in education than I am. I suppose part of the reason I want to become a teacher is so that I can possibly make kids more excited about learning, and help train them to be well-read and well-spoken adults.

Changing topics completely, I have a younger brother whose influence on my life has been immense. He has Down Syndrome and probably experiences Autism as well. Growing up, I minimized the impact of his disability on my life, and insisted that I was my own interesting person without him, but I have come to change my tune. The community of people living with developmental disabilities and their families form a culture of which I am very much a part. I do not wish to base my career on my experience with my brother, as my mom has, but there are skills I have learned from living with him that come in very handy in the classroom.

First, since he was slow to develop language skills, and still does not use many words, I have learned to listen for meaning and pay close attention to non-verbal cues. I have also learned how to support someone’s needs while helping them maintain independence and sense of self-worth. Watching him struggle to do things I have always found easy has taught me empathy, and listening to him list off all the actors in an obscure movie is a reminder that everyone has gifts and talents. Seeing him bullied by other children, and occasionally teachers, when he was at school made me a more compassionate person and a champion for social justice.