Continuing cultural competence

Cultural competence is a journey that requires an active and patient approach. As I reflect back on Sue and Sue’s (2003) breakdown of what being culturally competent means, these four principles are important to keep in mind while remembering it is an active, developmental, on-going process:

1. Actively trying to understand the worldviews of diverse populations
2. Actively developing and practicing relevant and sensitive strategies and skills while working with a diverse cultures
3. Actively becoming aware of your own behavior, values and biases
4. Acting as an advocate for others in order to create a culture of respect and equity

The most noticeable personal gain I have observed throughout this quarter is how my sense of awareness has been strengthened.  Not only has this course given me the opportunity to analyze what values and standards are important to me, I also have become a more active participant in terms of avoiding prejudices and unnecessary stereotyping. While respecting other’s diverse beliefs and characteristics, I have started to attempt and act as a model to others. To me this is an integral step in creating action towards cultural competence. Nonverbal awareness is difficult to build as one begins to appreciate and respect those who are unlike them, while speaking up so others can learn from their competence can be an even more difficult task. My personal goals as I continue on my journey towards cultural competence are to discontinue any unwarranted labeling, find ways to learn more on current sociopolitical systems in place and to participate in culturally relevant events that will enhance my professional development. Each of these goals requires action. Next quarter’s Field Experience course will provide a chance for me to use the school’s resources to work on my professional development especially in regards to cultural competence.

In my future P.E. classroom the strategies that I find the most helpful in incorporating cultural competence curriculum are:

• To incorporate home culture: this will assist me to better comprehend student behavior in and out of the classroom
• Encourage parent interaction: asking parents to share their culture’s histories at home will help to build a better picture for their child to identify with their native culture
• Use culturally relevant curriculum: ensuring that my curriculum is not only up to date but that it also is representative of my students backgrounds and beliefs
• Respect community language norms: to guarantee that bilingual students can easily alternate between English and their first language, respecting the community’s language norms

Using bilingual teaching strategies in daily classroom practice

The impact language has in our classroom is something I have been underestimating. This week we focus on bilingual education and the strategies utilized to enhance content comprehension for EASL students. Understanding more specifically how educators can minimize challenges and maximize opportunities for students with language barriers in the classroom was a great lesson for me to apply to my field of Physical Education.

In a P.E. classroom where the curriculum focuses on teamwork, personal fitness, goal-setting and nutrition, language will be a key ingredient to success in terms of comprehension and application. The strategies which are often used in bilingual education and for students with disabilities can be helpful in any classroom. Those that would be primarily applicable in a P.E. classroom:

1. The use of visual aids and graphic organizers: this can increase help to connect ideas and concepts through the use of visual examples. When a lesson can be explained visually, it removes that language barrier. By minimizing those barriers, the student has a better chance at understanding and applying the lesson.

2. Partners: pairing students with others or using group dynamics can also be effective in connecting concepts.

3. Active involvement: ensuring that if a language barrier is present, to minimize lecture time or create an alternative way to execute the lesson plan. In P.E., this is not a difficult task, but it is important to remember that the more active a student remains within each lesson the better they understand it and the better they are able to apply later.

A final thought on bilingual education and physical education: expecting all students to enter into our classrooms with the same background knowledge is useless. Each of our students will come from different backgrounds with different strengths, challenges and different languages and beliefs. Being prepared for this as teachers is a must, but going even further and developing lessons around the class’ diversity is even better. Taking the time to get to know each student early on in the school year will allow time for redeveloping the curriculum to fit the needs and speed of each student individually, while remaining part of the group. In regards to language, taking care in how concepts are addressed and practiced is important as is celebrating the multicultural make-up of the class and their backgrounds.

Who’s up for a game of Korfball?

To address textbook bias, I chose to analyze a popular high school textbook used for physical education called Foundations of Personal Fitness. This textbook, published by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, came out with its 5^th edition in 2005.  The content included in this text seems comprehensive at first glance. It analyzes the following topics:

• Physical Activity and Personal Fitness
• Safety and Injury Prevention
• Designing a Personal Fitness Program
• Nutrition and Your Personal Fitness
• Your Body Composition
• Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight
• Basics of Cardiorespiratory Endurance
• Developing Cardiorespiratory Endurance
• Basics of Resistance Training
• Developing Muscular Fitness
• Basics of Flexibility
• Personal Fitness Throughout Life

While these topics satisfy many of the GRE’s required under Washington state’s EALR’s, there is a noticeable absence of multicultural inclusion. The emphasis of this textbook is on the student as an individual rather than a group; there is no historical background included highlighting how different cultures influence athleticism. There is also an absence of multicultural athletes represented. The text refrains from using athletes as role models throughout these chapters which I feel would bridge the content more closely to the student while increasing comprehension by using a real athlete as a model. The authors’ intention is overall positive: it comes in two languages (English and Spanish) and offers online resources to enhance comprehension and application through goal setting and flash cards.

As I was searching for an appropriate textbook offered in my field, I found a useful text that is geared towards teachers called A Multicultural Approach to Physical Education.  This guide is written with the intent to “increase the individual’s feelings of self-worth and generate a shared sense of accomplishment among students of varied cultural and economic backgrounds” (Clements & Kinzler, pg, vii). The authors offer an assortment of learning experiences that are meant to increase interpersonal relationships through physical activity. One of the most useful ideas I found within this text was focused on the “partner selection process”. This is such a meaningful process in an athletic and competitive environment; how it is implemented can directly affect a student’s success and self-confidence. The authors suggest that to increase interpersonal relationships amongst students it important they work with different partners. Some techniques they suggested were to pair students with one another based on shoe size, birth month, number of vowels in their name, favorite hobby etc. This method would allow a short scheduled time where students may learn about each other and are paired together based off their interests. This bonding and pairing through physical education can be effective in teaching them respect for a culture different than their own.

This text also issues teachers with an “activity finder” which is organized by country where it originated as well as a corresponding multicultural outcome. For example: “Rescue me aquatic relays” from Japan teach students to “provide or respect leadership” while “Korfball” from Holland “proposes alternate rules”. Developing a lesson plan that is country-based could be an excellent way for a P.E. teacher to incorporate multiculturalism in their classroom curriculum while breaking down any pre-delievered textbook bias.

(Korfball, Holland)

Sources:

Rainey, D., & Murray, T. D. (2005).Foundations of personal fitness. New York, N.Y.: Glencoe/McGraw Hill.

Clements, R. L., & Kinzler, S. K. (2003). A multicultural approach to physical education: proven strategies for middle and high school. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Cultural Competence

As I develop lesson plans for my high school P.E. and Health classes there are a few specific areas of importance directly connected to a culturally competent curriculum. With regards to high school P.E. class, the most important aspect I must pay strict attention to is the willingness to participate when there are conflicts due to religion or spiritual beliefs. Without developed cultural competence, a teacher can unintentionally disrespect or ignore important student beliefs and a student can feel alienated by classmates for not participating. For example, if a student is fasting on a certain school day due to a religious holiday, the teacher should not force participation but instead modify the curriculum so it fits their energy level. The best way that a teacher can ensure they are respecting their students with their curriculum is by getting to know the community where they teach. This is vital in developing the awareness that each family may have different beliefs that at times may conflict with planned curriculum. By getting to know their community, the teacher can accurately develop the curriculum so that students’ culture is represented fairly and accurately. In regards to a high school Health class, the guidelines would be similar. For example, when the curriculum covers the topic of nutritional guidelines, it’s important for the teacher to understand and respect why some students in their class may not believe in eating the same way as everyone else. Rather than teaching a nutritional perspective practiced by most, including the perspectives of multiple cultures would not only increase the students’ awareness but also respect those who don’t fit the majority.

This cultural competence required to teach a comprehensive curriculum is directly connected to the role of parents and families. The better a teacher understands the community and the families within it, the better they will be able to connect and communicate with them throughout the school year to form a relationship which supports the students academic success. Getting to know my students and their families early in the school year will be a priority of mine as it’s so important that I continue my path towards becoming culturally competent by learning as I teach a wide range of families.

Before I have a classroom of my own, something that I believe will help me on my path towards becoming culturally competent is learning about those cultures that are represented the most, that I know the least about. These cultures specifically are Asian, Hispanic and Muslim. My goal is to build a framework that can assist in teaching me about their history in regards to religious beliefs and dietary beliefs as these are the two areas that will relate to my classroom the most.

Here is an excellent video explaining the history of a highly celebrated Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos

 

The dance of diversity

In his essay “Whites in Multicultural Education: Rethinking Our Role”, Gary Howard discusses the changing role of White Americans in response to the United States’ shift towards a more multicultural population. He pinpoints several negative reactions to multiculturalism White Americans typically exude which he refers to as “emotions that kill”. Denial, hostility and guilt are of the most commonly seen negative reactions. Because so much of White history involves unpleasant violent conflict with other races, many Whites choose to live in denial where the less they know, the better. Or they selectively deny the idea that their race has prevented any other race from succeeding and believe they should be able to rise up on their own. Hostility often accompanies White Americans who are fearful that this new multiculturalism will challenge their job security in an economic downturn. Howard alerts us how “these negative responses to diversity are destructive not only for those who are targets of hate but also for the perpetrators themselves. Racism is ultimately a self-destructive and counterrevolutionary strategy” (Howard, pg 328). Finally, the feeling of guilt is seen as an emotional reaction to the growing diversity of our country. Once White Americans learn about the unpleasant past full of racism, oppression and discrimination they acquire a feelings of guilt. Just being a part of the White culture delivers a sense of ownership towards others’ actions.

Understanding these negative reactions is important as an educator in any classroom so they can speak truthfully when it comes to issues of racism or discrimination. Students will arrive in our classroom with previously learned social stereotypes that we have the opportunity of breaking down through education. Approaching these emotional reactions with a sense of honesty and sensitivity will lead students towards a movement of positive action. As our nation continues to live in a time of transition, educators must continue to develop curriculum around accurate and complete histories that no longer ignore multicultural perspectives. This new kind of curriculum goes against the old standard, which has been taught in classrooms for years, but is essential in building a society where we equally share responsibility.

“We can’t teach what we don’t know and we can’t lead where we won’t go.” – Malcolm X

Source: Banks, J. A. (1996). Multicultural Education, Transformative Knowledge, and Action: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. New York, NY: Teachers College Press, Columbia University.

Sing out

As I read about the critical impact Mary McLeod Bethune had as a feminist during the civil rights movement, I cannot help but wish it had come sooner in my academic years. I feel as though my generation and those past partially suffered from a nation-wide offense of selective education when it comes to feminist movements and racial equality efforts. After teaching at the Haines Institute in Georgia, a private school for African American children, Bethune opened the Daytona Education and Industrial Institute with only “five little girls and a dollar and a half” (pg. 220). While Bethune did not have the money to pay for the property when the school opened, she sold ice cream and sweet potato pie to the construction workers to earn that $5 down payment. By 1941, the school conquered 32 acres and enrolled 600 students.  While the school was under construction, Bethune spent her time developing the Black women’s club movement and founded the National Council of Negro Women where they used publications such as Telefact and The Aframerican Women’s Journal to “unite and mobilize more than a million African American women for social action at the national level for the first time in U.S. history” (pg. 221). Bethune also was asked to act as President Roosevelt’s special advisor to minority affairs where she held a profound influence on furthering the education of African Americans. Ending race, gender and class inequality was the focus of Bethune’s efforts as she stood as a transformative leader challenging mainstream methods of knowledge and education. Educating Black women was her goal since they had more power over their child’s status, more access to higher-status employment and they were celebrated as the primary teachers of the African American community.  One of the most brave acts I admire Bethune for her was her conscious effort to reject and ignore segregation laws in the state of Florida. She held tight to her transformative vision that racial integration was needed in all aspects of life. Holt (1964) wrote,

“In spite of the rigid segregation laws in Florida, she never submitted to them. At her school no one had precedence over another, and there was never any question of this seat or that seat, this aisle or that aisle”.  

Similarly, Eleanor Roosevelt focused her efforts on advocating for racial equality by rejecting segregation laws while delicately balancing her position of power being married to the President but also shining the light on African Americans like musician Marian Anderson. Both of these women exercised transformative knowledge by challenging mainstream traditions and themes. Their courageous intelligence should be forever celebrated!

In classrooms today, I do believe that there is a trend of differential treatment amongst boys and girls that should be addressed early on. Specifically, I have observed that boys’ energetic and disruptive behavior is expected to the extent at which it’s ignored. On the contrary, girls are expected to behave and obey to the extent that any outlandish behavior sticks out and is quickly disciplined. Of course, this is a generalized trend which I think stems from our society’s traditional framework instilled early on placing males and females in separate, unequal categories. Future generations will benefit if we implement transformative knowledge by rejecting gender stereotypes and offer comprehensive race and gender histories.

Source: Banks, J. A. (1996). Multicultural education, transformative knowledge, and action: historical and contemporary perspectives. New York: Teachers College Press.