Bridging Cultural Differences

1
Bridging Cultural Differences

• Barbara Illowsky
• Jane Patton

2
The USA today

• A melting pot
• A tapestry
• A salad bowl/stew
• A mosaic/quilt

3
What is the purpose of multicultural education?

• to help assimilate immigrant students' cultures
  into the mainstream of American life

4
What is the purpose of multicultural education?

• (b) to reduce prejudice, foster tolerance, and
  improve the academic achievement of all students

5
What is the purpose of multicultural education?

• (c) to support students in the maintenance and
  preservation of their own cultures

6
What is the purpose of multicultural education?

• (d) to assimilate students into the "melting pot"
  of the United States as well as to foster
  students' respect for the existence of various
  cultures.

7
Purpose?

• a) to help assimilate immigrant students'
  cultures into the mainstream of American life
• b) to reduce prejudice, foster tolerance, and
  improve the academic achievement of all students
• c) to support students in the maintenance and
  preservation of their own cultures
• d) to assimilate students into the "melting pot"
  of the United States as well as to foster
  students' respect for the existence of various
  cultures.

8
What is multicultural education?

• Rejects racism, discrimination
• Affirms pluralism, equity
• A critical pedagogy dynamic
• Self reflective
• Student-centered
• Inclusive

9

• A learner must first become aware of himself as
  a cultural being. Paradoxically, most people, of
  whatever nation, see themselves and their
  compatriots not as a culture but as a standard
  or right and the rest of the world as made up
  of cultures which are conglomerates of strange
  behavior.
• --Joyce Valdes in Culture Bound

10
20 Things I will do. . .

• Pronounce names
• Challenge biases
• Student-centered
• My identity ?
• Accept feedback
• 6 Be a learner
• Intent/impact
• Myth color-blind
• My social identity?
• Build coalition
• --Gorski

11
20 things. . .

• 11. Be facilitator
• 12. Be listener
• 13. My learning style?
• 14. Model
• 15. My experience?
• 16. Critical thinking
• 17. My responsibility?
• 18. Social activist
• 19. Fight for equity
• 20. Celebrate self

12
Principles of adult learning

• Good practice in undergraduate education
  (Chickering Gamson)
• Multiple intelligences (Gardner)

13
7 Principles for Good Practice

• Student-faculty contact
• Cooperation among students
• Active learning
• Prompt feedback
• Time on task
• High expectations
• Respect diverse talents ways of learning
• Chickering Gamson

14
The Intelligences Teaching Strategies
15

• There may be one world, but there are many
  versions of it.
• --Nelson Goodman

16
Recommended reading

• How can university professors help their students
  understand issues of diversity through
  interpersonal intrapersonal intelligences?
• By Janis Strasser and Holly Seplocha. 
• Source Multicultural Education 12.4 (Summer
  2005) p20.
• (this info is on your handouts cover page)
•  

17

• Please write down
• 1 idea/point about Multicultural Education you
  understand well
• 1 idea/point about Multicultural Education you
  are confused or unsure about
• (Pass paper in, then stand and stretch)

18
CAT Classroom Assessment Technique

• What is a CAT?
• Purpose of using a CAT?
• CAT vs. Quiz?
• Types of CATs?
• How do we do a CAT?

19
CAT What is it?

• Research into the process of learning
• Activity that involves students thinking about
  their learning
• Ungraded feedback to the instructor
• Embedded into instruction
• Actively done by students

20
CATs Purpose?

• Improve learning effectiveness
• Save time--- by getting immediate feedback
• Help students learn to learn
• Address cultural or linguistic differences
• Improve communication between students and
  teacher

21
CAT vs. Quiz
CAT Research into the process of learning
(assessment for instruction improvement) Quiz
Research into student learning outcomes
(evaluation of student knowledge)
22
CATs Types
Short Simple - 2 - 5 minutes Long involved -
full class period Written - individual responses
(f2f or online) Oral - focus groups Individual Gro
up
23
CATs How to do them?

• Pick a simple one
• Try one per week, then build up
• Use the results
• Let students know their feedback is valued
• ENJOY!!!

24
P.S. Youll be doing CATs over the next few days!
?
Reference
Angelo, T. A., Cross, P. K. (2003). Classroom
Assessment Techniques A Handbook for College
Teachers (2nd ed). Jossey Bass Higher and Adult
Education Series
25
(No Transcript)
26
6 areas of diversity curriculum infusion

• Course description/objectives reflect diversity
• Content integration
• Instructional materials
• Worldviews learning styles
• Diverse instructional strategies
• Diverse assessment tools
• Assoc. of Amer. Colleges Universities
  diversityweb.org