Sustaining a safe, joy filled classroom environment.

Culture of Honor

Sustaining a safe, joy filled classroom environment.

Safe Classroom

• Facilitates learning• Is full of joy• Joy brings freedom and peace• Love casts our fear• An atmosphere of grace is created by love

Put Love into Action

We need to put love into action by creating a culture of honor and viewing each person as one of God’s creations. Each child is worthy of great respect, value and importance.

• We need to speak to the treasure within the person

• We need to restore• Offer an atmosphere of grace

Honor

• Is the result of intentionally living out a vision to encourage those around us

• By honoring someone you are empowering them• Honoring someone will draw the goodness hidden inside

them• Promotes the desire to learn• One does not honor someone just because they are like us.

Honor is a sign of respect.• Even if honor is cultivated in each home there is no promise

of it crossing over into the classroom where cultures are diverse.

• Where there is honor there is life.

Weapons of Dishonor

• Sarcasm• Jealousy• Anger• Judgment• Racism• Insecurity• discrimination

Acculturation

• Acculturation is the process of becoming adapted and socialized to the host culture. There are many influences on the process.

• Language proficiency• Age• Presence of PTSD • Rural vs. urban orientation• Educational background • attitude

Acculturation is a process

• The length of time the process takes is dependent upon the amount of time spent in the process

• The quality and quantity of the interactions between the cultures also has an effect

• The degree of difference between the ethnicity or nation of origin and host culture

• The level of enculturation

Stages of Acculturation

• Stage One-Euphoria when excitement and expectations over being in new culture rule.

• Stage Two- Culture Shock * when the reality of the struggle to acculturate has set in. Emotions of fear, anger, frustration, hostility may be present

• Stage Three-Recovery-when the individual starts to feel comfortable in the new culture. Becomes acclimated to surroundings since adjustments have begun

• *this is a key area for intervention

Stages of Acculturation (cont)

• Stage Four-Acceptance-when a relationship between two cultures is beginning to be build. Connections have begun to form.

• Stage Five-Appreciation and Adaptation- when person has not only adapted to the new culture but appreciates the host culture. Person is “plugged in”

Culture Shock

There are many ways to alleviate culture shock*create a safe environment-communicate honor,

respect, and sincere interest*honor the student by educating oneself on student’s

culture*educate others about student’s culture*beware of stereotypical text books, visual aids etc.*encourage student to bring in some personal

artifacts that represent his/her culture

Culture Shock (cont)• Be mindful of the term “host” culture. We are

to be welcoming• Help to bridge the gap during the

acculturation process• Introduce the components of the host culture

to the new student• Clearly discuss expected behaviors• Promote honor

Welcome Parents

• Parents welcome learning from younger people about the host culture (it may be less intimidating)

• Will welcome communication from the teacher• May welcome a network of other parents in the

acculturation process• Will appreciate teacher’s care and concern

during the acculturation process

Antidotes to Culture Shock• Teach the accepted behaviors, skills and norms needed to

function within the culture• Highlight the favorable aspect of each child’s culture and

express the positive value to whatever appears foreign to the host culture

• Positive attitudes are transferable• Experience music, food,clothing, holidays and traditions of all

the students• Help host culture appreciate positive aspects of the other

students• Understand principles of communication

Communication

• Language is the primary way we communicate• Is more than words• Includes changes in voice pitch and rhythm• Includes eye contact• Direct and indirect responses• High or low context• Is body language

Discernment

• It is critical that the teacher monitor the acculturation process

• Look for fear, depression,helplessness• Inability to communicate• Monitor students acceptance of new student• Dispel myths

Myths• There should be a separate unified set of goals

and curriculum for multicultural education• A student must melt into host culture and

forget native culture to “fit in” • Being bi-lingual is a liability• Ignore the problem and it will go away

Truth

• It is important to acknowledge that everyone has a culture, not just those that appear different

• Best curriculum for understanding America’s diverse cultures recognition, understanding, and acceptance of cultural diversity

• Honor individual’s uniqueness

Concepts to be Taught

• Cultural pluralism• Inter-group understanding• Human relations• Activities should be accompanied by

commentaries that explain their cultural context

Teachers are• A source of cultural information• A resource informer• Arbiter that evaluates students understanding of the cultural

information• Elicitor that asks students about their culture of origin. • Encouragers that teach students to be inquisitive• Guide and structure cultural exploration• Researchers that introduce the history and contributions of

often excluded ethnic groups• Responsible to replace distorted and biased information about

a group with more accurate information.

Teachers need to

• Encourage students to work together to understand one another

• Develop conflict resolution skills-although views may conflict, encourage respect and honor for each other

• Define rules of engagement• Encourage global thinking• Recognize students as individuals as well as integral

parts of the whole group• Be sensitive to components of host culture that may be

in conflict with students native culture

Teachers need to (cont)

• Acknowledge student’s strengths • Identify student’s learning style• Define student’s need for contextual support• Make efficient use of classroom time • Facilitate high level of student engagement• Discern students learning style( field-independent or

field-dependent)• Develop effective classroom management• Understand the physiology of the brain

The Brain

• Brain’s physiology crosses all cultures• Brain’s cells (neurons) receive messages from other

cells and passes the message on to other cells. A thought is conceived as an “action” takes place.

• The axon is the sending part of the neuron and the dendrite is the catching part of the neuron

• In between the axon and the dendrite is synapse where neurotransmitters are stored. The neurotransmitters help or inhibit the dendrite from receiving the message from the axon.

The Brain (cont)• There are many hormones in the synapse that are connected

with one’s emotions.• When a person has had an experience it remains in the brain

until an emotion is attached to that experience. If it is not a significant experience there will be little change in the brain.

• Positive emotional experiences facilitate learning in the brain• The brain knows learning is an emotional, physiological and

social activity.• Honor produces healthy hormones that facilitate the learning

process.

Acculturation vs. Enculturation

• The degree of differences and similarities in the individual’s culture as compared to the host culture will effect the acculturation process.

• Enculturation is learning one’s own culture. It is the process of socialization individuals undergo in their native culture. Understanding one’s cultures facilitates acculturation

Culture

• Is a set of common beliefs and values that are shared by a group of people that binds them together into a society

• Affects the organization of learning, pedagogical practices, evaluation procedures, and rules of schools, as well as instructional activities and curriculum

• Comes from the word “colare” - to build on, to foster, to cultivate

Culture is

• A set of accepted behavior patterns• Set of values• Common experiences• A defined social structure• Decision-making practices• Communication styles• learned• shared

Culture Shapes

• The way we think• The way we interact• The way we communicate• The way we transmit knowledge to the next

generation

Ethnicity

• is the sense of identification that a cultural group collectively has, largely based on the groups common heritage.

• Is a group of people, whose members identify with each other through language

• Defines your place in an ethnic group• Influenced by your national origin• Gives one a sense of belonging to a cultural group

Two levels of Culture: Surface and Deep

SurfaceWhat we identify firstThings we use our five sense to identify Examples* food, dress, manners, customs, religion,

written laws, myths, legends, art, music ,tools, home decor

Deep Culture

• This level takes time to identify.• It is the beliefs that influence the way people

think, act, and communicate• Presents the greatest challenge to acculturation• Examples• *Values, unspoken rules, knowledge, concept of

self, morals, ideals, accepted ways of behaving

Barriers to Acculturation• Ignorance of culture• Ethnocentrism-the belief that one’s ideas,

beliefs and practices are the best and superior• Cultural Imposition-the belief that everyone

should conform to the majority belief system• Stereotyping-involves assigning characteristics

to a group of people without considering specific individuality

Multicultural Education

• This begins with the individual and prepares the person for life in a pluralistic society.

• It will help promote appreciation of other cultures• Critical facet to a person’s education• Appreciates individual races, cultures, and religions• Promotes the “salad bowl” or “mosaic” analogy• Understands the different levels of acculturation

Levels of Acculturation• Bicultural-maximum level of acculturation to host culture

while maintaining a similar degree of acculturation to the previous culture.

• Assimilated-maximum acculturation to the host culture, while resisting social, cultural or familial ties with native culture

• Traditional-very low acculturation to the host culture. Maintains traditions of previous culture.

• Marginal-Lost cultural contacts and practices from country of origin and also resists acculturation to host culture. There is a sense of “homelessness” at this level.

Classroom is like a Garden

• The weeds in a garden will inhibit a good harvest. Weeds are racism, aggression, bigotry, disrespect, and ethnic prejudice. We need to create a rich soil, a safe environment for the seeds (the children) to grow. Good fertilizer is tolerance and the celebration of diversity. We need to water the seed with wisdom, honor and respect. There needs to be an understanding that there are many kinds of seeds. Each seed needs to be nurtured. Some will require lots of water and sunshine while others will need shade and little water. We enjoy a variety of foods that come from different seeds. Let us rejoice in the variety and honor each and every seed created.

Pennsylvania Academic Standards Checklist

• 7. Geography

7.1 Basic Geographical Literacy A .Geographical representationsB. Locations of Places and RegionsC. Connections among Regions7.3 The Human Characteristics of Places and RegionA. Population, Culture and SettlementB. Economic ActivityC. Political Activity7.4 The Interactions Between People and PlacesA. Dependence on Physical SystemsB. Modifications to accommodate environment

PA Standards (cont)

8 Pennsylvania History8.2 PA. HistoryA. Political and cultural contributions of individuals

and groupsB. Primary documents, artifacts, and historical sitesC. Continuity and change influence historyD. Conflicts and cooperation among social groups

and organizations

PA Standards (cont)9 Arts and Humanities9.1 Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music,

Theater and Visual Arts A. Elements and Principle in each Art Form B. Demonstration of Dance, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts C. Vocabulary within each Art Form D. Styles in Production, Performance and Exhibitions E. Safety issues in the Arts F. Community Performances and Exhibitions G. Traditional Technologies H. Contemporary Technologies

PA Standards (cont)

9.2 Historical and Cultural Contexts A. Identification Chronologically and

Geographically B. Analysis from Historical and Cultural

Perspectives C. Vocabulary for Historical and Cultural Contexts D. Relationships in Style and Genre E. Differences and Traditions

Pa Standards (cont)

• 7.4 The Interactions Between People and Places

• A Dependence on Physical Systems• B Modifications to accommodate environment