Crossing Cultural Thresholds- Engaging EL Caretakers in the Trauma-Aware Conversation
Let’s look to tools and strategies that facilitate re-directive capacities and champion long-term moves toward resiliency. We’ll spend a bit of extra time focused on our Recent Arriver Emergent Lingual (RAEL) students. In this space, we’ll highlight EL parents and families as critical stakeholders in students’ trauma restoration processes.
Trauma-informed pedagogy relies upon, in part, the explicit teaching and modeling of regulatory and prosocial behaviors. Eventually, these strategies can be holistically embedded into children’s everyday school (and life) experiences. In the context of RAEL populations, this also means bridging cultural norms and expectations around mental wellbeing. As learning places, this requires a concentrated shift toward integrating diverse cultural value systems into our trauma-sensitive practice.
The National Council for Behavioral Health names two dimensions of sustainability in trauma-informed programming:
1. Making changes, gains, and accomplishments stick
2. Keeping the momentum moving forward for continuous quality improvement.
So, how can we best support these two dimensions? A sustainable path toward resilience requires us, as practitioners, to monitor students’ success and adapt our instructional cues as needed. Fortunately, we already recognize this as a best practices approach across all grade levels, content areas and language domains. We are experts at checking in on our students and personalizing the learning experience based upon individual strengths and needs. The same tenets apply to the processes of transition shock, including trauma.
Shifts are required in the broader educational landscape, too. Sustainability requires honest conversations about our organization’s infrastructure, including leadership, policies, and procedures as they ignite or diffuse underlying transition shock. It demands moving away from punitive practices and toward restorative solution seeking. Sustainability relies upon the collection and analysis of data in order to determine if our trauma-informed programming is effective and equitable. It means that all team members are equipped with tools for understanding and addressing student trauma, and that educators are widely supported in recognizing and managing the secondary stress that may arise through our work with trauma-impacted youth.
Essentially, we are charged with ensuring that the strategies we introduce are good fits for individual students. A good fit means that they are not re-triggering and are both culturally responsive and language adaptive. A good fit means that learners are empowered to experiment with mitigation strategies in their toolboxes, to fail forward in a safe space, to reevaluate without self-admonishment, and to try again.
Involving Caretakers as Critical Stakeholders
If we are to truly address transition shock (including trauma) in our learning spaces, then we must also become active in engineering webs of support around our students- in this case, we’re speaking specifically about our RAELs. Here, we’ll concentrate on arguably the most critical stakeholder group of all- the parents and caretakers of our Emergent Linguals.
In communicating with culturally and linguistically dynamic caretaker groups about transition shock, it’s important to first identify our guiding principles. How do we cross cultural thresholds to build authentic partnerships?
As with our students, safety and trust are paramount. Cultivate these properties as we would in the classroom- practice welcoming, routine, predictability, and transparency.
Be cognizant of biases around mental health and trauma. Name observed behaviors and avoid labeling.
Reduce isolation by connecting families to appropriate resources, as well as to families with socio-cultural commonalities.
Strive to meet with parents in person and, if needed, arrange for a trained translator wherever possible. Avoid using children as conversational brokers.
Talk to parents about the link between students’ school performance and socio-mental health. Use direct and clear language.
Remember that mental health terms may be unfamiliar, unmeaningful, or untranslatable for Recent Arriver parents. Translate these terms ahead of time if possible, and provide visual cues where appropriate.
Honor socio-cultural perspectives when advocating for student care.
Champion wrap-around supports and refer students for advanced care in a timely manner.
Sustainability is enhanced when students’ home and cultural values show up in the school space. Highlighting the voices of our RAELs’ caretakers can simultaneously bolster our culturally responsive efforts and temper student anxiety. Meanwhile, opening doors to culturally responsive communication around trauma-sensitive topics builds trust and enables a collaborative approach to long-term restoration.
Resources for AntiRacist Education
There is so much grief. Heartbreak over the fact that this conversation is still necessary. That black and brown folx are still under occupation. That education is still censored to fit the mold of a racist status quo. That we still have so much work to do.
This is the tragic legacy of education. We wait to pursue authentic change until the ish hits the fan. We’re a reactive institution, not a proactive one. In fact, we’ve taken a reactive approach across other uncomfortable and inconvenient paths, too (think: Emergent Lingual education, immigrant parent engagement, trauma-informed practice). Haven’t we learned anything?
Here. Now. We have an opportunity to alter the course, to right the ship, to challenge the dialogue, to get really uncomfortable… and then push through it.
White folx: This can’t happen unless we’re ready to get real with our role in the problem. To do this, we have to systematically untangle the narratives of privilege and racism that are embedded in every facet of our lives.
We have to create authentic urgency around the need to disrupt inequity and assume ownership of our explicit and implicit participation in racism. Because no matter how we cut it, we are inactive enablers at best, and outright inciters at worst.
As someone who makes a living facilitating tough conversations around race, bias, racism, and culturally responsive practice, I’ve enjoyed a good jump start on evaluating my own deeply embedded biases, privilege, and contributions to a racist society.
All that’s clear is that I- and we- still have so far to grow. Still, here’s what I’ve learned so far:
Understand the language of cultural identity. Race, ethnicity, nationality, heritage, and culture and not interchangeable concepts. Looking for clarity and an implementable classroom exercise? Here’s a start point.
Sit in your bias. Recognize it. Call it out. Be brave enough to confront it. Develop tools to defeat it. Know that change is hard and remember that a solid tribe can help you push through it. Repeat. Ready for a wake-up? Read this guy (more resources available on his website @ https://www.mrtomrad.com/). Ready to call out your own privilege and bias? Here’s an entry-level tool.
Become the student. Especially when we’re talking about our own students. What is another person’s truth? Do we authentically HEAR and validate it as truth? What is their story? The (non-white washed) story of their ancestors? What is the role of voice (not our own) in our teaching practice?
Re-read the story. What parts of the #BLM and antiracist narrative do we (white folx) selectively hear? As educators, what parts of our students’ stories are we ignorant to and/or explicitly or implicitly reject?
Educators: If we are truly trauma-informed, where does race-based trauma fit into our framework for student care, if at all? The two can no longer live in separate boxes. They’ve always been bound, even as we’ve fought to silence the traumas of racism. The game’s over.
Let’s be honest. We’ll do anything to avoid talking about race in schools. The system is created so that we actually fear the professional repercussions of engaging students in race-based dialogue. And many of us simply fear messing it up. But avoiding the discussion is engaging in the problem. We HAVE to talk about it. We HAVE to model transparency in our own socio-emotional growth. Start here.
Create unapologetic space for the language of antiracism. It must live in and be critically evaluated within the context of authentic daily experience. Yes, we WILL make mistakes. But we have to start somewhere, and it has to be now.
Dissect your curriculum, including socio-emotional frameworks. Often, even our best efforts to combat trauma and injustice are blatantly whitewashed. But we’ve got to get out of the trees in order to see the forest. Need clarity? Check out this article (or others) from Dena Simmons.
Join or create a race-based caucus /affinity group (just be sure you have some clear guidance in this practice). Not sure what this is? Read this article and continue the journey with this reading.
On leaders approaching the topic: “Use words that explicitly name racial violence. Do not soften the intensity of systemic racism with broad language about diversity, equity, and inclusion. If the statement does not include words such as “racism,” “racist,” “white supremacy,” or “anti-Blackness,” it is insufficient and therefore should be revised.” https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/06/02/6-considerations-school-leaders-statement-george-floyd-.html
Put your money/power/vote where your mouth is. Seek out causes, people, & businesses that accelerate #BLM progress. Support relentlessly. (Most states have a minority-owned business directory available online).
A few favorite follows for educators: @teachtolerance, @embracerace, @zarettahammond, @MrTomRad, @DenaSimmons.
What Is Sheltered Instruction?
Effective Recent Arriver programming is structured with the principles of sheltered instruction in mind. These techniques are not tethered to an exclusive program or curriculum. Rather, they are tools for teaching and learning that can be applied to and incorporated into any existing program to explicitly promote language development. All sheltering strategies are centered around the primary goal of increasing Emergent Multiinguals’ access to (and demonstrated mastery of) essential knowledge- without compromising the integrity of the content lesson.
Strategies that are associated with this pedagogy foster academically focused student talk, intra and interdependent problem-solving skills, effective collaboration, and healthy cross-cultural communication skill development. These practices benefit Recent Arriver and traditional students alike and can be modified to support learners across a range of language, grade, and skill levels.
Where Did the Term Sheltered Instruction Come From?
Sheltered instruction is a manifestation of the Comprehension Hypothesis for language learning. The Comprehension Hypothesis is rooted in the idea that “we acquire language when we understand messages containing aspects of language that we have not acquired, but are developmentally ready to acquire.” (Krashen, 2013). That is, language learning best occurs in natural settings, drawing holistically from what we hear and read. It develops via exposure to comprehensible input, or bite-sized digestible pieces of language understanding.
This is in direct contrast to the skill-building theory, which presses for direct, rote learning of grammar, vocabulary and spelling knowledge. Briefly, skill-building strategies are conscious measures, while comprehension-based learning is subconscious and indirect. Research overwhelmingly indicates that language learning is enhanced and accelerated when Comprehension Hypothesis methods are applied. In fact, evidence shows that,
“Students in beginning-level second language classes based on the Comprehension Hypothesis consistently outperform students in classes based on skill-building tests of communication, and do at least as well as, and often slightly better than, students in skills-based classes on tests of grammar.” (Krashen, 2003)
Sheltered instruction is directly representative of Comprehension Hypothesis ideals. Its primary goal is to provide language learners with a comprehensible input through the implementation of specific instructional tools and practices. Sheltered instruction is critical in the context of Newcomer instruction in that it focuses on content over language.
When students are exposed to content knowledge in comprehensible ways, appropriate language output is a holistic byproduct. Additionally, anxiety and pressure to learn the new language may be significantly diffused in sheltered subject matter settings. In fact, “Students in sheltered subject matter classes acquire as much language or more language than students in traditional [ESL-direct] classes and also learn impressive amounts of subject matter”. (Krashen, 2013, 1991; Dupuy, 2000)
So, what does sheltered instruction look like in the classroom?
Sheltered, or scaffolded, instructional practices engage emergent bilinguals and multilinguals in the rigorous content investigation. It can encompass a wide range of instructional techniques, each aimed at guiding and directing language learners toward proficiency, within an environment that endorses safety and facilitated risk-taking.
At the crux of impactful scaffolded instruction are effective content language learning objectives, which can be incorporated into every subject, each day. These cornerstones provide a powerful sense of directionality for both the educator and the learner and fuel a focused sense of productivity.
Basic elements of sheltered instruction include:
appropriate pacing;
modified speech;
routine and predictability;
use of visuals, realia, and manipulatives;
explicitly introduced body language, gestures, and facial cues;
sentence stems;
relevant language supportive technology;
modeling;
traditional or interactive word walls;
interactive notebooking;
multiple modes of assessment/means of demonstrating understanding;
graphic organizers (such as Frayer models, Venn Diagrams or word-mapping);
co-operative talk structures, such as inside-outside circles, fishbowls, numbered heads (download your cheat sheet here);
SIOP lesson planning, or “Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol” (Echevarria & Short), is frequently implemented as part of sheltered-instruction instruction.
When we integrate sheltering techniques into existing curricula and classroom protocol, we invite emergent bilingual and multilingual students to engage with intention and purpose, in ways that highlight existing funds of knowledge. We also support team building and interpersonal skills, which lend themselves to healthy integration. Perhaps most importantly, sheltering strategies can be overlapped with other pedagogies, such as culturally responsive teaching and learning, leading to especially dynamic socio-academic student outcomes.
For detailed information on Sheltered Instruction techniques, see The Newcomer Student: An Educator’s Guide to Aid Transition, Chapters 6-8
Download your Co-Operative Learning Cheat Sheet HERE.
Digital Game Play for Instruction: The Why of the Practice
I recently wrote an article for Edutopia outlining 5 Free Video Games That Support English Language Learners. In this article, we’ll lay some groundwork in terms of understanding the whys and hows of using serious games to drive meaningful student learning. Our guiding question: What makes gamification so appealing, and how can we apply this to our classrooms to increase student engagement and accelerate content understanding?
The Edutopia article explains: “The concept of gamifying learning has been part of practical instruction, in various forms, for years, and for good reason: Research shows that game-based learning has the capacity to motivate students, activate knowledge and enhance critical thinking capacities.” Additionally, we know that gameplay is a key facet of culturally responsive teaching and is an integral feature of modern ESL curricula. Serious games and simulation games, which invite players to actively solve for real and relevant problems, also expand the ways that learners see and interact with the world.
Trends in games-based learning continue to lean into technological integration- and data backs up its place in the 21st-century classroom. In fact, research indicates that education-focused video and virtual gaming can benefit all students, particularly low-performing students who demonstrate the greatest need.
Video games- including educationally driven programs- follow a predictable structure, resulting in relatively uniform user experience. If we look closely, we see that video game design takes many of its leads from brick-and-mortar classrooms. In fact, a user’s interaction with a gaming interface mirrors the school learning experience, where instructional best practices are in place.
Video games are largely successful at capturing users’ attention and driving players toward mastering the content of the game. In a similar way, it is possible to recognize key features of gaming architecture in our classrooms and to leverage these features to increase student interest and motivation and to drive authentic content learning.
Let’s take a closer look at those components:
· Play: Play is the cornerstone of video game design and appeal. Play itself has several requisites: choice, positive peer interchange, and the opportunity to explore, coach and learn in a safe, non-threatening arena. Schools also recognize the power of play, including the elements of healthy social interaction and cultivated trust, and we cater to it in a variety of ways.
· Central goal: A game is separated from simple play by one defining feature: the presence of a central goal. Well-designed video games direct users toward a clear and attractive end goal. Well-organized classrooms lead students toward specific, achievable end goals, usually through a series of identified mini-goals. We name these standards, student learning outcomes, or Content-Language Objectives (CLOs).
· Rules: Rules are the skeleton of a game. In a video game, rules-design follows the principle that rule followers will advance to the next stage of the game; and for those who misunderstand or abuse the game’s rules, the process will be delayed or ended. This pattern applies to most areas of life and is evidenced in the classroom setting. When expectations are clear, students understand what is expected of them and can respond appropriately.
· Feedback: The feedback loop is central to digital gameplay. The user voluntarily completes an action, which stimulates a system response (feedback). The user interprets the feedback and reacts accordingly. This process continues until the game ends or the user terminates the loop.
As educational practitioners, we are experts in feedback loops. The difference is that technological feedback is direct, instantaneous and wholly interactive. We know that prompt and meaningful feedback has positive implications for intrinsic motivation and accelerated learning. How can we grow in this capacity to benefit our students?
· Voluntary Participation: Virtual gaming is rooted in choice. When personal choice is introduced, productivity, accuracy and motivation increase. Where can we make room for more student choice in our classrooms? Interactive station rotations, student-led inquiry and project-based learning, for example, all promote voice and choice.
· Personalization: Video games are designed to read the user. They must determine the player’s initial level of expertise and projected wants and needs- and then adapt to fit the player. Well-designed games scaffold learning and progressively increase in complexity. This mimics optimal instructional protocol for all learners, including linguistically diverse students.
· Removed Fear of Failure: In game play, users are afforded an infinite number of opportunities to try again. Mistakes become synonymous with new prospects- and ultimately, failure becomes obsolete. The idea of “failing forward” is inherent to the gaming world. Where and how can we work toward removing fear of failure in our schools?
· Community Building: Virtual games lend themselves to collaboration and community. This is enhanced within the backdrop of joy, entertainment, belonging, teamwork… and fun. Positive relationship building is also central to the school organism. It forms the backbone of SEL, culturally responsive teaching, and trauma-informed practice.
· Assessment: Video games are also assessments: they recognize, evaluate and rank participation- and then adjust the experience accordingly. In this context, assessments are also malleable. They adapt to the player’s understanding and expertise and automatically push forward (or fall back to re-teach). Our best site-based assessments look this way, too!
· Debriefing: Debriefing is the process of thoughtful, purposeful reflection on one’s experience. Educational gameplay should include debriefing as a way to complete the circuit of understanding. In the classroom, this process can be guided and modeled and my included speech, writing or other expressive means.
Gaming is not intended as a replacement for quality instruction delivered by an experienced teacher. However, educationally purposeful video games can support students’ learning in a host of ways. And if we take the time to see it, we’ll find that tech-based gaming has more in common with traditional educational structures than we might realize- that the overlap, in fact, is significant.
Newcomer/RAEL Orientation Checklist
INDUCTION PROGRAMMING FOR NEWCOMERS & RECENT ARRIVERS
Induction programming is a best practices approach to Newcomer ESL/Recent Arriver English Learner (RAEL) education, as it acts as an essential framework for positive, integrated socio-academic participation. These processes are a means of orientating the student to his or her new school surroundings. As an added component, Newcomer/Recent Arriver learners are introduced to essential concepts and understandings that are critical to success in a school-specific environment. Guiding questions:
Who welcomes students and parents as they enter the school?
Who is the first school contact for Newcomer families? The second?
How are new students and parents introduced to the school and its staff? Are these processes amended when working with Newcomer families?
How are all students, including Newcomers, made to feel welcomed and safe at school?
What type of record-keeping systems ensures that no students are overlooked in the orientation process?
Orientation systems can be complex or straightforward. They can stem from the office staff; may include teachers, parents, and other students; or may originate at a Welcome Center site. We’ll focus our energies for this chapter on a few simple strategies that have a demonstrated effectiveness and are easy to implement. Then, if you’re interested in going further in developing your own orientation plan, I encourage you to visit the The Newcomer Student: An Educator’s Guide to Aid Transition.
PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING
Did you ever have to move schools when you were younger? Or, what about that (huge) jump from the elementary grounds to the middle/high school campus? Overwhelming, right? I remember the first time I visited my high school as a soon-to-be-ninth-grader. I was so convinced that I would never be able to find my classes. Or my locker. Or my friends. I actually had nightmares about it.
And here’s the thing: I spoke English. I’d been in American schools my entire life and enjoyed a network of peers, all scheduled to endure the transition with me. Still, I was shaking in my boots.
For a moment, consider the experience of school transition from a Recent Arriver EL perspective. We’re not talking about moving across town, or even from another state. Imagine that nothing is the same. Nothing is predictable. Everything is lost in a cloud of newness: language, mannerisms, climate, clothing, school. How would you react in this situation? What would you most wish for? What actions could a school take to help to ease your anxiety?
Let’s first examine the most critical aspects of school orientation. As you read through the following checklist, some of items might seem erroneous. That’s common sense. Right- it’s common sense from our perspective, based on our own previous exposure to localized normative values. But “normal” isn’t normal everywhere.
Normal is a completely subjective concept.
And so, it is important to practice viewing our school and classrooms with raw eyes. We must remind ourselves that cultural misunderstandings are not a reflection of intelligence. They are a reflection of vast world experience- and that’s a really cool thing! When I find myself in a cultural cross-tangle with one of my students, I like to ask my class: “Can you imagine if I visited your country? Would I know how to do everything right away? Could I speak your language with your grandmother or cook sambusa as well as your father? Would I even be able to find my way to the market or to the school by myself?”
This usually garners some laughter and a hearty conversation about how I wouldn’t even know that I was supposed to bow or kiss three times instead of shaking hands. “Nooooo waayyy!” But, when I ask if they would help me to feel safe by teaching me the things I would need to know, my students all eagerly agree! Just taking a moment to recognize our students’ perspectives exposes our willingness to understand and relate to our students. This kind of effort can really break ground and lead to trust building.
Where can we anticipate questions, concerns or confusion? Here are some starters!
Download a printable Google Doc of the Newcomer Family Orientation Checklist HERE.
Newcomer Family Orientation Checklist
Logistics:
☐ Layout and map of the school
☐ School hours
☐ Student course schedule
☐ Meals at school (cafeteria options, subsidized meal applications)
☐ School transportation
School Contact Information:
☐ Location and phone number of the main office
☐ Attendance line contact, if different
☐ Names and locations of key administrative personnel
☐ Name, location and contact information of teacher(s)
☐ Name and location of key resource personnel: nurse, ELD teacher, counselor, etc.
Policies:
☐ Immunizations
☐ Attendance
☐ Dress code (including winter and gym attire)
☐ Homework
☐ Supplies
☐ Behavior & Discipline
☐ Health and Wellness
☐ Cell Phones
☐ Safety (Weapons, Smoking, Alcohol, Drugs)
☐ Field Trips
Student Participation:
☐ Co-ed learning expectations
☐ Sitting for long periods of time
☐ Carpet meetings/sitting on the floor (where applicable)
☐ Lining up as a class
☐ Raising hand to speak
☐ Lockers (where applicable)
☐ Bell policy and tardiness
☐ Bathroom and hand washing routines
☐ Independent and group work routines
School-based Events:
☐ Back-to-School Night
☐ Report Cards
☐ Parent Conferencing
☐ Concerts
☐ School dances
☐ International Night, if applicable
Student Engagement:
☐ Sports and Recreation
☐ After School Tutoring
☐ Summer School
Parent Engagement:
☐ Classroom volunteer opportunities
☐ Field trip volunteer opportunities
☐ Adult ESL
☐ Translation services
© The Newcomer Fieldbook, 2017
Understanding Student Identity: Diving into Race, Ethnicity and Culture
What constitutes identity? From one community to another, and from one school campus to another, we are likely to find widely varying explanations.
Conversations around identity are typically assigned bank of related vocabulary. Often, we employ these words – race, heritage, ethnicity, nationality, and culture- interchangeably.
This is problematic, and often muddles our concept of (and ability to recognize, embrace, and value) personal identity. It makes it easier to lump human distinctions into tidy categories based on a series of checkboxes. But the reality is, it’s just not that simple.
Race is vastly different than ethnicity, and heritage does not necessarily indicate culture. Fortunately, getting these concepts straight is not highly complicated, either. It just requires that we have a common working language. Let’s get to it.
First, let’s return to our vocabulary: Race, Ethnicity, Nationality, Heritage and Culture.
To organize these concepts in our heads, we can think of the elements as concentric circles. When I’m working with folks in a professional development setting, those pieces fit together like this:
For staff Professional Development information on this topic please visit HERE. @ElYaafouriELD for DiversifiED Consulting 2018.
Let’s first look at the concept of “race” within the larger outside circle. Here’s the definition we’ll use for race: the composite perception and classification of an individual based upon physical appearance and assumed geographic ancestry; a mechanism used to facilitate social hierarchies.
Race, then, is an invented construct designed to enhance the social maneuverability of some and diminish that of others. If we look to our human history, we can see that the concept of race has been effective in achieving this aim. But the concept is overtly simplistic. Essentially, majority parties create arbitrary social categories that label those apart from them, and them fill in those categories with identifying descriptors for each category.
Race is also a malleable property. Racial categories (and their descriptors) differ from one society to another and change over time. They are susceptible to shifts in power, demographics, and socio-political climate. In the U.S., we’ve historically defined those race categories by color: black, brown, white, yellow and red.
Of course, we know that there must be so much more to the story than this.
The idea of ethnicity gets us a bit closer. We’ll describe ethnicity this way: An individual’s tie to a to a broader social group as defined by shared language and value systems, which may include nationality, heritage, and culture.
Ethnicity is a richer value than race. It captures the many elements that link a community of together. It also encompasses both past and present values of a social group. The most defining feature of ethnicity is that is self-definition. While one may be “born into” certain features of ethnicity, an individual may choose to abandon, adjust, or add to his or her ethnic identification.
The choice aspect of ethnicity also leaves room for ‘and’. Cherokee and Lakota. Latina and Korean. Palestinian and French. Igbo and Yoruba. Black American and white American. Multiethnic. Polyethnic.
This singular aspect of choice is what sets race and ethnicity apart. While both are inventive concepts, race exists only as an external social construct, placed upon an individual without choice. Ethnicity, meanwhile, exists as an internal construct with external influences and is marked by the mechanism of personal choice and affiliation.
For staff Professional Development information on this topic please visit HERE. @ElYaafouriELD for DiversifiED Consulting 2018.
Nationality, heritage and culture may be viewed as separate from, but somewhat living under the umbrella of ethnicity. Language is also housed here. Language represents the means of interpersonal exchange between peoples of a country or community. It is also the conduit through which elements of ethnicity (including nationality, heritage and culture) are expressed.
Nationality refers to the country to which an individual was born, holds citizenship or identifies with as home. The element of choice is observable here. A student who was born in Russia but has lived in the United States since the age of six is likely to have a very Americanized world-view and may identify as American, even if her citizenship status does not reflect this.
The idea of heritage looks to the place or places from which one’s ancestors originated from and what those ancestors subscribed to. It is possible to identity with a heritage, but not the matching ethnicity. For example, a person may recognize his African descent, but identify as ethnically Afro-Caribbean. An individual may celebrate Irish heritage, but not speak the language or identify with customs linking it to that ethnicity.
For staff Professional Development information on this topic please visit HERE. @ElYaafouriELD for DiversifiED Consulting 2018.
Finally, we arrive at culture. Culture, in many ways, is the most complex value. It is similar to ethnicity, but in a way, nested within it, as cultural indicators are part of the architecture of one’s ethnic identity.
Culture relates to the specific combinations of socially acquired ideas, arts, symbols and habits that make up an individual’s day-to-day existence and that influence his or her social exchange. So, ethnicity has to do with overarching themes that define a particular social group. Culture presents itself as (often material) markers of the ethnic group or its subgroups.
Culture has other attributes that set it apart from race, ethnicity, nationality and heritage. Namely, it is not determined by appearance. Culture is also a fluid property and is largely influenced by personal choice. Cultural behaviors may be changed, shared or acquired. Any person may pick up another’s culture at any time, and a person’s culture is highly likely to change over time, in whole or in part, based on new experiences, interests, and social influences.
For staff Professional Development information on this topic please visit HERE. @ElYaafouriELD for DiversifiED Consulting 2018.
Often, the element of culture is further broken down into three layers: surface, conscious and collective unconscious. Zaretta Hammond, in her incredible work, refers to these areas as surface, shallow and deep culture. Surface culture mostly refers to observable markers: fashion, food, slang, art, holidays, literature, games and music. Conscious culture looks to the governing rules and norms of a community. It includes eye contact, concept of time, personal space, honesty, accepted emotions, and gender norms.
The collective unconscious culture is at the very core of one’s worldview. From this space, an individual processes the natural and social world- and also makes sense of his or her place within it. Spirituality, kinship, norms of completion, and the importance of group identity are all part of the collective unconscious.
It is also possible to have sub-cultures with our culture. For example, we may belong to a skateboard, cowboy, gaming or band culture. We can attach specific elements of action and expression to each unique social behavior/interest group.
Now we can step back and look at our map. When we put all of these elements together, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of what comprises an individual’s identity. We can move in the direction of looking past the first layer of race (and perhaps eventually remove this non-serving piece). We can, through culturally-responsive teaching practices, develop our expertise in peeling away layers in our students’ identities in order to explore the deep culture factors that truly drive belonging, motivation and learning.