GLOBAL TEACHING:CROSS CULTURAL AWARENESSMary Kaish

“Education faces new challenges in a world more globally connected yet ever more unequal, divided and asymmetrical”

--Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, 2007

Impact on Students Students need to be exposed to and

experience a variety of cultures while in school

Cross Cultural awareness is the way students can begin to understand the cultures of people in the world around them

Impact on Students When they begin to understand that

they are part of a culture that might be different than others- Cultural Awareness begins to happen

Students are provided with a way to realize their OWN backgrounds, beliefs, family traditions, emotional feelings and values

Impact on Students Cultural Awareness may be difficult for

some students to grasp because culture is something that is done on an unconscious level

Experiences, values and cultural backgrounds have led students to see and do things in a certain way

Impact on Students Cross Cultural Awareness will teach

students… People are not all the same Similarities and differences in cultures are

equally important There are multiple ways to reach the same

goal within different cultures Cultural Awareness leads to global

awareness

Challenges in the Classroom

Starts with students and teachers needing to interact with others from a different culture than their own.

But some problems arise… Unwillingness to understand differences Hatred or bullying towards other cultures Stubborness in their own beliefs Stereotyping

Challenges in the Classroom

Some questions to consider as an educator to prepare for Cross Cultural Awareness in the classroom… Are the students in the class accepting of

learning about others? How I be presenting the material? Why is the topic relevant or important to

the students?

Challenges in the Classroom

Some ideas to consider when bringing Cross Cultural Awareness into the classroom… Make it relevant- students could teach about

their own culture Have a celebration day- every student could

choose a holiday to celebrate instead of just one holiday

Show students real world reasons- why would they need to know about other cultures?

Be accepting- have a guest speaker, bring in parents, allow students to bring in cultural items

Integration into the Curriculum

Reasons to Integrate… Language and culture have always been

closely related With travel taking place globally in the

recent past, it is important that students learn or are familiar foreign languages

The language and the culture of where it comes from is many times just as important as the language itself

Integration into the Curriculum

Cultural awareness is something that teachers can add into curriculum or lessons easily and simply

If the teacher of the second language is a native of the land of which language is being taught, they therefore can directly relate to the culture (this often times has the a very significant impact)

Different cultures usually interest students, so experiences like having guest speakers come is a great way to incorporate and teach using real-life examples

Teaching: An ExampleMaterialsStudents: One piece of 6 x 6” construction paper per student (pick

from two colors) Crayons for each student Construction paper (scraps) GlueTeacher: “The Patchwork Quilt” by Valerie Flournoy Art example in paper square Tape Yarn Hole punch

Teaching: An Example Procedures: Have the students interview a family member (mom/dad, grandma/grandpa) and see where their families originated from (what country?)..Discussion: Talk about families and where many families’ originated. Discuss how families may be alike and different. Show on a map where the students’ families originated. .Introduce story, The Patchwork Quilt. Find out what the children know about quilts; share knowledge and experience about quilts and quilt making. .Read the story allowing the children to make inferences at different points in the story. .Review the story together; discuss the meaning of the quilt and why Tanya started to help in making the quilt. Ask why the quilt was so important to Grandma and later on to the rest of the family. Ask what her mother learned as the story progressed, etc. Tell special things about your family (1minute or so with a classmate and then each partner tells his/her partner’s special thought to the class in large group). .ACTIVITY: Explain to the children that they are each going to make a "quilt square" of his/ her own families’ ancestry. They will also write a sentence or phrase at the bottom of their pictures that tells something special about their family. .Show models of different ways they can use the art materials to make their pictures. Then have small groups go to pick up the materials they would like to use. .After completing each square, connect these squares by taping all of the sides together. .Display these squares and have each child share about his/her picture. Observe the likenesses and diversity of families (i.e. size, gender, cultural or ethnic background; etc). Discuss how the uniqueness of each family is special and important. .Display quilt in the class or school hallway.

Teaching: An Example Adaptation: Assist the children as needed in sharing, listening, and in creating the family picture. If necessary, ask the parents of the child with special needs to provide family information for the family picture (i.e. # of boys and girls, favorite family hobbies or activities, etc). Encourage everyone to participate during the sharing time, but allow the students to “pass” if they don’t wish to share. Provide extra help and support to students who are English-language learners and for those with any special learning needs. *** I think that I will use the story/text retelling to help the ELL learners that I have in my classroom. I would pair up the ELL learner with a native English speaker and have them use the book and go over the main points of the story. This will enable the ELL student to get one on one help and be able to go through the book at his or her own pace.

Teaching: An Example Assessment: Review the students’ quilt patches they created. Listen as the students explain their quilt patches and why they drew their pictures and make sure that they have the understanding that families are different and each individual in a family is different. Observe the students and see how they respond to their peers’ comments

Teaching: Books The Color of Us, By: Karen KatzA positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist’s perspective.Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.Through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, this book celebrates the differences and similarities that connect all people.

Teaching: Books We’re Different, We’re

the SameIllustrated in full color. The colorful characters from Sesame Street teachyoung children about racial harmony. Muppets, monsters, and humans comparenoses, hair, and skin and realize how different we all are. But as they lookfurther, they also discover how much we are alike.

Teaching: Books All Families Are

Special, By: Norma Simon

When Mrs. Mack says she will soon be a grandmother, her students realize that teachers have families just like they do! Suddenly everyone in the class wants to share information about his or her own unique family.

References http

://www.culturosity.com/articles/whatisculturalawareness.htm

http://www.apapracticecentral.org/update/2008/12-17/cultural-awareness.pdf

Suárez-Orozco, M. M. (Ed.). (2007). Learning in the global era: International perspectives on globalization and education. Univ of California Press.

Amazon.com Teacherspayteachers.com