The Art of Defining & Implementing Cultural Competence

Chapter 12 - Seeker Role 

When researching the term cultural competence, one quickly realizes that there is no ONE definition of cultural competence. Definitions of cultural competence have evolved from diverse perspectives, interests and needs and are incorporated in state legislation, Federal statutes and programs, private sector organizations and academic settings. 

Some of the most influential work on defining cultural competence was conducted by researchers, of Terry Cross, Barbara Bazron, Karl Dennis and Maressa Isaacs in their 1989 publication of Towards A Culturally Competent System of Care, which offered a definition of cultural competence that established a solid foundation for the field. The definition has been widely adapted and modified during the past 20+ years. However, the core concepts and principles espoused in this framework remain constant as being viewed as universally applicable across multiple systems.

According to Cross and the other researchers, cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.

The word culture is used because it implies the integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values and institutions of a racial, ethnic, religious or social group. The word competence is used because it implies having the capacity to function effectively.

Five essential elements contribute to a system's institution's, or agency's ability to become more culturally competent which include:

1. Valuing diversity
2. Having the capacity for cultural self-assessment
3. Being conscious of the dynamics inherent when cultures interact
4. Having institutionalized culture knowledge
5. Having developed adaptations to service delivery reflecting an understanding of cultural diversity [1].

These five elements should be manifested at every level of an organization including policy making, administrative, and practice. Further these elements should be reflected in the attitudes, structures, policies and services of the organization.
So why does it matter in education?

According to the National Education Association, the reason why we should be concerned with cultural competence is to help educators close achievement gaps.
American classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse. As NEA President Dennis Van Roekel has noted, “Educators with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to value the diversity among students will contribute to an educational system designed to serve all students well" [2].

Cultural competence is a key factor in enabling educators to be effective with students from cultures other than their own. 

Cultural competence is having an awareness of one’s own cultural identity and views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of students and their families. It is the ability to understand the within-group differences that make each student unique, while celebrating the between-group variations that make our country a tapestry. This understanding informs and expands teaching practices in the culturally competent educator’s classroom [2].

At the individual or personal level, this means an examination of one’s own attitude and values, and the acquisition of the values, knowledge, skills and attributes that will allow an individual to work appropriately in cross cultural situations.

Resources
1. Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K., & Isaacs, M., (1989). Towards A Culturally Competent System of Care,
    Volume I. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Child Development Center, CASSP Technical Assistance
    Center. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED330171.pdf
2. National Education Association. (2016) Why cultural competence? Retrieved from http://www.nea.org
    /home/39783.htm

Culture and Context - First Reader

It is indeed timely that we should be reading chapter 12 at a time when culture in general, and sexual orientation in particular, has dominated the headlines and placed North Carolina at the forefront of a national controversy. Much of what is being discussed has to do with education specifically as policy makers grapple with how bathroom facilities in schools will be designated. As Merriam and Bierema point out, “culture can be examined from several perspectives in adult education including positionality, privilege, context, and power” while positionality is “a visible or invisible attribute such as ableness, age, class, culture, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, language, and so forth” (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, pgs. 239-240).

Source: sovereignunion.mobi

Many have reported through the centuries that nature will not leave a vacuum- someone or something will fill it in. Adult learning does not take place in isolation either, but is rather processed through a vast system of filters that we begin establishing from birth. The context of what we learn, and how we apply it, must be a primary consideration in matters of curriculum and teaching. Two potent determiners, as the book explains, are privilege and power.

Privilege

Both at Guilford College and Lenoir-Rhyne, as part of the education studies curriculum, I have been tasked with teaching courses in multiculturalism. Some of the most emotionally charged and impactful discussions that I have ever had in my classes have centered on the issue of white privilege. In order to explore both conscious and unconscious opinions I have often used the work of Dr. Peggy McIntosh, whose 1990 essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” encompasses a long list of statements such as “I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed” or “I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented” (McIntosh, 1990). I divide students into groups and have them openly discuss whether or not these statements are true in their own personal experience. The results are often quite jarring. They rarely realize how much they take for granted based on gender or ethnicity, and some quickly become defensive. The tension frequently increases as we move beyond the surface level assumptions and begin to explore the depths of competency.

Source: globalcompetency.wikispaces.com

More broadly I spend the semester helping these future teachers to achieve what has widely been referred to as "cultural competence", which Jean Moule defines as "the ability to successfully teach students who come from cultures other than your own" while understanding that to do so "entails developing certain personal and interpersonal awarenesses and sensitivities, learning specific bodies of cultural knowledge, and mastering a set of skills" (Diller and Moule, 2005, p. 2). To Moule and others this competence is best regarded in the context of a continuum and as part of an integrated system that Merriam and Bierema believe "shapes the thought and action of people within a particular setting such as a classroom, school, organization, community, or nation" (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p. 241).

Power

Moule makes an important distinction between two terms that are often used interchangeably and much too loosely - prejudice and racism. The tipping point is power. "Prejudice" refers to negative feelings, expressed or unexpressed, that we all have (Diller and Moule, 2005, p. 29). These may or may not have anything to do with race or ethnicity and primarily affect us personally. "Racism" begins when we have the "power" to act on those feelings and negatively impact the lives of others (Diller and Moule, 2005, p. 29). As our chapter reveals, in a broader application, power "is the ability to influence others or to bring about change" (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p. 241) in a manner that is not inherently positive or negative. Whether we teach adults in a school setting or in the workplace, the dynamics of how we structure curriculum and pedagogy pivot largely on how we view power structures and the effectiveness of our instruction, as chapter 12 mentions, will rest upon how those we teach perceive power.

Culturally Relevant Teaching

As our text discusses, and I learned first-hand when teaching students in China as an online instructor, Western and Eastern theories and norms about teaching and learning vary greatly. While Western educators tend to divide and subdivide subject areas as well as the mind and body, Eastern thought is more holistic in nature. Meriam and Beriema urge us to see the connections and the "benefit in merging the cultural practices to achieve highly effective, varied learning for diverse learners" rather than becoming mired in maintaining "dichotomous approaches" (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p. 246). Further, we must establish clear and firm connections between theory and practice while at the same time recognizing that there are "cultural differences and power struggles when it comes to defining the relationship between theory and practice" (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p. 250).

Framework for Learning

Source: likesuccess.com

Recognizing that our world is becoming more culturally integrated would seem to lead to the realization that our views of teaching and learning must also become more connected and "cognizant of the intersecting roles the educator, learner, process, and context play in the design and facilitation of learning" (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p. 253). I have not found this to necessarily be so. Too often I see people in all fields of endeavor "circling the wagons" of dogma and tradition. Some of this tendency can be traced back to cultural contexts that the chapter articulates. Certainly, power structures are firmly entrenched in our society with an eye towards maintaining the status quo. As educators both in the classroom and in the workplace, we shoulder an awesome responsibility to teach others to see the cultural contexts, connect them to what we are teaching, and provide practice in applying those insights. As Merriam and Bierema remind us in their parting words, education and learning cannot be exclusive because "our future depends on more holistic, inclusive theories and practices of adult learning for all learners" (Merriam and Bierema, 2014, p. 255).

References

Diller, J. & Moule, J. (2005). Cultural competence: A primer for educators. Belmont, California: Thomson. 

McIntosh, P. (1990). White privilege: Unpacking the cultural knapsack. Independent School, Winter issue. Retrieved from: http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/lewisjulie/White%20Priviledge%20Unpacking%20the%20Invisible%20Knapsack.pdf

Merriam, S. & Bierema, L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossy-Bass.

Thinking and Processing - Responder

I have spent the better part of my life educating and studying education. Terms, theories, and "paradigms" come and go, but one eternal rejoinder to the assertion that schools are failing is that we "are not teaching critical thinking skills". As Patricia and Karen clearly delineate in their posts, critical thinking has applications both for the workplace and the classroom. As I have considered approaches to building this skill in the adult learners that I teach, as well as improving my own capacity for it, I have come to believe that it is less important (and more threatening) to our present society than another skill that is heavily emphasized in our jobs and in our schools - information processing.

Thinking vs. Processing

Particularly in academia, wrangling over definitions causes us to pause and lose the name of action, as Shakespeare warns. I have no intention of falling into that trap here, but I do maintain that definitions are a useful tool for framing and focusing. In this particular case, when determining the fundamental difference between thinking and processing, a social, underlying, and somewhat sinister purpose in favoring one or the other comes to the surface. "Processing", as I see it being played out in our social, political, and educational institutions, denotes taking in information, breaking it into its component parts, and shoveling it into predetermined bins. While one could argue that breaking information down requires some degree of critical thinking and even creativity, I see even this part of the processing procedure as being predetermined. We are given "chunks" of information and told how we should go about breaking it up (often called "interpreting") and where it should be placed. Whether operating in our personal or working environments, it is not the intent of those providing the information that we should reflect upon, evaluate, or connect the information (i.e. critical thinking), because doing so would turn it into "knowledge" - a potentially dangerous bit of anti-matter for those in power. Rather, we are encouraged - if not outright commanded - to accept what we are given, put it in its appropriate file, and move on.

The Brazilian philosopher and educator, Paulo Freire, called the state of existence in which discernment is limited "intransitive consciousness" (Freire, 1973, p. 17). When in this state, we are not open to other possibilities and interpretations, and we approach "a near disengagement between men and their existence" (Freire, 1973, p. 17). However, as people "amplify their power to perceive and respond to suggestions and questions arising in their context, and increase their capacity to enter into dialogue not only with (others) but with their world, they become 'transitive'. Their interests and concerns now extend beyond the simple vital sphere" (Freire, 1973, p.17). Keeping those without power (the "oppressed", as Freire termed them) in this simple vital sphere, is in the best interests of those having the power. Liberating us from it, is the work of critical thinking.

Source: quotesgram.com

Though employers decry the lack of critical thinking ability among their employees, I submit that the desired depth of that skill, if it is truly wanted at all, varies. If workers begin to question the status quo, call for new policies and procedures that would cost money and time, or seriously engage in Freire's search for "possibilities and interpretations", you can quickly find out how sincere they are in their pleadings.

Implications for the Classroom

In the high-stakes testing classroom, students are taught to confine their "interests" and "concerns" to what must be regurgitated on some assessment. By doing so in the prescribed way, they can confirm their allegiance as "successful participants in the global economy" or some other similar capitalistic mantra. As Karen pointed out in her post, the best way to encourage critical thinking among our students is by example. Unfortunately, in the systems-based American educational philosophy, teachers are no more encouraged or allowed to think critically than are their students. Tie their ability to pay their bills to their students' performance on quantitative tests that they had no part in creating, overload them with non-academic duties and form-filing, and you have the breeding ground of Freire's "in-transitivity". The emotion-based thinking that Karen quoted in her post takes over and the possibility of arriving at logical decisions is further diminished. "Decision-making, in today's world, is many times a disorganized, impulsive process without the necessary information and analysis," writes Kyle Moore. "Many times this results in negative consequences for the decision maker and those affected by the decision" (Moore, 2010, p. 6).

The ramifications for adult learners are even more salient. Adult learners are even less able to accept this kind of mindless pedagogy because they have a level of maturity and experience that produces a fully functional instrument called (by my daughter) a "bull ***t meter". In higher education in particular, they are sacrificing time and money for their education and have less patience with participating in a kind of academic assembly line.

Source: logoscr,blogspot.com

Improving critical thinking skills involves engaging the student in a mosaic of interlocking activities, as represented in the illustration above. It is far from the one-way, information banking and retrieval model that the status quo favors. This is not to say that we should not persevere in our efforts to foster critical thinking, but we should also be mindful that, to the degree that we succeed, we will be challenged.

References

Freire, P. (1973). Education for critical consciousness. New York: Continuum.

Moore, K. (2010). The three-part harmony of adult learning, critical thinking, and decision-making. Journal of Adult Education, 39(1). Retrieved from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ917394.pdf.

Critical Thinking & Critical Perspective:

Reaching My American Dream

I am a searcher for this chapter

Based on the ideas presented in this chapter by Mr, Logan Shook, I want to put into practice my critical thinking toward the critical perspective of the American dream from the perspective of an immigrant. Mr. Shook says that to exercise critical thinking you need to investigate what you want to defend or criticize, in this case, I want to share my personal experience in regards of a critical perspective related with the American dream in the context of my immigrant experience.

From my point of view, each and everyone of us have his/her own opinion in regards of the American dream. In my case, I see that there are different reasons why people from different countries come to the USA. In my case, the major reason was to accomplish what I could not accomplish in my own country, to become what I wanted to be. I know for a fact that if you work hard, you will accomplish the American dream due to the opportunities this country offers to all who happens to live here. Before continuing with this reflection, let's explore what the American dream is.

What is the American Dream

Source: prezi.com

In her book Facing up to the American dream, the author defines the American dream with these words: "The American dream consists of tenents about achieving success " (15). After defining the American dream in these terms, Hochschild continues explaining what "success" implies and she adds, "People most often define success as the attainment of high income and prestigious job, economic security (15)". She then adds that success can not be seen only in economic terms, there are other ways to be successful and that could be by feeling the sense of "accomplishment" (16), and how people could seek it by different ways like earning a degree or finding a job. This author also says that "A definition of success involves measurement as well as content. Success can be measured in at least three ways, (..) First, it can be absolute. In this case achieving the American dream implies reaching some threshold of well-being, higher than where one began but not necessarily dazzling. As Bruce Springsteen puts it, "I don't think the American dream was that everybody was going to have an opportunity and the chance to live a life with some decency and some dignity and a chance for some self-respect". Second, success can be relative. Here achieving the American dream consists in becoming better off than some comparison point, whether one's childhood, people in the old country, one's neighbors, a character from a book, another race or gender --anything or anyone that one measures oneself against. Relative success implies no threshold of well-being, and it may or may not entail continually changing the comparison group as one achieves a given level of accomplishment. (...) Success can, alternative, be competitive--achieving victory over someone else. My success implies your failure. Competitors are usually people, whether known and concrete (opponents in a tennis match) or known and abstract (all other applicants for a job).

Reflection

Source: www.theatlantic.com

Based on the ideas of Hochschid, each and every one of us have his/her own idea of success. In particular, in my case, as an immigrant in the USA, I confidently can say that I consider myself successful because I have accomplished the American dream in my own terms. As it is described in the picture above, for me, the most important aspect to reach my goals in my new life in the USA was the opportunity this country gave me to obtain my education and get an excellent job, these two things were impossible to attain in my country due to economic constrains and the safety issues generated by the violence related to the illegal drug business that affected all in my country. Furthermore, I have the great accomplishment to give my family, specially my daughters, what Bruce Springsteen says above, "the chance to live a life with decency and dignity and a chance for self-respect". Having all kinds of freedoms to choose what I want to be or do is part of what this great nation is about and anyone coming from other country and/or being born here is able to reach with determination and hard work! 

References

Hochschild, J. L. (1996). Facing up to the American dream: Race, class, and the soul of the nation. Princeton University Press.

Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Why Critical Thinking Matters in the Workplace

Credit: woman.thenest.com

Critical thinking skills are essential in the workplace. Critical thinking requires the cultivation of core intellectual virtues such as intellectual humility, perseverance, integrity, and responsibility. Critical thinking can be defined as the ability to objectively evaluate the facts to make a logical decision. This skill set helps employees gather the information required to analyze a situation, obtain feedback from everyone involved, and generate optimal solutions to the problem.

         Credit: TED-Ed

If critical thinking skills are so great, why is it so difficult to get employees to use those skills? People assume that everyone in their workplace is too busy, but it's also because critical thinking isn't a priority in today's society. Schools are no longer routinely teaching basic thinking processes, such as rhetoric or the scientific method, Employers have discovered that they need to provide training in critical thinking skills.  Steve Siebold stated that individuals are trained to think with their emotions instead of using logic and reason (Fallon, 2014). Siebold stated that "Society fosters emotion-based thinking and decision making" (Fallon, 2014).  Critical thinkers are usually open-minded, decisive, confident, and able to move past their emotions when making decisions. Teams can be encouraged to think critically by having the team evaluate how the decision was made. Did the team make the decision on facts or a gut feeling? Can the decision be justified by anything that is not emotionally related? If the answer is yes, the team is engaging in the critical thinking process. 

                                                                                   Credit: U.S. Department of Labor

Anyone is capable of learning and improving his/her critical thinking skills, but teaching an employee critical thinking skills isn't always an easy task.The best way to encourage critical thinking is to lead by example. Executive coach Dave Gambrill stated that every employee need to have the ability to think critically (Brooks,2013). "Leaders don't want to micromanage their employees, but often they are forced to because the employees lack critical thinking skills," Gambrill said (Brooks, 2013). 

References:

Brooks,C. (2013). The 10 Job Skills Employers Want. Business News Daily. Retrieved 21 April 2016, from http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4125-job-skills-employers-want.html

Fallon,N. (2014). Is Your Team Missing This Important Business Skill?. Business News Daily. Retrieved 21 April 2016, from http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7532-critical-thinking-in-business.html

Digital Age - response

eLearning in the digital age

Does anyone remember the Jetson's? The cartoon first aired on Saturday morning in 1963. George, Jane, Judy, Elroy, and Astro were characters living in the future. George had a machine that got him out of bed, through the shower, dressed, and ready to leave for work. Rosie was the robot maid that kept the house operating. Hover cars existed, side walks moved, and food was instant. Video calling existing and the kids, Judy and Elroy, were transported to school through a tube. I remember watching this cartoon as a kid and thinking that the future would be so COOL! 

As an adult, I've been a little disappointed to find out that the future isn't quite how the Jetson's portrayed it. However, I still think the future is very cool! I really wish the machine that would get me ready each morning existed. The video call exists today in Facetime, webex, and Skype. Judy and Elroy could still get to school but it would be through digital media instead of a tube. The advancements in technology have allowed the educational frontier to expand to parts unknown. Military personnel sitting on a battleship in the middle of the ocean can attend classes just like a person who is stateside. 

The reality is that educators have to encourage the use of technology with their staff. Instructional requirements are not the same as 20 years ago. Class sizes are different. Today, children may be harder to control but be so smart that it is frightening. 

Credit: Thecompellededucator.com

Developmentally appropriate teaching practices must always guide the selection of any classroom materials, including technology and interactive media. 

Teachers must take the time to evaluate and select technology and media for the classroom, carefully observe children’s use of the materials to identify opportunities and problems, and then make appropriate adaptations. They must be willing to learn about and become familiar with new technologies as they are introduced and be intentional in the choices they make, including ensuring that content is developmentally appropriate and that it communicates anti-bias messages. When selecting technology and media for children, teachers should not depend on unverifiable claims included in a product’s marketing material. In the selection process, program directors and teachers should consider the allocation of limited resources and cost effectiveness, including initial cost, the ongoing costs of updating and upgrading hardware and software, and other non-specified costs such as additional items needed to use the product.

Appropriate use of technology and media depends on the age, developmental level, needs, interests, linguistic background, and abilities of each child. 

There is a developmental progression in children’s use of tools and materials, typically moving from exploration to mastery and then to functional subordination (using the tools to accomplish other tasks). Anecdotal evidence suggests this same progression is evident in the ways that children interact with technology tools. Children need time to explore the functionality of technology before they can be expected to use these tools to communicate. Just as we encourage children to use crayons and paper well before we expect them to write their names, it seems reasonable to provide access to technology tools for exploration and experimentation.

Technology tools can help educators make and strengthen home–school connections. 

With technology becoming more prevalent as a means of sharing information and communicating with one another, early childhood educators have an opportunity to build stronger relationships with parents and enhance family engagement. Early childhood educators always have had a responsibility to support parents and families by sharing knowledge about child development and learning. Technology tools offer new opportunities for educators to build relationships, maintain ongoing communication, and exchange information and share online resources with parents and families. Likewise, parents and families can use technology to ask questions, seek advice, share information about their child, and feel more engaged in the program and their child’s experiences there. Technology tools such as smartphones, mobile devices, and apps offer new and more affordable ways for busy family members to communicate, connect to the Internet, and access information and social media tools to stay in touch with their families and their child’s teachers and caregivers. Internet-based communication tools offer new opportunities for video calling and conferencing when face-to-face meetings are not possible; these same technology tools can connect children to other family members who live at a distance. As they do for young children, educators have a responsibility to parents and families to model appropriate, effective, and positive uses of technology, media, methods of communication, and social media that are safe, secure, healthy, acceptable, responsible, and ethical. Technology tools can support the ways educators measure and record development, document growth, plan activities, and share information with parents, families, and communities. Teachers can use digital portfolios that include photographs as well as audio and video recordings to document, archive, and share a child’s accomplishments and developmental progression with families in face-to-face conferences or through communication and social media tools. Displaying photos in the classroom of children’s drawings or block buildings, along with narratives dictated by the children or explanations of why these types of play are important, can help families understand the critical role of play in early childhood development. Sending weekly, monthly, or even daily updates through social media or e-mail can help families feel more connected to their children and their activities away from home. Inviting children to take a picture of something they have done and helping them upload the photo to a file that can be e-mailed promote children’s understanding of ways to communicate with others while also contributing to their learning more about the functions of reading and writing (Naeyc, 2016)

Traditional Education

Education was based more on memory than on understanding. Why change? Why improve? Things are and will be a lot more demanding than they used to be.  A global world is the field where students will have to perform in a near future. They must get ready for a working field that can be even a bit threatening. They will be dealing with an international and also fierce competence. Therefore, they need to learn a lot more than just the curriculum that is provided in school. Students need relevant environments, activities, materials and, obviously, engaged teachers.

(2016). Naeyc.org. Retrieved 18 April 2016, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/PS_technology