2. TOPICS:
1. Definitions of Culture
2. Ethnicity or Exceptionality
3. Multicultural Bilingual Education
4. How One Thinks About Culture
5. Cultural Pride and Shame
3. DEFINITIONS OF CULTURE
"Cultures are the maps
of meaning through
which the world is made
intelligible."
- Peter Jackson
4. DEFINITIONS OF CULTURE
Traditional definition – A shared set of beliefs,
traditions, values and goals that define a
group, institution or organization
5. DEFINITIONS OF CULTURE
Sociological view of culture - the words, artifacts and
symbols which interact with forms of social life
Anthropological meaning of culture - “Culture, or
civilization, taken in its broad, ethnographic sense, is
that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief,
art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and
habits acquired by man as a member of society.” - Sir
Edward Tylor
Romanticist definition of culture – consumption and
leisurely activities
Cultural studies – the meaning and practices of
everyday life
6. DEFINITIONS OF CULTURE
Similarities and Differences
All definitions
of culture
include some
description of
what people
do.
What varies is
the
construction
and
manifestation
of human
development
8. COMPONENTS OF CULTURE
Sub culture - A sub culture is a group of people
with a culture that sets them apart from the larger,
dominant culture to which they belong.
Counter culture - is used to describe a group of
people who are characterized by their defiance or
opposition to the dominant culture.
Dominant culture – establishes the rules,
language, behaviors, religion and social norms for
the society and maintains control of social
institutions.
9. HISTORY OF CULTURE:
18th/19th Century Europe – Culture was an agricultural term used to describe
cultivation or improvement.
Early 19th Century Europe – Culture came to mean the improvement or development
of the individual, primarily through education.
Mid 19th Century Europe – Culture was a term used by scientists to refer to
universal human capacity.
20th Century – Culture expanded to be an anthropological term that had two
meanings:
1. human capacity to classify and represent experiences with symbols*
2. the unique ways that people living in different parts of the world classified
and represented their experiences*
*Both definitions include the ability of humans to act creatively
After World War II the term culture was adopted by different disciplines, with each
discipline uniquely defining culture.
10. ETHNICITY OR EXCEPTIONALITY
How can ethnicity can be mistaken for
exceptionality when one's own ethnic group is
viewed as setting the standard for all others?
11. ETHNICITY
AN ETHNIC GROUP HAS IN COMMON
A historic origin.
Identity, heritage and traditions.
Value orientations.
Behavioral patterns.
Political and economic interests.
12. EXCEPTIONALITY
A group sharing a set of specific abilities or
disabilities that are especially valued.
Requiring special accommodations within a
given subculture.
A person may be considered exceptional in one
ethnic group but not in another.
13. ETHNICITY OR EXCEPTIONALITY
Examples of Differences
Among Ethnic Groups
Patterns of eye contact
Physical contact
Use of language
Ways of responding to people in positions of
authority.
14. ETHNICITY OR EXCEPTIONALITY
What one group may see as deviant or
unacceptable in their own group might be
normal and adaptive in another.
We must not mistakenly conclude that a
student has a disability or is gifted just because
he or she is different.
15. MULTICULTURAL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
What are the most important aspects of multicultural and bilingual special education?
16. MULTICULTURAL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Disproportional representation between
general population and special education.
Adolescents of color are more likely to be
identified with disruptive behavior disorders
than Caucasian peers.
Males living in poverty are more likely to be
identified as having a behavior disorder.
White, Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic
students are under represented.
Black and American Indian overrepresented.
19. MULTICULTURAL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
curricula that provide
equal educational
opportunities to
students regardless of
their gender, social
class, ethnicity, race,
disability, or other
cultural identity
20. MULTICULTURAL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Instruction that uses:
The students cultural
strengths
That involves teaching
tolerance
Appreciation of culture
Working with families
Improving language
instruction
For language-minority
students,
Improving literacy
21. MULTICULTURAL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Culturally
appropriate
assessment that
honors the
student’s cultural
heritage and does
NOT penalize any
student
22. MULTICULTURAL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Socialization to multicultural norms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSPjQsmMqhk&feature=player_embedded
23. WE NEED TO INCREASE THE UNDERSTANDING OF SUBCULTURES.
24. MULTICULTURAL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Multiculturalism is a very important aspect to the
human experience and the advancement of our
societies.
25. MULTICULTURAL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Diversity Like Nature
The landscape of Earth is an intricate
mix of shapes, forms, and colors each with
its own identity and spirit, separate, and yet a
piece of a whole.
The land we live in probably best reflects this
notion.
The landscape of the United States, a quilt
woven of dramatically different terrains, is
populated by people equally as unique and
diverse.
Glancing over the entire country from the
Pacific to the Atlantic, you see many different
environments coexisting: warm deserts,
snowcapped mountains, golden plains, green
valleys, lush marshlands, sandy beaches,
and bustling cities.
All are different, yet one: the United States.
No less than its geography, the people who
inhabit the United States also exemplify
nature’s diversity
(De Melendez & Beck, 2007, p. 4).
26. MULTICULTURAL AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION
Effective multicultural
education allows all
students pride in their
own cultures,
understanding and
appreciation of different
cultures, and ensures
equal educational
opportunities for all
students, regardless of
cultural background.
28. HOW ONE THINKS ABOUT CULTURE
We Are All Emigrants
Contemporary theory traces
the ancestry of mankind to
the African continent
(National Geographic,
2003).
Through DNA we have been
able to trace the beginnings
of mankind to a tribe in
Africa, whose genetic code
is most similar to the
earliest human remains that
we have discovered JOURNEY OF MAN tells the remarkable story
(National Geographic,
2003). of the human journey out of Africa and into
Based on the biological, the rest of the world, tracing history through
anthropological and evidence uncovered in the Y-chromosome of
archeological evidence it is man’s DNA. Traversing six continents, the
safe to posit that mankind film takes viewers on a fascinating journey
began on the content we
now call African. From there, into the hidden world of their ancestry and
the human race dispersed offers a modern look at our ancestor’s
throughout the world. lives(National Geographic, 2003).
29. HOW ONE THINKS ABOUT CULTURE
Civilization brought about city
states to govern the people
and lands occupied by human
migration.
Claims of ownership to the
inhabited lands emerged.
As man politicized the lands,
distinct culture emerged based
on several factors.
A few of these factors are
physical environment:
• religious beliefs
• communication
• technology
• political organization
30. HOW ONE THINKS ABOUT CULTURE
Once a Melting Pot Now a Salad
A unique blend of distinct flavors
A melting pot was the metaphor use
to describe the assimilation of
various emigrant groups arriving in
America from the 1800 through the
20th Century. Historically, public
education aimed to assimilate
emigrants into American society.
31. HOW ONE THINKS ABOUT CULTURE
How we think of
culture influences
our educational
system.
Today we celebrate
diversity and
recognize America
as part of a global
society.
32. CULTURAL PRIDE AND SHAME
African Americans are a
people rich in culture
that Includes
innovations in:
Art
Music
Religion
Sports
Technology
In February of each
year we celebrate
the accomplishments of
African Americans
in the United States.
33. CULTURE PRIDE AND SHAME
One source of shame is termed
as “Self-Hate.”
Gang violence, drugs, and the
disproportionate number of
African American men in the
penal system is a reflection of
self-hate.
There is evidence that the wide
spread availability of Crack
Cocaine was propagated by
United State Government
agencies. If these allegations
are true, it exposes attempted
genocide.
Cultural Shame
http://www.justice.gov/oig/speci
al/9712/ch01p1.htm