Collaboration and
Culture
America’s
classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse.
Each child’s culture has a significant influence in determining the
children’s identity and frame of reference.
It is essential to provide an environment in which all cultures can
succeed. The National Association for
the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) defines culture as “… the customary
beliefs and patterns of behavior, both explicit and implicit, that are
influenced by the society- or by a social, religious, or ethnic group within
the society-in its members.
Studies have shown that Hispanic families are not as
familiar with APE services as Caucasian families. Parental expectations among Hispanic parents
were similar to Caucasian parents, but the preferences for modes of
communication and information are different.
Many culturally diverse families traditionally defer to educators and
allow them to make decisions that many believe should be made through a
collaboration process. This is likely
due to there lack of confidence in language.
Trained translators are recommended.
An article analyzing culture and its influence on children
with severe and multiple disabilities.
The research shows that familiar food, music, and customs are important
for them as they provide a link between home and school. Unfortunately, many
children with multiple or severe physical disabilities, and with communication
deficits, may not be able to effectively convey their prior cultural experiences
and knowledge. All students regardless of disabilitiy should be taught within
the context of their own cultural heritage, and their families should be an
integral part of the IEP team. This will
cause these students to be dependent upon teacher and their families to be
cultural mediators. The challenge then is to find common ground to maximize the
educational potential.
Having diverse heritages is a seen as a positive attribute
to classroom. Three things to consider
when having multiple cultures in a classroom.
1. Teachers must know and understand how culture impacts
their own lives before they can become responsive to children and families from
diverse backgrounds.
2. Teachers begin to
match children’s learning style
with teaching style.
3. Teachers recognize that language plays a major
role in the instructional process. Teachers are sensitive to
the effect of language
differences on children’s responsiveness to teaching and
learning.
Physical Activity: A recent survey suggests that the USA
male and female participants take part in sports and physical activities mainly
for competition and improving skills.
Having a safe class environment for all different religions,
cultures, and sexual beliefs need to be respected and safe in all aspects. No
two people are alike. The world is a giant melting pot of
differences and people need to be respected regardless of your own
beliefs. All students are still children and all students need
allies.
Culture is a huge factor in many people’s lives. Incorporating
the family’s cultural beliefs are important for a cohesive team to have success
for the child. Some laws in other countries are not the same as in
the United States. If
you have a Hispanic family that does not know the teacher for their student,
they may be apprehensive to give information. Calling them or
sending them a letter describing what APE is about and what the services are
will be beneficial for the family in the long run, even if the language barrier
is there.
Students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing have the right and
deserve to learn the same curriculum as their hearing peers. Deaf
culture is a very strong group of people. Learning American Sign
Language as a teacher or using other visual aids will help not only the student
who is deaf, but probably other students as well. Talking about
differences in people, like doing the Disability Awareness Week, could not only
help you as the teacher learns, but letting other students learn that it’s not
a scary thing. Using peer tutors for students of any ability
level is also beneficial. They then have the opportunity to work
with a partner and can give feedback to each other. With a student
who is deaf, they may need more time with their partner; they can have the use
of the interpreter and use written or visual cues.
Samoan families have been raised through generations and are
very strong in culture. Teachers need to be aware of their
upbringings. A lot of teachers want students to look at them
if they are talking to each other. When a Pasifika (Pacific
Island peoples in New
Zealand) child is being reprimanded, they
show their respect to their elders by bowing their
heads. Having a child brought up this way, then having a
teacher to look at them, might be confusing for that child. Pacific
Islanders take great pride in their culture and
language. Incorporating others cultures into your class can help and
also asking parents to collaborate with ideas from their culture for ideas.
Respecting the beliefs and knowing the differences between
fact and fiction is crucial for educators. Modifying clothes for
certain cultures would be ideal for some cultures. Wearing shorts
under dress or finding a place for students that pray 5 times a day, finding a
safe, quiet place for them to do that is important. One of the
Pillars of Islam is Ramadan where adults (13 years old) fast from sun up to sun
down. They cannot eat or drink during this time. Making
students run on a hot day where they cannot drink water could put them in
danger as well as the teacher themselves.
Many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students
are bullied, as are other students, but there are many that end up committing
suicide because of the bullying. For many students in the LGBT
community, they still feel they are not accepted by either friends or family
around them. At the beginning of the year in class, you can
state what is appropriate and not appropriate language to use that
are offending to people of the LGBT community and people in general. This
goes for religions and slang that are derogatory to people in life.
References
-Communicating with
Hispanic Parents of Children with and without Disabilities
Journal of Physical
Education, Recreation & Dance
Luis Columna , Terry A. Senne & Rebecca Lytle
-Ensuring the Success of
Deaf Students in Inclusive Physical Education
Journal of Physical
Education, Recreation & Dance
Jessica L. Schultz , Lauren J. Lieberman , M. Kathleen Ellis & Linda C. Hilgenbrinck
-Additive bilingual
education: Unlocking the culture of silence
Patisepa Tuafuti
MAI Review, 2010, 1
“So, You're a Muslim?
(Not That There's Anything Wrong With That)”
Journal of Physical
Education, Recreation & Dance
Debra A. Ballinger
Best Practices
-Creating an
LGBT-inclusive School Climate
A Teaching Tolerance
Guide for School Leaders
TEACHING TOLERANCE
Exploring teaching practices in physical
education with culturally diverse classes: a cross-cultural study Symeon
Dagkas*University of Birmingham European Journal of Teacher Education Vol. 30,
No. 4, November 2007, pp. 431–443
Inclusion in Physical Education:
Changing the Culture APRIL TRIPP TERRY L. RIZZO LINDA WEBBERT. JOPERD • Volume 78 No. 2 • February 2007
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE INSTRUCTION
FOR STUDENTS WITH MULTIPLE OR SEVERE PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS
BLANCHE
JACKSON GLIMPS Tennessee
State University
THERON FORD
John
Carroll University.
Parental
Acceptance-Rejection:Theory, Methods, Cross-Cultural Evidence, and ImplicationsRONALD P. ROHNER
ABDUL KHALEQUEDAVID E. COURNOYER