EDUC 3350 Chapter 2 Frameworks & Illustrations ● Culture is described as any of the values, beliefs, and facets of identity that influence our lives. ● Cultural identity is the feeling of “belonging together” experience by a group of people. ● An Ethnographic researcher studies many different characteristics of different cultures -Seen characteristics: Race, socioeconomic status, age, gender, or behavior. -Unseen characteristics: Beliefs, values, and attributes Big C and Little c Culture ● Big “C” culture (objective culture) elements include architectural design, nationallevel politics, current legal trends, and formal societal values. -It is widely accepted and recognized -Aspects of this type of culture are passed down through generations to convey history. ● Little “c” (Subjective culture) culture elements include individual, family, and community norms, values, and expectations. -A more personal side of culture ● Big C is highly recognizable and overly taught while little c is more intimate and ingrained in daily life. Culture as a Tree ● ● ● ● ● Using the image of culture as a tree to explain that there are seen and unseen aspects of cultural identity can be useful because the tree is universally recognizable image. This analogy uses the main parts of a tree to explain distinct aspects of cultural identity ○ Highly visible array of leaves ○ Sturdy but flexible branches ○ Strong and visible trunks at the center or core ○ Unseen roots running deep and wide below the surface Key idea of tree analogy : there are different and distinct visible elements that have varying degree of importance A tree outline is used to guide self reflection varying the depth or width of your tree roots based on importance or influence in your life Culture as a Tree (continued) ● ● ● Leafy canopy : write down aspects of your own identity that are obvious and visible to people who just met you or don’t know you too well. ○ Includes: skin color, sex, general age range, and primary language Trunk section: note aspects of your cultural identity which become apparent to people who you interact with but might not be especially close to. ○ Important facets that keep you a bit more reserved ○ Like economic status, education (which might also be part of your unseen root system), family makeup, religious beliefs, dialect or additional languages, relationship status, and gender identity. Roots: are those deeply held values, beliefs, ideals, goals, and hopes that are extremely important to you but that only people close to you really understand and know about you ○ This includes: gender expectations, spirituality, family values, life goals, satisfaction with career, beliefs about justice and fairness, moral code, and more Culture as an Iceberg ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Culture as an iceberg: view of culture as having highly visible aspects as well as a large unseen component is well illustrated using the metaphor This metaphor for imbalance, with its emphasis on the massive unseen parts of an iceberg, is an even better visualization for culture than the metaphor of the tree, where the roots are present but not as oversized compared to the visible elements. The most important part of culture is internal and hidden external culture : is described as encompassing behavior and objective knowledge ○ norms that are explicitly taught and learned and are a part of spoken and written expectations and actions ○ these elements are visible, overtly promoted as illustrations of certain groups; they also change through group action The elements under the surface, called internal or deep culture, include more personal beliefs, values, and thoughts. How parents interact with you, what they expect you to do with their children, and how children respond to you are all heavily influenced by that vast unseen culture of unspoken beliefs and values A useful lesson that emerges from using the iceberg analogy is understanding the potential for a perilous crash that can result from not recognizing the importance of the unseen mass. ○ Being able to understand a person’s unseen culture is essential in navigating the sometimes tricky waters of intercultural collaborations. Big Impact of Little c: Developmental of Self-Identity ●“Who am I?” “Is it okay to be who I am?” “What is my place in the world?” It is important for a child to explore and answer these questions when discovering their self-identity. ●Children internalize the expectations and norms of their unique cultural context through a variety of messages. ●Families especially parents play an important role of children’s learning process. ●Often overlooked, it is important to understand that children’s curiosity leads them to question everything about human interaction including negative aspects such as racism, prejudice, and exploitation. ●A key element of cultural identity is that it is taught and learned, though it also reflects the emergence of innate traits. ●In addition to social conditioning, there are many biological forces that drive a child’s development. It is important for educators and parents to understand the interaction of these 2 forces of nature and culture as described by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Doll Test (Clark, 1939-1940) Link 1: Clark Doll experiments - YouTube Link 2 (2010): Father reacts to daughter's doll test - YouTube Highlights of Infant Development ● From birth, infants are sensitive to the reactions and emotions of the caregiver adults in their lives. ● Before 12 months, infants engage in social referencing where they will specially look at a parent or caregiver for cues and direction on how to respond to unfamiliar situations. ● Able to notice differences in skin tone and facial features that look familiar or unfamiliar (show preference to the familiar). For example: when an infant is face to face with someone who looks different than what the infant is familiar with, the baby will observe the parent’s face and body language to “read” the parent’s feeling about the unfamiliar (new) person. ● The infant will respond/reflect what the baby read in the parent’s face, body, or voice. ● The parent’s reaction can become/influence the infant’s beliefs, values, and behaviors. Infants can read and feel the parent’s negative or positive reactions and emotions. BoBo Doll Experiment (Bandura, 1961) >Does modeling behavior matter? Link: Cognitive Learning Theory-Bobo Doll Experiment - YouTube Highlights of Infant Development ● ● ● ● ● Throughout the first year, an infant goes through a process of developing her sense of herself as an individual separate from their parent. The older infant/young toddler begins to make decisions and realize their wants. Feels strongly the need for a sense of willingness or identification within a group, community, or family. The need of belonging is a major driving force for ingraining family norms and expectations, which sets the stage for developing biases (identification with a preference for the familiar). The need for belonging shapes later preschool classroom power hierarchies, cliques, and exclusivity. Highlights of Infant Development ● In the second year, young toddlers already notice differences in appearance, mobility, and speech/language. They respond with curiosity or uncertainty. ● They will point to people who look different and show preference for pictures, people, and dolls that look familiar. Culture in Classrooms ● ● ● ● ● It is important to teach students fairness, cultural appreciation, and social justice as well as demonstrating the same respect in your own actions Children are extremely impressionable, they learn values, biases, and identity conception through the actions they witness from the behavior of the adults around them In the first few months of life infants begin to develop mental categories, such as gender and skin tone In childrens’ earliest years they begin to recognize visible differences between them and the people around them ○ Putting them into categories such as “People like me” and “People different from me” ○ It can quickly become a negative comparison Many teachers try to integrate cultures into their classroom by using “the one-shot traveler approach” that spotlights celebrating cultural heroes and holidays ○ “celebratory subject approach to diversity”(Hyun, 2007, p. 262) ○ Uses culture specific celebrations ■ ex) Cinco de Mayo or Chinese New Year ○ Uses one figure to represent nationality, race, or culture as a whole ○ Can send a message of “other-ness” that furthers the distance children rather than developing their understanding and appreciation of cultures Valuing Culture in the Classroom ● One of the biggest struggles for teachers is creating respectful and useful strategies for creating a respectful and culturally responsive learning environment ○ An obstacle of this is lack of knowledge of other cultures ● Tokenism is the stereotypical events or displays treating the culture of a child’s home life as fixed or static ○ Such as celebrating a traditional holiday with traditional clothing and food ● A tourist approach to exploring would focus on the big C, above the surface level. It does not draw attention to the sameness and differences that are apart of the “true human experience” ● It is important for professionals to commit to culturally competent practice by getting to know each child and family in order to be able to carefully plan environments and interactions to support children’s strengths and needs How to Create a Pluralistic Classroom Community ● ● ● ● ● ● ● It is important to build a bridge between the public culture of the early childhood centre and the private cultures of families A bridge must have a strong foundation in order to be functional and strong to be able to span the distance ○ Half the foundation is you or the classroom ○ Half the foundation is the child’s family and home life ■ It is important for these two “foundations” to be equally balanced, represented, and present in the relationship Environmental design has a great impact on young children Design spaces should be intentionally, sensitively, and respectfully designed valuing cultural pluralism Integrating visual images and authentic artifacts which reflect the diversity of the children in relevant ways While incorporating culture into your classroom it is important to focus on the “little c” aspects of children’s daily lives ○ ex)photos, artwork, weaving, tools, and literature It is important for materials to be integrated with authenticity and not insulting caricatures Environmental Design It is important to be familiar with the children’s culture and family lifestyle in order to design the classroom in a way that is inclusive of everyone. Some things to consider are ● ● ● ● ● The ways they spend their time (different activities and stories) The look, sounds, and feel of their neighborhood and home (how to set up the classroom) Things that they eat (examples of different cultures food) Family structure (inclusive family labels) Assistive technology used by diverse communication abilities (braille, hearing aids, sign language, etc) Children’s Play Children’s play is a great avenue for exploring internalized roles and social rules. Teacher should play an active role in facilitating discussions. Ways to do this include: ● ● ● ● ● Replace exclusive language to respectful dialogues Provide support for self-identity (informational magazines) Suggest how to incorporate the children’s cultures into play Expand play scenarios with prompts and cues Take on a role in the children’s scenarios Bringing it all together ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Culture is both observable and unseen at times. Big C culture is formal themes (history, politics), while little c culture are daily life aspects (more influential) Culture as a tree: Leaves are most obvious aspects (skin color, language), trunk is still visible but intimate (family style, economic status), while the roots are deep and the most intimate (spirituality, morals) Culture as an iceberg: We can only see the tip of a person’s culture by observing them, we must seek a deeper relationship for a greater understanding Cognitive and social development: Culture is taught and learned. Enculturation: throughout toddlerhood children’s are aware of differences and ask questions. Bias emerges when a child learns it from subtle messages or behaviors in their environment. Influences on Development: Family life, Community, politics (Bronfenbrenner) Valuing Culture in the Classroom: Avoid tourist style subjects, begin with the students’ lives, become sensitive and knowledgeable about negative stereotypes, focus on the rich layers of culture.
