Cultural Competence

I just wanted to say first off, that I don’t think that a person’s ethnicity says anything about them individually. People can’t tell, just by looking at a person, what their cultural values are. I think it’s important to get to know each student/person individually and understand where they’re coming from.

That being said, I am aware of some aspects of certain cultures that are common among people belonging to that culture. However, I understand that just because a person is from a certain culture, doesn’t mean that they agree with or subscribe to everything or anything that’s a part of that culture. I feel that a lot about a person depends on the family and their personal views and the individual as well.

Recently, I have been learning more about other cultures and the way they view intelligence and a comfortable learning environment. I have read things about how African American children might have more of a kinesthetic intelligence. This could be because they value this in their culture. (Trawick-Smith, 2018, pg. 372). Some children from Japan might be more logical-mathematical and spatially intelligent. (Trawick-Smith, 2018, pg. 373). I have also read about how African American children might enjoy more of the social aspect of learning and they possibly learn better with others. (Trawick-Smith, 2018, pg. 252). At the same time, “Children of Chinese or Chinese American families often prefer relatively direct adult guidance in quieter, less active learning settings.” (Trawick-Smith, 2018, pg. 252).

While in the classroom, I noticed a few examples of culturally responsive teaching. During the morning meeting, the students went around the circle and asked each other if they preferred rain or snow. Each child got a turn to ask the question and answer the question. I thought this was a good example of building trust and communication skills amongst the students in a social setting. I’ve also seen the teacher ask children to work together often. Sometimes they have to talk and come up with the answer to a question together. The teacher also provides times in the day for students to work on their own. Mrs. June incorporated oral traditions and music into the lesson by singing a song about pennies and another about the month of February to help the students remember what they learned.

Sources:

Trawick-Smith, J. (2018). Early childhood development. 7th ed. pages 252, 372-373