Author: Christina Shunnarah
Article Title: The Cross-Cultural Classroom
Source of Article: The New York Times – Lesson Plans – Learning to Teach in a Complicated World
Publication Date: September 25, 2008
The central point of the article is how the author has taken specific steps to create a cross-cultural classroom that is accepting of all cultures. There is not one cultural group in the article, but a subgroup, that being ELLs from 40 different countries speaking 50 different languages. All of this takes place at the International Community School in Decatur, Georgia.
The author, Christina Shunnarah, begins with a comparison and contrast of how we as educators usually approach multiculturalism verses the way we should approach it. She describes culture as an iceberg. Usually our approach as educators is to touch the top of the iceberg when it comes to exploring cultures. These are known as the five F’s of food, fashion, festivals, folklore, and flags. Shunnarah suggests that as educators we need to tap the piece of the cultural iceberg that is below the surface. She calls this deep culture. Deep culture involves the elements of child-rearing, concepts of self, beauty, personal space, religious rituals and perspectives, eating habits, facial expressions, eye contact, work ethic, approaches to problem solving and interpersonal relationships, moral values, cosmology, world views, and personal discipline.
Beyond contrasting culture with deep culture, Shunnarah gives three points to developing a cross-cultural classroom. First she states that developing cultural competence is a process of inner growth and that the educator must continuously engage in self-reflection. Part of this process of self-reflection is to investigate our core beliefs, hidden biases and our own religious perspectives.
The second step to developing a cross-cultural classroom involves investigating the different cultures represented in our classroom. This is done by reading about student’s countries of origin, visiting their homes, meeting with family members, connecting with parents, developing relationships with community members and organizations, and going to cultural and religious festivals. This community involvement says Shunnarah, allows her to understand the socio-cultural backgrounds of her students and builds bridges between life at home and life at school.
Finally, the third step to developing a cross-cultural classroom is to build upon a foundation of respect for all cultures. Shunnarah says that this is ever changing and evolving. This step in the process is very fluid and involves life long learning and research about her students.
I agree with Shunnarah’s view that we often only touch the top of the iceberg and that as educators we need to move beyond surface issues to tap the rich resources to be found at the deep culture level. In so doing, we will be able to teach our students respect and tolerance for those that are different from themselves, thereby not just affecting the climate in our classroom, but affecting lives of people well beyond our classroom.
I would use this article to help teach ELLs about American culture by pointing out that America is really a multicultural country built on the principals of mutual respect and tolerance for those that come to this country seeking freedom of religion, freedom from persecution, or for a better life.
This article directly relates to the Georgia Performance Standards EDU-IECE-6 Students will respond appropriately to cultural diversity in the learning environment, FCS-AGL-3 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the communication patterns specific to and within multicultural groups, FCS-AGL-4 Students will demonstrate teamwork and leadership skills in global communities, and ELAMLRL 1-5 dealing with multicultural literature.
Unfortunately, these standards only apply to grades 9-12, which in my estimation is too late in the educational process to begin introducing ideas of multicultural understanding. If we truly want to develop multicultural classrooms the standards must reach down to the earliest grades. I would say that no student is too young to be taught an appreciation for different cultures and to participate in the educational celebration of our cultural diversity. Until the standards can do this, it is up to culturally sensitive teachers at all grade levels to fill in the gaps when it comes to multicultural education.
Link to article: http://tinyurl.com/3eozjr