Enhancing Cultural Proficiency- Making Schools Better for Everyone

Workshop 101

November 2010 – February 2011

The more we understand each other, the more we appreciate our differences.

Barbara Moore Williams Ed.D.moorwill1@yahoo.com

Define culture and its impact on our daily lives.

Gain a better understanding of Cultural Proficiency and the Cultural Proficiency Continuum and how it affects our lives.

Provide district data and available resources for Cultural Proficiency

To ensure common language and a common understanding of this work about culture and learning

Goals

Openings Perceptions Count Culture-Discussion District Data Cultural Proficiency Continuum A Baker’s Dozen: Effective Instructional

Strategies Resources

Agenda

… listening… requires not only open eyes and ears, but open hearts and minds. We do not really see through our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs... It is not easy, but it is the only way to learn what it might feel like to be someone else and the only way to start the dialogue.

-Lisa Delpit

The search for blame is always successful

and never helpful!

No Blame

No shame

Keep in mind

The Big questions for today.

1. What is culture?

2. Why does it matter in schools and life?

3. How do we create environments that allow individuals and organizations to interact effectively with people who differ from them?

Culture

It serves as a window into the work that must be done to enhance each student’s ability to excel in our schools.

The achievement gap can be changed … by us! …and all students deserve to learn CP ( not PC) skills.

Today is a…

It is important in conversations where race/ diversity are discussed that we practice our best active listening techniques.

Pause Probe

Paraphrase Acknowledge

3Ps and an A of active listening

◦Stay engaged. Observe the quiet signal Cell phones on vibrate and laptops away

◦Experience discomfort.◦Speak your truth (and allow others to

speak theirs)◦Expect/accept non-closure.

Four Agreements

To help us begin our journey..

You will need a pencil and paper for this exercise.

First Impressions◦Partner with someone you know little about- personally

◦Guess about the following list:

Warm- Up

Country of family origin and heritage Languages spoken Interests or hobbies Favorite food Type of movies ,TV preferred Type of music preferred Pets, if any, or favorite animals

Write your guess

How close were you?

We make judgments about people all the time, just by looking at them- it’s human nature.

To move to a place of cultural proficiency we first must examine our own beliefs and ideas and then get to know our students, their families, beliefs and their expectations.

Perceptions

Jot down words and/or phrases that describe your definition and ideas about

“culture”Turn to a new partner and share ideas. Add to yours.

Let’s hear a few.

Culture- What is it?

Look at the “iceberg”… circle any ideas that did not occur to you when you defined culture.

How might any one of them influence one’s ability to excel in a school environment?

Deep Culture

“The integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communication, action, customs, beliefs, values and instructions of a racial, ethnic, religious, or social group”.

Culture:

A set of practices and beliefs that is shared by members of a particular group and that distinguishes one group from others.- Randall Lindsey

“The way we do things ‘round here”- Asa Hilliard

Culture- defined

Cultural Groups Besides ethnic/racial cultures…you can

belong to◦Schools◦Community/Neighborhood◦Professions◦Gender◦Age◦Religion◦Others?

Please take a moment to put your new ideas about culture down on the page that you did your original thinking about it.

Talk to someone about your new learning. Let’s hear a few.

Culture is………….

Culture- redefined

Video

The Cultural ProficiencyTools

The Continuum ( review)◦ Language for describing both healthy and non-

productive policies, practices and individual behaviors

The Essential Elements◦ Behavioral standards for measuring, and

planning for growth toward cultural proficiency The Barriers

◦ Caveats that assist in responding effectively to resistance to change

The Guiding Principles◦ Underlying values of the approach

The Cultural Proficiency Continuum

Cultu

ral de

struc

tiven

ess

Cultu

ral in

capa

city

Cultu

ral

blind

ness

Cultu

ral co

mpeten

ce

Cultu

ral

preco

mpeten

ce

Cultu

ral

profic

iency

Besides “the Gap”…… We live and work in an increasingly

diverse world. Interacting effectively with cultures

different than ours is a critical skill today. If organizations or people are to interact

effectively in a culturally diverse setting, ◦ an organization must examine its policies and

practices; ◦ an individual must examine his/her

values,beliefs and behaviors.

Why Cultural Proficiency

Schools today…◦ Achievement requirements are higher for all

children. ◦ The student population is becoming more diverse.◦ There is attention being paid to “the gap”.

Society today…◦ Is changing demographically◦ Requires different skills than in past years

Why become culturally proficient?

Building Cultural Proficiency in Schools

Building cultural proficiency requires: informed and dedicated staff, committed and involved leadership, and time

People cannot attend a one-day training and be expected to return to work with solutions to all the equity and racial/cultural issues in their environment.

Cultural Proficiency Continuum

At your table number off 1-4- read to be able to teach the point to your teammates- make sure you give the definition and one example from the text and one of your own.

1’s Read- Destructiveness 2’s Read Incapacity 3’s Read Blindness 4’s Read Pre-competence

When I call the number – begin teaching- Please do not move on to the next number until I call it.◦ Make sure that your teammates are looking at the

text you read as you teach.- jot down your new example

◦ Have them underline or highlight the parts you feel are important

◦ Have them dialogue a minute about it. Number 1’s begin…..

Teach

Cultural destructiveness See the difference, stomp it out

The Continuum

Cultural incapacity See the difference, make it wrong

The Continuum

Cultural blindness See the difference,

act like you don’t

The Continuum

Cultural precompetence See the difference, respond

inadequately

The Continuum

Cultural competence See the difference, understand the

difference that difference makes

The Continuum

Cultural proficiency See the difference and respond

effectively in a variety of environments

The Continuum

Cultural Proficiency is defined as having the knowledge, skills, and attitudes/beliefs to work with individuals from cross cultural settings with the ability to respond to their needs in a positive and effective way.

Definition of Cultural Proficiency

News release- Census Bureau Estimates Nearly Halfof Children Under Age 5 are Minorities

Schooling in USA was built for a certain population.

We MUST change to meet the needs of our current and future student population.

RELEASED: THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2009

District Snapshot: Ethnicity of Staff

Belmont Hills Elementary School

Cynwyd Elementary School

Gladwyne Elementary School

Merion Elementary School

Penn Valley Elementary School

Penn Wynne Elementary School

BalaCynwyd Middle School

Welsh Valley Middle School

Harriton High School

Lower Merion High School

Languages Spoken:

In your groups of 4 number off 1-4.

◦ 1’s read Cultural Destructiveness ◦ 2’s Cultural Incapacity◦ 3’s read Cultural Blindness and◦ 4’s Cultural Precompetence◦ Proficiency – we will all discuss

Read to be able to teach your team two important points and 1 or 2 examples

Jigsaw Task

Conduct monthly meetings for 50 Cultural Proficiency Cadre members

Conduct professional development on culturally proficient strategies for administrators

Coordinate attendance for teachers, building administrators, curriculum team members, and school counselors to attend DVMSAC workshops that focus on diversity and culturally proficient teaching strategies

Expanded instructional focus of new teacher orientation to include issues of cultural identity

Supported the development of student support programs and activities: Day of Service, CRAYONS, Cross-Age Mentors, DREAAAM

Conduct workshops and training on diversity and culturally proficient teaching strategies

Strategic Plan – Achievement Gapand Holistic Needs of Students

Children as Owners of Knowledge

Children won’t learn if teachers think they can’t learn

Teachers have not taught until the student has learned

Dr. Asanti and Dr. Mazama

http://culturalproficiency.wikispaces.com

Resources

Watch your thoughts they become your words

Watch your words they become your actions

Watch your actions they become your habits

Watch your habits they become your life

In Closing- Watch

Culture makes a difference,and that difference

matters!

SUMMARY

Be the change

you expect in others.