1 Culturally Inclusive Teaching and Learning

Overview

Welcome to LDRS 662 Culturally Inclusive Teaching and Learning. In this course, we will explore theoretical perspectives and practical applications of culturally-inclusive pedagogy.

“Culture is the fundamental building block of identity.” – Laffier, Petrarca & Hughes, in Leavitt, Wisdom & Leavitt, 2017, p. 150.

Cultural identity is a critical component of who we are as humans in this world, and as such, culture influences our teaching and learning experiences. Because culture makes up such a significant part of our identity, this course will challenge you to think deeply about your own cultural identity, as well as your internal and external beliefs and assumptions about other cultures. Together, we will explore theoretical perspectives on cultural diversity, racism, privilege, and cultural competency. Building on that foundation, we will consider theories and applications of culturally inclusive pedagogy, learning environments, and facilitation/coaching methods. Ultimately, this course will prepare you to design and facilitate culturally-inclusive individual and group learning experiences.

Cross et al. (1989) identified five elements of cultural competency, which will provide a framework for learning in this course. These include: “(1) valuing diversity, (2) having the capacity for cultural self-assessment, (3) being conscious of the dynamics inherent when cultures interact, (4) having institutionalized culture knowledge, and (5) having developed adaptations to service delivery reflecting an understanding of cultural diversity” (Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Isaacs, 1989, as cited in Laffier, Petrarca & Hughes, 2017, p. 150).

Figure 1.1: Word bubbles depicting Elements of Cultural Competency

Elements of Cultural Competency (Cross et.al., 1989)

In this first unit, we begin the course by…

1. Discuss the value of diversity in the teaching and learning experience,
2. Engage in self-assessment of cultural identity, implicit biases, and cultural competency,
3. Evaluate teaching and learning from a culturally-inclusive perspective,
4. Expand our cultural knowledge, and
5. Consider how to adapt our coaching and facilitation in a culturally-competent manner.

Topics

In this unit, we will focus on the following topics:

1. Introduction to Cultural Competency
2. Culturally Inclusive Teaching

Unit Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:

• Assess personal cultural competency.
• Describe key elements of culturally inclusive teaching.

Activity Checklist

Here is a checklist of learning activities for this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.

• Wordle. Complete a word cloud with words related to your own cultural identity. (Note this will be a part of your participation/discussion grade.)
• Complete a Cultural Competency Self Assessment.
• Read: Irish, & Scrubb (2012). Five competencies for culturally competent teaching and learning
• Key Terms Review
• Discussion (Graded) Review the 10 design principles developed by McLoughlin and Oliver (2000). Write a post summarizing each of the design principles and elaborating on one of the principles.

Working through course activities will help you to meet the learning outcomes and successfully complete your assessments.

Assessment

• Assignment 1: Culturally Inclusive Learning Spaces: Observation

Note: Begin this assignment now. It is due at the end of Unit 1.

After reading the Hickling-Hudson and Ahlquist (2003) article, visit a classroom or other learning environment, such as a library, childcare center, employee training room, or museum. Observe the resources, artwork, images, and other aspects of the learning environment. Post a blog or audio/video diary with your observations and evaluation of specific ways in which the environment is culturally inclusive and/or homogenous.

1.1 Introduction To Cultural Competency

Take a moment to reflect on this question: Do you consider yourself to be “culturally competent?” Why or why not? What makes someone culturally competent?

Cross (1988) defines cultural competence as a “set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations” (p. 13).

Irish and Scrubb (2012) identified five elements of culturally competent teaching, including critical reflection, respecting others, accommodating individual learners, practicing intercultural communication, and intentionally structured learning experiences.

Note that we will learn more about Cultural Competency in Units 2 and 3.

1.1.1 Activity: It’s Wordle Time!

Learning Activity

As we consider how to create learning spaces that are culturally inclusive, you’re invited to begin by brainstorming about your own cultural identity. Take out a piece of paper and set a timer to five minutes. Then, look at the questions below and jot down key words that come to mind. You don’t have to use full sentences – feel free to write any words that come to mind.

• Where did you grow up? What was your community like ethnically and culturally?
• How would your family describe your cultural background? In what ways is your family culturally homogenous? In what ways is it diverse?
• What is your cultural/ethnic background?
• What aspects of your culture/ethnicity are important to you?
• When did you first interact with people of a different cultural background than yours?
• How do you feel when you interact with people form different cultural backgrounds?
• Describe your current community and work environments. Are they ethnically/cultural diverse? Homogenous?

Questions adapted from the Personal Cultural Identity questionnaire, Office of International Services, North Carolina State University.

Review your responses to the brainstorming prompts, highlighting key words. Then, use a free online word cloud app to generate a word cloud (e.g. Word It Out, Wordle, Tagul). Simply enter your key words, create your word cloud, and save the file (or copy the image).

Note that you will post your image to the Unit 1 discussion forum, explaining how this illustrates your cultural identity and what you learned from this activity. (See the Assessment in this unit for more details.)

1.1.2 Activity: Cultural Competence Self Assessment

Learning Activity

Each of us brings our own cultural identity and experiences of interacting cross culturally to our work in leadership and teaching. Some of us have lived and worked in diverse environments and developed strong cultural competency through that experience. Others of us may live and work in more culturally homogenous environments, and have less experience interacting with people of cultures different from our own. Regardless of our experience, our level of cultural competency will influence our effectiveness as teachers and leaders. As part of our reflective practice, we can benefit from engaging in self assessment of our own cultural competence.

Begin this activity with a reflective journal. Building on the brainstorming exercise in the previous activity, consider your own exposure to people from other cultures in your family, community, employment, place of worship, and country, considering both your childhood and adulthood. Write a description of your intercultural experiences.

After completing the reflective journal, complete one of these cultural competency self-assessment tools.

• Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Checklist.
• Cultural and Linguistic Competence: Health Practitioner Assessment. National Center for Cultural Competence. Georgetown University. “Self Assessments.”
• Several Assessments available at Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre.
• Cultural Competency Pre-Assessment Tool. Human Resources Professionals Association.

After completing the assessment, take a moment in your reflective journal to write five observations about cultural competency in general or your own cultural competence.

Note that this is an ungraded learning activity designed to help you succeed in your assessments in this course. For more information on Reflective Journaling, click here.

1.2 Culturally Inclusive Teaching

A culturally-inclusive pedagogy acknowledges that culture informs both learning and teaching; learning is situated within a specific cultural context, which informs the ways we understand knowledge and learning, our expectations for the learning experience, our beliefs about the role of teachers, and our engagement with new content and ideas. Culturally-inclusive teaching challenges us to engage with our own cultural identify, consider ways in which our teaching/learning experiences are informed by our cultural beliefs, and reflect on how our understanding of how knowledge is constructed and known is also directly influenced by cultural beliefs.

“Situated cognition” can be summarised as follows:

• Learning is situated and contextualised in action and everyday situations;
• Knowledge is acquired through active participation;
• Learning is a process of social action and engagement involving ways of thinking, doing and communicating;
• Learning can be assisted by experts or supportive others and through apprenticeship;
• Learning is a form of participation in social environments” (McLoughlin & Oliver, 2000, p. 61).

Culturally-inclusive teaching, therefore, must take context into consideration, acknowledge cultural differences in knowledge production and learning theory, and provide opportunities for learners to reflect on their own cultural beliefs and how they inform the concepts and knowledge they are learning. “Culturally-responsive teaching engages students in self-awareness activities that lead to reflection on cultural assumptions” (Irish & Scrubb, 2012, n.page.). Among other aspects of an inclusive and safe learning environment, Cull et al. (n.d.) maintain that the “4Rs” of Respect, Responsibility, Relevance, and Reciprocity are essential, and furthermore that a respectful learning community is one that “Honours Indigenous knowledges and ways of being” (Cull et al., n.d.).

Figure 1.2: The Four Rs of Indigenous Philanthropy

The Four Rs of Indigenous Philanthropy from International Funders for Indigenous Peoples

In our role as teachers or facilitators of learning, we will often just naturally assume that we know how learning takes place, often replicating curriculum design or learning experiences we have had. However, when teaching in a culture different than our own (or teaching learners from across cultural perspectives) we must acknowledge that our teaching instincts are culturally-informed.

McLoughlin & Oliver (2000) argue that, “The design of Web based instruction is not culturally neutral, but instead is based on the particular epistemologies, learning theories and goal orientations of the designers themselves” (abstract).

1.2.1 Activity: Read and Reflect

Learning Activity

Read the following resource:

• Irish, & Scrubb (2012). Five competencies for culturally competent teaching and learning.

As you read, consider the context in which you will be teaching. What cultural assumptions do you have about teaching and learning? What assumptions do you have about the role of teachers and students? What competencies will you need to develop or deepen to increase your effectiveness as a teacher/facilitator in this setting?

1.2.2 Activity: Key Terms Review

Learning Activity

In order to review some of the major concepts we learned in this unit, take the following unmarked quiz. Although you will not be evaluated on these terms, they will assist you in the assignments for this course.

Match the following terms to their correct definition.

1.2.3 Activity: Read and Reflect

Learning Activity

Read: McLoughlin, C. & Oliver, R. (2000). Designing learning environments for cultural inclusivity: A case study of indigenous online learning at tertiary level. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology. 16(1), 58-72.

In your Reflective Learning Journal, review the 10 design principles and write a one-sentence summary of each of the design principles. Choose one of the design principles to elaborate on, wconsidering how you might implement this design principle within a context in which you will be teaching/facilitating. Note that this will help you complete your Unit 1 discussion post.

Unit Summary

In this unit, we have explored concepts of cultural competency, how the teaching and learning experience is informed by cultural values and experiences, and how to create learning environments and experiences that are culturally inclusive. In the next unit, we will learn about cultural identity, building on the learning in this unit.

Checking Your Learning

Before you move on to the next unit, you may want to check to make sure you are able to:

• Assess personal level of cultural competency.
• Describe key elements of culturally inclusive teaching.

Assessment

Unit 1 Discussion

Part A

Post your word cloud image you created in the first activity to the discussion forum (See Assessment tab). Add a couple of sentences explaining how this illustrates your cultural identity and what you learned from this activity.

Part B

Review the 10 design principles developed by McLoughlin and Oliver (2000). Write a post that includes a one-sentence summary of each of the design principles. Choose one of the design principles to elaborate on, writing a 250-word discussion of how you might implement this design principle within a context in which you will be teaching/facilitating. Respond to the posts of two other learners, providing feedback on their application of the design principles.

Grading Criteria

All discussions will be graded according to the following rubric.

Assignment 1: Culturally Inclusive Learning Spaces: Observation

Read: Hickling-Hudson & Ahlquist. (2003). Contesting the curriculum in the schooling of indigenous children in Australia and the USA: From Eurocentrism to culturally powerful pedagogies

After reading the Hickling-Hudson and Ahlquist (2003) article, visit a classroom or other learning environment, such as a library, childcare center, employee training room, or museum. Observe the resources, artwork, images, and other aspects of the learning environment. As you observe, take verbal or written notes. In the Discussion forum, post a written description and/or audio/video diary with your observations and evaluation of specific ways in which the environment is culturally inclusive and/or homogenous. Include a reflection on how these elements might contribute to or hinder learning in this environment, integrating the resources you have read in this unit and citing as appropriate.

Include audio, video, and/or images to illustrate the specific aspects that demonstrate cultural inclusivity (or lack thereof). (Note: no names or images of individuals should be included in your audio, video, or written documentation. If appropriate, use a pseudonym for your site, including a description that does not reveal the location or other identifying aspects).

Rubric

This assignment will be graded using the Discussion Rubric.