Case Book One

Remy Leus is meeting with her colleagues. She is discussing a reading that Dr. X left for the group after the last discussion.

MS. LEUS: In all of my education, I have always been told that we have to be culturally sensitive. I have heard again and again that I need to know how to deal with cultural differences. Then, I do this reading from Dr. X, and it seems to say that everyone learns differently, and culture should not be the main concern.

MS. DUNNER: Remy, I didn't get that same thing from the reading. I got the idea that everyone does learn differently, but culture is an overlay, it sets some parameters for a majority of the learners of that culture. I got the sense that if someone is practicing a culture, lives a culture, then that may impact some of how they learn, how they deal with learning materials, how they interact, how they perceive what is important to learn, etc.

MR. FRANGUE: I think that the most important thing I learned is that there are some very big cultural differences in my classroom that I have not been addressing. I have been sensitive to the context issues, to needing to have students work together, to recognizing some will not make eye contact, etc. However, I really didn't give enough credence to the need to re-think some of my assignments, and make them more culturally sensitive. I think about it and there are definitely assignments I have that have not been considering the cultural backgrounds of our students. For instance, I have only been covering the Battle of the Alamo from the U.S. perspective, and only had lectures and readings on it. I also really want to become more aware of the learning styles of each of my students, and try to sort out what is cultural, and what is individual. I am rethinking a lot of what I do in social studies.

MS. VALDEZ: I really was only thinking of the cultural differences in terms of the learners, and what I might have to change. Mr. Frangue, you really added some perspectives to this. You are right, there are aspects of lessons we probably have to change, as well as some strategies we use.

MS. DUNNER: I am finding enormous success using technology. Technology seems to be a great cultural mediator these days. I find that kids help each other use the technology, they find web sites that help them learn, and they do a superb job with sharing what they learn. My problem has been that my students often don't even consider the context of what they are finding on line. They seem to think that things on line have no biases. That is what I am trying to work on. I want them to gain perspectives that the web is like a giant book, and there are thousands of authors, each with his/her own perspective.

MS. LEUS: My students are not ready for that high level thinking yet. The concern I have is that I don't have the time to individualize everything. I know my learners, but I just don't have that kind of time. I wonder if I should be telling my students how they learn, and then put them into groups of similar learners. Maybe that is the way to go. Maybe I should do this around cultural groups. Kids who are new to the US culture could go into groups separated into their own cultures. Those who are not new to the US could be a cultural group of their own, assuming that they primarily all learn alike, or break that down to some smaller groups. I really am trying to get a handle on this. If I give up my teaching based on ability groups, I really need to know what I am going to do, and what my classroom is going to look like.

MR. FRANGUE: I don't think it is about giving up one thing for another all at once. I like to make changes one at a time, based on trying things and learning from them.

MS. VALDEZ: Yes, that makes sense. Remy, I don't think that grouping by cultural groups is a fair assumption. That is just another type of labeling. Do you really think that because someone was born in a particular country, or born into a particular culture practiced by a family, that that will determine how they learn?

Teacher Notes:

• If students are going to learn to respect each other's cultures, they need to be able to interact with each other, work in collaborative groups with each other, and have interactions in which they can value each other. It is the teacher's responsibility to provide these learning opportunities.
• The learning style literature varies widely in how learning styles are defined, and what aspects of cognitive functioning and behaviors are covered under the definitions. Instead of labeling a child as having one particular style, it is usually better for the teacher to recognize style differences, and that styles may change as students mature, experience novel ways of learning, and have chances to interact in meaningful ways with others. Be careful not to label a student and expect that the student maintains that one particular learning style label.
• It is usually really helpful if you know your own learning style, because you are likely to develop learning opportunities that use that style. Recognizing how else you might have to think about the learning may help you generate new learning opportunities for those with other styles.