Lesson 5 - Using Cultural Balance in the Classroom
WHAT’S CULTURE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
TIMING/TASKS: Video Length 26 minutes. To complete this lesson: 1) Watch video to end; 2) Read additional text below; 3) Download & complete exercise(s) in right column
Getting the Brain “Calm and Ready”
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I will understand what it means to use culture as an affective filter.
I will learn to bring a balance of cultural orientations to the social dimension of my classroom to create intellectual safety.
I will understand the need to interrupt and reduce microaggressions in order to maintain an effective learning environment.
Too often we think superficially about bringing culture into the classroom. We misunderstand what it means to do that. We think it’s about inspiring cultural pride in diverse students who are struggling or not engaged as a motivator.
Here’s a question to ponder: Is it your job, as someone who might be culturally or racially different from your students, to inspire racial or cultural pride?
This is where we have to check ourselves. That belief might stem from deficit thinking about what’s getting in the way of their engagement and learning.
Instead we might see it as an opportunity to help students prepare their mind, body, and spirit for learning, by creating an environment that signals to the brain that it is safe. Then they can go ahead and focus on learning rather than survival or social protection.
Here we want to rethink what’s getting in the way for engaged diverse students, and reframe the challenge. That is where using culture as a social-emotional filter comes in.
In this lesson, you are going to find 1 or 2 small changes to make to the classroom social structures, using your increasing knowledge of collectivist ways of being and belonging. Use the worksheet below to help you identify where you can possibly make
ACTION ITEM
Identify 1-2 small changes to make using the worksheet.
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