Lesson 4 - Widening Your Cultural Aperture
WHAT’S CULTURE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
TIMING/TASKS: Video Length 21 minutes. To complete this lesson: 1) Watch video to end; 2) Read additional text below; 3) Download & complete exercise(s) in right column
Learning to See with New Eyes
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I will begin the process of rewiring my brain to widen my aperture.
I will be able to distinguish between stereotyping and using my bi-cultural lens.
I will leverage my knowledge of neuroscience (mirror neurons) to practice new ways of being.
The process of using culture as a tool for connecting and increasing a sense of belonging isn’t a technical fix. Instead, balancing cultural orientations throughout school, in interactions with parents, and, especially when interacting with students, requires that we take an “adaptive” approach. An adaptive approach requires that we be willing to practice different ways of being.
That’s why building your “bi-cultural lens” isn’t just about bringing in new practices. It is about being able to live this new way of seeing the world and moving through it right alongside your own cultural reference points.
This is ongoing work for all of us, including people of color, because of the diversity of collectivism. The way that we begin to do this is by rewiring our brain’s responses to culturally different ways of doing and being.
In this lesson, you will identify your own area(s) needed to lay down the beginnings of a foundational bi-cultural lens.
ACTION ITEM
Identify a pro-social family-oriented television series (ideally multi-generational) to watch, to deepen your understanding of collectivist practices and widen your aperture.
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