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Opening
the dialogue: Using culture as a tool
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For a formatted copy of this response, click here! Diller has just returned to the classroom after a 13 year absence. Things have changed. She asked herself, "I thought I was a good teacher. Why am I having trouble teaching this group of students? I have lots of tools in my tool box." With this inquiry, she began learning about the theory of discontinuity, which is a form of mismatch between the culture of the school and the home. Her African American students told her, "We don't want to be treated just the same. We are different. We want you to acknowledge that." She came to realize that public libraries were main stream and seldom visited by many of her students. Students expressed the wish that schools would teach parents how to access and use libraries and the Internet so that they could become more supportive. She learned little things that bothered some of her Black students, namely that adhesive bandages were flesh colored and did not match Black skin. (Marketing has certainly changed that with the multi-colored, multi-designed bandages now available! Previous designs to make bandages unnoticed have gone to status marks for many children.) She learned from other African American teachers how to interact with her Black students. This involved being more explicit, more authoritative, like their mama, and using more rhythmic chants to teach classroom rules, spelling and other instructions. The children came to love daily read-alouds that focused on pictures of characters that looked like them. An interesting example of how she learned to talk to her African American students occurred when one frustrated boy complained, "You don't like me 'cause I'm black." She responded, "You do have black skin and I have white, but that doesn't mean I don't like you. I like you because you help other children and show them how to do things. But sometimes you start yelling, and it bothers the other kids who are trying to learn. You need to just tell that old tongue of yours to control itself. You're the only one who can do that. I can't grab your tongue and make it be quiet, can I?" The little boy never played the race card with her again. She realized that we as teachers can and must adapt to a youth quite different from our own. Each person has a voice, has a role they must act out, and when not allowed, will act up. Recognize differences for what they are, variations on a common theme. Parents, who feel reluctant to read to their children because of their accents, need to be validated and encouraged to play their part. Together, student, parent, teacher and cultural influences of home and school will enable, engage and empower each learner to become part of the entire society. For a formatted copy of this response, click here! |
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More on Debbie Diller.
Cultural Diversity and African-American Children: Research has shown that there is a distinct relationship between cultures and preferences for learning. This has vast implications for today's teachers as greater numbers of children from diverse cultures enter the classroom. Effective educational decisions and practices must emerge from an understanding of how learning takes place. Teachers must increase their own awareness of culturally and developmentally appropriate practices for all children. Knowing each child and his or her culture is essential for planning, facilitating, and assessing successful learning. The culture of African-American children emphasizes a field dependence cognitive learning style. African-American children perceive information globally, make broad general distinctions among concepts (seeing relationships), have a social orientation to the world, and learn best in situations where materials are relevant to their own experiences. African-American children benefit by cooperation, interdependence, and collective responsibility, functioning best in situations where collaboration and social relationships contribute to success. They tend to be loyal, work for the benefit of the group, and place great value on efforts towards achievement. An oral mode of communication is preferred with emphasis on artistic, dramatic talking and 'setting the stage' for the audience before the performance. They may have some difficulty in interpreting pictorial representations and recognizing and/or interpreting abstract visual forms. African-American children prefer kinesthetic and tactile learning. Teachers must be cautioned to avoid stereotyping people of any culture. Information about cultures and learning is for making generalizations and should be used for enlightenment and insight only. Evidence of Effectiveness Schools that engage in multicultural education and programs that emphasize appreciation of diversity can expect greater participation, academic achievement, improved self-esteem, and more positive behavior from African-American students. Implication for Instruction
References Diller, Debbie, (1999) "Opening the Dialogue: Using Culture as a Tool Teaching Young African American Children." Reading Teacher, 52, 8 820-28. Melear, Claudia T.; Alcock, Martha W., (1998). "Learning Styles and Personality Types of African American Children: Implications for Science Education." ERIC-NO; ED418874. Miller, Howard M., (1998) "Who Owns History?(Teaching and Learning about Cultural Diversity.)" Reading Teacher, 52, 1, 76-78. White, Jane J., (1998). "Helping Students Deal with Cultural Differences." Social Studies, 89,3, 107-11. |
