working across cultures

Working Across Cultures

Towards More Understanding Relationships

• Certified Teacher – U.S.A

• 10 yrs. teaching experience 5 yrs. U.S. 5 yrs. South Korea

• MRes- Educational and Social Research

• Assistant Professor of English at Gimcheon University

• EPIK/ TaLK Teacher Trainer

• KOTESOL Presenter

• Corporate English

Daniel Moonasar

Who am I?

Objectives Discussing similarities and differences from our

perspective.

What is culturally responsive teaching?

What is a culturally learner responsive classroom?

Understanding our students.

Understanding our colleagues.

---- I’m not sure really, we might not get through all of this!

Talk to your group…

Consider your school environment. Consider your students. Consider the “big picture” of education.

What’s the same?

What’s different?

How does culture influence these similarities and differences?

What is culturally responsive teaching?

What does “culturally responsive” mean to you?

Talk to your group…

What is culturally responsive teaching?

What does “culturally responsive” mean to you?

How do you make your classroom culturally responsive?

Talk to your group…

Acknowledge and legitimize cultural heritages of:

different ethnic groups (including their own)

attitudes and approaches to learning

worthy content to be taught in the formal curriculum.

Wide range of humanity in the classroom

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Communication of high expectations

consistent messages

based genuine respect of students’ abilties and beliefs

respect for other cultures

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Wide variety of instructional strategies

Active teaching/ Student centered learning (students play active roles in their learning)

Teacher as a facilitator/ mentor/ consultant vs. administrator/ controller of knowledge

Reflective, both students & teachers.

Culturally Responsive Teaching

What students say:“I like learning about other people… they are

like me.”

“I saw a foreigner and wasn’t afraid. He told me hello… I smiled and bowed”

“I really think Korea is changing. I want people to come here and live. Korea is my home.”

I thought we had stress, but other peoples have it too.

“I like seeing and talking to other people.”

What students say: “ 진호 is dirty, he has black skin. ”

“ 진호 is your son. Look! (pointing to friend’s skin color then me)”

“I don’t care! 일본 (Japanese people) took my country, I want them to die! (makes a chocking and dying motion…laughs)”

“Foreigners just drink and sex with girls.”

“Korean’s hate other cultures. I want to move to another country”

“Children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

Socrates, 460-399

Understanding your students

Who are they, where do they come from?

What is important to them?

Why is it important to them?

Understanding our Students

Who are your students? What is their place in the world?

How can we connect with our students?

What is different about our school experience and our students’ school experience?

If you want to help your students find their place in the world, it is first necessary to understand what place they currently hold in the world.

Talk to your group…

Who are they, where do they come from?

What is important to them?

Why is it important to them?

What are their experiences with other cultures?

Understanding our Colleagues

In your life, what is most important?

How will you achieve this importance?

What do you think your co-teachers would say?

Talk to your group…

Make it a Process Create Objectives for every class,

communicate these to students Provide clear (scaffolded, if

necessary) instructions Provide choice and voice Release control Develop procedures for daily

activities

Closing and Questions

My email address: moonasard@gmail.com

http://danielmoonasar.wordpress.com