AWARENESS TO ACTIONProject Launch & Action Area Conference June 2008

Goals for today

Unconscious Competence: 20% of your learning will happen here today- with 80% of learning occurring when you practice outside this workshop setting Build awareness of the links between the L5

framework, coaching and cultural proficiency Understand that the ‘inside out’ nature of

cultural proficiency encourages change without threatening people’s feelings of worth

Understand that transformation to cultural proficiency requires time to think, reflect, assess, decide and change. It is a process not a program.

Activating: What we know

L5 Framework

Coaching

Cultural Proficiency

L5 Framework- An Indigenous focus 5 propositions:

Leadership starts from within Leadership is about influencing others Leadership develops a rich learning

environment Leadership builds professionalism and

management capability Leadership inspires leadership actions and

aspirations in others

Leadership starts from within Developing cultural proficiency or cultural

competence is an inside out processOur focus today will include : To continue exploring our own feelings

about racism, social justice and equity Being honest about our own beliefs and

attitudes towards Indigenous Australians

The L5 School Leadership Frame: an Indigenous focus can be found at http://www.daretolead.edu.au/servlet/Web?s=169694&p=DTL08_Resources_Main

Coaching

Cognitive Coaching © Taking a valued person from where they are

to where they want to be (Costa & Garmston, 2005)

An inside out approach for mediating changes in behaviour for self and others

Allows us to examine our own beliefs and values, and to learn how to adapt to meet the diverse needs of learners

Uses the Five States of Mind to help us navigate through our work, and our daily living

Cultural Proficiency

Cultural proficiency is an inside out process. It encourages us to focus first on those of us who are insiders to an organisation, and encourages us to reflect ton our own individual understandings and values. It relieves all those who are seen as outsiders, members of excluded groups, from the responsibility of doing all the adapting. (Adapted from Lindsey, Martinez & Lindsey 2007)

Cultural Proficiency is a state and process of becoming. It acknowledges and validates the current values and feelings of people, encouraging change without threatening people’s feelings of worth. (Lindsey, Martinez & Lindsey 2007)

It is a journey, the process of becoming, of striving to improve as a person and as a member of one’s communities

Cultural Proficiency is how to learn about ourselves and those served by the schools, so school systems can change to be effective for all members.

While individuals are very important in cultural proficiency, the chief focus is on the organisation’s culture, which has a life force beyond the individuals in an organisation. This focus removes the need to both place blame on individuals and to induce feelings of guilt.

Engaging: Cultural Perceptions Country of family origin and heritage Language(s) spoken Interests or hobbies Favourite foods Preferred types of movies, TV programs Preferred reading materials Preferred types of music Pets, if any, or favourite animals

What did you notice?

How close were your assumptions about your partner?

How did you make your decision – your hunches or clues you used?

What would you do differently if we repeated this exercise?

What are the risks in making assumptions?

Cultural Proficiency Tools

Guiding Principles Cultural Proficiency Continuum Essential Elements of Cultural

Competence Barriers to Cultural Proficiency

Guiding Principles

Culture is a predominant force- it is just there. We each belong to several cultural groups It exists in many forms-e.g. race, ethnicity, gender, sexual

orientation, social class, religion People are served in varying degrees by the

dominant culture- e.g. gaps in student achievement, participation

People have personal and group identities that they want to have acknowledged- we usually recognise our gender, race or ethnicity, religion and maybe social class

Cultures are not homogenous, diversity within culture is vast and significant- there is great diversity within cultural groups e.g. Religious groups

The unique needs of every culture must be respected- e.g. holidays unique to a particular cultural group

Engaging: Defining yourself

Write 5 words or phrases that describe the essence of who you are

These should be things that if taken away, you would not be the same person

Defining yourself de-brief

What did you notice as you wrote your list? What did you notice as you shared your list? What did it feel like to have to cross things

off your list? What did you learn about your colleagues? What did you learn about yourself? What conclusions can you draw about

members of this group?

Cultural Proficiency Continuum (Adapted from Cultural Proficiency by Lindsey, Robins & Terrell (Corwin Press ,1999, 2003), and Culturally Proficient Instruction by Robins, Lindsey, Lindsey &Terrell (Corwin Press, 2001)

Cultural Destructiveness: See the difference, stomp it out

The elimination of other people’s cultures

Cultural Incapacity: See the difference, make it wrong

Belief in the superiority of one’s culture and behaviour that disempowers another’s culture

Cultural Blindness: See the difference, act like you don’t

Acting as if the cultural differences you see do not matter, or not recognising that there are differences among and between cultures

Cultural Proficiency Continuum cont: (Adapted from Cultural Proficiency by Lindsey, Robins & Terrell (Corwin Press ,1999, 2003), and Culturally Proficient Instruction by Robins, Lindsey, Lindsey &Terrell (Corwin Press, 2001)

Cultural Precompetence: See the difference, respond adequately

Being aware of the limitations of your skills, or an organisation’s practices when interacting with other cultural groups

Cultural Competence: See the difference, understand the difference that difference makes

Interacting with other cultural groups using the 5 essential elements of cultural proficiency as the standard fro individual behaviour and organisational practices

Cultural Proficiency: See the differences and respond effectively in a variety of environments

Valuing culture; knowing how to learn about individual and organisational culture; interacting effectively in a variety of cultural environments

Essential Elements of Cultural Competence (Lindsey, Martinez & Lindsey 2007)

1. Assessing Cultural Knowledge: being aware of what you know, and how you react to others’ cultures, and what you need to do to be effective in cross cultural situations.

2. Valuing Diversity: Making the effort to be inclusive of people whose viewpoints and experiences are different from yours, which will enrich conversations, decision making and problem solving.

3. Managing the Dynamics of Difference: Viewing conflict as a natural and normal process with cultural contexts that can be understood and that can be supportive in creative problem solving

4. Adapting to Diversity: Having the will to learn about others and the ability to use others’ cultural experiences and backgrounds in educational settings.

5. Institutionalising Cultural Knowledge: Making learning about cultural groups and their experiences and perspectives an integral part of your ongoing learning.

Barriers to Cultural Proficiency (Lindsey, Martinez & Lindsey 2007)

Implicit in the inside out approach to Cultural Proficiency is the ability to recognise barriers to personal, professional, and organisational change that would benefit historically underserved demographic groups

Barriers cont.

Unawareness of the Need to Adapt- Expecting that other people of groups need to change to fit into the way you or your organisations does things.

Systems of Oppression- Recognising that exclusionary systems e.g. racism, ableism , exclusionism exist so that you can make the choice to eliminate these from your world or your school/system.

A Sense of Entitlement- Believing that you have earned what you have accomplished solely by your effort, merit or character, and that others need to change and adapt to you.

References:

Bywaters L, Parkinson M, Hurley J 2007 Learn: Lead: Succeed- A Resource to support the building of leadership in Australian schools, Revised edition, APAPDC

Lindsey D B, Martinez RS, Lindsey RB 2007 Culturally Proficient Coaching, Corwin Press, California

Bloom G, Castagna C, Moir Ellen, Warren B 2005 Blended Coaching, Corwin Press, California

Costa A, Garmston, R 2006, Cognitive Coaching: A Foundation for Renaissance Schools Second Edition, Hawker Brownlow Education, Australia

Garmston R, 2005, The Presenter’s Fieldbook: A Practical Guide, Christopher Gordon Publishers Inc, Canada

Gorringe S, Spillman D, 2008 Creating Stronger, Smarter Learning Communities: The role of Culturally Competent Leadership, Indigenous Education Leadership Institute, QUT www.strongersmarter.qut.edu.au/

Wheatley M, May 1998, Love and Fear in Organisations, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Newsletter, Volume 20, Number 5 www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/love.html

Smith C A, 2005 School Factors That Contribute to the Underachievement of Students of Color and What Culturally Competent School Leaders Can Do Educational Leadership & Administration; Fall 2005; 17, ProQuest Education Journals pg. 21

Billmeyer R, 2003, Strategies to Engage the Mind of the Learner; Building Strategic Learners Second Edition, November 2006, Rachel Billmeyer, Rachel & Associates, Inc, Omaha NE

Recognising Racism in Schools http://www.racismnoway.com.au/cgibin/printversion/printversion.pl?conf=conf.xml&file=/library/recognising/index-Recognis.html http://www.racismnoway.com.au/pdfs/recognising.pdf

Engaging: Black Doll, White Doll

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjy9q8VekmE

How did the video make you feel? If these were students in your school,

what actions or comments might you have seen or heard that may have led to the same outcomes?

Where would these fit on the continuum? What advice might you give to the

principal to change the outcome if this experiment was held again in say 3 years?