Cross Culture

AwarenessBy Catrina Reid

ECE 7513 Diversity & Global

Education

“A fish only discovers its need for water when it is no longer in it.

Our own culture is like water for the fish. It sustains us.

We live and breathe through it.”

Cult

ura

l C

om

pete

nce

Awareness of one’s own

cultural worldviewAttitude towards cultural

differencesKnowledge of different

cultural practices and worldviewsCross-cultural skills

What

is C

ross

Cult

ura

l Aw

are

ness

?

How people communicateAwareness of our

cultural values, beliefs, and perceptions

Interactions with people

from other culturesMisinterpretations of

other cultures

Rese

arc

h o

f C

ross

C

ult

ura

l Aw

are

ness

Cultural awareness entails an

understanding of how a person's

culture may inform their values,

behavior, beliefs and basic

assumptions.

Cultural awareness recognizes that we

are all shaped by our cultural

background, which influences how we

interpret the world around us, perceive

ourselves and relate to other people.

Information about specific cultural

practices will help to increase your

cultural knowledge by providing an

overview of cultural characteristics and

issues.

Rese

arc

h o

f C

ross

C

ult

ura

l Aw

are

ness

Cultural awareness entails an

understanding of the migration process

itself. Migration is a key influence on a

person's life, with differing effects due to

the different experiences of pre-

migration, migration and resettlement.

Some of the many post-migration

stressors include: the stress of separation

from homeland, family members, friends

and support networks; racial

discrimination; changes in lifestyle and

socio-economic status; culture shock;

language barriers; and the ongoing

trauma of pre-migration experiences,

which may have included war and

political instability, physical and

psychological abuse, and travelling as a

refugee or living in a refugee camp.

Degre

es

of

Cult

ura

l Aw

are

ness

Parochial Stage: My way is the only way.

Ethnocentric Stage: I

know their way, but my way is betterSynergistic Stage: My

Way and Their WayParticipatory Third

Culture Stage: Our way

In becoming culturally aware, people realize that:

 We are not all the same

Similarities and differences are both important

There are multiple ways to reach the same goal and to live life

The best way depends on the cultural contingency. Each situation is different and

may require a different solution.

Impact

of

Cro

ss

Cult

ura

l Aw

are

ness

on S

tudents

Negative impactsRacismDiscriminationInsensitivityStereotypes

Positive impactsRespect for other cultures

Valuing differencesBridging cultural gaps

Rejecting unfair stereotypes

Finding common groundCreating new bonds

Inte

gra

ting

Cult

ura

l Aw

are

ness

Emphasizing mutual respect

Teachers should lead by example

Fostering emotional safety

Teachers must encourage students to

respect each other’s opinion and show

sensitivity for different cultures represented

in the classroom.Multicultural education activities

Including more activities in the learning,

teachers can encourage students to

embrace diversityStructured classroom activities

Grouping students in diverse groups during

activitiesTeaching diversityTeachers must first rate their level of

awareness. Then they should ask open

ended questions and promote conversation.

Challe

nges o

f

teach

ing

Do’s

Monitor your

choice of words

Encourage all

students to

achieve self-

actualization

Get to know

culturally

different

students

Diversify

yourself

Don’ts

Using words that

might offend other

cultures

Victimizing students

by having lower

expectations for

them

Expect culturally

different students to

be the

spokesperson for

their group

Distance yourself

through the

ignorance of other

Aw

are

ness

Act

ivit

ies

for

the c

lass

room

“Who Am I Poems”Students will write short poems,

starting each line with “I am..,”

encouraging them to describe in their

own words who they are and what’s

important to their identity.

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural

/activities/poetry.htmlExploring DefinitionFor this exercise, participants are

asked to find definitions for prejudice,

discrimination, racism, sexism, and

homophobia. Definitions for each word

should come from two sources: the

person's existing understanding and a

scholarly source.http://www.edchange.org/multicultural

/activities/activity4.html

Take

a C

ult

ura

l Aw

are

ness

Quiz

Refe

rence

s

Quappe, S., & Cantatore, G.

(2000, January). What is

Cultural Awareness, anyway?

How do I build it?. In The

Culturosity Group. Retrieved

November 17, 2013, from

http://www.culturosity.com/art

icles/whatisculturalawareness.htmCultural Competence. (n.d.).

In Wikipedia. Retrieved

November 17, 2013, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu

ltural_competence

Refe

rence

s

Ways that Teachers Can Build Cultural Awareness

and Sensitivity among Students - See more at:

http://sententiavera.com/2012/04/26/ways-that-

teachers-can-build-cultural-awareness-and-

sensitivity-among-. (2012, April). In Sententia

Vera. Retrieved November 17, 2013, from

http://sententiavera.com/2012/04/26/ways-that-t

eachers-can-build-cultural-awareness-and-sensiti

vity-among-students/

Cross Cultural Differences and Respecting

Others. (2010, July 1). In Kids Helpline. Retrieved

November 17, 2013, from http://

www.kidshelp.com.au

/grownups/news-research/hot-topics/cross-cultur

al-differences.php

Flannery, B., & Vanterpool, M. (1990, January 1).

A Model for Infusing Cultural Diversity Concepts

Across the Curriculum. Retrieved November 17,

2013, from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.c

gi?article=1196&context=podimproveacad&sei-r

edir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co

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ating%2520cultural%2520awaren