Week 3 blog

There were several points throughout these readings that I was able to relate back to my own experiences with culture.  One of my ultimate goal as a teacher is to help students understand who they are (their identity), to be comfortable with who they are, and to also accept others for who they are.  In order to I so, I will have to get a better understanding of what culture is.  These readings really made me think about concepts i had never gave much thought to before.  For example,  I had never thought of different generations within the same family as having different cultures.  If you think about it, it makes sense considering the ways in which one was raised are considerably distinct depending upon when you were born and raised. I definitely agree that cultural norms maintain order in a society.  Individuals within a society follow cultural norms that go without being said. These rules are considered to be "normal" because everyone within that culture abides by them. It was interesting to read that culture provides individuals  with a basis for identity formation which helps create solidarity with other members. I could relate to this because I identify with 2 cultures, the Mexican and American culture, however; because most of the time I am immersed in the American culture I feel as I'd though I am seen as "other".  On the other hand, when I am around other Others who are apart of the Mexican culture I feel a sense of solidarity,  I feel as if they also know what it feels like to be labeled as "other".  I definitely influence think cultures influence one another.  For example, my parents immigrated to the United States about 30 years ago.  They brought with them culture rich experiences that were then shared with the individuals they have came in contact with ever since. Their life's have also been altered and shaped by the influences of the American culture over the past 30 years. It has become part of out family culture to celebrate Halloween; although my parents had never celebrated it before while living in Mexico.  I also think about how my family's culture has influenced the culture of our friends and Family in Mexico.  When we visit we occasionally take gifts (usually clothes) to our cousins.  Consequently we are influencing their way of life by the clothes they wear.  If you think on more broad terms, the media plays a large role in how effectively clutters can influence one another.  For instance, when I go visit family in Mexico I am shocked to hear that my cousins who speak only Spanish are listening music in English that is popular here in the United States.  Also, the way they dress is also Americanized.  They watch tv shows that are American.  All of these ideas and concepts are in turn influencing their culture. When I hear the term "cultural otherization" I think of teachers having the potential to give students the idea that their culture is inferior to that of the teacher's self culture If the teachers to not make students feel that their culture is valuable.  Having students articulate their own definition of culture is a great start to get an idea of what prior knowledge your students have.  Maybe they know a lot about culture in general, but they struggle with their own culture and their own identity.  I think that teachers should build awareness about stressed caused by cultural adjustments. Not only should the teacher be aware, but also he or she should make his or her students aware of how stressful making a cultural transition can be. Teachers can and should share their own stories about experiencing new cultures.  They can talk about how they felt and how they worked through that experience to learn from it and make it a positive one.  

Week 2: What is Culture?

What is Culture?

While reading this particular chapter I was able to get a better sense of how practicing and future language teachers should approach the teaching of culture. Because culture is arbitrary, persons who form a community form the practices, perspectives and products surrounding any given culture. Therefore, individuals within a culture make a culture what it is.   It is much more than simply introducing holidays, foods, and historical figures that inaccurately reinforce stereotypes.  Morgan writes about the five dimensions of culture: products, practices, perspectives, persons and communities, interrelate with one another.  Morgan also describes culture as an iceberg, with most of the dimensions of culture being at the tip- visible or explicit, and perspectives being below the water’s surface- invisible or intangible.  I think it easy for teachers to get caught up in the obvious components of culture that often they don’t deem it necessary to look beyond the apparent to the not so obvious aspects.  I liked the key questions that Morgan provides us to identify the context of the cultural experiences we present to learners.  In order for the learning experience to be meaningful the teacher needs to acquire more information about the culture than just “tip of the iceberg”.  I agree with Morgan on the subject that in order to really understand a culture as an outsider one would need an informant who is aware of the values of a culture and is able to articulate them.  It only seems logical that a person who belongs to a particular culture- practices, products, community, and perspectives would be a great source of information.  As a future teacher I strongly believe that students and their families serve as a great source of cultural insight for teachers.  We can utilize their cultural diversity and awareness as tools to foster learning in the classroom.  Not only can we learn from talking to and interacting with individuals from different cultures, but we can facilitate a sort of learning environment where we all learn from each other- including students learning from one another.  I think a great way to do this would be to incorporate students’ cultures in the classroom by using authentic teaching materials that students can make connections to.  For example, culture rich literature, bilingual texts, and opportunities to work in different social settings (according to what is considered most comfortable for the given cultures involved).  If students are given these materials and opportunities to utilize these materials, learning in the classroom will be maximized. 

While reading Morgan’s chapter on language and culture I was able to make several connections to elements of my own cultures.  I say cultures because I identify with the Mexican and American culture and I am able to make sense of the different dimensions and how they apply to both; I would consider myself an “insider.”  Although I was raised by Mexican parents I feel that I am more knowledgeable about the American culture because I was born and raised here in the United States practicing the American culture, acquiring perspectives related to the American culture, interacting with its persons, becoming a part of its community, and producing products of the American culture.  There is no doubt in my mind that in order for all of this to be possible I would have needed to know English- which is the language most commonly spoken in the United States.  Consequently, I agree with Morgan in that language embodies all 5 dimensions of culture. One particular connection I was able to make was when Morgan describes the “tu” and “vous” forms of speech in French because there is a similar contextual component in Spanish.  When speaking to a peer or close friend you would use the “tu” form, and to show respect you would user the “usted” form.  You might use this when speaking to an elder, a person of power, or a stranger.  Like Morgan explains, it takes more than just asking questions about when either form would apply, you actually have to be immersed in the language in order to fully understand the social context.  Morgan also describes culture as constantly changing- new practices are established and others are disregarded.  As future teachers we must realize we need to constantly keep learning and keeping up with these changes. 

about me

Hello everyone, my name is Susana Arreola (Susy for short) and I am a senior this year. I am sudying bilingual bicultural elementary education. I look forward to reading about everyone's different perapectives on future readings for this class.