Dealing with

Diversity

Jessica Traylor and Kiana ClaybornMay 2009

Culture

Culture is a set of practices, beliefs, institutions, and styles of

communication, that are characteristic of a group of people.

Our Cultural and Educational

ExperiencesFind a partner you do not know well.

Describe the cultural situation you grew up in.What were your educational experiences as a youth? Did your

family culture ever clash with school culture?Describe your cultural situation today. How do these aspects of

your life influence your work?Think about the students at school. What do you know about

their culture? What do you need to know to create a meaningful learning environment for them?

If you were a student at your school, what type of staff interactions and program experiences would you need to be successful?

Share an interesting fact about yourself or your partner.

Think-Pair-ShareWhat is culture?

What are some cultures in Lamar County?

Community FactsUnited States Lamar County Barnesville

White 75.10% 67.80% 48.10%Black 12.30% 30.40% 49.90%High school graduate or higher 80.40% 71.30% 71.20%Bachelor's degree or higher 24.40% 11.30% 13.30%Median household income $41,994.00 $37,087.00 $30,375.00Individuals below poverty line 12.40% 11.20% 20.30%

Additional Lamar County Facts74% of residents remained in the same county from 1995-200093% of residents remained in the same state from 1995-200056.2% of grandparents are responsible for grandchildren

2000 Census Summary

Educational Attainment in Lamar County

9%

19%

37%

19%

4%

7%

5%

Less Than 9th Grade9th to 12th Grade, No DiplomaHigh School GraduateSome College, No DegreeAssociate DegreeBachelor's DegreeGraduate Degree

2000 Census Summary

Percent of Population25 Years and Older

Racial Equity in Lamar County

28.00% 31.00%59.00% 61.00%13.00% 8.00%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

33% 33%

33% 33%

33% 33%

Educational AttainmentPercent of Population 25 Years and Older

2000 Census Summary

Median Household IncomeWhite - $40,773Black - $26,315

Home OwnershipWhite - 78%Black - 58%

Median Home ValueWhite - $88,400Black - $65,600

No Diploma

High School Gradu-ate or Higher

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

School-Based Data

Student Health Survey 2008

Students think about dropping out: 25% at 6th, 27% at 8th, 40% at 10th grade

Students think about suicide: 8% at 6th, 14% at 8th grade Students drink alcohol: 7% at 6th, 25% at 8th, 31% at 10th

grade

High School Graduation Rate

Lamar County has decreased over the past 3 years, while GA has increased

Black students went from 85% to 75% to 60% White students went from 73% to 67% to 75%

62% of students are economically disadvantaged

Data AnalysisDiscuss the community and school data with the

people at your table.

Organize your thoughts into categories.ex. strengths, weaknesses, interesting facts, protective

factors, risk factors, etc.

Record your thoughts on the chart paper.

Report your findings to the group.

What is an “at-risk youth”?

Think-Pair-Share

At-Risk Youth are often impacted by a

combination of factorsPovertyVery young, single, or low-education level parentsUnemployment or underemploymentAbuse and neglectSubstance abuseDangerous neighborhoodsExposure to inadequate or inappropriate educational experiencesEarly sexual behaviorIntellectual disabilities/mental health problemsSuspensionTruancy or frequent absencesLow academic achievementNegative attitude toward schoolAssociation with delinquent youthGang involvementPeer rejectionAvailability of alcohol, tobacco, and/or drugsLow community attachment

Take a 5 minute break.

F:\Culturally Relevant Pedagogy\Music\09 Track 09 2.m4a

You might be a culturally relevant

teacher if...

…you have tried to defend your Wii as a business expense…you have a MySpace page…you borrow students’ iPods to hear the newest songs…and try to incorporate them into your lessons…you have been relied on to do all the tech stuff on your hall…you would rather text than call…you have to interpret text messages for your co-workers…your lesson plans include music, video, and technology…you watch MTV or BET and call it research…your lesson planning includes new music, video games, sporting events, movies, and fast food restaurants…you find yourself regularly explaining youth to adults and adults to youth…you repeat the line over and over… “I can’t believe I get paid to do this!”

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Why? Culturally relevant practices shape thinking processes of groups and individuals.

How? Maintain positive perspectives on parents & familiesCommunicate high expectationsLearning within the context of cultureStudent-centered instructionCulturally mediated instructionReshape the curriculumTeacher as facilitator

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

What? 1.) Three characteristics: academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness (Ladson-Billings)2.) A critical pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning (Ladson-Billings)3.) Link between culture and classroom practices (Hollins)4.) Recognizes, respects, and uses students' identities and backgrounds as meaningful sources for creating optimal learning environments (Nieto)

Culturally Responsive

TeachingTeaching style consistent with learning styles

Music as a teaching tool, multimedia and technology integration, visual learning, role-playing, cooperative learning

Issues and topics related to students' background and culture Respect for culture, allow topic choice, be

knowledgeable about their life outside of schoolMeaningful connection between school and real-life

situations Service learning, project-based learning, school-

community collaboration

Reshaping Media

If we embrace it, we can direct its

influence.

Youth and Media

Don't Believe the Hype: How much do you know about media consumption?

The People

The average American adolescent:

A. Spends 3-4 hours a day listening to music and watching music videos

B. Listens to three hours of music per day

C. Surfs the internet and communicates via e-mail three hours per day

D. Plays video games three hours per day

A

Excessive TV viewing has been linked to:

A. Nearsighted vision

B. Obesity

C. Attention deficit disorder

D. Fine motor skill impairment

B

Which of the following statements about children and music is correct, according to

research:A. On average, teens watch three hours of music

videos per day

B. Only 30% of school-age children know the lyrics to their favorite songs

C. Teens rate music as a more important influence on their decision making than their parents/guardians

D. There is a direct cause-and-effect relationship between violent lyrics and violent, real-world behavior. C

By age 18, the average US child's TV viewing has included 16,000 of these. That's

a lot of:A. Beer commercials

B. Sexually explicit scenes

C. Murders

D. Infomercials

B

Youth Media Facts

Listening to music is students' number one non-school activity.

In the last 3 months, 71% of teens purchased at least one full-length CD.

More than one-third of youth between the ages of 12 and 14 watch music videos daily.

About 90% of teens report knowing many or all the lyrics of their favorite songs.

www.whytry.org

Why Try?The WhyTry Program is a simple, hands-on curriculum which helps youth overcome their challenges and improve outcomes in the areas of truancy, behavior, and academics. 

WhyTry teaches critical social and emotional principles to youth (K-12) using a series of ten pictures (visual analogies) which each teach a principal, such as resisting peer-pressure, or  that decisions have consequences.   The visual components are then reinforced by music and physical activities.   The major learning styles—visual, auditory, and body-kinesthetic—are all addressed.

Group Counseling Example

The following slides are posters created for athematic small-group counseling.

The groups were done at the Primary School this school year.

Thanks to Daniel Sergent for sharing his creativity and passion for use in this

presentation.

F:\Culturally Relevant Pedagogy\Music\02 Track 02 1.m4a

Reshaping Media

Think-Pair-Share

AMLA or CML Guides: analyze one of these ads

BOOTY IS BOOTY

Reshaping MediaThink-Pair-Share

What can you do to reshape media and use it as a teaching tool?

Status Quo

Reshaping Media

Several “programs” are available to assist us in using the media to teach valuable life

and academic lessons.

Rhyme & ReasonFlocabulary

Hip-Hop Curriculum

Cultural Competence

What can we do?

Talk to students about different cultures.Have a “cultural day” at school.Show respect for their culture.Use their language and style of communicating to build bridges between their culture and the dominant culture.

References GA Department of Education. (2009). Georgia's Education Scoreboard: Lamar

County High School. Retrieved from http://www.doe.k12.ga.us

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But That’s Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Theory Into Practice, 34(1), 159-165.

McNulty, R. J. and Quaglia, R. J. (2007). Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships. The School Administrator. Retrieved from http://www.aasa.org

McPhail, I. P. and Coleman, L. G. (2007). Culturally Mediated Instruction: A Critical Tool in Achieving the Dream [PowerPoint]. Retrieved from http://www.achievingthedream.org

Norton, N. E. L. (2008). Aligning Hip-Hop, Curriculum, Standards, and Potential. Journal of Literacy and Technology 9(1), 62-100.

Saifer, S., Edwards, K., Ellis, D., Ko, L., and Stuczynski, A. (2005). Classroom to Community and Back. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

The Governor's Office of Student Achievement. (2009). 2007 GSHS School Results: Lamar County. Retrieved from http://www.gaosa.org

Tumbleson, H. (2001, August 21). Maybe we're the ones who put youth 'at risk.' The Seattle Times. Retrieved from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

U. S. Census Bureau. (2000). State and county Quickfacts: Lamar County, GA. Retrieved from http://factfinder.census.gov

Helpful Websites www.whytry.org www.urbanyouth.org www.tolerance.org http://usa.usembassy.de/classroom/hiphop.htm www.studycircles.org www.aecf.org http://www.artsanctuary.org/site/artsanctuary/co

ntent.php?type=1&id=13548 http://factfinder.census.gov/

Thanks!

Comments?

Questions?