Thursday, June 4, 2015

A to Z: Cultural Perspectives in Education

Vaughan M. Blaney
Director
BSc(UNB,Canada), BEd(UNB,Canada), TEFLA(University of Cambridge), MEd(HKU, Hong Kong)

Book: "A to Z: Cultural Perspectives in Education"

The Letter 'Q'...



Quickly I walk to school every day
Some in their native countries travel by 
Jeepney, subway, bus, tuk-tuk, tram
In Moosenee some use a helicopter - oh my!

Quite different - yes we are - still all can agree that we: 
  • try to correctly answer the teacher's questions
  • know that quadruple means fourfold
  • make a straight queue when entering the school
  • try not to quarrel 
  • know when to keep quiet
  • feel a bit of panic when we have a surprise quiz
  • know that winners never quit 
  • like a glass of water to quench our thirst
  • quickly try to complete our homework 
  • know how to print the letter Q

It is imperative that faculty in teacher education programs value diversity, assess cultural factors, manage the dynamics of differences, institutionalize cultural knowledge, and adapt to diversity in order to develop diverse teacher education faculty in culturally proficient programs (Lindsey, Nuri-Robins, & Terell, 1999). Building a diverse faculty in teacher education contributes to learning and directly impacts upon students and current faculty.

Diverse faculty impact students' self-analysis regarding their individual perspectives about twenty-first century classrooms. Core values of students are also challenged because of diverse faculty communication styles and cultural beliefs. Diverse faculty ensures that teacher education programs sufficiently prepare education to work in ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse settings.


Quezada, Reyes and Angela Louque

No comments:

Post a Comment