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The Role of Reflection in Creating Culturally Relevant Instruction Kim GutierrezAbstractDeveloping instructional materials that support diverse leaners should begin with an introspective approach by educators. This paper will focus on reflection in the context of cultural exchange, my own experience with reflection, and how these benefits of reflection can build awareness and support for diverse learners. IntroductionThe United States is experiencing large numbers of incoming immigrants and a growing native-born, ethnic-minority population trickling into the classroom and educators must be equipped to adapt with the changing culture of its students (Banks, 2000). Reflection is a significant component for connecting with new cultural elements. Reflection is described “as a process of becoming aware of one’s context, of the influence of societal and ideological constraints on previously taken-for-granted practices, and gaining control over the direction of these influences” (Calderhead, 1989, p. 43). This definition implies that reflection in its essence is essential to understanding and adapting to cultural change. This understanding is important in education, where an understanding of culture is crucial for learning. Whether the teacher or the student, reflection can be a powerful tool, aiding in this adaptation and shaping a positive experience. I will utilize research in this paper to analyze my own experience with reflection and cultural exposure as a student and my plan to utilize this tool to improve my own classroom. Personal Journey Sympathy to diverse cultures is a journey that begins at a personal level, or at least I found that mine did. It is important to examine individual assumptions and perceptions before exploring cultural dynamics and group differences. “A major problem in teaching and teacher education is the difficulty educators have coming to terms with their own biases and perspectives,” (Florio-Ruane,2001,p.152). Reflection is a challenging look at one's individual and professional thoughts, ideas and opinions that forces educators to confront their own biases and assumptions. In my own experience, I found in order for reflection to be effective it is important to be honest and forgiving of philosophies that require evolution. I found reflection to be a powerful tool because it allowed me to recognize my own thoughts and struggled with the concept that I was not already doing the right thing. Once I became aware of my own faults, I was my own judge as well, but by continually reflecting on my approach I was able to move past notions of self-righteousness to more practical routes of improvement. Reflection has helped me to accept that I am not perfect; as a human being I approach every situation with my own biases and assumptions, but as a teacher I should recognize these predispositions and move past them. Something else that was important for me to understand is that having preconceived notions or ideas does not make me a bad person. It is all part of my own culture and upbringing. Realizing this for myself was the first step in opening myself up to foreign cultures. How to Reflect Reflection requires careful consideration of experiences, review of the activities involved, the sentiments surrounding the situation, and then interpreting these feelings for the sake of personal development (Boud et al., 1985; Atkins and Murphy, 1994). When I first started utilizing reflection as a tool, it seemed like more of a burden than a blessing. It was not something that I looked forward to as it did not leave me secure in my world view. Oftentimes, after I would reflect on a case study or recent experience, it would leave me feeling confused or doubtful of my actions. It was these sentiments that deterred me from continual reflection. The biggest culprit for me was the self-doubt. I consider myself to be well-traveled, open-minded and culturally supportive, so faced with the idea that my actions could be biased or prejudiced in some way was not an idea that I could easily accept. It was not until I got over false ideas of self, for the sake of being more culturally accepting, that I started to appreciate an introspective approach to acclimating to the changes that continuous exposure to cultural elements caused in my own attitude and manner in approaching different topics. Brookfield (1987) takes reflection one step further by asserting that reflection is not only identifying and challenging assumptions, but also exploring and imagining alternatives. This combination of exploration and action makes reflection a powerful tool in cultural recognition and ultimate culturally supportive education. By adding elements of exploration and imagination of alternative Brookfield set the stage for the improvement of practice that essentially grows from reflection. This blend also allows for reflection to easily fit into practice for instructional designers as it mirrors analysis and implementation. If it’s easy, you are not doing it right Reflection should not be a painless activity to master. As Brookfield writes, “we are imprisoned in our own histories and constrained by the inevitably narrow paradigms of thought and action we inhabit” (Brookfield, 1987, p. 91). I found that as a student, a peer, an educator and a human being, I must move past harmful established notions to ensure that all my interactions are supportive. This notion did not come easy. As I said, I was defensive of my work and my world views. Ultimately, my pride caused me to be dismissive of the cultural elements that I was being exposed to and because I could not move past my own ego; I was missing out on a culturally rich classroom experience that emulated a case study. Opening up and continuing to expose myself to different cultural elements through research, case studies and interactions with my peers, I became overwhelmed at the idea of trying to support the diversity of the existing classroom at the student level, let alone any future practice at the instructor level. It was not a pleasant feeling and the fear of failure made the reverting back to previous notions more appealing. Reflection to the RescueI realized through reflection that by systematically breaking down the process, I was able to grasp new concepts and conceive ways to apply them in my practice without becoming disheartened. Weinstein, Tomlinson-Clarke and Curran (2004) developed a five-part approach to building a culturally responsive classroom: recognition of one’s own biases, mindfulness of the bigger social, economic and political environment, knowledge of learners’ cultural upbringings, ability and willingness to use culturally appropriate policies, and commitment to supporting caring classroom communities. This breakdown echoes aspects of reflection but also brings in concepts such as the learners in the classroom and the learning environment that are important in education. These elements also serve to limit the scope when designing a culturally supportive classroom from designing for the whole world to those in the class. Limiting the target audience, the instructor is able to design a classroom experience that will maximize learning in his/her classroom. Developing culturally supportive education practices, educators should critique personal thoughts and practices as well as those of the learning environment to ensure that prejudice behavior is not enforced. Previously, I stressed the importance of being aware of internal prejudice; it is just as important to be cognizant of biases in social norms that could negatively impact the learning environment as well. Whether virtual or physical, the learning environment is paramount to the delivery of education, so it too must be examined and reflected upon. It was important for me to accept that a learning environment may not be ideal for every learner that will be utilizing it. Instead of stressing over realities that cannot changed, as part of my practice I ensure that any learners that may be at a disadvantage due to learning space have access to any necessary training prior to utilizing the space. The Connection between Culture and Learning While understanding different cultures may not be reflected in standardized test assessments, performance reviews, or an SAT score, the different cultures in a classroom may be an asset to education rather than a hindrance. Supporting and celebrating diversity in a classroom can create a rich cultural landscape that allows students to confront their own assumptions and biases. An understanding of the cultural landscape of a classroom can give teachers a sense of views about behavior, communication and learning styles. My own experience with case study analysis allowed me to see that behavior I thought showed a lack of interest was an aspect of the individual’s culture that had not been accounted for in my planning. My assumption led to a misjudgment about the individual’s motives which negatively affected my interaction with the individual. In the classroom, judgments like this, could lead me to have less enthusiasm when working with a learner and ultimately negatively impact the learning experience. Ladson-Billings (1994) asserts that one of the central qualities that instructors of culturally supportive classrooms have is an authentic belief that learners from culturally diverse upbringings are capable students, and if learners are treated this way, they will ultimately prove a great degree of capability. The opposite is true as well. If learners are treated as incapable, they will ultimately demonstrate it. Educators need to become aware of learners’ cultural backgrounds to avoid this situation (Sheets & Gay, 1996). A classroom can be built on “the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning more relevant to and effective for them. It teaches to and through strengths of these students. It is culturally validating and affirming" (Gay, 2000, p.29). Educators may need to employ an arduous and frequently agonizing reflection process to support this diverse classroom, and address the significance of educating learners with different economic, racial and cultural backgrounds than their own. The result of a classroom structured around these qualities will be students that prove capable and celebrate diversity (Ladson-Billings, 1994)As part of becoming aware of learners’ cultural norms, it is also important for instructors to examine their own cultural background. Many of the practices and policies within an educational context have strong cultural undercurrents. Traditional educational practices reflect middle-class, European-American cultural values (Banks, 2001). These practices have the potential to isolate learners that fall outside this demographic. These practices can be used in the classroom, but should not be relied on exclusively. When introducing a new practice, assumptions regarding learners’ prior knowledge or comfort should not be made; instead the educator should fault on the side of caution and introduce all needed processing knowledge to limit learner mental load and create a less stressful learning environment (Gay & Howard, 2001). Ongoing reflection is necessary for educators to support a culturally diverse classroom. Educators need to participate in reflection that is authentic, and dares one to analyze how they influence their classrooms and how they can improve this influence. A continuing commitment to reflection will allow the educator to change as the cultural make-up of the classroom changes and aid students in the adaptation. Conclusion Reflection is a continuous process that requires educators to put the needs of learners ahead of all other considerations. Educators with learners from diverse backgrounds are disposed to inherent the benefits associated with diversity, if they are able to design a learning environment that is supportive of the needs of the learners in the classroom. In order to reap these benefits, educators must adapt to cultural change. Reflection is a vital tool in adapting to cultural changes. Palmer’s thoughts regarding reflection and culture, mirrored my own when he wrote: “Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach, I project the condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together. The entanglements I experience in the classroom are often no more or less than the convolutions of my inner life. Viewed from this angle, teaching holds a mirror to the soul. If I am willing to look in that mirror and not run from what I see, I have a chance to gain self-knowledge--and knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing my students and my subject . . . In fact, knowing my students and my subject depends heavily on self-knowledge. When I do not know myself, I cannot know who my students are. I will see them through a glass darkly, in the shadows of my own unexamined life--and when I cannot see them clearly, I cannot teach them well.” (1998, p.2)In summary, reflection is a valuable tool to not only improving your classroom, but for improving your life. References Atkins, S. and Murphy, K. (1994) Reflective practice. Nursing Standard. Vol. 8. No. 39. pp.49-56Banks, J.A. (2001). Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching. Boston: Allyn & BaconBoud, D., Keogh, R. and Walker, D. (Eds.) (1985) Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning. New York: Kogan Page.Brookfield, S. D. (1987). Developing critical thinkers: Challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.Calderhead, J. (1989). Reflective teaching and teacher education. Teaching & Teacher Education, 5(1), 43-51.Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: New York: Teacher College PressGay, G. & Howard, T.C. (2001). Multicultural education for the 21st century. The Teacher Educator, 36(1), 1-16.Sheets, R. and Gay, G. (1996). Student Perceptions of Disciplinary Conflict in Ethnically Diverse Classrooms. NASSP Bulletin, 80(580), 84-94.Weinstein C., Tomlinson-Clarke S., & Curran M. (2004). Toward a Conception of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 25-38. ................
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