Chapter Overview
Culture involves the social system of rules, language, customs, rituals, arts, government, expectations, norms, values, and ideals that people share. Each of us is multicultural, and each of us has learned our cultural practices over time. Valle’s model of culture includes three levels: (1) surface-level elements and artifacts (e.g., wearing traditional clothing), (2) patterns of interaction such as customs (e.g., ways of greeting others), and (3) implicit values and beliefs that shape a person’s worldview (e.g., valuing individualism over collective effort).
Mainstream American culture tends to be aligned with the experiences and values of middle-class, white Protestants living in the United States. Individuals who identify with subcultures can experience marginalization, discrimination, and institutional racism. Culturally relevant education acknowledges the importance of schooling in promoting equity and equality. Culturally relevant education involves incorporating students’ lived experiences and their cultural modes of delivery into curricula and methods of teaching.
Learning Objectives
L01. Describe the various elements of culture and explain why culture is a powerful aspect of life.
L02. Define and describe a model of culture.
L03. Discuss mainstream culture and subcultures in the United States.
L04. Describe how culture is transmitted and cultural identity is developed.
L05. Investigate culturally relevant education and evaluate examples of several programs.
Readings & Resources
Due this Week
Culture involves the social system of rules, language, customs, rituals, arts, government, expectations, norms, values, and ideals that people share. Each of us is multicultural, and each of us has learned our cultural practices over time. Valle’s model of culture includes three levels: (1) surface-level elements and artifacts (e.g., wearing traditional clothing), (2) patterns of interaction such as customs (e.g., ways of greeting others), and (3) implicit values and beliefs that shape a person’s worldview (e.g., valuing individualism over collective effort).
Mainstream American culture tends to be aligned with the experiences and values of middle-class, white Protestants living in the United States. Individuals who identify with subcultures can experience marginalization, discrimination, and institutional racism. Culturally relevant education acknowledges the importance of schooling in promoting equity and equality. Culturally relevant education involves incorporating students’ lived experiences and their cultural modes of delivery into curricula and methods of teaching.
Learning Objectives
L01. Describe the various elements of culture and explain why culture is a powerful aspect of life.
L02. Define and describe a model of culture.
L03. Discuss mainstream culture and subcultures in the United States.
L04. Describe how culture is transmitted and cultural identity is developed.
L05. Investigate culturally relevant education and evaluate examples of several programs.
Readings & Resources
Due this Week
- Check-in #1
- You will provide an update on your progress in the class. This will inform the instructor of how you are doing and how instruction can be adapted to best support your needs. The check-in questions can be found in Assignments in Laulima. Your check-in will be due on Sunday by 11:55pm.
- Discussion Post
- Answer one of the following questions. Post your response on FORUM in LAULIMA. Your discussion post will be due on Friday by 11:55pm.
- What are ways of coming to know students deeply? As an educator, how would you keep track of information about students’ identities, cultures, interests, and communities?
- How would you provide culturally relevant teaching in a classroom that contains students of very different cultural backgrounds from one another?
- Answer one of the following questions. Post your response on FORUM in LAULIMA. Your discussion post will be due on Friday by 11:55pm.
- Peer Responses
- Respond to one of your classmates' discussion posts. Your response must be respectful, thorough, and well thought-out. Peer Response will be due by Sunday at 11:55pm. Submit your peer response directly to the discussion post in FORUM on LAULIMA.
- Respond to one of your classmates' discussion posts. Your response must be respectful, thorough, and well thought-out. Peer Response will be due by Sunday at 11:55pm. Submit your peer response directly to the discussion post in FORUM on LAULIMA.