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1.1 (1K1B): Sensitivity to the beliefs, traditions, and values across cultures and how these impact the relationships between children, families, and schooling.


	1	1R	2	2R	3	3R	4	4R

Facilitator Supplement

Several activity suggestions are included here to encourage more in-depth discussion (either in class or in an online forum that you have established) of the topics included in this unit. Participants in online learning, just like learners in a traditional classroom environment, will benefit in many ways from dialogue with their peers. Use these ideas to create a greater sense of community in your learning group.

Worksheets in this Unit

All worksheets are Adobe pdf files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view and print the worksheets.

Lesson 3R

Similarities and Differences Between Cultures

Lesson 4R

Cultural Competency Continuum

Facilitated Activity

The objective of this activity is for the students to become aware of cultural differences and how they fit into these cultures. On an overhead or a blackboard, make two columns labled "Cultural Category" and "Example". Have the students brainstorm ways that cultures may be bound together (other than ethnicity). Write each way in the "Cultural Category" column. For each cultural category item, have students brainstorm examples of these cultures and write them in the "Example" column. When the activity is finished, your columns may look something like this:

Cultural Category	Example
Religion	Mormons, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists, etc.
Sexual Orientation	Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, etc.
Age	Baby Boomers, Senior Citizens, Teens, etc.

Discussions

Facilitate a discussion around the following scenarios:

1. You will be attending a meeting after school for one of your students, Jim. Jim³s mother and father will be there as well. Jim³s cumulative file has told you that Jim and his family are of Native American heritage, and that, while they spend the school year in their home in your district, during the summer they live on a reservation in west central Minnesota. Jim often wears jewelry made of beads or feathers, and rarely makes eye contact with you when you speak with him.

What do you need to ask yourself about culture (yours and your student³s) in order to best serve this family?
What do you need to learn about culture before attending the meeting?
What changes in your communication style might you need to make in order to be culturally sensitive at the meeting?
Who can you contact to get more information about culture differences that may be present at the meeting?

2. You are working in a residential program with Joe and his family picks him up to take him out for the day. When Joe returns from his day with his family he smells differently then when he left the house. You notice that he has strings of herbs around his neck and on his head.

What thoughts first come to mind?
How do you address the presence of these herbs?
How do you find out what their meaning is Õ or does it even matter what their meaning is?
Is it acceptable to ask about the herbs?
How closely do you identify with your culture?

3. Use the following discussion topics to explore this topic further with your class:

Why are communication, language, and terminology so important in understanding diversity?
Have you ever been in a situation where you used Àthe wrong word?" How could you have prevented the situation?
Have you ever gotten cultural information directly about a person to whom you provide supports and/or their family? How?
Have you gotten cultural information indirectly about people to whom you provide supports and or their families? How?
Where do you think you fall on the continuum in your cultural competence?
What factors do you think have contributed to your competence level?
How culturally competent is the agency in which you work? How culturally competent are your coworkers?
How culturally competent is our society in general?
How closely do you identify with your culture?

Consider using a tracking worksheet for Paraprofessionals to monitor their progress through the units.
For information on how to start an online discussion area, see the online resources section.