{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"43898986","dateCreated":"1318112047","smartDate":"Oct 8, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"dawnyaddicted2life","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/dawnyaddicted2life","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1318117565\/dawnyaddicted2life-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/43898986"},"dateDigested":1532760230,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Culture's relevance in all of our lives","description":"I believe that whether you were raised in a city, suburb or another country culture surrounds us in an invisible thread from the moment we are born. It happens from the language our parents speak to us with, the customs we follow--and also as importantly--don't follow, the food we share, the goals and traditions we are invariably guided to follow; as many generations before us or just from the hopes of our families. I believe it is, also, too broad a term to define.
\n
\nIt is not necessarily an entity which needs defining, but more understanding and allowing us to live within it with room to grow by others coming to it by the people we touch in our lives. Because of its evolving form we may subscribe to it and a plethora of others by the end of our lives--without even realizing how various it may be and enriching to our lives it has the potential to be. Even our students in their young age have begun the processes of their own individual culture. These may be the culture of their ethnicity, language, religion, but also include cultures of their music, social life and others which all relate to and and from the needs of the others.
\n
\nIn all, culture is a rich form we may have unconsciously lived up towards in our lives, but consciously preserve in our growing aspirations as individuals to preserve what is most important to us. It is these diversifying points of importance within each of us which add to one another as we relate to each other; resulting in quite a satisfying metamorphosis.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"43136298","dateCreated":"1316994931","smartDate":"Sep 25, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"rmd326","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/rmd326","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/43136298"},"dateDigested":1532760230,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Culture","description":"Prior to reading the readings on multicultural education, my definition of culture related to how an individual defines himself or herself, whether it be ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc. However, these readings opened my eyes a bit to other forms of culture that exist. In the reading, Why Multicultural Education?, Ooka Pang described how she was working at a school in a predominately black neighborhood. Here, she had to take into consideration not just the culture of each individual student, but the culture of the school and the entire neighborhood. I think it could sometimes be easy for an educator to forget how much a neighborhood and a community has an effect on the culture of our students. Ooka Pang\u2019s recollection of her student, Rosemary, really made me think about a student was in my first placement at Children\u2019s Workshop School. This child, who I will call Max, was considered the \u201cproblem child\u201d of the class. He had trouble focusing, getting along with others, and completing his work. Still, he seemed eager for attention from both adults and peers. Shortly into the year I found out that Max came from a large family \u2013 he had ten or more siblings, all from different mothers but the same father. This explained to me why Max was so eager for some type of attention, regardless if it was positive or negative. I didn\u2019t know much about Max\u2019s home life until his parents came in for a conference with my CT. She shared with me that Max\u2019s father actually came to the meeting apparently high on drugs and was difficult to communicate with. Thinking about this now, I see how Max\u2019s home life had become part of his culture. Ooka Pang wrote about how language and social interaction shape how children think. While some children in the class got read to every night and had parents to help them with their homework, Max had a lot of sibling and what seems like a dysfunctional home life. I think about Max today and what\u2019s in store for him in the future and it worries me. I got to know this student who was so good and sweet at heart, but was being challenged by his surroundings. I think that as future educators, it is our job to become invested in learning about all of our students and their culture \u2013 including the culture of the neighborhood and community.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[],"more":0}]},{"id":"42758854","dateCreated":"1316462719","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"snt227","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/snt227","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/42758854"},"dateDigested":1532760230,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"What is culture? ","description":"My definition of what culture is has definitely changed after reading the reading. It is not only about how different people live their lives but it is also about sharing and exposing their differences to others so that they can learn from them as well as the other way around. In my placement today they had a every interesting lesson on stereotypes where the class each took a piece of paper and wrote down what they took a native american would look like. Then the teacher had the class sit on the carpet and they discussed the similarities between the different pictures and the differences the student had drawn. Then they talked about difference stereotypes and what stereotypes were. The whole class also discussed their own experiences with either saying stereotypes or having people stereotype them. Through the reading I have learned that even talking about different stereotypes is a part of culture since it is a part of life and people create them so we should discuss how and why people come up with different ones. Culture is also about being respectful to people who are different but not other ethnically, but for other reasons as full such as by gender, religion, what they like, activities they participate in, and etc. I think through the difference reading I have really come to learn that culture is really that broad and covers all sorts of things that as long as you can connect it to life then its a part of culture.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"43138706","body":"I love this activity that occurred in your placement. It is so important to talk about stereotypes and how they pertain to culture. I believe that, as part of multicultural education, it is important to discuss stereotypes and how the could represent misconceptions of certain groups. I agree with you that culture also involves being respectful of other cultures. I believe that we should teach our students respect and trust so that they feel comfortable to share their cultures and identities in a safe community space.","dateCreated":"1316997433","smartDate":"Sep 25, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"rmd326","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/rmd326","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"43169990","body":"WOW your teacher definitely took a head on approach. I think that's great. What grade is this? I am sure that in order to have this discussion the teacher must have had a good discussion with the class on rules within the classroom, how they were expected to treat eachother, how to talk respectfully, etc. Without that basis I think this kind of deep conversation would have been hard to have. It says a lot about the classroom community.","dateCreated":"1317052559","smartDate":"Sep 26, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"klb409","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/klb409","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"42758712","dateCreated":"1316462536","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"snp241","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/snp241","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1317051397\/snp241-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/42758712"},"dateDigested":1532760230,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"What is culture?","description":"I think culture is the recognition of various aspects of life pertaining to an individual in terms of their identity.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"42758928","body":"The articles emphasized that it is not only the recognition of one's own identity, or of those around you; it is the activism to create an understanding in others as well as fixing the problems that exist. Our understanding of what culture is rests on changes that occur throughout history as well as on how others will accept different cultures.","dateCreated":"1316462796","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"snp241","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/snp241","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1317051397\/snp241-lg.jpg"}},{"id":"43138460","body":"I agree with you partially in your definition - there must be "activism to create an understanding in others." However, I think that our understanding of what culture is does not solely rely on history of how others accept culture, but on how we ourselves begin to learn about cultures. I believe that as educators, and as human beings for that matter, we have the ability to shape our own understanding of culture and to help our students create their own understandings as well. For example, it's so important for a teacher to understand the culture that exists inside the neighborhood surrounding a school and the neighborhoods that the children exist in. It would be easy for us to rely on how others perceive a neighborhood, but I believe it is our responsibility as educators to investigate and build our own understanding of different types of cultures.","dateCreated":"1316997192","smartDate":"Sep 25, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"rmd326","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/rmd326","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"42744278","dateCreated":"1316449985","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"smarositz","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/smarositz","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/42744278"},"dateDigested":1532760231,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Culture ","description":"Culture is one\u2019s personal identity. Culture is one\u2019s social fingerprint, unique to every single person, never repeating. Culture is the habits of daily life, the traditions, recipes, holiday celebrations, spoken language, mannerisms, and behavior of every person. It is also in the way you talk, walk, dress, greet a friend, greet a stranger, and respond to any situation. I agree with Ooka-Pang when she stated that culture is \u201chow we define ourselves\u201d (17). Culture is how I choose to identify myself, it is how I choose to label myself into social categories. There is no correct or incorrect way to celebrate a culture. It is my choice to pick and choose which aspects of my life I wish to celebrate. It is my choice to participate in as much or as little as I would like. My culture is my living existence. Vygotsky believed that \u2018people learn through social interaction and these interactions occur within a multitude of contexts\u2019 (17). Each person I meet presents a new culture, a new thinking, a new perspective on life. This interaction can influence my thinking and alter how a certain aspect of my life is interpreted. With that in mind, my personal culture is constantly evolving.
\nCulture also is not a choice. Pigeonholed and judged based on external factors, assumptions are made on how one\u2019s life is lived. Race, sex, age, sexual orientation, ability are all characteristics of a person that they cannot choose, that they cannot change. Each word resonates a different meaning and is followed up by a flood of thoughts, positive or negative. These thoughts and assumptions can be better defined by taking their root word and putting \u2018-ism\u2019 on the end. Racism, sexism, ageism and so on. By definition an \u2018-ism\u2019 is adhering to a particular ideology. The fact that I am white translates to a certain culture, sense of identity, and attitudes that even if I do not participate in or am aware of can be assumed that I believe in and follow. I did not choose to be from New Jersey, but based on this geographic location and media portrayal of the state a common assumption is that my life is like the \u2018Jersey Shore\u2019. I am socially defined and stigmatized by these characteristics and assumptions are made about the culture of my life. Through multicultural education it is our goal as Gorski states to \u201cdismantle systems of power and privilege\u201d (2). No one should be able to label and categorize the life of another human being. My culture and who I choose to identify with should be my choice.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"42933110","body":"I really like how you begin with your own personal definitions
\nof culture. I agree with your idea that culture is defined on an individual basis rather than something one associates you with. As a prospective teacher, this is something I have failed to do for most of my students in the past. I feel that this is due to a lack of knowledge on my part having been unable to connect with many students on a cultural basis.","dateCreated":"1316655580","smartDate":"Sep 21, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"kac546","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kac546","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"43133330","body":"I totally agree with you in when you said 'lack of knowledge'. I feel that I have an idea of what culture is and how it should be. But in practice, I'm not sure I alwalys live up to the expectations of my definition.","dateCreated":"1316991198","smartDate":"Sep 25, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"smarositz","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/smarositz","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"42743620","dateCreated":"1316449232","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"colleen.ouyang","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/colleen.ouyang","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/42743620"},"dateDigested":1532760231,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Culture","description":"Culture is a system of shared beliefs, thinking, practices that are passed onto generations. Culture encompasses a lot more than the above general definition and holds a lot more connotations including relations to race, ethnicity, family, community, and society. And just prior to the readings, I did not know that multiculturalism includes diversity of gender, religion, nationality, etc. Each individual person belongs to several cultures that are not mutually exclusive.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"42744910","body":"I was very enlightened by the origin of multiculturalism because I do feel that we need to teach for social inequality. It is so hard to teach this (like Katina posted) and especially to connect multiculturalism to in all subject areas as much as I wish I could. I love how Ooka-Pang gives her anecdote and her concrete example of a culturally responsive\/relevant teacher by understanding the cultural preferences of Christine and then actively changing participation to give her experience in speaking and then build into speaking within whole class. I also really loved how Ooka-Pang connected instruction with cultural preferences in the Moon and the Sun case.","dateCreated":"1316450850","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"colleen.ouyang","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/colleen.ouyang","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"42750310","body":"You raise some key points here Colleen. To add further, consider how cultural systems are shaped by structures and social forces. FOr example, how do economic systems shape the way cultures develop and change? For example having a music industry based on making making more money may have a different effect on the music that is made that would a society where the focus of music was just the creation of art. Another point to consider is how technological tools (like iPods) shape culture? - Edwin","dateCreated":"1316455282","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"emayorga","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/emayorga","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1229182769\/emayorga-lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"42741724","dateCreated":"1316447346","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"afd257","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/afd257","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/42741724"},"dateDigested":1532760231,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Culture","description":"Before reading the assigned readings I defined culture as a way of life for an individual or group of people, one that has its own values, traditions, and beliefs. I have now learned that one\u2019s own culture can affect the way others view the world and how important it is to educate students about different cultures and backgrounds, not only by food, music and dance, but most importantly by the struggles and issues of different cultures. Sensitivity to other cultures, in the classroom and in society, is important as well. As teachers, it is our duty to recognize the cultural backgrounds of our students and integrate educating the community on the differences and similarities between different cultures to have a more accurate understanding and view of our world. Personally, I feel that culture is a huge part of an individual and a huge part of our society at large, and educating students, and other people in our communities, is extremely important to understanding who we are today, and where we came from in the past.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"42746988","body":"I am glad that you agree with the readings and I really love how you extend culture to the struggles and important issues within culture. Do you mean like how the Caribbean Americans argued over the constant generalization that they are "African Americans"? If you meant something different, could you give a concrete example?
\n
\nOne think that I also like is how we could compare and contrast cultures so that we can share multiple perspectives of the same incident.","dateCreated":"1316452695","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"colleen.ouyang","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/colleen.ouyang","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"42749902","body":"Hey folks,
\n
\nthis is an old article that addressed the complexities of the African diaspora and struggles over collective identities in the U.S.
\n
\nXue Lan Rong, Frank Brown (2001). The Effects of Immigrant Generation and Ethnicity on Educational Attainment among Young African and Caribbean Blacks in the United States. Harvard Ed Review","dateCreated":"1316454982","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"emayorga","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/emayorga","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1229182769\/emayorga-lg.jpg"}},{"id":"43006172","body":"Colleen, for example struggles for some "African American" people in New York City in the 1800s were how they were viewd as squatters living in shanty towns, when in reality that was not the case for all. People from different cultures are put into a general category by outsiders who may know nothing about their specific culture or religious beliefs and then they misjudge the individual or group of people. These are the struggles I am referring to, and it is important to teach all individuals of the biases from history in order to better understand the reality of today.","dateCreated":"1316739738","smartDate":"Sep 22, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"afd257","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/afd257","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"42741066","dateCreated":"1316446711","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"brittanyhan","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/brittanyhan","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/42741066"},"dateDigested":1532760231,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"what is culture?","description":"Culture is all people's values, ideas, communities, relationships, beliefs, language, and ways of life. Culture is a large umbrella term for the way people of the same race, gender, and other identifying characteristics view and interact with each other, people in other groups, and themselves. It shapes who we are and how we treat one another. To me cultures is exciting, developing, diverse, challenging, inclusive, goal oriented, self reflecting, and connected. It is a concept that is present it all aspects of our lives. It is even present in our subconscious thoughts and actions. Although learning about your own and different cultures is done with good intentions, at times, as Sleeter and Maclaren state, it is "pulled...away from social struggles and redefined ... to mean the celebration of ethic foods and festivals." This moves multicultural education towards a "tourist" concept instead of a ongoing collection and experience of knowledge and understanding of different values and beliefs of various people. With the concept of culture there tends to be an emphasis of the other, but I think it is more beneficial, relevant, and will make more of an impact if not only the other and different people's cultures are acknowledge and explored but also how we are all connected and integrated.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"42742210","body":"Connection and integration is key! Somewhere along the way, while looking at and learning about different cultures we are all connected in some way, shape or form. I think it is important to take these connections and integrate them into curriculums that we will teach one day.","dateCreated":"1316447784","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"afd257","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/afd257","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"42854910","body":"I love the part about culture even being present in our subconscious! That is such a true point that I never really thought of outrightly. I think this relates to your statement of culture as shaping how we treat one another. I feel we often aren't aware of our subconscious thoughts and this could cause us to treat others poorly or just differently.","dateCreated":"1316567283","smartDate":"Sep 20, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"JillianGutman","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/JillianGutman","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"43135476","body":"I like that you discuss a "tourist" concept of multicultural education. I went to a very mixed middle school and despite their attempts to assimilate culture into the classroom their best attempts always seemed to just be cultural food days or an EXTENSIVE dive into black history month. However, it's important that we acknowledge that multicultural classrooms are an "ongoing" collection," as you wrote.","dateCreated":"1316993997","smartDate":"Sep 25, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"Raradiaz","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/Raradiaz","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"42740872","dateCreated":"1316446500","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"KatherineROD","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/KatherineROD","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1334072334\/KatherineROD-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/42740872"},"dateDigested":1532760231,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"What is Culture? ","description":"Culture is a word that has many meanings. From this week's readings, I was able to further enhance my definition of culture. To me, culture meant my family and the diverse country we come from. As a Peruvian native, I experience extreme diversity of culture when I visit Lima. Some relatives of mine speak unique tongues that I don't understand. My Japanese, Portuguese, Quecha, French, and Spansih-speaking relatives make my culture distinct.\u00a0
\n
\nCulture is not only nationalities, languages, country pride, and heritage. It denotes something much bigger. When I think of culture, I wonder about family uniqueness. Sexual orientation and religious beliefs are also part of our culture. There is no longer a traditional family model; families consist of a single parent, same-sex parent, and foster parents. When I student taught at my last semester placement, there was a student whose family is part of the Jehovah's witnesses. I have family members who are part of this religion and knew that celebrating birthdays is one thing they do not believe in. When my cooperating teacher kept urging this student to tell her when her birthday was, I spoke to her that by doing that the student would feel uncomfortable since she'd be going against her religious beliefs. As a teacher, its absolutely important to be aware of our students' religious beliefs, family structures, and even cultural heritages. You never know when a certain topic or small action might negatively affect a student.\u00a0
\n
\nGorski noted that in many instances, schools do not encourage multicultural education. If there is a cultural lesson then it only lasts a certain time period, such as during Heritage month. I believe as educators we should constantly teach cultural lessons. There should not be a limit on learning about other civilizations, continents, languages, etc. Sleeter and McLarem emphasize the idea that by creating lessons around multiculturalism and current events, we can introduce important topics to students: racism, sexism, stereotypes, etc. What amazed me was how some schools that have a certain racial majority do not involve the students' upbringing within their curriculum. How do we expect students to learn, if we do not take time to learn about their cultures?","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"42741602","body":"That is so true. There are so many different types and forms of families and that in itself is a form of culture that should be acknowledged and considered.
\n
\nYour birthday story is a great example of how to be what Ooka Pang states as a culturally responsive teacher. Even with a small moment like that it truly shows the importance of being a culturally relevant teacher. Something I struggle with is figuring out how to know all of the students' culture, backgrounds, and beliefs but I guess that is where the caring centered multicultural education framework comes into play. This instance absolutely shows how culture can affect a student's comfort, actions, and participation in the classroom.","dateCreated":"1316447227","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"brittanyhan","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/brittanyhan","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"42759958","body":"You brought up a perfect example of how teachers need to be aware of the students' culture or religious beliefs. I'm glad you took the initiative to bring it up with the teacher. This shows the teachers need to be aware and open to student's beliefs and ways of doing things.","dateCreated":"1316463981","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"ahoriuchi05","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ahoriuchi05","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"42739818","dateCreated":"1316445537","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"klb409","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/klb409","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/integratingculture-at-nyu.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/42739818"},"dateDigested":1532760231,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Discussion 1","description":"How do the the readings relate to my understanding of the concepts of culture?
\n
\nLast school year I took a course about Latin@s in urban schools. The professor thought it was important for us to udnerstand the difference between race and etnicity. To be quite honest, I think I still confuse the two. However, this concept of two very similar ideas with two very different meanings resurfaced again while doing the readings for this week. It reminded me why I found the definitions we were given last year for those terms so hard to understand. The way we choose to define ourselves is strongly influenced by our background, our experiences, our community, and our family. Those definitions do not always fit what shows up on paper. For example, a student may be Asian but was adopted into a Puerto Rican family and may therefore choose to identify with that culture (true story). The connecting factor through the various readings this week was taking an interest in each individual student and really connecting with them and those around them. This reading reminded me of how broad this topic is and how much it involves. It also but it into a historical context for me, reminding me that multiculral education is aimed at eliminating inequalities, not just at creating lessons.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"42741110","body":"I definitely agree with you about how the topic varies and its interesting to note that students might appear a certain race, yet they were raised differently . I have a student in my class that actually has Asian characteristics but grew up in an African American family. She is dealing with the dilemma of blending in with a certain culture. She doesn't know whether she's "black" or "Asian." What's also interesting about this student is that she prefers to be "Asian" because they have the stereotype of being smarter. These predisposed notions is what we should work on as classroom teachers. Thank you for bringing that up :)","dateCreated":"1316446755","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"KatherineROD","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/KatherineROD","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1334072334\/KatherineROD-lg.jpg"}},{"id":"42742240","body":"That is what I think is so great about culture. There is no one definition for any one culture. Even within groups there are all different variations of their culture. More and more people are growing up with culturally diverse situations as the one you stated and more and more people are also ethnically mixed. To me race is what you identify as and ethnicity is your "blood." The two may or may not be the same. For example the student you mentioned is ethnically Asian but may be racially Puerto Rican. So maybe race is more of a cultural thing, even though ethnicity absolutely plays apart of ones culture, race is more of a fluid idea. This is also why I think that multicultural education is challenging because there are so many different cultures and there seems to be a constant flux of ideas, groups, and people.
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\nYa I agree although most of us understand and agree with the value and importance of multicultural education sometimes we fall into the trap of concentrating on the lesson and the end goal. Instead we need to focus on the self reflecting and developing nature of understanding and learning about cultures.","dateCreated":"1316447813","smartDate":"Sep 19, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"brittanyhan","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/brittanyhan","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":true},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}