What does culture have to do with it? A case study of three teachers’ cultural clashes.

Format Type

Plenary

Format Type

Paper

Start Date

13-1-2021 3:50 PM

End Date

13-1-2021 4:10 PM

Abstract

Teachers’ cultural competence and awareness about their students vary widely across k-12 education. The National Education Association (NEA) emphasizes cultural competence is a crucial factor in allowing educators to teach students from cultures other than their own effectively. The NEA (2019) defines cultural competence as “…having an awareness of one’s own cultural identity and views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of students and their families” (p.1). Drawing from this definition, in this case study, I sought to understand; How teachers’ perception of their cultural awareness impacts their classroom environment? And through student surveys, In what ways do students feel comfortable in their classroom surroundings?

With three teacher participants at various stages in their teaching careers, I conducted interviews, surveys, and questionnaires to determine how they perceived themselves, how they compared to the research on what is determined competent, and how the students saw their school surroundings.

This presentation will discuss the outcome of the case study and the insight both the teachers and the researcher gained to provide the tools necessary to teach and nurture all students.

Keywords

Teacher identity, culture, education, case study

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Jan 13th, 3:50 PM Jan 13th, 4:10 PM

What does culture have to do with it? A case study of three teachers’ cultural clashes.

Teachers’ cultural competence and awareness about their students vary widely across k-12 education. The National Education Association (NEA) emphasizes cultural competence is a crucial factor in allowing educators to teach students from cultures other than their own effectively. The NEA (2019) defines cultural competence as “…having an awareness of one’s own cultural identity and views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of students and their families” (p.1). Drawing from this definition, in this case study, I sought to understand; How teachers’ perception of their cultural awareness impacts their classroom environment? And through student surveys, In what ways do students feel comfortable in their classroom surroundings?

With three teacher participants at various stages in their teaching careers, I conducted interviews, surveys, and questionnaires to determine how they perceived themselves, how they compared to the research on what is determined competent, and how the students saw their school surroundings.

This presentation will discuss the outcome of the case study and the insight both the teachers and the researcher gained to provide the tools necessary to teach and nurture all students.