Sensitivity to sociocultural & linguistic differences

The culturally competent teacher communicates in ways that demonstrate sensitivity to sociocultural and linguistic differences, using a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication techniques that encourage positive social interaction and support learning in their classroom. How have you (or the classroom teacher) communicated in ways that demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to sociocultural and linguistic differences?

Several weeks ago, I was observing Ms. Rigby introduce an activity. The children were sitting on the rug, and she was asking each student to give an example of what they might ask to receive as a gift for Christmas. Most of the students were eager to share what they wanted, which significantly increased the noise level. Many were speaking without first raising their hand, despite knowing it was against the rules. Ms. Rigby turned to the class and rhetorically asked “How many times have I had to speak to you today?” The children fell silent, and one little girl raised her hand. Some of the children seemed appalled that their peer would raise their hand at such a time like this; others barely noticed. Ms. Rigby called on her. “Three times! You talked to us three times today,” she replied. Instead of getting upset or scolding her student, Ms. Rigby simply said “Thank you, Ramona. I have had to speak to all of you about the noise level three times today. That is three times too many!” I smiled to myself. I understood how such a situation could be frustrating to a teacher, but I was so happy that Ms. Rigby did not react the way some people might have. Instead, she realized that Ramona had asked a question, and that questions generally warrant responses. Ramona did not intend to be rude or funny; all she knew was that her teacher had asked a question to which she knew the answer.

This experience strongly tied to Lisa Delpit‘s article “The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People’s Children,” where the vast cultural differences in verbal communication deeply affect the way children perceive and interpret instruction. It is highly probably that a white child raised by a middle class family is accustomed to commands given in question format. It is not quite as common for a black child raised in the the city to be used to such language. They are more likely to respond to “Don’t touch that stove!” than they would be to an adult asking “Do you think you should be touching that stove?” It is extremely important that educators are aware of the sociocultural and linguistic differences that exist in the classroom. It would be horribly unfortunate to punish a student for responding to a question or command “incorrectly” simply because they were not exposed to such language and usage. It is not something within their control; if they do not mimic or learn this behavior or method of communication from their family, they will not know how to respond to it in a classroom setting.