11 minute read
Proficiency as a Continuum: Cultural Competence Self-Awareness
from Disrupting Inequity
by CCPSequity
P Proficiency as a Continuum
Vernita Mayfield, author of Cultural Competence NOW: 56 Exercises to Help Educators Understand and Challenge Bias, Racism, and Privilege, outlines the importance of assessing your team’s cultural competence before delving into the heavy lifting. Specifically, Mayfield utilizes the Cultural Proficiency Continuum to help individuals and organizations identify their level of aptitude with the following three skills: • The ability to use critical thinking skills to interpret how cultural values and beliefs influence conscious and unconscious behaviors; • The understanding of inequity can be and has been perpetuated through socialized behaviors; and • The knowledge and determined disposition to disrupt inequitable practices to achieve greater personal and professional success for yourself and others (Mayfield, 2020; Clark, Zygmunt, & Howard, 2016; Gay 2010; Howard; 2010)
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CULTURAL PROFICIENCY CONTINUUM
Cultural
The continuum provides a visual representation of the six phases to cultural proficiency. To recognize and celebrate growth, it is critical to acknowledge individual and organizational entry points. Ask yourself, where do I land? My team, department, and school? The school board? The school division? The community?
Cultural Destructiveness Sees individual and group differences as problems; views dominant/agent groups as superior
Cultural Incompetency Sustains stereotype usage and adopts a dominant attitude toward historically marginalized/target groups
Cultural Blindness
Ignores or is insensitive to cultural differences; does not acknowledge the value or importance of - sees differences as neither good or bad
Cultural Pre-Competence
Views culture as important and values diversity; Recognizes differences but is unaware how to change behavior to meet needs
Cultural Competence Values diversity and sees culture as a part of everything; utilizes current knowledge and new learning to support respectful interactions; seeks out diverse opinions
Cultural Proficiency
Utilizes culturally competent skills to navigate surroundings; seeks opportunities to help the less informed and regularly engages those with diverse ideas and thoughts
A K12 Cultural Proficiency Continuum Sort
OBJECTIVE:
To enhance understanding of the phases of cultural proficiency through the use of k12 scenarios.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Print and cut out the number of sort sets needed for your group size. 2. Lay the 6 Phases of Cultural Proficiency cards out. Read each K12 definition card. 3. Now read the example statement cards and match each with the appropriate cultural competence phase. 4. Move into small groups, share answers, and reflect together on the following questions: • What was similar or different? • Why might differences occur? • How can K12 Cultural Continuum Proficency help your school/staff with EDI work?
Cultural Destructiveness
Seeking to eliminate the cultures of others in all aspects of the school and in relationship to the community served Cultural Incapacity
Trivializing and stereotyping other cultures; seeking to make the cultures of others appear to be wrong or inferior to the dominant culture Cultural Blindness
Not noticing or acknowledging the cultures of others within the school community; treating everyone in the educational system without recognizing the needs that require differentiated interaction
Cultural Pre-competence
Increasing awareness of what you and the school don’t know about working in diverse settings; at this level of development, you and the school can move in a positive, constructive direction, or you can falter, stop, and possibly regress
Cultural Competence
Aligning your personal values and behaviors, and the school’s policies and practices in a manner that is inclusive of cultures that are new or different from yours and the school’s; enables healthy and productive interactions
Cultural Proficiency
Holding the vision that you and the school are instruments for creating a socially just democracy; interacting with your colleagues, students, families, and the community as an advocate for life-long learning to serve effectively the educational needs of all cultural groups
“In this class, we speak English only.”
“Racism and discrimination don’t exist anymore. I really hate it when parents use the race card.”
“You know that those parents never show up to school functions.”
“My job as an educator is not only to teach content. I also openly embrace my role as an advocate for each child and their family.”
“Asian students come to this country and succeed. Why wouldn’t the other students do so as well?” “A student made a derogatory remark and I used it as a teachable moment to remind students of the right thing to do.” See the difference and stomp it out.
“If we could get rid of our special needs students, our scores would improve.” See the difference and act like you don’t.
“We value all cultures. We have a night where parents bring food representing their country.”
“Our school’s Social Justice and Equity Vertical Team is doing a great job of embedding culturally relevant lessons into our curriculum.” See the difference and make it wrong.
“The co-teach model with the push-in Special Education teacher is allowing us to have honest conversations about differentiation in the classroom.”
See the difference and value it. “I don’t see color. I just see kids.”
A K12 Cultural Proficiency Continuum Sort
ANSWER KEY
Cultural Destructiveness
Cultural Incapacity Cultural Blindness Cultural Pre-Competence
Cultural Competence
Cultural Proficiency
Seeking to eliminate the cultures of others in all aspects of the school and in relationship to the community served
Cultural Proficiency: The Continuum
Trivializing and stereotyping other cultures; seeking to make the cultures of others appear to be wrong or inferior to the dominant culture Not noticing or acknowledging the cultures of others within the school community; treating everyone in the educational system without recognizing the needs that require differentiated interaction Increasing awareness of what you and the school don’t know about working in diverse settings; at this level of development, you and the school can move in a positive, constructive direction, or you can falter, stop, and possibly regress Aligning your personal values and behaviors, and the school’s policies and practices in a manner that is inclusive of cultures that are new or different from yours and the school’s; enables healthy and productive interactions
See the difference and stomp it out.
“In this class, we speak English only.”
“If we could get rid of our special needs students, our scores would improve.” See the difference and make it wrong.
“You know that those parents never show up to school functions.”
“Asian students come to this country and succeed. Why wouldn’t the other students do so as well?” See the difference and act like you don’t.
“I don’t see color. I just see kids.”
“Racism and discrimination don’t exist anymore. I really hate it when parents use the race card.” See the difference and at times, respond inappropriately.
“During Christmas time I have a menorah in my classroom.”
“We value all cultures. We have a night where parents bring food representing their country.”
Adapted from Lindsey, Robins, and Terrell (2009) • ©2016 Center for Applied Linguistics See the difference and value it.
“A student made a derogatory remark and I used it as a teachable moment to remind students of the right thing to do.”
“The co-teach model with the push-in Special Education teacher is allowing us to have honest conversations about differentiation in the classroom.” Holding the vision that you and the school are instruments for creating a socially just democracy; interacting with your colleagues, students, families, and the community as an advocate for life-long learning to serve effectively the educational needs of all cultural groups
Seek the difference and esteem it as an advocate for equity.
“Our school’s Social Justice and Equity Vertical Team is doing a great job of embedding culturally relevant lessons into our curriculum.”
“My job as an educator is not only to teach content. I also openly embrace my role as an advocate for each child and their family.”
Cultural Competency Checklist
OBJECTIVE
Now that you have a working understanding of the Cultural Proficiency Continuum and the associated definitions and characteristics, utilize the “Cultural Competency Continuum: Knowledge, Behaviors, and Dispositions for Educators” checklist to examine how your current approach impacts educational justice, anti racism advocacy, and the dismantling of inequities (Mayfield, 2020, pp. 18-19).
DIRECTIONS
1. Read each section and place a checkmark next to every knowledge, behavior, and disposition you possess. 2. After completing the checklist, work in a small group to complete discuss the following questions: a. Which step was your greatest strength: Awaken and Assess, Apply and Act, Analyze and Align, or Advocate and Lead? Greatest opportunity for development? b. How do these knowledge, behaviors, and dispositions apply to your educational role? Give an example of how you model each step in your workplace/classroom.
Culturally competent professionals acknowledge and continually examine the influence of culture, race, power, and privilege and how that influence manifests itself in their personal and professional decisions.
STEP 1: Awaken and Assess
____ I can recognize how past historical actions are affecting current social and economic circumstances. ____ I am aware of my own values, beliefs, stereotypes, and biases. ____ I can recognize how my cultural beliefs and biases may be affecting my decision making, behavior, and perceptions of others. ____ I have unpacked my feelings about language acquisition, language barriers, and language bias and support linguistic diversity. ____ I can recognize privilege in society and organizations. ____ I understand how white privilege and racism affect me and others. ____ I can identify and discuss several strengths of diverse culture, ethnicity, language, and identity. ____ I understand the varied cultural values of my colleagues and students. ____ I recognize the various kinds of racism. ____ I understand the changing racial and ethnic demographics and am prepared to be culturally responsive to all of my students and colleagues. ____ I understand the role of power in organizations and in the construction of race. ____ I affirm and respect cultures other than my own. ____ I value culture as an integral part of a person’s identity and maintain cultural curiosity rather than fear or avoidance. ____ I regularly and experientially explore the histories, accomplishments, interests, perceptions, and lived experiences of people of different cultural and racial identities. ____ I actively seek to foster meaningful relationships with people of different cultural and racial identities.
Culturally competent professionals recognize the relevance of culture and adapt professional practices to meet the needs of students from all backgrounds.
STEP 2: Apply and Act
____ I regularly examine student data relative to gender, race, ethnicity, and language to monitor and manage equitable access and support services. ____ I am intentional about incorporating relevant cultural knowledge into instruction, curriculum, resources, learning environment, outreach, and assessment. ____ I use communication skills to facilitate, manage, and participate in discussions on race, culture, and difference. ____ I help make all cultural groups feel welcomed and valued. ____ I acknowledge, recognize, and seek diverse strengths among staff and students. ____ I exercise strategies that create an inclusive, caring, and equitable environment. ____ I regularly assess if my students feel respected and valued in class by asking them for feedback. ____ I encourage students to raise my awareness by questioning biased assumptions or behaviors when observed in our school environment. Then I take action to positively address those assumptions or behaviors.
Culturally competent professionals analyze policies, procedures, and programs that inhibit access and opportunity for historically marginalized students and staff and align resources to eradicate inequity in the school community.
STEP 3: Analyze and Align
____ I know the legal issues surrounding racism, bullying, and fostering a hostile environment, and I examine policies and procedures to ensure my practices are fair and legally defensible. ____ I work with my colleagues in the selection of future personnel whose values align with the school’s goals and vision- inclusive of increasing equity and access for students of color. ____ I volunteer to work with colleagues in aligning budgetary allocations with school goals and vision- inclusive of increasing equity and access for students of color. ____ I understand that my destiny is intertwined with the success or failure of all my students, and I work tirelessly to ensure that they are all successful. ____ I can effectively challenge racism, inequity, or discriminatory practices in a professional and proactive manner. ____ I own the responsibility for building an authentically inclusive and just classroom and school environment ____ I empower parents to engage and lead. ____ I have critiqued various schoolwide policies and practices and worked to reduce or eliminate any that may perpetuate in equitable outcomes.
Culturally competent professionals have participatory, collaborative partnerships with stakeholders and are fervent advocates for equitable access and opportunities for all.
STEP 4: Advocate and Lead
____ I reach out to parents and the community regularly and engage diverse stakeholders in the decision-making process for anything that affects them or the students. ____ I empower all stakeholders and encourage open dialogue and dissent. ____ I identify barriers that prevent certain populations from full access to services and have taught colleagues ways to remove them. ____ I confront racism when I see it. ____ I advocate for cultural competency and social justice effectively and professionally. ____ I reject any privileges that come with white racial identity and actively work to ensure everyone has equal access and opportunities. ____ I am a brave equity warrior (And I’ve got the scars to prove it)
