The Connection Between Culture And Learning - 934 Words

1. What is the connection between culture and learning? Provide an example from your own teaching or learning experiences. As educators we are responsible for teaching children from all races, ethnicity, and cultures. We are to tailor our instructions and lessons to fit the needs of the children. Pollock (2008) states that â€Å"Every individual participates in many cultures that affect, to varying degrees, how he or she â€Å"achieves† in school† (p. 370). All children learn differently and their cultural background can have an effect on their learning process. Goski (2014) stated â€Å"The most important skill for equity-literate teachers is the ability to recognize subtle and not-so-subtle biases and inequities† (para. 5). Educators need to be†¦show more content†¦371). I work with two and half year old children. They all come from a wide selection of ethnic groups and cultures. A few years ago I had a student who had moved to the United States from China. This particular student had a limited English vocabulary, so for the first few weeks we communicated through g estures and me physical showing this child what she needed to be doing. After a month of being immersed in her new school setting she started to come out of her shell and interact with her peers as well as the teacher. As I was going over notes from my observations of her I notice that she would always sit at the table until I gave her instructions on what to do. The other children in the class would move freely around the classroom picking which interest area they wanted to play in. Then it dawned on me that she was always taught to follow instruction by an adult. Her cultural background was to be obedient to adults and follow directions. I had to ask this child’s parent to let her know that it is ok to freely play in the classroom as well as follow directions. In my mind, I had already formed an opinion on how she learned based on her culture. Dunn, Dunn, Price (1989) noted â€Å"Only by examining each individual’s multidimensional characteristics, can we iden tify that person’s learning style† (as cited by Howe, 2012, p. 33). I had to think about her educational needs and find new ways to facilitate