Culturally Competent Engagement

This book encourages mindfulness as a tool for personal growth and for intentional action for the purpose of social change. Learning exercises focus on: examining privilege, oppression, and difference; intersectional identity mapping; historical racism against marginalized groups; social dominance theory; sociological mindfulness; cultural humility; appreciative inquiry; and more. Culturally Competent Engagement: A Mindful Approach embraces a fresh approach to cultivating self, other, and systems awareness for a linguistically rich and culturally diverse world. The confluence of people and cultures requires habits of mind, dispositions, skills, and values that promote diversity affirmation while simultaneously honoring one’s own cultural integrity and limitations. The benefits of being culturally competent are numerous and include healthy, holistic relationships and connection with people across differences. This book provides conceptual context for tried and true learning exercises that promote deeper self-understanding, ways to connect with people who are culturally different, and an understanding of the systems (socio-cultural, economic, political, and environmental) that circumscribe our lives. Written for organizational leaders, university instructors, students, and practitioners, this book includes typical approaches to enhancing culturally competent engagement, yet has several special features that differentiate it from approaches in other books and articles on the topic. Typical approaches to developing cultural competence focus on acquisition of communicative skills, behaviors, and dispositions needed to effectively navigate cross-cultural relationships and function effectively in multicultural environments. We include and build on these approaches by adding a layer of critical and complex systems understanding as a necessary foundation for effective cross-cultural engagement. The Self-Other-Systems approach challenges readers via concrete learning exercises that nudge one along the life-long path of culturally competent engagement. Perhaps the most unique feature of this book is the explicit and implicit mindful approach. A total of eleven learning exercises are offered, foregrounded by theory and completed with reflection questions or activities. All learning exercises encourage mindfulness, or awareness of oneself in the present moment, awareness of others, and awareness of broader contexts and forces at work in multicultural contexts. In specific, three learning exercises are meditations that can be read or listened to via free download from the book’s website.

This open access book explores cultural competence in the higher education sector from multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary perspectives. It addresses cultural competence in terms of leadership and the role of the higher education sector in cultural competence policy and practice. Drawing on lessons learned, current research and emerging evidence, the book examines various innovative approaches and strategies that incorporate Indigenous knowledge and practices into the development and implementation of cultural competence, and considers the most effective approaches for supporting cultural competence in the higher education sector. This book will appeal to researchers, scholars, policy-makers, practitioners and general readers interested in cultural competence policy and practice.

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection

Cultural Competence in America’s Schools: Leadership, Engagement and Understanding focuses on explicating the impact of culture and issues of race and ethnicity on student learning, teacher and leadership efficacy, and educational policy making in our nation’s public school system. The authors agree with Levin (2012), who pointed out that the challenge of dealing effectively with racial and ethnic diversity in education in traditionally homogeneous societies is a global problem. One indicator of this point is revealed in a U.S. study that was commissioned by the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, which reported on the serious consequences for student achievement and teacher effectiveness in the face of “the gap between teacher training and the realities of the classroom when it comes to teaching diverse populations and students with special needs.” (Public Agenda, 2008, p. 2).

For the first time, this volume provides a definitive collection of Gloria Ladson-Billings’ groundbreaking concept of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP). After repeatedly confronting deficit perspectives that asked, “What’s wrong with ‘those’ kids?”, Ladson-Billings decided to ask a different question, one that fundamentally shifted the way we think about teaching and learning. Noting that “those kids” usually meant Black students, she posed a new question: “What is right with Black students and what happens in classrooms where teachers, parents, and students get it right?” This compilation of Ladson-Billings’ published work on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy examines the theory, how it works in specific subject areas, and its role in teacher education. The final section looks toward the future, including what it means to re-mix CRP with youth culture such as hip hop. This one-of-a-kind collection can be used as an introduction to CRP and as a summary of the idea as it evolved over time, helping a new generation to see the possibilities that exist in teaching and learning for all students. Featured Essays: Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant PedagogyBut That’s Just Good Teaching: The Case for Culturally Relevant PedagogyLiberatory Consequences of LiteracyIt Doesn’t Add Up: African American Students and Mathematics AchievementCrafting a Culturally Relevant Social Studies ApproachFighting for Our Lives: Preparing Teachers to Teach African American StudentsWhat’s the Matter With the Team? Diversity in Teacher EducationIt’s Not the Culture of Poverty, It’s the Poverty of Culture: The Problem With Teacher EducationCulturally Relevant Teaching 2.0, a.k.a. the Remix Beyond Beats, Rhymes, and Beyoncé: Hip-Hop Education and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

This book covers teaching cultural competence in colleges and universities across the United States, providing a comprehensive reference for instructors, researchers, and other stakeholders who are looking for material that will assist them in working to prepare students to become culturally competent.

This book offers a clear, easily adaptable model for understanding and working with cultural differences in therapy.