Artifact:
Cultural Resources Group Project
Date4-8-97
Please
copy this form and complete a page like this for each of the artifacts
you include in your MSCD program portfolio.
I.Describe
what you learned as you produced this artifact?
The
diversity of a single culture can be mind boggling to someone outside the
culture.In attempting to explain
the entire cultures is difficult on a single paper. There are many different
aspects to culture food, dialect, language, writing, history, symbols,
and artistic works. Many of these areas need to have full immersion in
the culture to entirely understand them.
II.What
does this artifact tell about you as a teacher?
The
ability and willingness to learn a new culture is gaining predominance
in the educational field. We are not alone in our culture anymore, especially
in diverse areas like metropolitans. The ability to research the traditions,
art, and symbols of a culture is only the bare minimum of what teachers
need to learn today. Teachers cannot be visitors to cultures anymore; they
need to find specific and symbolic meaning in all the cultures within their
classroom. The students today may not have the ability to rely on their
community to provide all aspects of their culture. Many of today’s students
are separated form their cultural heritage and are in dire need of its
teachings.
III.What
does it demonstrate about your progress toward one or more of these MSCD
goals?
1.Integration
of multidisciplinary leanings and experiences
Allowing
all your students to understand and appreciate other cultures will enable
them to function more efficiently in the future. The knowledge you gain
in understanding a culture can provide a bias of learning about cultural
acceptance and appreciation within your student.
2.Varied
instructional and assessment approaches
Diverse
cultures can provide many influential and engaging experiences for children.
Learning not only about the culture but a different way of looking at things.
3.Critical
thinking
Allowing
children to develop an appreciation of another culture takes discipline
of the teacher. The teacher must not only find accurate and informed opinions
and information. The teacher needs to find the motive behind the writing
to avoid the prejudices that can be proliferate and cause racial tension.
4.Application
of theory to practice
The
embrace of multiculturalism in the classroom is not a visitor’s task. Children’s
knowledge of a culture should not be limited to those holidays, and celebrations
that receive notoriety, but should encompass a tolerance and understanding
that will enable them to look past differences to find the similarities
of man.
5.Lifelong
learning
Culture
is a dynamic and ever changing idea. Many cultures that do not learn and
adapt fall to the wayside. Only by learning and adapting life-giving practice
can a culture and its people survive. Because of this dynamic change learning
not only the historical culture but also current culture is important.
Being abreast of changes may enable your students to learn tolerance for
new things.
IV.How
does this artifact demonstrate “ the teacher as decision maker in diverse
contexts”?
The
diverse make up of today’s urban classroom requires students and teachers
to learn tolerance and appreciation of all cultures. Deciding those aspects
that are presented is a difficult and time-consuming task. Since cultural
diversity is not a typical topic in standards the teacher needs to decide
what personate information relates to the standards and incorporates them
into her/his lesson plans.
Teacher
candidate signature _________________________________________
Reviewer
signature_________________________________________
Reviewer
comments and initials (comments are optional)
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