Session 5 How does cultural context influence language development and learning? How does cultural context influence language development and learning?

agenda What is culture? Cultural enculturation by Cushner Recap Precious Knowledge Vygotsky, Colapinto and F&F jigsaw

Today’s Essential Questions How is the learning of English political? How do other nations address multiculturalism / multilingualism? Who are our students? How can we make curriculum culturally relevant? How does culture influence language development & learning (identity)?

What is culture?

a : The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations b : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time Culture is…

c : the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization. For example, corporate culture focuses on the bottom line.corporate d : the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic such as studying the effect of computers on print culture. “Changing the culture of materialism will take time” — Peggy O'Maracomputers

Cushner’s work on intercultural education How do you fit into each of these categories? How do they overlap? How do they affect each other and the opportunities you may or may not have? My example:

Multiple Influences of Culture

Key Concepts of Culture Assimilation Accommodation Acculturation Difference Deficit Disconnect Reproduction: Production: Structural Interactionist Critical: Social Justice To better understand these terms:

Paradoxes in Perspectives on Culture 1.Emic (within culture) versus Etic (outside observer) 2.Commonalities with in groups and individual Differences 3.Commonalities / Differences between groups 4.Equal versus Equitable Treatment 5.Presence or Absence of Prejudice 6.Assimilation versus Pluralism

What is language?

Systematic Set of arbitrary symbols Vocal & visual Symbols refer to meanings Used for communication Contextualized by culture & community Learned by all people

Vygotsky: Mind in Society Learning is Active Learning Builds on Previous Knowledge All Learning occurs in a Social Context Individuals are influenced by Multiple Levels of Culture (social context) Language is the Primary Mental Tool Learning Can Lead Development

Activating Prior Knowledge Demonstration / Modeling Scaffolding Feedback Working in the ZPD Mediation Scaffolding Using Knowledge Mental Tools (Metacognitive Strategies) Where have you seen evidence of these things below…(i.e. field experiences, your own education etc).

Discussion Board Posts

Precious Knowledge Be thinking about… What connections do you see between the positions people in the documentary took regarding the teaching of ethnic (multicultural) studies and concepts from the articles we read last week regarding the opportunity gap and multicultural education? NEXT……Post these ideas to the discussion board for Post 5. Keep reading the Powerpoint for more information.

Post 5-Precious Knowledge and Position letter assignment 1) ALL- Connection between Precious Knowledge and your position letter assignment. Write a description of your position letter and how your community assets map informed how and what you are writing about. This should be the beginning of your post. The position letter isn’t due until the end of the quarter and I’ll talk more about it as we go but I want you to think about the connections between Precious Knowledge, your community assets map and what you might do for the position letter. You can look at the assignments page and the syllabus for a description of it.

Vygotsky A One of Vygotsky’s primary concepts is that all learning occurs in a social context. He writes of this occurring on multiple levels, from the level of interaction between people to that of the broader society. A: Drawing on examples from Colapinto and your own life experiences to illustrate his ideas, explain how this broader social context plays out in the lives of individuals. B: Explain the role social interaction plays in learning and identify development? What does Vygotsky mean by learning occurring between people before becoming internalized? Give examples of how social context and interaction play out in a classroom. C) According to Vygotsky, language plays a central role in learning. Give examples from the text that illustrate the importance of language in learning. Thinking about the Piraha people, how does the language they use influence their thinking and ways of interacting? How is their language influenced by their lived experiences? D) What is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and what implications does this have for teaching and learning in the classroom? What is the role of the teacher in working with the ZPD? Give examples of types E) Vygotsky believed that people are socialized in many different ways, schools being just one of those ways. How might the status of the current U.S. educational system, one’s citizenship/documentation status and language learning in schools be interconnected? How might this type of socialization affect access to opportunities and barriers to certain opportunities in other U.S. contexts?

Colapinto: The Interpreter: Has a remote Amazonian tribe upended our understanding of Language? A) According to Everett, what are distinguishing characteristics of the Piraha language? How does Everett explain these differences in the Piraha? B) How do Vygotsky’s theories inform your understanding of this article? C) This article highlights reactions of many prominent linguists to Everett’s characterization of the Piraha’s language. What are some of these positions and what does this academic discussion tell us about the study of linguistics? D) Near the end of the article, the author shares a story of a Piraha woman singing a repetitive song to a child. How did Everett’s wife, Keren interpret this interaction? How has Keren come to understand the Piraha language? What might this interpretation say about language acquisition versus language learning? What does this interpretation suggest to us as students of language? E) How is Chomsky’s theory described in this article? How are Everett’s ideas about language different from Chomsky’s? Why might this be controversial?

homework Read F&F Ch. 3 and 4 Van Lier and Walqui Post #6 to Canvas Be thinking about what Spotlight topic you might want to present. Located in pages under “Spotlight On Topic List”