Tech Prep Workshop June 16, 2010 Beth Milby-Hawks All material in today’s session is located: Bethhawks.com

In the words of a fourteen year old… Homogeneous or heterogeneous groups?

Skills and Strategies for Effective Interactions in the Classroom. Introduce concept of culture to students. Introduce our students to their culture. Introduce our students to their peer’s culture.

Moonwalking Bear

Introducing Culture Why? photo by frances1972frances1972

“If You Can’t Explain it Simply, You Don’t Understand it Well Enough”–Albert Einstein Lab Coat White Hair Glasses Crazy Hair Older Male

Culture Defined Non-Biological parts of life. Anything created by humans. Metaphors are a great way to enhance understanding of culture.

Tree The visible part of the tree represents the visible parts of culture. Not visible, the roots, determines what the tree will look like. Invisible aspects of culture determines how people dress, when/how they eat, what they see as right and wrong, etc. Tree Ring Activity! photo by ercan_baysalercan_baysal

Mental Software People are “programmed” by their culture to think, act, feel in a certain way. Opposed to computers though people do have individual personalities. This programming happens outside of our awareness – most of the time we cannot articulate why we behave, or think the way we do. “A Girl Like Me” Video

Girl Like Me

Iceberg Only a small part of our culture is seen. Larger unseen parts of our culture is what influences how we interact with the world around us. Iceberg Activity! photo from What’s Up With Culture?What’s Up With Culture?

Strategies:  Features of Culture Worksheet: Iceberg  Tree Rings  “Have You Ever?”  Things You Have in Common  “The Story of my Name.”  Decorating Folder  Table Tents  Name Tags  Links on my website for all the above activities!website

NBC’s “The Office” Conflict Resolution

Vent Session 1. Take your candy piece and find the other people here who have the same type of candy and form a small group. 2. Pick someone in your group who will write down the ideas generated. 3. Take turns sharing ideas about how you handle small group conflict in your classrooms. Write down the ideas. 4. Choose the best idea and we will share.

Conflict Minimizes Small deadlines Accountability Grades given for the smallest details Signature of all final decisions More accountability

Review… Explain the concept of culture. Metaphors We do not have to agree in order to work together. Introduce students to their own culture.  Activities! Introduce students to their peer’s culture. Use color/shapes, candy pieces, or cut-up cartoon pieces to put students into random groups and share. Remember the conflict minimizes!

References Communication in Everyday Life. Steve Duck and David T. McMahan Culturally Teaching. Education across cultures. Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community. Fred Jandt Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication Across Cultures Myron Lustig and Jolene Koester Media That Matters: “A Girl Like Me” The Office: “Conflict Resolution” NBC.com