Respectful relationships education Culturally responsive teaching Culturally responsive

Respectful relationships education: Culturally responsive teaching

Culturally responsive teaching This slide presentation is designed to help you to: • understand how your own culture influences what and how you teach • identify elements of curriculum that may raise values-based issues • identify the possible tensions that young people of non-mainstream cultures may face in delivery of respectful relationships education (RRE) curriculum • view research about healthy masculinities • identify teaching strategies that create a safe and respectful classroom.

1. Schools are home to diversity Almost 30 % of the We are home to the Almost one in two people Australian population world’s oldest have an overseas-born was born overseas continuous cultures parent Source Understanding the cultural backgrounds of the students that we teach is one of the roles we have as teachers. Activity Reflect on the following questions. • What is the student demographic in your school? • What do you think a culturally responsive classroom looks like? • In what ways does the school curriculum take into consideration a variety of cultural perspectives and values?

2 a. The grooves of culture ‘Individuals grow into a culture that is already fully established, has complex sets of values and classifications, sets of rules, prohibitions and permissions. To the individual those codes appear usual, normal, natural: s/he accepts them as the way the world is, as the proper picture of human nature, and as all there can be. Having mastered the complexities of the culture, life is then conducted in the grooves provided by that culture. . . ’ Source

2 b. The grooves of culture Activity • Look carefully at the picture. What’s the purpose of the tracks/grooves in the land? What are the benefits? What are the limitations? What are the pluses and minuses of being so familiar with your culture that it becomes invisible? • How would you know what the grooves of your culture are? (There is a culture iceberg map available here to help you think about this. ) • How much of your culture do you think you transmit as a teacher? Image: Pavel_Klimenko/Shutterstock. com

3. Can you choose your cultural identity? Take some time to think about the way in which your own identify has been influenced by the culture/s that you have experienced. Activity Make a mind map that shows the influences. Did any of the following topics make it on to your list? Social relationships; family structure and interactions; specific values; child rearing, attitudes to age or gender; spiritual beliefs; specific interests. Image: psychological states by Nikos Mouras/Flickr, Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2. 0

4 a. The respectful relationships curriculum Many beliefs and values are not easy to see, and are not necessarily something that we think about all the time. Many of these beliefs and values are surfaced or form the background to teaching respectful relationships. The tag cloud was created based on the most common words and themes in the Year 7/8 curriculum of the Victorian Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships curriculum. (You might want to create your own tag cloud using local curriculum specific to the levels you teach, using software such as tagcrowd) Once again, how much of your culture do you think you transmit as a teacher?

4 b. The respectful relationships curriculum Activity • Take two highlighters and mark the topics/concepts that are most visible and least visible in terms of the iceberg model of culture. • Take a third highlighter and identify the topics/themes (maximum of five) where cultural differences might be most important to consider.

5. RRE and values-based tension The curriculum of respectful relationships education (RRE) may raise values-based tension. The following examples have been provided by schools. • ‘Disrespect, for example towards women, is often passed down through families – students may not have great role models at home. ’ • ‘Some staff referred to their boisterous behaviour as “gang-like”. This made the students prickly and resentful towards well-meaning efforts to engage them. ’ • ‘In my culture, men are more respected than women. ’ • ‘Students from this particular culture struggle to make eye contact and seem to value more indirect forms of communication. ’ • ‘We have had parent info sessions about RRE but it’s usually the women that turn up. ’ • ‘My parents will arrange a marriage for me when I am a bit older. ’ • ‘In my culture, we are not really that open about that topic (same-sex marriage). ’

6. A culturally responsive approach to schooling This is a set of practices that are premised on valuing the ‘cultural wealth’ that students arrive at school with as the key resources used as the basis of teaching and learning (Alim & Paris, 2017). Source Activity • What cultural wealth can you draw on in terms of your student cohort? • Make some notes.

7. A strengths-based approach RRE takes a strengths-based approach, building on the opportunities and potential that all students bring to the learning activities. It is about capacity building, which involves building relationships and valuing difference. It is underpinned by the belief that young people have strengths, resources and the ability to recover from adversity – as opposed to emphasising problems, vulnerabilities and deficits. Activity • What strengths do you bring to teaching in terms of cultural responsiveness? • List three+ strengths that your students bring to the area of respectful relationships education.

8. Positioning cultures Schools address diversity on two levels • On a pedagogical level, teachers must meet the learning needs of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds including understanding the issues related to links between cultural maintenance and educational outcomes. • Schools are also empowered with being agents for promoting social cohesion within the community. They are faced with the challenge of building greater understanding of cultural diversity among students. Source Activity • This set of videos provides insights into the ideas and needs of students of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Source: MYAN Video • Watch the video ‘Cultural diversity in the classroom’ and reflect on the breadth of views that you might encounter as a teacher.

9 a. Stages of intercultural sensitivity The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) was created by Dr Milton Bennett as a framework to explain how people experience and engage cultural difference. 1 Denial Does not recognise cultural difference, ‘stupid questions syndrome’ 2 Defence Recognises some differences, but sees them as negative 3 Minimisation Unaware of projection of own cultural values; sees own values as superior 4 Acceptance Shifts perspectives to understand that the same ‘ordinary’ behaviour can have different meanings in different cultures 5 Adaptation Can evaluate others’ behaviour from their frame of reference and can adapt behaviour to fit the norms of a different culture 6 Integration Can shift frame of reference and also deal with resulting identity issues

9 b. Stages of intercultural sensitivity Watch the video Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) Activity • Where would you see yourself in this model? • Into what stages would you see your students as belonging right now?

10. Positioning cultures Here is a quote from a teacher about her approach to the differing cultures in her classroom. ‘I think I'm really culturally aware, but I guess when it all comes down to it, it is the dominant culture values that I'm teaching, because that's sort of what I know. And I guess school values are those also, but I'm fairly aware of the cultural differences in the class. . . ’ Source Activity • Which stage of intercultural sensitivity does this comment best fit?

11. Curriculum/pedagogy bias Here are some tips for thinking about how you teach: • Avoid creating binaries such as ‘us’ and ‘them’, ‘they ‘and ‘we’, ‘East’ and ‘West’. • Think about your language and how it may construct a culture as ‘other’ or exotic – words such as ‘weird’ or ‘strange’ can be a clue. • Help students unpack stereotypes and generalisations about different cultures by using multiple sources and viewpoints. • Identify the spaces, places, and people where students feel like cultural ‘insiders’ in your school. • Don’t expect students to be experts in their own cultural background but provide them with opportunities to share the knowledge they do possess in non-threatening situations • Examine whether the content of lessons or texts assumes cultural information that not all learners may have.

12 a. Challenging perspectives A Victorian secondary teacher wrote the following about her efforts to support a group of girls from African cultural and linguistic backgrounds. ‘While casual relief teaching at a girls' secondary school, I noticed there were some students who were always disorganised. They might come to class without their laptop, or not have it charged, or not have work saved, or not have their textbook, handouts or pen. They would often be late. By the end of the class they had done virtually nothing, or maybe written just a sentence with my help. However, they were smart, assertive and able to talk about subject matter fluently. I wondered what was behind it. Was it a learning difficulty, and what more could the school do to get the students meaningfully working in every class? ’ Source

12 b. Challenging perspectives She was aware that this group of students had limited literacy skills. ‘To manage their disruption, some teachers had moved to self-paced tasks to manage their classes and to be able to support students individually. This meant disruptive students who were able to understand concepts verbally were floundering even more. They used the class time to chat loudly. When told off, they argued. Teachers told me they were sometimes afraid of reprimanding them for fear of being accused as racist. ’ Activity • What strategies would be used in your school context to respond to this kind of scenario?

12 c. Challenging perspectives ‘We needed to come up with solutions ourselves. I sat down with a group of disruptive girls for their views. Their perceptions were quite skewed. They believed everyone was mucking around; they didn’t realise how behind they were. They experienced a lot of racism outside the school, and some inside it. Some staff unthinkingly referred to their boisterous behaviour as ‘gang-like’. Examples such as this made them prickly and resentful towards well-meaning efforts to engage them. They wanted more explicit verbal teaching. They wanted to learn about current global events, such as Trump’s wall, and to understand the conflict that led to their emigration. This group of girls also did a mountain of housework, which meant they came to school worn out and ready to relax. ’

12 d. Challenging perspectives Activity • What actions made a difference within this scenario? • Continue to check your understanding. • You may have included the following in thinking about how to manage this issue: o o o asking students what they think and what they want identifying the type of teaching that would address their learning needs understanding of context: racism inside and outside the school teachers stereotyping their behaviour complex home environment.

13. Considerations: Culturally diverse masculinities Men’s experience of racism, discrimination and violence may be underpinned by the following: • Pre-migration trauma can include violence and trauma resulting from war/conflict. • Precarious visa/legal status can restrict access to services and affect their sense of autonomy and control. • Ethnicity and race or being ‘visibly’ other can make it difficult for men to attain the privileges of traditional white masculinity. • Social exclusion/isolation and lack of support networks can affect all migrants in all spheres of daily lives. • Domestic relationships can impact on the ways migrant men may negotiate their ‘breadwinner’ masculinity. Source Note that most of these factors could also be relevant to migrant women and do not excuse violent behaviour.

14 a. Healthy masculinities, cultural diversity and respectful relationships education Respectful relationships education curriculum commonly helps students to unpack ideas about identity and the type of relationships that they wish to nurture. In some jurisdictions, the curriculum also focuses on understanding gender stereotypes and developing positive gender relationships. A recent literature review found that violence prevention programs (including RRE programs) in Australia often focus on addressing the links between masculinity, dominance and power, but that this does not effectively engage men and boys who ‘live at a considerable distance’ from this account of masculinity. This cohort includes many boys and men from non-mainstream cultures.

14 b. Healthy masculinities, cultural diversity and respectful relationships education The review recommended an intersectional approach that enables us as teachers to recognise and understand the different experiences of men and their differential access to power. Prevention efforts should: • engage with and/or be led by representatives from specific communities • use a variety of strategies that avoid reinforcing structures and discourses of discrimination • convey messages that are positive and meaningful. Source: Men in Focus, 2019

15. Respectful relationships curriculum Much of the RRE curriculum explores notions of identity, and simultaneously seeks to encourage a focus on healthy masculinities, student agency and appreciation of gender equity. As a teacher, you may need to consider students facing one of more of the following challenges: • parental expectations about who they have relationships with, about gender roles, how much agency they have, and/or expectations about how successful they will be at school • difference as articulated through clothing such as the hijab or other religious customs • arranged marriages/dowry/weddings • divergent notions of what a family is and how it interacts • radical views about society • female genital mutilation (FGM). Activity • What do you do now to manage views and values that may be different from your own, or those which are in conflict with those supported within the school?

16 a. Managing divergent cultural views in class Many teachers are unsure of how to manage divergent cultural views and practices within a framework of respect. The following strategies are designed for use in RRE classrooms. 1. Ground rules: Use ground rules to agree how the class will behave towards each other in RRE classes and to create a safe space. 2. Question box: This allows young people to ask questions they want answering. 3. Teacher facilitation: Challenge prejudice and discrimination. Challenge stereotypes. Model alternatives. 4. Diversity: Challenge stereotypes by ensuring that images/resources used reflect the diversity of cultures and avoid reinforcing stereotypes. 5. Student groupings: Balance groups to ensure students work with a range of points of view. See more tips on the next slide

16 b. Managing divergent cultural views in class 6. Support: Signpost young people to where they can get support in school and in the community. Respected community leaders can be a powerful influence. 7. Lesson plans: Think the issue through carefully and plan the lessons to incorporate a range of points of view. Frame the structure of the lesson to enable reflection and discussion. 8. Critical thinking: Include activities that promote critical thinking and openness to difference. 9. Teaching and learning activities: Use active learning techniques and collaborative learning strategies so that students interact with each other in structured scenarios. These might include: Scenario cards, role play, hot seating, circle in a circle, continuum, Diamond 9, graffiti boards. Source

17. Managing resistance Facilitating a discussion about masculinity can make some boys/men feel defensive. They may feel misunderstood or unfairly labelled. The context for this work is to create an environment where there is more space for boys to express themselves and where they are less likely to experience violence perpetuated by other males. (Statistics can be helpful here. ) If you feel things might become personal, use techniques such as protective interrupting or encourage students to talk in general or third person terms, for example: • Some people might … and this could cause a person to feel … • At some schools … • There have been times when …

18. Apply Lesson plans A number of lesson plans have been created to incorporate a focus on cultural diversity. Explore the following: Years 5 and 6 Influences on identity [pdf, 92 mb] Years 7 and 8 Respect in groups [pdf, 92 mb] Respect, gender and power [pdf, 92 mb] Years 9 and 10 Out of the box [pdf, 92 mb]

“ Differences simply act as a yarn of curiosity unraveling until we get to the other side. “ ― Ciore Taylor, from The Conversation Starts Here: A Perspective of Self, Culture, and the American Society Image: sunrise, somewhere by Nikos Mouras/Flickr, Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2. 0

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education. © 2020 Commonwealth of Australia, unless otherwise indicated. Creative Commons BY 4. 0, unless otherwise indicated. Image: Iordani/Shutterstock. c