Collective Cultures - Just keep swimming!

• Have you considered how the culture of your students, plays into the school culture and your expectations?

• Have you investigated collective versus individual cultures? Here's a snippet from an  interesting article on how individualist cultures "behave" differently from collective ones. 

Collectivist	Individualist
Students speak up in class only when sanctioned by the group	Students are expected to individually speak up in class
The purpose of education is learning how to do	The purpose of education is learning how to learn
Diplomas provide entry to higher-status groups	Diplomas increase economic worth and/or self-respect

http://outwardlooking.com/how-do-individualist-cultures-behave-differently-to-collective-ones/

So what does that have to do with the work I do - we do?
(I'm so glad you asked)

Your culture and identity cannot be checked out as you enter your workplace/school. However, you can create, build and sustain dual identities. If you know me, you soon realize that identity is one of my favorite words and concepts to explore. What does that have to do with ELLs?

I think for too long we have approached ELL's as children with disabilities. And trust me when I say I mean no offense by using this analogy. Scaffolding learning and providing instructional accommodations are in place to assist with language development NOT because of impeded cognitive functioning. Do the same types of accommodations also help children with disabilities - absolutely, and perhaps that is why the water is murky. 

It's a crude analogy - but it might just get your attention.....
Think about our children as fish - in a fish tank. The fish do not know they are in water.
Let that sink in for a minute!

It is not our job to tell the fish that they are in water. It is our job to help them navigate the water - and to clear it up so that it's not 'murky'.(Thanks Melissa Paton from WIDA)

1. You can choose to assume the role of the plecostamus (we have three in our fish tank) - who joins the community of fish with no altercations. 

Their primary role is to eat the crud and help keep the tank clean."Because it is a heavy eater and produces copious amounts of feces, strong filtration is a must. Also, the pleco comes from areas of swift-moving waters, so the tank should be well-aerated. Include driftwood in the tank for it to "rasp" (chew) on. The plecostomus is a peaceful species that can be housed in a community tank as a single member of its species. As an adult, it is extremely intolerant of its own kind, although two can be kept together if they are added simultaneously as juveniles and allowed to "grow up" together"
http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-species/freshwater-profiles/plecostomus-or-pleco-2.aspx


I might have to write a new blog post just to explore "who is the plecostomus in your classroom?" :)

 
2. Or you can assume the role as fish tank owner and stay outside the tank (feeding and admiring from a distance).

[Okay you lost me Geniene! What do fish have to do with collective culture and dual identity..............ah ok ....... it's sinking in......]

Fish communities are collective clusters. However we can throw (I mean gently place) an individualist into the mix (Plecostomus).

Our students may choose to walk in both cultures/languages/identities - or they may not. Like my own son's who are Asian (adopted) and ELL:

Our youngest immersed in English/American culture and language and will have to work extremely hard to re-learn his Chinese native tongue. 

The middle child is walking both worlds daily as his parents are incarcerated in Taiwan, and with  whom he hopes to be reunited with someday. 

Our eldest realizes the global impact of maintaining his dual language as he has aspirations of becoming an engineer. 

None of which are thrilled about their middle name (their Chinese first names - which I truly believe they will be grateful for later in life). 

Even as their adoptive mother, it's not my decision to choose their identity - it's my role to nurture their choice. 

As an educator - it's my role to help our collectivists and individualists swim together in our fish tank of life.

Just keep swimming!!!