Jaclyn McQuiston

ED 460 Multicultural Education

June 10, 2015
Drs. Adams and Farnsworth
My Cultural Learning
This class had a large effect on my understanding of my own
identity. At the beginning of this term, I assumed that I didnt even
have a culture because I am a cisgender, upper-middle class,
Caucasian female. However, I learned that I actually do have culture.
Even though I am apart of the dominant American culture, it still
means I have culture. I learned in class that the typical dominant
culture is white, of European descent, has hard work ethics, has a
nuclear family structure, and has men making more money than
women (Class Notes, April 14, 2015). I learned that being apart of this
culture isnt a bad thing; its who I am. I have my own beliefs, values,
personality traits, and experiences. Aside from developing a deep
respect for people from all cultures, this class also made me develop a
deeper respect for my family, my background, and myself.
One activity that had a lasting effect was the very first activity
we did in class: talking about our names. I love my name even though
it took me a long time to love it. I have never thought about the fact
that everyone has their own unique name with its own meaning behind
it. I thought it was really cool for everyone to get the chance to go

around the room and share information about his or her name (Class
Activity, March 31, 2015). Growing up, my name was always misspelled
or mispronounced. I would never want to correct anyone because I
didnt want to be rude, and I didnt think it was that big of a deal.
However, after doing this activity I realized that something as simple
as a name is so important to a persons identity. I learned that its O.K.
to correct someone because its respectful to say someones name
correctly. It made me think about how I will make sure I am spelling
and pronouncing all of my students names correctly and I will never
take offense if someone corrects me. People deserve to be correctly
called by their name.
Another activity that helped me understand my identity was the
Identity Map Activity (Class Activity, April 7, 2015). This activity gave
me the freedom to write what I wanted in the middle and write the
identity aspects of myself on the outside. After I completed my map I
remember thinking, This is who I am! I especially liked the questions
on the back of the map where I was asked about times I was proud of
my identity and times it was painful to be identified as one of my
descriptors. This was a chance for me to reflect on my past
experiences that have had positive or negative effects on my life just
because of who I am. It was a very eye-opening, but useful, exercise.
One event that comes to mind when I think about embracing
others who are different is the Native American Powwow. I attended

the Powwow on April 12, 2015 and it was an awesome experience. I

have never felt so fully immersed in a culture before. I didnt
understand some of what was happening but it was so interesting to
watch. It made me think about how much you dont know about
someone. Reflecting on the Powwow made me think about how my
future students will each have their own world outside of school, with
their own cultures, and how I want to be knowledgeable of that.
One way I can welcome students into the class and be respectful
of their experiences, class, ethnicity, language barrier, and sexual
orientation is through empathy. Empathy is when you relate your
experiences to another persons in order to understand what they are
feeling; empathy is not sympathy. Another way I can embrace others
who are different is by learning about their culture. When we had the
MRC panel on April 28 and the QRC panel on May 12, I felt comfortable
listening to their stories and asking questions. I think this was a great
way for us to become more knowledgeable about specific cultures.
Also, participating in these panels made me think about a term called
intersectionality. I think the MRC brought up the term briefly.
Intersectionality, to me, is like a wheel. You are in the center and
everything that comes off of it is what makes up who you are: Religion,
sex, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, economic status, etc. People
can be oppressed in many ways and I think its important to remember
that culture isnt just the color of your skin. Culture, in a way, is your

intersectionality; and after taking this class I have become aware that
all aspects of a person can affect their ability to learn in a classroom.
I am a little ashamed to admit this, but before listening to
everyones group presentations I had no idea that different cultural
groups have different learning styles pertinent to their culture. The first
group to bring this up was the African American group. I learned from
them that African American students are typically kinesthetic learners,
they like group communication, and oral assessment/projects (African
American Group Presentation, June 2, 2015). I learned that there is
virtually no limit to the types of learning styles there will be in a
classroom.
I will ensure an inclusive learning environment in my classroom
by, first of all, accepting diversity. For culturally diverse learners to
feel genuine acceptance, the teaching and learning process must
concretely demonstrate respect for cultural and ethnic differences
(Baruth & Manning, 1992, p. 214). If a student doesnt feel safe or
respected in a classroom, he or she isnt going to be able to learn.
Creating a classroom culture where everyones differences are viewed
as assets is the first step to an accepting classroom. I will develop an
inclusive learning environment by making sure every student is
comfortable, respected, and appreciated by every staff member and
peer.

I will also create an inclusive learning environment by

recognizing my own unconscious biases and unintentional racism. Most
people dont even realize that they have an unconscious bias or are
being unintentionally racist. Acknowledging biases is the first step to
overcoming them (Moule, 2009, p. 322). The only way I can ensure that
students arent feeling discriminated against by me is to recognize my
unconscious bias, and do something about it. Even if I dont see it
happening, students in class will be able to tell if I am being racist or
bias.
Lastly, in order for teachers to integrate culturally responsive
curriculum, materials, instruction, and assessment into the classroom,
they must incorporate relatable aspects of students daily lives into
the curriculum (Rajagopal, 2011). This means finding books that
represent all cultures, putting up posters that positively represent all
cultures, creating lessons around different cultures, varying teaching
styles based on culture, and welcoming all students families into the
classroom to be involved with their students learning. This is going to
be no easy task. In order for each learner to succeed, there needs to
be an endless amount of resources available to him or her that are
culturally appropriate. I will do this by taking the time to learn about
each of my students: what they do in their free time, what interests
them, where they come from, what kind of home they live in, what
languages they speak, etc. Then, I will search high and wide for books,

posters, and other resources that represent all cultures in a positive

light. Then, I will understand what kind of learning styles my students
have and plan my lessons accordingly. This will take time so I will need
to be patient when figuring out how to create the most inclusive
classroom I possibly can. The most important things are to be
respectful, get rid of unconscious bias, create a safe classroom, get to
know my students, and find culturally appropriate materials.

References
Baruth, L., & Manning, M. (1992). Multicultural education of children
and adolescents. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Moule, J. (2009). Understanding unconscious bias and unintentional

racism. Phi Delta Kappan, 321-326.
Rajagopal, K. (2011). Culturally responsive instruction. Retrieved June
9, 2015 from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/111022/chapters/Cultural
ly-Responsive-Instruction.aspx