Cultural Reflection

Andrew Lopez
National University
Cultural Reflection
HED 1101X
September 13, 2014

Cultural Reflection

A. what you learned from the readings and videos about the
importance of cultural competency among health educators;
After reading and watching videos on Cultural Competence, I learned
the definition of cultural competence as well as importance of it. Cultural
competence is a developmental process that evolves over an extended
period. Both individuals and organizations are at various levels of awareness,
knowledge and skills along the cultural competence continuum (The National
Center for Cultural Competence).
The guiding values and principles for cultural competence that I read are Organizational,
Practice and Service Design, Community Engagement, and families/consumers. Organizations
should consider and be aware of the cultures they deal with when creating policies and
procedures. In regard to practice, cultural competence is achieved by identifying and
understanding the needs and help-seeking behaviors of individuals and families. It is vital that
the community being helped is engaged in the process in order to best suit them. The ultimate
decision makers for services and supports for their children and/or themselves are the families
and consumers.
I also learned about the importance of having Linguistic Competence.
Linguistic Competence is defined as the capacity of an organization and its
personnel to communicate effectively, and convey information in a manner
that is easily understood by diverse groups including persons of limited
English proficiency, those who have low literacy skills or are not literate,
individuals with disabilities, and those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

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Linguistic competency requires organizational and provider capacity to

respond effectively to the health and mental health literacy needs of
populations served. The organization must have policy, structures, practices,
procedures, and dedicated resources to support this capacity (The National
Center for Cultural Competence). The guiding values and principles for
Language Access that I read are that Services and supports are delivered in
the preferred language and/or mode of delivery of the population served.
Written materials are translated, adapted, and/or provided in alternative
formats based on the needs and preferences of the populations served.
Interpretation and translation services comply with all relevant Federal,
state, and local mandates governing language access. Consumers are
engaged in evaluation of language access and other communication services
to ensure for quality and satisfaction (The National Center for Cultural
Competence).
In the United States there is a compelling need for cultural and
linguistic competence. The National Center for Cultural Competence
identified six leading reasons for review. The first one being to respond to
current and projected demographic changes in the United States. According
to The National Center for cultural Competence (NCCC), English language
learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing group of students in the United States
today. Today, one out of every nine students is learning English as a second
language. That's about 5.4 million childrenalmost the population of
Arizona, or Maryland, or Tennessee. If this trend continues, current

Cultural Reflection

projections indicate that by the year 2030, 40% of all school-aged children in
the United States will be speakers of a first language other than English. The
second reason is to eliminate long-standing disparities in the health status of
people of diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. According to the
NCCC, In recognition of these continuing disparities, the President of the
United States has targeted six areas of health status and committed
resources to address cancer, cardiovascular disease, infant mortality,
diabetes, HIV/AIDS and child and adult immunizations aggressively. The third
reason is to improve the quality of services and health outcomes. The fourth
is to meet legislative, regulatory and accreditation mandates. The fifth is to
gain a competitive edge in the market place. Lastly, the sixth is to decrease
the likelihood of liability/malpractice claims.
B. Where you fell on the continuum and your thoughts and feelings
about that knowledge and what it means for you;
I found myself, for the most part, on the ethnorelative side of the
cultural competency continuum. I feel that being a minority I am more
accepting of other cultures and their norms. After doing this assessment I
learned that I can deal with learning cultures norms and willing to adapt
my teaching for the needs of different students. I found this knowledge
important because some teacher cant handle teaching students from
different culture because they werent exposed to any other culture other
than their own.

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C. What you learned about students and how cultural factors may
affect learning and how you can use cultural understanding to
help students excel in their learning;
Cultural Competence in the Classroom is critical for students success
in education. It is important for teachers to understand the culture that are
in their classroom in order to set their students up for success. In the process
of becoming culturally competent teachers will face challenges and deal with
experiences that may surprise, shock, or even offend them.
In the classroom, being culturally competent also involves an understanding
of how cultures differ under the surface and how cultures respond differently
to similar situations.
Acquiring cultural competence happens gradually. Teachers have to observe their students and
find out what culture their students come from. They must not only observe their students but
their parents as well. Teachers should take into consideration how cultures come to acquire
information. All Cultures have different ways of solving problems. This apparent when cultures
are given the same set of problems and circumstances, and yet they arrive at different
conclusions. Cultures have different values, philosophy, and beliefs which they use to answer
questions. Every culture has their own way of communicating non-verbally. It is vital for
teachers to be aware of these differences. This important because by being aware of different
cultures non-verbal communication, teachers will be able to understand their students better. The
will be less likely to be offended by or misinterpret non-verbal clues. Teachers should be aware
that different cultures also learn in different ways. It is important that teachers understand that

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different cultures deal with conflict differently. It is important that teachers understand that
different cultures deal with conflict differently. By understanding the cultures in their class,
teachers can avoid problems of miscommunication and misinterpretation of symbols. Symbols
can be confused by different communications.
D. What I learned about teaching from a cultural understanding and about yourself as a
teacher;
As a teacher, it is very important to understand students cultures. By being aware of
cultural differences teachers can prepare themselves for any problems that may arise as a result
of the differences. Being aware of their students cultures can set their students up to be
successful. By Understanding cultures teachers can decide how to approach their students and
make them feel safe and comfortable in the class. Its important for students to feel safe and
comfortable because it lowers their affective filters and allows them to learn more effectively.
After doing self-assessments I realized that I am eager to learn the norms and ways of different
cultures. I understand that classrooms in the United States are diverse. I want to give these
diverse students the opportunity to become successful. I feel that I would be an effective teacher
of diverse classrooms because I grew up and went to school in a diverse area.
E. What you learned about yourself as a learner and how you plan to
continue your learning and growth culturally
Being an English language learner myself, I know the importance of teachers
understanding my culture and relating my culture to their lessons. My teachers using my culture
in their lessons allowed me to relate and understand the lessons more effectively. I want to
become a well-rounded individual by learning about many cultures and using those learnings not
only in the classroom, but also when interacting with those cultures outside of the classroom.

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F. How you can integrate what you learned about cultural

competency into enhancing the mental and social health of
students.
As a teacher I plan on integrating my students cultures in to my lessons. By doing so,
they can relate to the work and be comfortable in the class. I also want to teach my students
about the norms of other culture so that they are more accepting of them and can interact with
people of different cultures. My ultimate goal is to educate my students in to well-rounded
individual and better prepare to interact in the real world.

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References
King, M., Sims, A., & Osher, D. (n.d.). How is Cultural Competency integrated in
education? Retrieved September 10, 2014, from
http://cecp.air.org/cultural/Q_integrated.htm
Pratt-Johnson, Y. (2006, February). Communicating Cross-Culturally: What Teachers
Should Know. Retrieved September 10, 2014, from
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Pratt-Johnson-CrossCultural.html
The National Center for Cultural Competence. (n.d.). Foundations of Cultural &
Linguistic Competence. Retrieved September 11, 2014, from
http://nccc.georgetown.edu/foundations/index.html
The National Center for Cultural Competence. (n.d.). The Compelling Need for
Cultural and Linguistic Competence. Retrieved September 12, 2014, from
http://nccc.georgetown.edu/foundations/need.html