Strategies for Working With Students Parents and Families From Diverse Sociocultural Backgrounds
Communicating with Culturally Various Parents of Exceptional Children
A listing of helpful suggestions and strategies for communicating with culturally diverse parents of exceptional children.
Communicating with Culturally Various Parents of Exceptional Children
ERIC EC Digest #E497, Author: ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Instruction ED333619, 1991
Teachers and other professionals providing didactics-related servicesto infrequent children from different cultural backgrounds demand tobe aware of unique perspectives or communication styles mutual tothose cultures. The ways people bargain with feelings – especiallydisappointment, anxiety, fear, embarrassment, and anger – varyconsiderably, and ofttimes information technology is not like shooting fish in a barrel to discern how parents arereacting to the realization that their child has a inability. It isespecially important to aid parents who accept been exterior themainstream of U.Due south. educational activity empathize the educational optionsavailable. To exercise this, professionals need to be sensitive to thedifferent values, experiences, and beliefs that may be held by membersof various cultural and ethnic groups toward special pedagogy.
Utilize Language Parents Can Understand and Use Sensitivity inCommunicating
To facilitate communication, educators should utilize the followingguidelines:
Courtesy, sincerity, and ample opportunity and time to convey concernscan promote communication with and participation by parents fromdifferent cultural backgrounds. Duringmeetings it is important to provide ample opportunity for parents torespond without interrupting. If a parent is formulating a responseand has non expressed himself or herself quickly, this filibuster shouldnot exist viewed equally a lack of interest in responding. Educators need tomind with empathy and realize that parents can change from feelingsof trust to skepticism or curiosity as their understanding of programsand policies increases. It is important to realize that this reactionis normal and that parents may feel hostile or drastic every bit theyattempt to sort out facts from their fundamental beliefs abouteducation.
In communicating with families from different cultural groups,educators should continue in mind their various cultural styles. There isno 1 prepare of characteristics that can be ascribed to all members ofany ethnic group. Instead, the cultural traits of individuals rangefrom those traditionally attributed to the ethnic group to those thatare descriptive of a person who has been totally alloyed into themajority culture. Unfortunately, much of theliterature describing individuals from minority groups reinforcesexisting stereotypes. This assimilate offers some observations aboutdifferent cultural styles that should be considered cautiously incommunications with families of differing cultural backgrounds.
- Sharing Space
People from different cultures use, value, and sharespace differently. In some cultures it is considered appropriate forpeople to stand very close to each other while talking, whereas inother cultures people like to keep further autonomously. For example, Hispanics often view Americans every bit being distant considering they prefermore infinite between speakers. On the other mitt, Americans often viewindividuals who come too close as pushy or invading their privatespace. - Touching
Rules for touching others vary from culture to culture. InHispanic and other Latin cultures, two people engaged in conversationare oft observed touching and individuals usually embrace whengreeting each other. In other cultures, people are more restrained intheir greetings. In the Asian/Vietnamese cultures, for example, it isnot customary to shake hands with individuals of the opposite sex. - Centre Contact
Amidst African Americans it is customary for the listenerto avoid the eyes, whereas Euro-Americans prefer to make straight eyecontact while listening. Among Hispanics, abstention of straight eyecontact is sometimes seen every bit a sign of attentiveness and respect,while sustained direct eye contact may be interpreted as a challengeto authority. - Time Ordering of Interactions
The saying "business organization before pleasure"reflects the "1 activeness at a time" mindset of U.S. mainstreamculture. Some cultures, withal, are polychronic, that is, peopletypically handle several activities at the same time. Before gettingdown to business, Hispanics more often than not substitution lengthy greetings,pleasantries, and talk of things unrelated to the business at hand.Social interactions may continue to be interwoven throughout theconversation.
Much of the need for information can exist satisfied through regularlyscheduled meetings, conferences, and planning sessions for a child'sindividualized education program (IEP). Educators may presume thattheir own familiarity with public policy is shared by parents ofchildren with disabilities. Usually, this is not the case. Mostparents of culturally various children with disabilities need help inunderstanding the bones tenets of the law, including their own rightsand responsibilities.
Support Parents as They Larn How to Participate in theSystem
Schools must brand a sincere commitment to consider parents every bit partnersin their children's instruction. Professionals who are attempting towork and communicate with parents of children with disabilities shouldbe prepared to support the parents' rights and responsibilities. Inessence, professionals should adopt the role of advocate. Parents fromculturally various backgrounds should be encouraged to join parentorganizations and share their cultural points of view.
Educators and other professionals should recognize parents' needs forthe following:
Using these guidelines for communication, teachers and otherprofessionals can assist parents of culturally diverse children withdisabilities not merely to gainsay feelings of isolation, simply as well toachieve a sense of belonging.
Encourage Parental Participation at Abode
A growing trunk of research show suggests that important benefitsare gained by schoolhouse-aged children when their parents provide support,encouragement, and directly instruction at home and when habitation-schoolcommunication is agile. Children who receive parental help read muchbetter than children who practise not. Even instruction by highly competentspecialists at school does not produce gains comparable to thoseobtained when students are tutored by their parents at domicile. Even illiterate parents can promote the acquisition ofreading skills by motivating their children, providing an environsthat promotes the acquisition of literacy skills, providingcomparative and contrasting cultural data, asking the childrento read to them, and encouraging verbal interaction about writtenmaterial.
Resources
Carter, T. P., & Segura, R. D. (1979). Mexican Americans in school: Adecade of change. New York: College Entrance Examination Lath.
Chinn, P. C. (1984). Educational activity of culturally and linguisticallydifferent exceptional children. Reston, VA: The Council forExceptional Children. ED 256103.
Cloud, N., & Landurand, P. M. (1988). MULTISYSTEM (multiculturallearning/teaching innovation) training program for special educators.New York: Teachers College, Columbia Academy.
Hewison, & Tizard, (1980). Parental involvement and readingattainment. British Journal of Educational Psychology, fifty, 209-215.
Johnson, M. J., & Ramirez, B. A. (1987). American Indian exceptionalchildren and youth. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children.ED 294338.
Kitano, K. M., & Chinn, P. C. (1986). Exceptional Asian children andyouth. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. ED 276178.
Marion, R. L. (1982). Communicating with parents of culturally diverseexceptional children. Exceptional Children, 46, 616-623.
Simich-Dudgeon, C. (1986). Parent interest and the education oflimited-English-expert students. ERIC Digest. Washington DC: ERICClearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics. ED 279205.
Taylor, O. 50. (1989). The effects of cultural assumptions oncross-cultural communication. In D. Koslow & E. Salett (Eds.), Crosscultures in mental health (pp. xviii-27). Washington, DC: InternationalCounseling Eye.
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