Reflective Questions

What cross-cultural competencies do I need to effectively deliver this curriculum?

• Be aware of your own cultural values and biases. Once we are aware of our own, we can better accept others who are different. As demographics shift, valuing biculturalism is essential to understand our own limits and expertise.

• Be aware of how oppression, racism, discrimination and stereotyping affect all of us. Acknowledging how some have directly or indirectly benefited from individual, institutional and cultural racism allows for understanding the social impact on others.

• Be aware of communication styles and understand that our styles may clash. As a result, we may devalue approaches that work with certain groups, for example, the time that is required to do a sharing/talking circle.

• Be aware that cross-cultural competence means a constant effort to seek out educational, consultative and training opportunities to improve understanding and effectiveness in working with culturally different populations. This also involves recognizing the limits of our competence and knowing when to seek advice from other more qualified individuals.

• Be aware and sensitive of the life experiences, cultural heritage and historical background of culturally different groups.

What does current research about inclusive and anti-oppressive education offer us?

• Education for the "other" improves experiences, treatment and success for those learners who are designated as "other" than the norm. Oppression is not only understood to happen because of the actions (harassment, isolation, alienation, violence, exclusion, etc), but it also occurs because of inaction (inappropriate instruction, attention, materials; inadequate cross-cultural training; or insensitivity).

• Education about the "other" teaches about marginalized groups (staff awareness sessions or culture day awareness) to a predominant non-marginalized instructional population.

• Education that is critical of privileging and "othering": involves critical examination and encourages transformation by openly discussing "norms". Oppression and marginalization are recognized as being produced and reproduced through existing social structures and competing ideologies, e.g. meritocracy. Power relations are exposed, emotions are released as difficult questions are posed: Whose knowledge is of most worth? What are my unearned advantages? What tools of oppression have been normalized - do I use these?

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