by Ronald Mah

Corwin Press, 2006

by Ronald Mah

Corwin Press, 2008

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by Ronald Mah

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"SAME AND DIFFERENT"

DISCOVERY AND APPRECIATION

OF THE DIVERSE EXPRESSIONS OF OUR SHARED HUMANITY

A Multi-Cultural/Diversity Sensitivity Training

FORMAT:

Lecture and Discussion- Participants are encouraged to make the workshop more relevant to their concerns by asking questions.

DESCRIPTION:

Focus is on helping participants learn the role of culture in society and the reasons for the development of different cultural values, patterns, and behavior in response to societies demands.   Participants will learn how cultural diversity is appropriate and logical in response to needs, i.e. that individuals never "just" are different.  Participants will learn how diversity relates to the perceived mainstream culture.  The roles that pre-prejudice, prejudice, bigotry, and racism play psychodynamicly as well as developmentally will help participants become aware of their own attitudes with regard to diversity.  Issues for people of color and for white individuals will be discussed.  Using the participants' greater insight and awareness, pragmatic applications for healthy and respectful cross-cultural interaction will be introduced.

SUMMARY OF CONTENT:

1) IDENTIFICATION of the areas where cultural differences may lead to problematic interaction.  Information about similarities and differences between identified cultures will be introduced and used to identify these key areas. 

2) UNDERLYING ISSUES: societal, economic, political

3) UNFAMILIAR CULTURAL EXPRESSION: the how-to's when you don't know what to do!

4) PREJUDICE: Acknowledging and identifying ones own tendencies

5) A BRIEF HISTORY of civil rights to diversity training;

6) DISTINCT ISSUES FOR WHITE PARTICIPANTS

7) DISTINCT ISSUES FOR PARTICIPANTS WHO ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR

INTEGRATING SOCIAL JUSTICE INTO SCHOOLS

Correlations between Social Justice

and Other Developmental and Social Theories

FORMAT:

Lecture and Discussion- Participants are encouraged to make the workshop more relevant to their concerns by asking questions and giving input.

DESCRIPTION:

  This is a training to aid participants in integrating the principles of a Social Justice Program (including principles drawn from the “Anti-Bias Curriculum”, Derman-Sparks, NAEYC) with other developmental and social theories.  Understanding how such theories cross validate with each other and a Social Justice program allows for a more assertive and effective application of such theories to all areas of educational programs.  Participants can better articulate the need for such approaches to skeptical colleagues, administrators, and parents in theoretical terms that are more familiar to them. Participants will gain greater sophistication in theories conducive to Social Justice: self-esteem theory, developmental theory, individual/community dynamics, bully/victim research & theory, attributes of children who thrive, communication theory, and the American Promise.  Concrete plans for action will be discussed.

SUMMARY OF CONTENT:

A)  Self-Esteem theory (Coopersmith) as it relates to Social Justice

            Significance, Moral Virtue, Power and Control, Competence

B)  Developmental theory – 5 basic rules of development

C)  Individual vs. Community Dynamic of the Education Process

D)  Bully/Victim Research & Theory

Definitions, Consequences for Bullies, Consequences for Victims

E)  Ten core attributes of children who thrive, Ron Taffel, Ph.D.

Mood Mastery, Respect, Expressiveness, Passion, Peer Smarts, Focus, Body Comfort, Caution, Team Intelligence, Gratitude

F)  Communication Theory -- Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

            Matching Communication, Mis-matched Communication

            Tone, Body Language, Facial Expressions, Action/Behavior, Lack of Action/Behavior

G)  Feudalism and the American Promise

Basic human rights of life, security, educational, social, economic, and personal opportunity life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; due process, protection from injustice, and a multitude of other individual rights.

H)    Basic Premises of the Anti-Bias Curriculum and a Social Justice Program

Premises, Goals for Children, “The Practice of Freedom,” Approaches, Boundaries, Action

"CULTURAL JEOPARDY"

  EXPRESSION AREAS OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES

A Multi-Cultural/Diversity Awareness/Sophistication Training

FORMAT:

Lecture and Discussion, and "Game"- Participants are encouraged to make the workshop more relevant to their concerns by asking questions and giving input.

DESCRIPTION:

  This is a training on the expression areas where cultural differences occur.  The lecture is presented around a playful multiple choice game checking participants' awareness of cultural distinctions.  The introduction of cultural distinctions by themselves create the potential of cultural competency, and also, if the participants are not careful, of becoming vulnerable to advanced stereotyping.

  Each answer is then used as an introduction to a discussion on an area of potential expression of common intra-personal, interpersonal, and societal issues: definitions of family, acceptable vs. unacceptable aggression, touch, communication styles, time, role of adolescents, and so forth.  Through playing "Cultural Jeopardy" the participants safely experience the "jeopardy" of being multi-culturally unaware (failing to appropriately interpret and respond to culturally unfamiliar people), or experience the success of being multi-culturally sophisticated (respectfully interact and respond to unfamiliar others).

SUMMARY OF CONTENT:

1) THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEFINITION OF CULTURE

2) UNDERLYING ISSUES: societal, economic, political

3) UNFAMILIAR CULTURAL EXPRESSION: the how-to's when you don't know what to do!

4) SUPERFICIAL ISSUES: Food, Music, Clothes, and other "Tourist" Issues

5) IDENTIFICATION of the areas where cultural differences may lead to problematic interaction.  Information about similarities and differences between identified cultures will be introduced and used to identify these key areas. 

            INTRA-PERSONAL ISSUES: Cultural Distinctions

            INTERPERSONAL ISSUES: Cultural Distinctions

            SOCIAL/CULTURAL ISSUES: Cultural Distinctions

MULTICULTURAL & DIVERSITY SURVIVAL TRAINING

  DIFFERING CULTURAL VALUES

  AFFECTING THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY

OVERVIEW: When one is aware of the cultural similarities and differences between oneself and another person, family, or community and makes an appropriate assessment of the situation, then cultural sensitive and appropriate behavior and communication follows (depending on the personal skills of the individual).  Therefore, whenever possible, culturally sensitive and committed individuals and professionals need to research and integrate knowledge about such other persons and their communities.  Although, such people may be committed to this end, time and energy and adequate resources may not always be available for efficient investment to happen.  In addition, there may arise a need for relationships and interactions with individuals or families from heretofore unexperienced cultural communities or with individuals or family "non-normative" within a familiar cultural community.

OUTLINE

1) PROBLEMS WITH STRICTLY EDUCATIONAL APPROACHES

2) TOURIST ORIENTATIONS TO CULTURAL AWARENESS

            Cultural Deprivation Perspectives

3) UNIVERSALITIES & DIVERSE EXPRESSION

4) COMFORTABLE (ENOUGH) DISCOMFORT

            Integrity or Education-Awareness or Commitment?

            Interferences to making Education-Awareness work.

            Safety Issues- "Not an encounter group...not a Mau Mau!"

5) DEFINING CULTURE - DEFINING SOCIETY

            Do Our Values Define Our Society? or Does Our Society Define Our Values?

            Primary, Secondary, & Peripheral Purposes of Culture

            Community & School Culture/Society

6) TEMPERAMENTAL DIFFERENCES

            Distinguishing Personal & Cultural Differences

            Communication Theory

7) PSYCHODYNAMIC ISSUES IN PREJUDICE AND RACISM

8) HOW WE PROCESS DIFFERENCES

            The Semantic Progression

            Distinctions between Tolerance, Sensitivity, Acceptance, and Activism

            The Color-Blind(?)

FACILITATING CHANGE IN INSTITUTIONS

 in the Face of Resistance-

Reactionaries, the Ignorant, the Confused, and “Careful” Allies!

FORMAT:

Lecture and Experiential- Participants are encouraged to make the workshop more relevant to their concerns by actively participating in experiential training.

DESCRIPTION:

Any person of color or other progressively multiculturally oriented individual working in a traditional institution who is interested in facilitating progressive growth and change, who is experiencing institutional and individual (administration, colleagues, Board of Directors, and/or clients -- white and of color, male or female, straight or gay) resistance. The presentation will begin with an examination of ineffective ways to present and promote progressive change and growth (such as multicultural and diversity growth) to traditional institutions such as schools, businesses, etc.) "The Five Lousy Ways to Present Growth and Change (or in a specific example, Multi-culturalism and Diversity)!"  Understanding the baseline motivations for established institutions become the key to finding a powerful and pragmatic approach to facilitating growth and change. The presentation will continue with an interactive experiential process with the participants will be led in a problem solving process.

SUMMARY OF CONTENT:

1)      Making sound DIAGNOSIS and ASSESSMENTS of the barriers and resistance to progressive growth in the organizations;

2)      Exploring and examining the appropriateness of various THEORIES of resistance and theories to activate change;

3)      Discussion and sharing STRATEGIES and INTERVENTIONS suggested by these theories to activate growth and change;

4)      Aid participants to discover and work through the PERSONAL emotional, cultural, social, and political RESISTANCE against pursuing the strategies and interventions both among self professed "change agents" and well-meaning but aggravatingly "careful allies" (and, of course, rigid reactionaries to growth and change);