This week’s activity was to think about the
cultural diversity you see in your colleagues at school, in your neighborhood,
in your workplace, and possibly, within your family. Consider all the aspects
that make up culture, including race, religion, political affiliation, sexual
orientation, varying abilities, and so on.
Do you find yourself
communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures?
If yes, in what ways do you
communicate differently?
I do talk differently to different
groups…when talking with my colleagues I use the early childhood education “jargon”,
parents and the checker at Walmart may not understand that so I change it up a
bit.
I talk to the children in a different manner than I
talk to parents and colleagues and certainly differently than I talk to a
stranger on the street. Having said that I will say this…it is not out of
disrespect, but respect that I speak to those where they are. It is not very
effective to talk to someone in a way or about a subject they may know nothing
about—while using that “professional jargon”. It would be ridiculous to talk
about Cephalocaudal Development of a fetus and how teratogens
can inhibit the typical growth of the fetus to the man behind you in the
checkout line, as well as completely out of context it would mean nothing to
the person. Likewise, I wouldn’t be able to keep up on a conversation about quantum
physics with a physicist.
This week we also
read about “THE PLATINUM RULE”. The platinum rule was suggested by researcher
Milton Bennett as a way to better communicate with others. The idea is that we should treat others the way they
would want to be treated, not the way WE want to be treated. You know the “golden” rule for the 21st
century (platinum is worth more as a precious metal than gold). Bennett tells
us that it is an attempt to think and feel what another might think and feel
and then go beyond that to take positive action toward others in response to
your empathetic feelings, and become “other oriented”. How does this affect a
communication with someone from a culture you know nothing about? You would
have to be so knowledgeable about those societal norms and cultural value so
you could do it just right. We in America value a firm handshake and making eye
contact when first meeting someone—that is not the case in other cultures. At
what point does it make us guess or assume how other cultures want us to treat
them…that’s sort of what the majority of people do now, isn’t it? You know what
they say about assuming…
Davey,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to have read in your post that you also associate the changes in the way that you communicate with different groups of people as a matter of respect!! I think it would be very unprofessional and disrespectful to talk to families in the Head Start program in the same "jargon" that I would use in my graduate studies, as they often have a lower educational level. I think that it would appear as if I were talking over their heads, possibly making them feel inferior and inadequate, which is not conducive to building that partnership that is so crucial to the educational outcomes for the child. Likewise, I also think the way I present myself during home visits (clothing, jewelry, etc) also plays a huge role in effective communication and relationship building. Thanks for such an insightful post, Davey. :)
Hi Davey
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insightful post. Like you I also change the way in which i communicate to suit the individual and situation. I am elated that you associated differing your communication style to respect. I believe that when persons change their communication styles according to the groups of person they are communicating with and the situation in which the communication is to occur, it is not only a form of respect but also suggests that the individual is "other oriented".
Great post Davey,
ReplyDeleteWe have to communicate differently with people from different groups and cultures. We cannot talk to the families in our classrooms the same way we talk to our friends and families at home. I know some teachers who talk to their families in the classroom like they are friends on the street. They talk to them inappropriately and unprofessionally. As professionals, changing the way we communicate with people from different groups and culture is very important and necessary.