INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP-
THE CENTER FOR CULTURAL FLUENCY
What does a teacher do when a boy traces
his hands for a counting exercise and
colors one hand brown and one white
saying the brown one is the color he
is now and the white one is the color
he will be when he becomes an American?
One quick-thinking teacher used this
experience as a way to help the class
explore diverse cultures starting with
the City of Los Angeles and working
her way out to encompass the world.
This is just one reason the CENTER
FOR CULTURAL FLUENCY at Mount St. Maryês
College was established: to help teachers
help their students see the world in
a less biased, more tolerant way. The
Center staff uses examples like this
not as mere anecdotes, but as opportunities
to share with other teachers who can
learn from them.
One of many places that have benefited
from the support of the Center is a
school that was divided by race. The
staff brought both cultural groups together
to create a Christmas production that
included traditions from both cultures
which helped the students see their
similarities, rather than their differences.
In order to help these students, teachers
need to know where to find helpful resources.
Numerous books, articles and brochures
have been written about how teachers
can be more culturally aware and the
Center for Cultural Fluency brings all
this information together in one place.
Similarly, scores of culturally-oriented
books and videos have been created for
children in recent years, and the Center
has collected hundreds of these resources
together. Teachers could spend entire
weekends and summer vacations looking
for just a portion of the materials
that are already gathered together at
the Center.
As a repository of classroom materials
that can integrate cultural understanding
into the day-to-day classroom curriculum,
the Center makes its materials available
on loan to teachers for their own reading
or for use in the classroom. The Center
also hosts cultural awareness workshops
and conferences for teachers in a variety
of formats.
With its myriad of cultures intersecting
in one area, Los Angeles was obviously
a key city in which to establish the
Center.
Because the Center is a fluid, living
facility, the staff adds to and alters
its resources based on the communityês
needs.
Practical Examples and Working Documents
related to this topic
The newest monograph from Mount St.
Mary's College PrismPublishing is "Teaching
for Cultural Fluency" which offers a
realistic approach for educators seeking
to help young people become culturally
fluent À move comfortably among cultures
and see diversity as a vehicle for growth.
This monograph explains how to develop
a resource center where teachers can
utilize multicultural resources in their
communities, explore materials and plan
strategies for developing cultural fluency
in themselves and their students. Also
included in the guide are sample seminars,
examples of teacher projects and ideas
for forming connections among educators
of all levels and with members of various
ethnic communities.
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