0.4 Multicultural education  (Page 5/12)

4. Categorizing List Items - The next step is to divide the items into categories, which will make the final step of the exercisemuch easier. Indicate this intention to the group, and mention that you will be using Nitza Hidalgo's "three levels of culture." (The citation for thismodel is: Hidalgo, N. (1993). Multicultural teacher introspection. In Perry, T., and Fraser, J. (Eds.), Freedom's plow: Teaching in themulticultural classroom. New York: Routledge.)

Hidalgo's 3 levels include:

a. The Concrete - This is the most visible and tangible level of culture, and includes the most surface-level dimensions such asclothes, music, food, games, etc. These aspects of culture are often those that provide the focus for multicultural "festivals" or "celebrations."

b. The Behavioral - This level of culture clarifies how we define our social roles, the language(s) we speak, and our approaches tononverbal communication. The Behavioral level REFLECTS our values. Aspects to be listed in this category include language, gender roles,family structure, political affiliation, and other items that situate us organizationally in society.

c. The Symbolic - This level of culture includes our values and beliefs. It can be abstract, but it is most often the key to howindividuals define themselves. It includes value systems, customs, spirituality, religion, worldview, beliefs, mores, etc.

Write short definitions for these levels on the board or sheet of paper you used to record the dimensions of culture. Review each ofthe categories for a couple of minutes. Give the participants an opportunity to consider how they define themselves within thesecategories. Ask them to look over the categories and the items on the board for a few seconds. As a group, categorize all items into these categories.There may be some disagreement about where a certain item falls, so allow the same item to be listed under two categories.

Classroom exercise: part ii

5. Consistency in Conceptualization - After you have categorized, the next step is to facilitate a discussion aboutrelatedness, importance, and the consistency of how individuals define themselves and others.

Starting with "the Concrete," proceed down the list of Hidalgo's categories, asking participants to raise their hands if theyconsider the items listed under that category to be the most important dimensions in how they define their own culture. Count the responses toeach, and list them next to the category name on the board or paper. Be very clear that they are indicating what they consider to be important items fordefining themselves, not the ways in which other people define them. Then, do the same for the other two categories (Behavioral and Symbolic).

Now, ask each student to write down the name of the category (Concrete, Behavioral or Symbolic) they feel closest to in termsof their own self-definition. Sometimes, one or two students will choose "the Concrete" or "the Behavioral," but in virtually every case, a vastmajority of the participants will choose "the Symbolic." As you discuss each category, ask those who chose it to describe why they did so, andencourage those who did not choose it to explain why. Because most people will choose "the Symbolic," be sure to challenge them on why that is moreimportant than the other levels.