Awareness to Action

1. Awareness to Action Leading for Cultural Competence 2010 CaSPA Conference Hobart. Tasmania

2. Acknowledgement of Country Today I would like to acknowledge the Tasmanian Aboriginal people as the original and continuing custodians of the land on which we meet. I would like to pay my respects to their Elders- past, present and future.

3. Key understandings • Culture- it just IS….it changes and grows, but it is always there • We bring our own perceptions and prejudices to any context when we are interacting with others • We need to understand ourselves first to begin to work effectively with others • Transformation to cultural proficiency requires time to think, reflect, assess, decide and change. It is a process not a program.

4. What is cultural proficiency? • Cultural proficiency is an inside out process. It encourages us to focus first on those of us who are insiders to an organisation, and encourages us to reflect ton our own individual understandings and values. It relieves all those who are seen as outsiders, members of excluded groups, from the responsibility of doing all the adapting. (Adapted from Lindsey, Martinez & Lindsey 2007) • Cultural Proficiency is a state and process of becoming. It acknowledges and validates the current values and feelings of people, encouraging change without threatening people’s feelings of worth. (Lindsey, Martinez & Lindsey 2007) • It is a journey, the process of becoming, of striving to improve as a person and as a member of one’s communities • Cultural Proficiency is how to learn about ourselves and those served by the schools, so school systems can change to be effective for all members. • While individuals are very important in cultural proficiency, the chief focus is on the organisation’s culture, which has a life force beyond the individuals in an organisation. This focus removes the need to both place blame on individuals and to induce feelings of guilt.

5. Leadership for Cultural ProficiencyCultural Proficiency A Manual for School Leaders 2009 lindsey, Robins & Terrell Corwin Press • Transformational Leadership- • Idealised leadership: strong convictions, take stands on difficult issues, focus on vision and purpose. They use data to pose questions about effective practices. • Inspirational motivation: provide context and meaning . for the work to be done, have a vision for what can be accomplished, and standards for educators to employ. They ask questions of themselves and others about how to better serve all groups of students. • Intellectual stimulation: seek to replace old assumptions, traditions and beliefs with values, policies and practices that serve the needs of local populations. They ask questions about commitment to teaching the students actually enrolled at the school,. • Individualised consideration: undertake mentoring and coaching of fellow educators and members of the school community. They ask questions about what is being done to improve the learning environment for students.

6. Activating: Commitment to change • Examining your own values, assumptions and behaviours • Committing to working with colleagues to examine your school’s and district/diocese policies and practices • A commitment to learning from and with the community that you serve

7. Engaging: Cultural Perceptions • Country of family origin and heritage • Language(s) spoken • Interests or hobbies • Favourite foods • Preferred types of movies, TV programs • Preferred reading materials • Preferred types of music • Pets, if any, or favourite animals

8. What did you notice? • How close were your assumptions about your partner? • How did it feel to have responsibility for making the perceptions; being on the receiving end? • What might this experience tell us about the stereotyping that might occur when we face new people at school? • How are stereotypes helpful? How are they harmful? • What are the risks in making assumptions? • What is the most important thing you have learned from this experience?

9. Activating: Roadblocks to Cultural Proficiency • Unawareness of the Need to Adapt- Expecting that other people of groups need to change to fit into the way you or your organisation does things. • Systems of Oppression- Recognising that exclusionary systems e.g. racism, ableism , exclusionism exist so that you can make the choice to eliminate these from your world or your school/system. • A Sense of Entitlement- Believing that you have earned what you have accomplished solely by your effort, merit or character, and that others need to change and adapt to you.

10. Engaging: Defining yourself • Write 5 words or phrases that describe the essence of who you are • These should be things that if taken away, you would not be the same person

11. Defining yourself de-brief • What did you notice as you wrote your list? • What did you notice as you shared your list? • What did it feel like to have to cross things off your list? • What did you learn about your colleagues? • What did you learn about yourself? • What conclusions can you draw about members of this group?

12. Essential Elements of Cultural Competence • Assessing Cultural Knowledge:being aware of what you know, and how you react to others’ cultures, and what you need to do to be effective in cross cultural situations. • Valuing Diversity: Making the effort to be inclusive of people whose viewpoints and experiences are different from yours, which will enrich conversations, decision making and problem solving. • Managing the Dynamics of Difference: Viewing conflict as a natural and normal process with cultural contexts that can be understood and that can be supportive in creative problem solving • Adapting to Diversity: Having the will to learn about others and the ability to use others’ cultural experiences and backgrounds in educational settings. • Institutionalising Cultural Knowledge: Making learning about cultural groups and their experiences and perspectives an integral part of your ongoing learning.

13. Cultural Proficiency Continuum (Adapted from Cultural Proficiency by Lindsey, Robins & Terrell (Corwin Press ,1999, 2003), and Culturally Proficient Instruction by Robins, Lindsey, Lindsey &Terrell (Corwin Press, 2001) Cultural Destructiveness: See the difference, stomp it out The elimination of other people’s cultures Cultural Incapacity: See the difference, make it wrong Belief in the superiority of one’s culture and behaviour that disempowers another’s culture Cultural Blindness: See the difference, act like you don’t Acting as if the cultural differences you see do not matter, or not recognising that there are differences among and between cultures

14. Cultural Proficiency Continuum cont: Cultural Precompetence: See the difference, respond adequately Being aware of the limitations of your skills, or an organisation’s practices when interacting with other cultural groups Cultural Competence: See the difference, understand the difference that difference makes Interacting with other cultural groups using the 5 essential elements of cultural proficiency as the standard for individual behaviour and organisational practices Cultural Proficiency: See the differences and respond effectively in a variety of environments Valuing culture; knowing how to learn about individual and organisational culture; interacting effectively in a variety of cultural environments

15. Stand UP!

16. Engaging: Stand Up • What did you notice as you were sitting and standing? • What surprised you? • What conclusions can you draw from the answers of the group? • What questions do you have for group members? • What other questions might have been asked? • What patterns did you notice in the questions? • What was the purpose of this activity?

17. Engaging: Black Doll, White Doll • How did the video make you feel? • If these were students in your school, what actions or comments might you have seen or heard that may have led to the same outcomes? • Where would these fit on the continuum? • What advice might you give to the principal to change the outcome if this experiment was held again in say 3 years?

18. References: Bywaters L, Parkinson M, Hurley J 2007 Learn: Lead: Succeed- A Resource to support the building of leadership in Australian schools, Revised edition, APAPDC Lindsey D B, Martinez RS, Lindsey RB 2007 Culturally Proficient Coaching, Corwin Press, California Lindsey R B, Robins KN, Terrell RD 2009 Cultural Proficiency A Manual for School Leaders, Third Edition, Corwin Press, California Bloom G, Castagna C, Moir Ellen, Warren B 2005 Blended Coaching, Corwin Press, California Costa A, Garmston, R 2006, Cognitive Coaching: A Foundation for Renaissance Schools Second Edition, Hawker Brownlow Education, Australia Garmston R, 2005, The Presenter’s Fieldbook: A Practical Guide, Christopher Gordon Publishers Inc, Canada Gorringe S, Spillman D, 2008 Creating Stronger, Smarter Learning Communities: The role of Culturally Competent Leadership, Indigenous Education Leadership Institute, QUT www.strongersmarter.qut.edu.au/ Wheatley M, May 1998, Love and Fear in Organisations, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Newsletter, Volume 20, Number 5 www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/love.html Smith C A, 2005 School Factors That Contribute to the Underachievement of Students of Color and What Culturally Competent School Leaders Can Do Educational Leadership & Administration; Fall 2005; 17, ProQuest Education Journals pg. 21 Billmeyer R, 2003, Strategies to Engage the Mind of the Learner; Building Strategic Learners Second Edition, November 2006, Rachel Billmeyer, Rachel & Associates, Inc, Omaha NE Recognising Racism in Schools http://www.racismnoway.com.au/ http://www.racismnoway.com.au/pdfs/recognising.pdf