The difference between surface and deep culture in children
Early childhood development and education are two important branches with the help of which teachers can comprehend the needs and abilities of children. Many issues have to be considered by educators, and the difference between surface culture and deep culture is one of the crucial concepts. Culture aims at providing a general framework for people’s perceptions of the world (Holtzman & Sharpe, 2014). It can be divided into superficial and deep.
Holtzman and Sharpe (2014) offer to think of culture as a tree where surface culture is the above-ground part, and deep culture is the root. Surface culture is everything that could be easily visible and accepted. The best examples are music, food, language, and clothes. Deep culture includes less observable issues such as human beliefs, traditions, and values. To introduce competent and tolerant children means to teach them both levels of culture. It is not enough to learn and comprehend the norms. It is also important to realize why these norms are crucial, and what beliefs are transferred through these norms.
Influence of cultural contexts on the social-emotional and cognitive domains of child development
Nowadays, many cultural contexts have a certain impact on the social-emotional and cognitive domains of child development. Cognitive and socio-emotional domains are crucial in positive caregiving (Bornstein & Putnick, 2012). Therefore, mothers, as the main caregivers, have to understand what activities are more important for them and for their children regarding the peculiar features of the society they have to live in. There are many mothers, who believe that they have to play with their children and take them outside regularly. At the same time, the same mothers do not find such activities and reading or singing to their children obligatory in caregiving. However, even reading to children and storytelling may vary considerably within cultures (Bornstein & Putnick, 2012).
For example, in such countries as the USA and China, technological progress cannot be neglected. As a result, people forget about such simple activities as reading and talking to children. They believe that it is enough to turn on the TV or use audiobooks to meet children’s needs. As for socio-cognitive domains, the cultural contexts play an important role because there are many American and British families where mothers hire babysitters and deprive themselves of direct communication with their children. In Japan, parents support the idea of independence and make their children do a lot of things alone. As a result, children do not accept their parents they way they have to but consider their nannies as the main sources of their social and emotional development.
Classroom strategies that can foster the development of dual-language learners
In modern American society, the number of dual-language learners increases considerably every year (Smith & Doggett, 2016). Children from different countries come to the USA and have to combine their native languages with American English. Therefore, teachers try to pay enough attention to dual-language learners and develop appropriate strategies for providing such children with enough successful opportunities.
One of the main strategies that have to be used by teachers is the creation of a welcoming and friendly environment (Smith & Doggett, 2016). Such a decision may help children develop trustful relations with adults and peers and prepare them to develop their skills. It is also possible to promote home-school partnerships with the help of which new ways for cooperation with dual-language children may be found. It is interesting to involve parents in school activities so that children feel safe and support. Finally, it is necessary to use written and oral guides to develop on several languages appropriate for children. Such a strategy can help foreign children never forget their native language and compare it with English, and English-native speakers may observe the changes their peers have to deal with.
Congolese parents’ cultural experience as an immigrant family and the development of the children in this family
In the video, the story of a family from Congo is introduced. The parents shared their experiences when they had to move from their native country to the USA because of the war and the inability to be confident in safety for their children (Darragh, 2013). The parents said that they had good jobs when they lived in Congo. Besides, they wanted to provide their children with the best opportunities. Therefore, the situation when their children started expressing their thoughts and ideas aloud without thinking about the consequences made the parents re-evaluate their cultural preferences because, in Congo, children could not allow doing the same things but follow the orders and permission given by their parents. Another experience was based on the age of all members of the family.
The parents admitted that their children learned faster than they did. Therefore, it was not always possible for parents to comprehend some words and actions of their children, who faced fewer challenges while integrating a new culture. Teachers and caregivers have to understand such differences to foster the development of such children and underline the importance of connecting with their parents that may be the crucial consequence of their education.
The importance of culture in child development
According to the principle developed by Office of Head Start (2008), culture may influence every aspect of human development, and people have to be ready to develop their communicative skills and specific behaviors to establish appropriate relations with society, bound trustful relations with their children, and avoid misunderstandings and conflicts. In the video, the family faced a lot of stressful situations and the obligation to become the citizens of the USA. Still, the parents never lose their hope to provide their children with the best possible future.
The adults rely on personal energy to support their children. At the same time, the principle of the Office of Head Start (2008) states that children are usually exposed to much new information. In the family under analysis, the parents admit that their daughter uses many new and unclear to them words and behaviors. Therefore, they try to follow her development and ask her to share new knowledge just not to be discouraged from the changes. Regarding their Congolese roots, they focus on the connection between parents and children and the necessity to respect the parental opinion.
Cultural bias from a caregiver or educator and its effect on the learning
Regarding the story of the family from the video, teachers, and caregivers need to consider the possibility of cultural bias or discontinuity. American caregivers should never demonstrate their prejudice to the children, who come from other countries. Besides, the story of the family from Congo proves that immigrants, who have to live in the USA, should not be poor people. This family has clear goals and the reasons why they had to leave their country.
Therefore, teachers and caregivers, who might work with the children from such families, have to use such strategies as gathering feedback from parents and colleagues about the quality of work offered or the development of the evaluations regarding the current achievements and changes in children’s behavior. Another strategy is the development of an antibias curriculum where children could demonstrate their skills (Melendez & Beck, 2012).
Strategies to foster dual-language development
The family under analysis has three children and two parents, who came to the USA without knowing English at all. With time, they learned the basics of English and continued developing their language knowledge and communicative skills. Regarding their situation, an early childhood teacher, who works with this family, may promote two effective classroom strategies to foster dual-language development. First, the creation of a friendly environment is required. Children should feel that they could ask questions and get answers. Second, teachers should ask parents to share some information about their children’s interests and abilities in case children are not able to cover this topic independently.
At home, parents could use stickers to write words in English and their native language to help their children and themselves remember new words and terms that may be used regularly in ordinary American life. Besides, games like Scrabble could be offered to the whole family. Such a game helps many immigrants to learn the language of the country they come to. On the one hand, it is a game form, and it does not force to learn something. On the other hand, it is a kind of competition that helps people develop the portion of skills required for many American citizens today.
Classroom strategies to foster the development of dual-language learners in San Jose’s school
In the video under analysis, the teachers use several effective strategies with the help of which the promotion of the development of dual-language learners is possible (Maxwell, 2012). First, a friendly environment is offered. It helps children to feel safe and be interested in everything that happens around them. Second, teachers use games and communication in the classrooms. Children do not feel that they are forced to do something, learn new material, and demonstrate their knowledge. They do tasks and perform activities because they like the way their teachers offer them.
Then, teachers use music and songs to prove that learning may have different forms. It is interesting for children to relax and enjoy the material offered. Finally, a lot of visual material is used to explain new information to children in the most comprehensive ways. Children use their hearing and visual abilities and memorize the information. Besides, they could share their drawings to demonstrate their achievements.
Strategies to improve the teaching and learning practices in the early education dual-language classrooms
As an administrator of the school for dual-language learners, I suggest creating the classes where children may invite their parents and learn new material together. This strategy helps to support the idea of a school-parent partnership and make sure that children perform the required portion of work with their parents at home.
Another strategy includes the observation of the progress of each student. It is possible to create individual envelopes where children share their thoughts and knowledge in the most interesting ways.
Finally, it is also possible to invite new people, who could share their dual-language experience with children so that children learn to use their knowledge and skills, not with their parents and teachers only. Children may see that there are many similarities to the people, and they demonstrate good results in becoming a significant part of American society.
Influences of the cultural context on the All Indian Pueblo Council’s approach to childcare
The approach of All Indian Pueblo Council to child care is effective indeed. The respect and attention to the roles of grandparents remain to be crucial factors that cannot be neglected. The cultural context of the Pueblo people shows that the necessity to mobilize and promote self-determination should make people forget their roots and leave their native language behind (All Indian Pueblo Council, 2011). The examples are taken from the video prove that such communities as the representatives of All Indian Pueblo Council never forget their traditions, respect, and core values because they help to survive and live with dignity.
Another example may be taken from the activities of the political leaders, who continue inspiring their people and support tribal language survival. Early childhood education is important for all Mexicans. Still, it should not be used to turn Native Mexicans into modern Americans but to help Americans and Mexicans integrate their cultures and achieve benefits.
Cultural discontinuity facing the Pueblo tribe and effects of these issues on their approach to childcare
A cultural discontinuity may occur between students and teachers, between peers, and even between family members when a lack of understanding prevents choosing appropriate behavioral and learning styles (Cleary, 2013). In the video, the tribe may face such cases of cultural discontinuity as the expectations that one language (English) may prevail in communication between children and teachers.
Another discontinuity is connected with the style of life preferred by Americans and Mexicans. Not many Americans support the idea of agriculture development and the use of personal vegetables and fruits. Therefore, some teachers may not understand the attention and respect to fall among Pueblo people. To avoid misunderstandings, it is necessary to develop such strategies as communication with parents and frequent conversations with students to learn all peculiar features of Pueblo culture.
References
All Indian Pueblo Council [everydaydemocracy]. (2011).Everyday democracy: Strong starts for Pueblo children [Video file]. Web.
Bornstein, M.H., & Putnick, D.L. (2012). Cognitive and socioemotional caregiving in developing countries. Children Development, 83(1), 46-61.
Cleary, L.M. (2013). Doing cross-cultural research with integrity: Collected wisdom from researchers in social settings. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Darragh, J. (2013). 10 ngeno story [Video file]. Web.
Holtzman, L., & Sharpe, L. (2014). Media messages: What film, television, and popular music teach us about race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. New York, NY: M.E. Sharp.
Maxwell, L. A. (2012). A look inside dual-language classrooms [Blog post]. Web.
Melendez, W.R., & Beck, V.O. (2012). Teaching young children in multicultural classrooms: Issues, concepts, and strategies. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Office of Head Start. (2008). Principle one: Every individual is rooted in culture. In Revisiting and updating the multicultural principles for head start programs serving children ages birth to five (pp. 11–19). Washington, DC: Author. Web.
Smith, L.K., & Doggett, L. (2016). Promoting the development of dual language learners: Helping all children succeed. Administration for Children & Families. Web.