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 * //I. Consider a time when you talked with someone from another culture. How did this conversation differ from one with someone from your own culture?// **

In thinking of another culture, the immediate thought process lends itself to recalling experiences with people from a different culture. In considering this, I thought of other cultures that brought about a similar need for accommodation and compromise to reach understanding.

Even though Mimi and I are in the same family, our generational culture is very different. She is now in her early 80s, meaning that she was my age in the 1930s. We've shared multiple conversations about a shared love for travel and had the chance to visit New Zealand together. During my last visit, we looked through a scrapbook of her post-graduate tour of various countries in Europe that landed herself in the local newspaper. This made my think about the privilege our generation has in being able to travel extensively and connect with people through social networking. This idea of connection brings up conversations I've had with Mimi about Facebook and Skype. I think about how these modes of communication have become essential to me, yet Mimi remains content with an extended phone call or hand-written letter. There was a recent conversation with Mimi about my future plans. As I discussed this experience teaching in China and what was to follow, I began to think about how this idea of choice wasn't as true for many women in the 1930s. The idea of pursuing different things and putting off supporting a husband and a family wasn't an option for many during the Great Depression and the start of WWII. Mimi didn't get married until she was approaching 30, which I believe was very forward-thinking of her to be traveling and pursuing a career on her own. Despite a generational gap, I find that I've come to appreciate how our similarities have transcended a potentially divisive difference in time.

=//II. How do you define “global awareness”? Do you consider yourself a globally aware person?// =

Global awareness (taken from 21st Century Learning Skills) is
 * Using 21st century skills to understand and address global issues
 * Learning from and working collaboratively with individuals representing diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and open dialogue in personal, work and community contexts
 * Understanding other nations and cultures, including the use of non-English languages

Global awareness is defined as someone that continually seeks opportunities to expand their cultural competency. This person is open to sharing ideas with other culture groups in hopes of learning from one another. A globally aware individual makes decisions and has interactions that are respectful of other people's backgrounds.

I consider myself to be a globally aware person because I constantly seek opportunities to learn from other cultures. I have a mutual respect for other cultures and am interested in conversations that promote learning about one another. My weakness in the area of global awareness is specifically related to language. I speak only English, but am interested in learning other languages to better meet the needs of a diverse society

=//III: Describe the three categories/characteristics commonly used to compare culture groups//. =

1) Race- categorizing groups of people by ancestry, physical appearance, and ethnicity.

2) Geographical - categorizing groups of people by where they live (western/eastern civilization, country, state/province, urban/suburban/country, south/north, mountains/ocean).

3) Language - categorizing groups of people by the language they speak, or how they choose to communicate.

=//IV. Using up to 10 terms or phrases, describe your cultural identity.// =

__In no particular order:__
 * Student
 * Teacher
 * 20s
 * Sister
 * Christ-follower
 * Daughter
 * Part of the Wolfpack
 * Friend
 * Southerner
 * White
 * Female
 * American

=//V. How might you incorporate cultural awareness into your teaching?// =

Incorporating cultural awareness into teaching starts with creating a mental framework of appreciating a new perspective brought by another culture. This process begins with defining culture and identifying the culture groups with which students may associate. It is important to have students appreciate new cultures rather than focus on stereotypes and dividing differences.This can be accomplished with an integration across subjects. I can see this occurring in Social Studies by reading various points of view to eliminate bias. This could also develop in science where students can investigate solutions to real world issues affecting cultures around the world. In language arts, I can visualize students reading sources and writing texts in learning about cultures other than their own.

From my own personal experiences with traveling, I plan to include virtual field trips, pictures, and anecdotes to support my teaching. Also, with my international network will serve to promote awareness of other countries and provide opportunities for communication and shared learning. This is currently made possible by my trip to China through Skyping with my US classroom, initiating pen pal correspondents and teaching mini-lessons prior to my departure about Chinese culture.

=//VI. Do you think internationalization/global issues should have a central place in a school’s curriculum? Explain your reasoning.// =

Yes, because students need to build an awareness of current events and issues that may affect their generation in the future. A school's curriculum should focus content on problem solving to find solutions to global issues. By broadening student's perspectives, they are able to think critically in an effort to understand the plight of others. In some circumstances, students can serve these individuals by building their own awareness and using their resources to reach out to others. This extension of learning creates meaning through internalization of the subject-matter.

//**VII. In what ways might a teacher's cultural identity influence the way they teach?**//

A teacher's cultural identify may influence the way they teach by how they present content with multiple perspectives. For example, when teaching history a teacher can seek to eliminate bias by sharing multiple documents from different points of view. Another way this may influence teaching is by appreciating new perspectives in an increasingly diverse classroom as a way of contributing to the learning community. Another way is a teacher might place emphasis on cooperative learning and provide students with opportunities to construct their own cultural identity. A final influence on teaching might include language instruction in the way vocabulary and new concepts are introduced, perhaps with images and words posted strategically around the classroom.

=VIII. What are some strategies you will implement to effectively teach students from different cultural backgrounds? =

Allow for students to share about their cultural backgrounds and how this influences their cultural identity by teaching vocabulary related to these concepts and having related conversations. Based on this, students can appreciate diverse perspectives and connect these areas of expertise to future lessons. I can effectively relate to ELL students by having been in an environment where I was the minority and didn't speak the language. I can teach to their needs with multiple representatives including lots of visuals and teaching of sounds.

=(IX and X are included in the Pre-Departure from Raleigh Page) =