flecting as practitioners on our own beliefs and
biases. Another area to pay particular attention to
is how to engage families by learning about their
culture, their needs, and their values through interviews.
This questionnaire is a work in progress.
We plan to conduct future research on it and welcome any feedback and comments you may
have. The first section of the questionnaire is a
way for us as practitioners to self-evaluate our
own worldview and how in-tune we are to cultural
relevance in our teaching and work with families.
The second part of the questionnaire is a way to
gather information from families to learn more
about their thoughts, beliefs, and values by asking them directly instead of relying on sweeping
generalizations about a specific culture.
Part I: Self-Evaluation:
This graphic organizer can be used to engage
in a self-reflection about your values, biases, and influences that have shaped your
thinking. After filling out the organizer, consider how your answers may factor into
your teaching and interaction with families either positively or negatively. We all have
biases, and understanding what they are
will help us be flexible and open to cultural
diversity. The graphic is also meant to help
you consider how privilege plays a role in
your own life. Dominant culture results in
privileges more readily available to some
groups than others (Harbour, Middleton,
Lewis, & Anderson, 2003). Depending on
the context, we all benefit from advantages
or privileges at certain times. If we are open
to recognizing that things are not always
equal, then we will be more open to understanding the perspectives of families from
CLDB.
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