Step 3: Adult-Centered Implementation
Adult-Centered Teaching-Learning Process - Be Sensitive to Cultural Differences
As the United States becomes increasingly diverse, and as its economy becomes increasingly global, it will be important to understand how culturally-defined behaviors and attitudes can affect both the workplace and learning environments. The term “cultural competence” is sometimes used to describe a condition where we acknowledge cultural differences and challenges and find ways to accommodate them, rather than being firmly entrenched in one system of beliefs or identities. As noted on a special website on “Cultural Competence” managed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (http://www.aecf.org/initiatives/fes/jobs/jobsandrace.htm), the goal is “not for either side to give up what it values most, but for all sides to search for a common ground. Culturally competent workers can observe important elements of the employer culture while maintaining personal identity; employers are able to accommodate ethnic diversity while maintaining and enhancing productivity.” Recognizing cultural or other personal barriers and doing something to minimize those barriers are ways that effective organizations survive and help their clients thrive (Klein-Collins, 2002). Some tips for working with non-native English speakers are provided in the box below.
Tips for Developing Sensitivity to a Multicultural Environment
- Use short words and sentences. As a general rule, it is better to use simple English that everyone understands.
- Use active verbs and concrete nouns. Research indicates that approximately 78 percent of the English language as it is used in daily life is composed of sentences in the active voice using concrete nouns.
- Break the material into manageable chunks that students can process more easily and efficiently.
- If you are a fast speaker, pause at the end of sentences, not in the middle. When you pause at the end of each sentence, students have more time to consider what you say.
- Illustrate general statements with specific examples related to the students’ specific situations. To accomplish this, you will need to identify the students’ backgrounds as much as possible before the course begins.
- Do not use slang or jargon. Non-native English speakers, as well as trainees from different areas of our own country, very rarely possess an up-to-date knowledge of our local slang or jargon. You need to ensure that everyone understands the precise meaning of words used in your message. For instance the verb “to get” can have at least 5 meanings (buy, borrow, steal, rent, retrieve), and the word “right” has 27 different meanings. The word “should” carries multiple connotations, such as: moral obligation, expectation, social obligation, or advice. (National Highway Institute, 2000)
The following are some examples of how steps taken by employers, workforce development practitioners, and educators demonstrate steps toward successful integration of different cultures and population groups:
- Addressing Language and Cultural Barriers in the Recruitment Process. Organizations who wish to recruit individuals from specific ethnic groups do so by producing bilingual marketing materials, advertising in ethnic newspapers, and participating in cultural events (Annie E. Casey, n.d.a).
- Overcoming Cultural Barriers to Requesting Assistance. The Seattle Jobs Initiative noticed that one of its referral agencies, the Asian Counseling and Referral service, spent less than other groups. The suspicion was that some groups have a cultural aversion to asking for help. (Fleischer, 2001). Recognizing this as a cultural barrier can lead organizations like SJI to be more proactive with certain groups, rather than just responding to the “squeaky wheels.”
- Addressing Language and Culture Barriers in the Workplace: Employers with lots of customers and employees with diverse ethnic backgrounds show cultural competence when arranging for on-site English classes or when they hire bilingual supervisors or customer service representatives to assist with communication. (Annie E. Casey, n.d.a). Training programs such as the San Francisco VESL Immersion program teach workplace culture along with language (see the organizational example).
Related Organizational Examples