A Path to Cultural Competence: Exploring our Unconscious Biases

Jean Moule

Oregon State University

March 30, 2009

Listen

Clocks

Make “appointments”You exchange sheets with someone elseYou each write your name down in the SAME

time slotUse your appointments for activities as

directed Use this idea in your school/institution

What is cultural competence? Put most simply, it is the ability to successfully

teach students who come from cultures other than your own. It entails mastering complex awarenesses and sensitivities, various bodies of knowledge, and a set of skills that, taken together, underlie effective cross-cultural teaching.

Diller & Moule (2005), p. 5

Oregon Demographics

A Crisis in Oregon

% of Students of Color in Oregon ____

% of Teachers of Color in Oregon ____

Watch the Movie

The Lunch Date

Free write for one minute

Share with your “appointment”

Examples of Unconscious Bias Blink of an eye

Re-fensing

Test Taking

Jamal and Keisha or John and Emily

Encounters

The IAT(Implicit Association Test)https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ We make connections more quickly between pairs of

ideas that are already related in our minds, as opposed to those that are unfamiliar

Tests for bias in race, weight, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, religion

May indicate "little or no bias" or a bias rated as "slight", "moderate" or "strong"

A Paper IAT

executive LISA housework SARAH entrepreneur DEREK silverware MATT cleaning TAMMY career BILL corporation VICKY office STEVE administrator PAUL home AMY employment PEGGY dishwasher MARK babies BOB marriage MIKE professional MARY merchant JEFF garden KEVIN family HOLLY salary SCOTT shopping DIANA business DONNA manager EMILY laundry JOHN promotion KATE commerce JILL kitchen GREG children JASON

briefcase JOAN living-room ANN house ADAM

A Paper IAT

The words in this list are in four categories:

MALE NAMES and FEMALE NAMES are in CAPITAL letters.

Home-related and career-related words are in lowercase.

Round One IAT

The next list is the same as the last one. This time, go through the list putting a line through only each FEMALE NAME and each home-related word.

Again, Do this as fast as you can.

Round Two IAT

Go through the list from left to right line by line, putting a line through only each MALE NAME and each home related word.

Do this as fast as you can.

Addressing Stereotypical Statements: Four-Step Process

Repeat the statement calmly/objectively Give your own belief Say something positive about the

person/group Change the subject

Practice the 4 steps

Share a statement you’ve said/heard Decide on most awful Write down statement Write down 4 steps Volunteer to share

Remember to say ALL 4 steps w/out a breakWatch body language

Isms are everywhere

Form groups of 4 Each person tells an “ism” story (1 minute) Group decides on most compelling story

and takes a few minutes to develop skit Volunteer groups act out skits Volunteer in group or out “changes history”

Making a Commitment to Making a Difference

“Let us begin by creating, and in the process envision a world in which we would like to see our children and grandchilden grow up.”

__ Unknown