When  Assump+ons  and  Priori+es  Collide:  Exploring  Intercultural  Communica+on  

and  Schooling  TESOL  Conven,on  2014  

Portland,  Oregon  Andrea  DeCapua,  Ed.D.  New  York  University  

drandreadecapua@gmail.com    ©2014  MALP,  LLC.    For  terms  and  condi,ons  of  use,  contact  informa,on@malpeduca,on.com  

Ways  of  thinking  and  lear2ing    

are  shaped  by    

prior  lear2ing  ex6eriences  

North  American  teachers  and  learners  assume  that:  

1.  the  goals  of  K-­‐12  instruc,on  are    a)  to  produce  an  independent  learner  

b)  to  prepare  that  learner  for  life  aRer  schooling  

2.  the  learner  brings  along  a)  an  urge  to  par,cipate  as  an  individual  

b)  age-­‐appropriate  prepara,on  for  

i.      literacy  development  

ii.    academic  tasks  

          (Marshall, 1998; DeCapua & Marshall, 2011)  

Three  Cultural  Differences  

•  Literacy    •  Collec,vism  and  Individualism    • Ways  of  thinking  and  learning  

I  never  care  about  reading  un,l    I  come  here    In  my  country  nothing  to  read  but  here,  everywhere  print,  words  and  signs  and  books  and  you  have  to  read.  

The  most  importants  I  have  learned  about  the  United  States  that  is  a  book,  newspapers,  or  notebook  and  pens.    These  things  are  always  let  me  know  how  to  live  here.        

Collec+vis+c    vs.  Individualis+c  Cultures  

Informal  Ways  of  Learning  

•  Revolves around immediate needs of family and community

•  Grounded in observation, participation in sociocultural practices of family and community

•  Has immediate relevance

•  Centered on orality

(Gahunga,  Gahunga,  &  Luseno,  2011;  Paradise  &  Rogoff,  2009)  

Formal  Western-­‐Style  Educa+on  

•  Abstract  knowledge  •  Scien,fic  reasoning  •  Logical  deduc,on  •  Formal  school  se]ngs  •  Literacy  is  central    

(Anderson-­‐Levi^,  2003;  Flynn,  2007;  Grigorenko,  2007;    Ozmon  &  Carver,  2008  )  

Academic Tasks

•  Definitions Ø What is a tree?

•  True/False Ø New York City is the capital of New York State Ø Boston is the capital of Massachusetts

•  Classification Ø Categorize these objects (see next slide)

(Adapted  from  Luria,  1976)  

Sample  Academic  Task  

North  American  teachers  and  learners  assume  that:  

1.  the  goals  of  K-­‐12  instruc,on  are    a)  to  produce  an  independent  learner  

b)  to  prepare  that  learner  for  life  aRer  schooling  

2.  the  learner  brings  along  a)  an  urge  to  par,cipate  as  an  individual  

b)  age-­‐appropriate  prepara,on  for  

i.      literacy  development  

ii.    academic  tasks  

          (Marshall, 1998; DeCapua & Marshall, 2011)  

(Ibarra, 2001)

Intercultural Communication Framework (ICF)

Ø Establish and maintain a relationship Ø  Iden+fy  priori+es  in  both  cultures        Ø Make  associa+ons  between  familiar  and  unfamiliar  

(Marshall,    1994;  Marshall  &  DeCapua,  2013)  

Who Am I?  

Keep Your Eye on The Ball  

Spillach,  1979  

“It’s a small world, after all.”

Two Learning Activities

     FAMILIAR      SCHEMATA    

   UNFAMILIAR        SCHEMATA    

Describing your favorite game in your first language or dialect

Writing a science lab report in academic English

Intercultural Communication Framework

Step  1:        Establish and maintain a relationship •  Infuse instruction with interpersonal elements

Ø Teacher and students Ø Students together Ø Teacher and student families

Step  2:        Iden+fy  priori+es  in  both  cultures  

•  Adapt instruction to accommodate learner priorities •  Develop learner awareness of community priorities

Step  3:        Make  associa+ons  between  familiar  and  unfamiliar  

•  Move from familiar to unfamiliar schemata Linguistic Content  Formal

•  Build associations between familiar/unfamiliar concepts

(Marshall,    1994;  Marshall  &  DeCapua,  2013)  

Strategies  

•  Ensure  two-­‐way  communica,on  •  Use  cultural  brokers  •  Engage  in  peer  observa,on  •  Become  an  observer  •  Control  tasks  

– Linguis,c,  content,  formal  •  Model  explicitly  &  repeatedly    •  Allow  focused  NL  use  

 A  Con+nuum  of  Ways  of                                                          Thinking  &  Learning                              

Informal Ways Learning

Western-style Formal Education

Struggling  ELs  

Collectivism Oral Print

Individualism

More  Informa+on?  Email:  drandreadecapua@gmail.com    Books:  Marshall,  H.W.  &  DeCapua,  A.  (2013).  Making  the  Transi0on:  Culturally  Responsive  Teaching  for  Struggling  Language  Learners.  Ann  Arbor:    University  of  Michigan  Press.    DeCapua,  A.  &  Marshall,  H.  W.  (2011).    Breaking  New  Ground:    Teaching  Students  with  Limited  or  Interrupted  Formal  Educa0on  in  U.  S.  Secondary  Schools.    Ann  Arbor:    University  of  Michigan  Press.    DeCapua,  A.,  Smathers,  W.,  &  Tang,  F.  (2009).  Mee0ng  the  Needs  of  Students  with  Limited  or  Interrupted  Formal  Schooling:    A  Guide  for  Educators.  .    Ann  Arbor:    University  of  Michigan  Press.    Websites:  www.malpeduca,on.com  h^p://malp.pbworks.com    ©2014  MALP,  LLC.    For  terms  and  condi,ons  of  use,  contact  informa,on@malpeduca,on.com      

                         

 

Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm – MALPtm

Instructional Model

Students with Limited/Interrupted Education U.S. Classrooms

Interconnectedness Independence

Shared Responsibility

Individual Accountability

Pragmatic Tasks

Academic Tasks

ACCEPT    SLIFE  CONDITIONS  

COMBINE  SLIFE                      &  U.S.  

PROCESSES  

FOCUS  on  U.S.  ACTIVITIES  with  familiar  language    

&  content  

Immediate Relevance

Oral Transmission Written Word

with

(DeCapua & Marshall, 2009, 2010; Marshall 1994, 1998)

Future Relevance