6/5/21; Week 7; Response to "Culture and Psychology".

 

Culture is the system of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that that form a distinctive way of life of people. Sometimes, the term is also used to refer specifically to the artistic, intellectual and other aspects of life. In this sense, culture is nearly synonymous with ethnicity, which refers to the common language, history, and future experienced by a group within society. 

Culture has elements that are obvious, like unique holidays or customs, but also features that are subtle or easy for outsiders to overlook, like beliefs about the nature of intelligence or about the proper way to tell a story. When a classroom draws students from many cultures or ethnic groups, the students bring to it considerable diversity. Teachers need to understand that diversity, and understand how students’ habitual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors differ from each other, and especially how they differ from the teacher’s.

How would you help students of different cultural backgrounds feel comfortable in your classroom? Let me know in the comments section!