Culturally Responsive Culturally Responsive Communication: Working Communication: Working

with Families Across with Families Across DifferenceDifference

Paula Groves Price, PhDPaula Groves Price, PhD

Department of Teaching and Department of Teaching and LearningLearning

Culture and CommunicationCulture and Communication

Communication is the Communication is the quintessential way in quintessential way in which humans make which humans make meaningful meaningful connections with connections with each other, whether each other, whether as caring, sharing, as caring, sharing, loving, teaching, or loving, teaching, or learning. (Gay, 2000)learning. (Gay, 2000)

How do you communicate?How do you communicate?

What are your expectations of different What are your expectations of different roles when engaged in a dialogue?roles when engaged in a dialogue?

How do you communicate to others your How do you communicate to others your approval or disapproval of something?approval or disapproval of something?

How do you show your feelings?How do you show your feelings?

Culture and CommunicationCulture and Communication

The key to being a culturally responsive The key to being a culturally responsive professional, is effective communication.professional, is effective communication.

Communicating with others effectively Communicating with others effectively means that we must understand how means that we must understand how modes of communication are often modes of communication are often culturally based.culturally based.

Discourse StructuresDiscourse Structures

Passive-ReceptivePassive-Receptive

Expectation that one person listens quietly while Expectation that one person listens quietly while one person talks. Non verbal behaviors include one person talks. Non verbal behaviors include eye contact, sitting still, and waiting to be eye contact, sitting still, and waiting to be acknowledged by the speaker before taking acknowledged by the speaker before taking your turn to speak. your turn to speak.

This communication style is common among This communication style is common among Euro-American/White peopleEuro-American/White people

Discourse StructuresDiscourse Structures

Participatory-InteractiveParticipatory-Interactive

Speakers expect listeners to engage them Speakers expect listeners to engage them actively through vocalized, motion, and actively through vocalized, motion, and movement responses as they are speaking.movement responses as they are speaking.

This communication style is common among This communication style is common among African-Americans, Latinos, and Native African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslandersHawaiian/Pacific Islanders

Communication DifferenceCommunication Difference

According to some theorists, the discourse According to some theorists, the discourse dynamics of Euro-Americans are almost dynamics of Euro-Americans are almost the opposite of many communities of colorthe opposite of many communities of color

This is often the source of great This is often the source of great miscommunication in classrooms and in miscommunication in classrooms and in conferences with families.conferences with families.

Communicating with FamiliesCommunicating with Families

When communicating with families, it is When communicating with families, it is important for you to be reflective and important for you to be reflective and understand the cultural assumptions that understand the cultural assumptions that you are bringing to the encounter, as well you are bringing to the encounter, as well as some of the assumptions others may as some of the assumptions others may have about you. have about you.

Here are some basic Do’s and Don’ts…..Here are some basic Do’s and Don’ts…..

DON’TDON’T

DON’T let the only communication that DON’T let the only communication that you have with families be negative in you have with families be negative in nature. Make sure that you communicate nature. Make sure that you communicate positive happenings positive happenings

DODO

Do establish a relationship early with the Do establish a relationship early with the families of your students. Make efforts to families of your students. Make efforts to communicate early with families via phone communicate early with families via phone calls, letters, and invitations to the calls, letters, and invitations to the classrooms. Not all cultures know that they classrooms. Not all cultures know that they are welcomed in school environments. are welcomed in school environments. Create a welcoming environment by Create a welcoming environment by sending multiple signals that you wish to sending multiple signals that you wish to develop a relationship with them.develop a relationship with them.

DODO

DO your homework by familiarizing DO your homework by familiarizing yourself with the community within which yourself with the community within which most of your students reside. If you expect most of your students reside. If you expect families to come to your classroom, you families to come to your classroom, you also need to be willing to spend time in also need to be willing to spend time in their community. Getting to know parents their community. Getting to know parents on their “turf” aids in student engagement on their “turf” aids in student engagement and also school-family relations.and also school-family relations.

DON’TDON’T

DON’T go into a meeting with families DON’T go into a meeting with families thinking about what they lack. Deficit thinking about what they lack. Deficit ideologies are quickly picked up on and ideologies are quickly picked up on and are offensive. are offensive.

DODO

DO DO LISTENLISTEN carefully and attentively to carefully and attentively to the wants, needs, and opinions of families. the wants, needs, and opinions of families. Especially when communicating cross-Especially when communicating cross-culturally, families want to know that their culturally, families want to know that their concerns and questions are heard. concerns and questions are heard.

DON’TDON’T

DON’T assume that because you are the DON’T assume that because you are the professional that you know what is best for professional that you know what is best for the child/student. Families know their kids the child/student. Families know their kids better than you do, and they have a vested better than you do, and they have a vested interest in their success. Offer suggestions interest in their success. Offer suggestions and your opinions, but ask families for and your opinions, but ask families for suggestions and opinions as well.suggestions and opinions as well.

DODO

DO understand that there may be DO understand that there may be resistance to interventions based on resistance to interventions based on cultural beliefs and previous negative cultural beliefs and previous negative experiences with schools and institutions. experiences with schools and institutions. Many communities of color have had Many communities of color have had horrific histories with education as an horrific histories with education as an institution, and they bring that historical institution, and they bring that historical memory with them to meetings and memory with them to meetings and conferences.conferences.

And Finally…And Finally…

Do use appropriate professional language Do use appropriate professional language when referring to cultural groups, when referring to cultural groups, especially if you are of the dominant especially if you are of the dominant culture. culture. African American, Latino, Asian/Asian African American, Latino, Asian/Asian

American, Native American, people of color American, Native American, people of color are all acceptableare all acceptable

Colored People, Negro, Oriental are offensive; Colored People, Negro, Oriental are offensive; Hispanic is offensive to some because of the Hispanic is offensive to some because of the colonial roots of the term.colonial roots of the term.