The Individualism/Collectivism Framework
Individualism Collectivism Representative or mainstream: United States, Western Europe, Australia, and Canada
Representative of 70% of world cultures (Triandis, 1989), including those of many U.S. immigrants
Well-being of individual; responsibility for self
Well-being of group; Responsibility for group
Independence/self-reliance Interdependence/cooperation
Individual achievement Family/group success
Self-expression Respect
Self-esteem Modesty
Talk orientation Social orientation
Cognitive intelligence Social intelligence
Adapted from Rothstein-Fisch & Trumbull (2008, p. 9)
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(versus working independently) if or when the teacher is temporarily absent from the classroom, or transitioning between activities by having all students gather in the meeting area and sing a song together or do a movement exer- cise. One teacher, who had previously withheld recess as punishment for failure to turn in homework, replaced this with a system in which volunteer students helped their classmates successfully complete missing homework (p. 107).
Another interesting exploration of the ways in which cultural values intersect or conflict with classroom procedures and expectations comes from Weinstein, Curran, and Thompson-Clarke (2003). Here are a few of their examples:
Because Ms. Frank values collaborative learning, she places her stu- dents’ desks in clusters and encourages them to help one another. But she spends a lot of time at the beginning of the year explaining to her second graders exactly what that means. She takes pains to distinguish between helping and doing the work for the other person. She and her students role-play different situations; for example, Ms. Frank pretends she doesn’t know how to do a math problem and asks a student for help. Then she asks the class, “Was that good help? Was that explaining or was that doing the work for me?” Ms. Frank and her students also talk about when it’s not permissible to help one another. She explains that some- times work has to be done independently so that she can see what people know how to do on their own. Ms. Frank realizes that it’s important to be absolutely explicit about the norms for helping in her very diverse class- room. Some of her children have cultural roots in individualistic cultures; it is likely that the values of individual effort and self-sufficiency have been deeply engrained, so these children may resist her efforts to encourage peer assistance. In contrast, the children from more collectivist cultures (e.g., African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American) have probably been taught the value of providing assistance to others; they may find it difficult to resist helping their peers, even when they are directed to work indepen- dently. (pp. 271–272)
When we establish norms of behavior, we have to ensure that students under- stand what the norms mean in terms of specific behavior.
This is especially critical in culturally diverse classrooms, since different cultures hold different views about appropriate behavior. In some cultures, for example, making eye contact is a sign of respect, while in others re- spect is communicated by maintaining an averted gaze. Teachers may
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expect children to sit quietly and “listen when someone is talking,” but some African American students may be accustomed to a more active, participatory pattern of behavior (“call-response”). (Weinstein, Curran, & Thompson-Clarke, 2003, p. 271)
These are but a few examples of how we might use our understanding of cul- tural values to guide the design of routines. Clearly, there is far more to culture than this contrast of individualistic versus collectivistic presented here. This is but one example of the relationship between cultural orientation and respect- ful and effective classroom management. What this underscores is the need for us to continuously develop our awareness of our own cultural orientation (internalized values, assumptions, and beliefs) while simultaneously seeking to better know those of our students, and to use that information collectively to guide the design and implementation of classroom procedures and routines. Cultural proficiency is an essential belief in The Skillful Teacher Framework (see Chapter 2 and Chapter 4).
Rothstein-Fisch and Trumbull (2008) sum it up in this way:
As teachers we need to know how to examine our own cultural values; develop understanding of the values of others and regard them in a non- judgmental way; and apply what we learn about cultural differences to the improvement of classroom practices. (p. xiv)