Cultural Perspectives in Teaching

Journal Tasks

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Journal Tasks

Journal 1.1

Teachers are at times faced with questions that prompt them to establish an understanding of their faith. The answers that the teachers usually give depend on their own cultural understandings as far as their beliefs and values are concerned. A competent teacher will not only give an answer based on his or her own belief but will also integrate it with a research-based theory. To develop a Christian mind that will avoid giving superficial answers, the teacher should have grounding of the various cultural perspectives that people do have. Before answering, the teacher should ask himself questions such as ‘what might have led to the situation’ or ‘what is trying to be achieved’. It is mostly based on the fact that schools have students coming from different cultures with different perspectives on faith.

Journal 1.2

Teachers rarely try to figure out what the true purpose and meaning of schooling is. Most people will view the purpose of schooling based on their cultural backgrounds or understanding. Being an Asian, education and schooling in general plays a very vital role in establishing one’s character in the society. Education has been held with such high esteem since its inception, and it has been viewed as one of the most guaranteed way of succeeding in life. All of the subjects introduced in the curriculum are keenly considered if they will serve the purpose that it is intended to serve. In reflection, my cultural background has made me realize that education is not a matter of just gaining understanding of one’s cultural background and factual knowledge, but also molding ones character into such that is acceptable by the society.

Journal 1.3

The approach that has been given to education, as far as the students are concerned, is that it was not an entitlement, until recently. The students whose parents can be able to afford education or were interested in their children learning were the only ones who had the luxury of going to school. The others whose parents could not afford it were subjected to receiving low-quality education. The students are, however, expected to achieve nothing but excellence regardless of the quality of the education they have received. They sit for the same examinations and eventually compete for the same jobs available.

The teachers, on the other hand, are given the task of instilling education and knowledge into the students regardless of the conditions that they operate. The parents and the teachers are expected to work together in bringing up the children into respectable individuals in the society. However, the blame is mostly directed towards the teachers if the students do not become successful in their quest for education. The teachers take the students through the entire curriculum.

The purpose of education, according to Grandgrind, is very different from how other people view it. He was only interested in a profitable enterprise and aimed at ramming facts into the brains of the students. He viewed the purpose of schools should be distanced from cultural backgrounds and other fancies and should only deal with facts which have been documented in the curriculum.

Nowadays, we have gone almost 180 degrees away from that.  We emphasize thinking over learning facts.  I sometimes think we have gone too far away from facts (especially in math and science) but I certainly do not think we should do like Gradgrind.

His way of learning is not good for our modern society.  Things change so fast nowadays that people need to be able to think if they are going to get ahead economically.

Journal 1.4

There have been a number of changes that have taken place in the Australian education system in the 19th century. It has developed to what is nowadays referred to as normalized schooling. Some of the changes that have taken place include the abolishment of punishing students because they have failed to learn facts by heart. It has been argued to be an inappropriate method as far as education is concerned. The education system has, in fact, adapted other subjects that tend to nurture the students’ creative capabilities. Another characteristic that can be identified in the modern education is the appreciation of the students’ rights. Students are no longer subjected to one curriculum since they come from different cultural backgrounds. The students also have the right not to be interrupted by other students while learning. The third and final characteristic is the increasing involvement of parents into the matters of their children’s education. Well, they might not have a very professional view regarding the progress of their children’s academic affairs but they are expected to work together with the teachers to achieve much more wholesome objective.

In Australia, the three public purposes of education include community development, social justice and student’s love for learning. These are purposes that were introduced by the government. One private purpose of education includes sorting for employment and the economy.

Journal 1.5

The teaching profession is slowly becoming very complex. This is because the requirements and the workload for the teachers have been increasing. Their work in class greatly influences their private life. As they deal with students from different ethnic backgrounds and separate ideological views, he or she becomes accustomed to dealing with different kind of people in his private life. How a teacher conducts his private life also affects their professional life. If the teacher has certain negative beliefs about certain kind of people from the onset, he will find it very difficult when dealing with such students and having to go through the process of accepting them.

Journal 2.1

A vocational curriculum is that which prepares students for various crafts, trade or different professional levels. One characteristic of a vocational program is that it is grouped into teaching procedural knowledge. The students are first introduced to the basics, and they progress into more complex issues regarding their specialty. Another characteristic is that a vocational curriculum is specific in nature. The participants aim at specializing in one field hence its specificity. Thirdly, a vocational curriculum is can be in the pre-secondary, secondary or at the tertiary level of education. It depends with the governments’ directive and objective that is intended to be achieved from education.

People have different views on the purposes of schooling. These purposes can conflict in the long run. For example, one of the public purposes of schooling is community development. The government having put this objective in place will work towards achieving it. However, the students might not have the desire or motivation for developing their community or maybe might not even have the love for learning. Hence, without some purposes being achieved, other purposes might as well crumble.

Journal 2.2

 The Public Instruction Act, 1880 came into force on 1 May 1880. The Act both extended the educational provision made under the 1866 Act and introduced significant changes. The more important of these changes were the withdrawal of State aid to denominational schools as from the beginning of 1883, the introduction of compulsory education, the entry of the State into the field of secondary education and the replacement of the Council of Education by the Department of Public Instruction on 1 May 1880. In broadening educational provision the 1880 Act modified some of the existing schools and created three new types of schools – Superior Public, High, and Evening Public Schools.

Journal 2.3

According to Smart, the four worldview questions includes who am I, where am I, what is wrong and how can it be fixed.

The Christian worldview is based on the aforementioned questions. A Christian views him or herself as being created by God and is put on earth to serve specific purposes. He recognizes that he is on earth, also created by God in such perfection, in order to sustain life. The problem a Christian has with the world is that it is riddled with sin. After sin entered the world, the relationship between man and God got interfered with negatively and the main objective is to restore the relationship. This can be fixed through accepting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the son of God.

Journal 2.4

According to Postman, the similarity of American education to that of Australia are the different views that people have regarding education. There is very little room that is left for one to interpret the purpose of education at a personal level hence it is dictated through what has been previously decided upon. Both countries would hold onto previous policies and make very few changes to them. The trends that have coupled the current society make some of these policies to become very ineffective. Another similarity is the idea of deteriorating value of education. Most students go to school having no personal objective but just to do what is required or expected of them.

Journal 2.5

A modernist views himself as an individual with a great mind and has immense potential. He recognizes that he is on earth that is the residence of the human beings. The main problem with the world is that it is coupled with very many myths and beliefs that are misleading and are not realistic. The only way this can be fixed is through the rational use of science to administer facts and have a greater understanding of the universe as a whole.

It can be argued that postmodernism has been based on three major features. They include the existence of power of reason over ignorance, science supersedes superstition and there is power of order over disorder. The issues of modernism have created an impact on the Australian education system.

Students have subconsciously adapted the reasoning of modernism given the premise that the education system itself mostly deals with facts that belief. It is a trend that has affected students thinking and the way they handle their education. Such has also affected their personalities and the way they view right from wrong.

Journal 3.1

As far as children and young adults come from different cultures, at times they have common interests in some certain upcoming cultures. These cultures are considered to be popular and most teenagers would like to associate themselves with it. That is the reason ‘Loser Television’ is very popular among the children and young adults.

Journal 3.2

Currently students are very much engrossed in fashion trends and technology. They have gone to the extent of attaching these ideologies to their importance of life, in that, they cannot live without them. The meaning of life to them has surpassed the basic necessities of food, shelter and clothing. They find happiness in fashion and technology and define their lives from such fronts. It has impacted the education setting in a way that it has to warm up to the trends that appear relevant to the young generation in order to appeal to them.

Journal 3.3

During their early years and before joining school, children are brought up according to some certain beliefs and cultures. It is usually done in a family setting. When they finally start going to school, they meet other children from different cultures. From the onset, they will always look at the other children’s beliefs and scale it relative to their own beliefs.

Journal 3.3

One of Niebuhr’s models of Christ to culture that I can relate to is the separatist approach. People tend to stay away from matters that are considered worldly. One example is the some of the Christian songs in which the singer declares letting go of ungodly things. Damita sang the popular song known as ‘No looking back’ as a good example of a separatist approach.

Journal 3.4

To some extent, the claim that Christian schools are “hothouses” has some truth in it. The students are expected to strictly abide by the rules as far as Christianity is concerned. They end up with a strong irrational belief on the religion.

The role of Christian schools in the Australian society is to lace the education system with religion and not only bring up individuals who have basic knowledge but are also morally upright.

Journal 3.5

Education defines who we are at the end because it helps shape our future religiously and professionally.

Education generates meaning as it is based on the acceptance and alignment of various beliefs.

Education brings together the diverse communities in the society through which they learn about each other.

Education is very important in our current society since it helps remove ignorance and assumptions that have led to a lot of problem in the past.

References

Matthews, J. (2014). Cultural Perspectives In Teaching. Drummoyne: Wesley Institute