Mexican Americans Lefi Analysis

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I think that the most challenging aspect of Mexican American culture can be seen in their collectivist mindset. Although collaboration can be seen as one of the aspects of learning, individual assessment might be difficult in such cases. Another factor can be seen in maintaining a balance between the accommodations that students should go through and maintaining their cultural values. In that regard, “it is very important that these students keep their culture, keep their language, and not become a world of all one culture”.

For the teacher to be able to accommodate the cultural aspects, those aspects should be identified. In that regard, for Mexican Americans, a good approach can be seen through conducting home visits and getting acquainted with the local community, as well as identifying the skills that students developed at home (The Education Alliance at Brown University, 2003, p. 62). Considering that Mexican American families are patriarchal, the communication patterns of teachers also must take a patriarchal role. Communicating with communities, it should be stated that despite the patriarchal nature of Mexican American families in particular, and Latina families in general, in which fathers are the decision-makers in the family, teachers will likely have to communicate with mothers as they are mostly concerned with parenting. Fathers, on the other hand, are responsible for taking care of the family financially (Chang & Liou, 2009, p. 16).

Identifying the students’ cultural background and values, the teacher “should help students to articulate their cultural assumptions and values and to compare them with the assumptions and values of the school and the dominant culture” (Weinstein, Tomlinson-Clarke, & Curran, 2004, p. 33). In the context of religion, it should be stated that Mexican American children are more inclined to adopt the religious beliefs of their parents, and thus, contradicting values might pose a conflict between the culture at school and at home for the children. In that regard, the teacher shall learn from the community what “restrictions are there concerning topics that should not be discussed in school?” (Weinstein, Tomlinson-Clarke, & Curran, 2004, p. 31).

Another suggestion can be seen through utilizing students’, parents’, and/or communities’ funds of knowledge, which can be identified through the visits (Perez, 2004, p.282). As for differentiating collectivist and individual mindsets, I think that the best approach is to establish a difference between cases when either approach is preferred or condemned. For example, cheating should be clearly defined, with cases in which collective work can be considered cheating should be clearly articulated to students (Trumbull & Rothstein-Fisch, 2009, p. 325.) In other cases, collective work should not be condemned, being a part of students’ culture at home. A conflict between the culture at home and school might lead to that the school might recognize students’ strengths as weaknesses, putting students at disadvantage and lowering their academic expectations (Perez, 2004, p.86).

Culture	Attitude toward/Success with Schooling	Communication Patterns	Family Relationships	Cultural Views & Important Stories
African American	Traditional education can be seen as an obligatory period in life. For many low-income families, education might be seen as a way of breaking free and making changes.	A very distinctive communication culture. Emphasis on animated oral communication and slang. Young males might engage in communication styles only characteristic of African American culture.	Fatherless families, in which mother has a great role and influence on children. Keeping ties among relatives is common.	The racial element can be seen in many of the cultural views. Emphasis on success is a part of many stories, in which wit and experience rather than education is emphasized.
Arab	Two distinct views might exist in such a culture. In one view, education is tied to a good job, in which children will learn all the needed skills. On the other, education can be seen as a life stage that should be passed, in which success will be tied to experiences, rather than curriculum.	Many different dialects exist between various Arab cultures, in which many of them might not understand each other. In oral communication, Arabs are generally very loud. Many of the cultures of past Western colonies speak a second language fluently.	Strong family bonds in a strict culture. The father figure has a great influence on Arab culture. Keeping connected to all family members is essential. Many Arab cultures are known for a large membership.	There are many different cultural views in Arab culture, considering the number of countries it contains and the dispersed geographical location. Accordingly, different traditions exist. A mutual point in Arab culture and tradition is religion.
Asian -Japanese	Education and academic knowledge have great importance for the Japanese. Education is also connected with social status. Children learn from school, although there is a great emphasis on self-development as well, mainly in practical subjects, computers, science, etc.	Paying great importance to communication in oral and written form. Differences might be observed in communication patterns between young and adult Japanese. Body language is an important part of the communication process. From a personal perspective not very good with languages, and had difficulty with unfamiliar phonetics.	Great respect for those older in general, and elderly in particular. Families are small, and there are no clear patriarchal or matriarchal families. Parents’ orders are obeyed even though the children do not agree.	Asian culture is generally very tied to the past. There are many great folk stories and cultural elements tied to religion. Immigrants and the younger and younger generation are not very familiar with such stories.
Mexican American	Education is a way to change social status and have a good respectful job. The emphasis is on core essential skills such as reading, math, computers.	Bilingual communication patterns in which students might use code-switching. Might be more emotional and confident when in presence of other Mexican students.	Close bonds exist within the family, in which help and support of older children toward their children are usually shown. Strong family values are generally observed. Large families with many relatives lead to those children accumulating particular funds of knowledge. Families are patriarchal.	Dual culture in which the emphasis on cultural heritage is put more on the Mexican part. Such heritage might include stories about known Mexican figures. Foolishness is a common subject. With religion plays a large role in the life of families.
Alaskan	Schools are seen as academic preparations and a stage necessary for education. The emphasis on schools as a place to obtain and develop skills is high as opposed to higher education.	A great emphasis on non-verbal communication patterns and body language. Generally not talkative, and not fast and/or responsive when answering questions, taking long pauses.	Great respect for elders. Pride in knowing the family tree, and keeping in contact with all relatives.	Stories are part of the culture. It can be assumed that storytelling is an essential tool of transferring knowledge and experience, as opposed to just telling what to do. The stories contain many metaphors, which might be hard to understand.
Puerto Rican	Attitudes toward education are driven by the role of parents. The emphasis on having a good job is more common among low-income families. For that matter, a school is a place to improve one’s skills and have a better social status.	Bilingual communication patterns are observed in young Puerto Ricans. Emphasis is put on oral languages and gestures. Some Puerto Ricans speak a blend of English and Spanish Spanglish.	Family membership is high with large communities and many relatives who support each other. Mothers mostly stay at home and take of children. Nevertheless, families are mostly patriarchal.	A mix of many cultures in which oral storytelling, dances, and costumes play a great role. Additionally, religion is a big part of Puerto Rican Culture.
Slavic	School is perceived as an institution that prepares children for life. Parents put great emphasis on schools as a necessary condition to have a profession.	In terms of phonetics, a stereotype might exist on the rough pronunciation in any second language. Generally, their second language is mostly a language from a neighboring country. There is an emphasis on oral communication.	Close relations are kept only with the closest family members. There is a great emphasis on the role of grandparents, who have a great influence on children, while both parents are working.	Many folk stories and traditions are embedded in Slavic culture. Many of the stories emphasize hard work as opposed to wit.
Southeast Asian – Filipino	Education is an important aspect and the only way Filipino can move up the social ladder. Schools serve as a guarantee of a better social position. Learning mostly occurs at school.	The communication pattern is usually formal and reflects the status and the authority of the interlocutor. Body language and non-verbal communication are important. Many Filipino are bilingual, with English being a second language, although older generations might be resistive to obtaining a second language.	Great respect for family, and support between family members. A hierarchy exists, in which the grandparents have a special position. Families are patriarchal.	Filipino culture has many connections to tales, myths, and superstitions. Many superstitions and stories are health-related. Traditions are separated from religions, with many Filipino being religious.

References

Chang, N.-Y., & Liou, T.-Y. (2009). A study of Latino Parenting Culture and Practices: Listening to the Voices of Latino Parents. Hsiuping Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 12, 1-36.

Perez, B., & McCarty, T. L. (2004). Sociocultural contexts of language and literacy (2nd ed.). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

The Education Alliance at Brown University. (2003). Culture, Family, and Community. The Diversity Kit. Web.

Trumbull, E., & Rothstein-Fisch, C. (2009). Cultures in Harmony. In M. Scherer (Ed.), Engaging the Whole Child: Reflections on Best Practices in Learning, Teaching, and Leadership (pp. 321 – 328). Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.

Weinstein, C. S., Tomlinson-Clarke, S., & Curran, M. (2004). Toward a Conception of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 25-38.