Friday, April 17, 2015

A to Z: Cultural Perspectives in Education

Vaughan M. Blaney
Director
BSc(UNB,Canada), BEd(UNB,Canada), TEFLA(University of Cambridge), MEd(HKU, Hong Kong)

Book: "A to Z: Cultural Perspectives in Education"

The Letter 'J'...


Justice is a very big word
So are 'values' and 'ethics'
What they mean to each of us
Can be a powerful 'mix'


Just as we are different so are we similar in many ways - all can agree that we:

  • know that jogging is healthy
  • join the teacher when singing a song
  • know a judge works in a court
  • laugh very loud when we hear a joke
  • love strawberry jam on toast
  • like to wear jeans on free dress days
  • think a jet is very cool
  • know Jupiter is the largest planet
  • feel joy when a holiday is near
  • know how to print the letter J

Cultural characteristics, such as individualism/collectivism, high/low context, Eastern/Western knowledge construction, linear/circular cognitive styles, tradition/innovation, and action/being orientation are embedded in an artist's work. Works of art illustrate the ways in which cultures view nature, human concerns, and notions of time and space. Artists reveal a culture's values, assumptions and biases, attitudes, beliefs about life and the world, giving us imitate knowledge of the cultural dynamics that underlie and condition a culture. For instance, embedded in the art of cultures like the Native cultures of the Americas, the Dagara culture of Ghana in West Africa and the Aboriginal cultures of Australia, are traditions and practices that are more collectivist in nature, more circular in their aesthetic style, and that express a being orientation.

Johnson, Lorena

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