Culture and Learning

I have always been fascinated by the influence of culture on development and learning.  When I discuss this topic in classes, I typically fess up that I used to think that culture was something that was outside of me—something novel and exotic that that belongs to others.  I don’t think I am alone in this naïve belief.  I grew up in a rather homogeneous community and multi-cultural fairs at school typically involved looking at the food, music, and dance of groups from other countries.  When I looked at my own experiences, I did not perceive that I had any of the traditions and practices that were worthy of study.

We are all so immersed in our own cultural context that is it can be difficult to recognize our own patterns and behaviors.  I was recently reading an essay by James Spradley.  He defines culture as the knowledge that helps us interpret and engage in social behavior.  Further, he describes that “one’s culture is not  like a suit of clothing that can be discarded easily or exchanged for each new life-style that comes along” (Spradley, Conformity and Conflict, p. 7).  We learn from our surroundings and that learning is integral to who we are and how we see the world around us.

When we engage in the teaching and learning relationship, it is important to recognize how culture shapes the experience.  Our own context shapes our understandings, but the people that we are engaging with bring their own context to the experience.  If we are not open to the differences we can easily misunderstand or misinterpret the social behaviors of the other.  We wear our suit of ideas and beliefs.