cultural competency

[Guest guest]

Dear Kieth,

You mentioned that there were difference forms of Spanish in Mexico. I was

not clear on this. Are you referring to the 200 dialectics of the

native tribes? Spanish is the same maybe a difference in regional dialects

or expressions.

Sincerely,

Rene Quintana

ALMA Del Norte

-----Original Message-----

From:

[mailto: ]On Behalf Of

keith.bletzer@...

Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 4:13 AM

Subject: [ ] Cultural Competency

Hi Sherri,

Questions to assess what students learn from a visit to Mexico, I believe,

will

hinge on what forms of cultural competency you are building. Will this be

working with immigrants following graduation, or more generally anyone who

speaks Spanish? If either one or both, please keep in mind [here I'm singing

to

one of the preachers], central Mexico is but one cultural area from which

immigrants originate, and Spanish is spoken and written in many forms.

More than likely, you have reviewed CLAS (Cultural and Language Appropriate

Standards) that covers issues of reducing health disparities in medical

facilities and human service agencies, particularly if they receive federal

funding. These standards (usually fourteen) are broken down into what I view

as

three categories of interaction.

What I would suggest is that you develop a plan with students, almost like a

contract, on what they expect to gain from the experience, such as

appreciation

for different lifestyles or skills in negotiating communication, where

neither

party is fully familiar with language-culture. While there, in consultation

with yourself and associates, students can keep a diary or other form of

self-

reflection, such as how community interactions may assist better provision

of

dental care in the village clinic. A diary documents how students are able

to

increase awareness of internal/external responses to cultural differences

and

basic commonalities that make us human. They might do this diary exercise

for a

week upon return, to continue improving their awareness of basic

communication

processes.

" Assessment " might be objective and/or subjective. Objective measures might

be

formal questions for which I'll let other list-serve members make

suggestions.

The subjective approach might incorporate a before/after exercise in which

students critique one or more vignettes that illustrate sloppy communication

in

a cross-cultural encounter. There are texts on cross-cultural communication;

even the Web might have such vignettes. Students prepare a " before " response

(written) before going to Mexico (collect them), and they would amplify and

improve responses upon return to the states. " After " responses could be

written

or oral, or both. If oral, have students discuss each other's response.

A companion exercise would be to have students create a vignette on slopping

communication or cross-cultural misunderstanding, upon their return, similar

to

the one they used before/after working in Mexico. This would intensify

skills

in conceptualizing what makes one culturally competent by working out

details

for the opposite.

Sounds like you have a good exercise in cross-cultural communication

experience

planned for the students. Unusual to hear, I recognize, someone say " sounds

like " when they've " read " your request, but that's the nature of

communication.

V Bletzer

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[Guest guest]

Hi, Rene, welcome to the conversation on cultural competency.

I am working with organizations interested in cultural competency, most of

which serve Latinos / Latinas. They both recognize and celebrate diversity,

which is why I mentioned that one place and one speech community is not the

only experience found in the USA.

You and I could communicate in English or Spanish, since we recognize the

common things that occur across each language, no matter where in the Americas

each is spoken.

Thanks for reminding us of the many languages other than Spanish spoken by men

and women from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, who come to this

country to live and work. For a moment, I forgot...

[Guest guest]

You are referring to regional dialectics and phonetics. Yes to that I

agree there are some

colonial adapatation with each having unique pronounciation. Speed and

expression also vary.

Social class is a determiner of the type of Spanish used.

Sincerely,

Rene Quintana

ALMA Del Norte

-----Original Message-----

From:

[mailto: ]On Behalf Of

keith.bletzer@...

Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:20 AM

Subject: [ ] cultural competency

Hi, Rene, welcome to the conversation on cultural competency.

I am working with organizations interested in cultural competency, most of

which serve Latinos / Latinas. They both recognize and celebrate diversity,

which is why I mentioned that one place and one speech community is not the

only experience found in the USA.

You and I could communicate in English or Spanish, since we recognize the

common things that occur across each language, no matter where in the

Americas

each is spoken.

Thanks for reminding us of the many languages other than Spanish spoken by

men

and women from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, who come to this

country to live and work. For a moment, I forgot...

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To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:

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