Sed514 Spring 2021 How People Learn II Wiki

Context and Culture

a group of 5 young children in school uniforms, playing on a tire swing

Individuals are affected by their environment.

Everyone, including students, is affected by a variety of social and cultural factors, including:

Family units
Community groups, such as clubs, social circles, and religious organizations
Broader national or regional identities

School is both a social environment that affects individuals and a group that is affected by other cultural forces.

a group of students in blue and red uniforms playing basketball in a gymnasium

two high school students sit outdoors, one of them is pointing out something in a book

Debates about nature vs nurture have continued for centuries. Both have been shown to significantly impact people's lives.

This means that nurture (the environment and treatment a person receives) can have as much an effect as nature (a person's natural abilities and interests).

a black and white photo of a mother holding an infant

5 black women sitting in chairs in a circle, looking at papers and talking to each other

Since the 1970s, scholars have begun to question how we study culture. It is important to ask questions about culture, but it is also important to think about how we ask those questions.

Many have studied culturally relevant topics, such as

Race and ethnicity
Cultural values
Historical perspectives
Modes of communication
The importance attached to different kinds of knowledge

three elementary school girls smile for a photograph, holding blue lunch trays

a sea of college students wearing graduation caps and gowns

a high school student sits at a desk, writing in a notebook

a classroom full of elementary students, sitting at desks. A teacher bends down to help one of them.

What's new in HPL2?

How People Learn (HPL1) focused on context and culture only as it directly relates to education.

For example, HPL1 observed that one cause of school failure is a mismatch between a student's home culture and the requirements of school.

The first edition recommended that, because culture and context influence learning, schools should be community-centered.

This is a good observation! However, HPL1 didn't go far enough.

Every individual comes from their own set of unique contexts, defined by multiple cultures interacting with each other.

Basic brain structures and processes are common, as are universal experiences, such as family relationships and developmental stages. But, context also impacts these things!

close-up of a student making a pot on a pottery wheel, other students working in the background

"Learning does not happen in the same way for all people because cultural influences pervade development from the beginning of life."

How People Learn II, p. 22

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