Learning does not happen in the same way for all people because cultural influences pervade development from the beginning of life. While humans share basic brain structures and processes, as well as fundamental experiences such as relationships with family, developmental stages, and much more, each of these phenomena is shaped by the individual’s precise experiences. Researchers have been exploring how all learners grow and learn in culturally defined ways in culturally defined contexts. What has become far clearer since HPL I was published is that every individual’s learning is profoundly influenced by the particular context in which that person is situated. Because learning is influenced in fundamental ways by the context in which it takes place, schools and classrooms should be learner and community centered.School failure may be partly explained by the mismatch between what students have learned in their home cultures and what is required of them in school.ġ As noted in Chapter 1, this report uses the abbreviation “ HPL I” for How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition ( National Research Council, 2000).
#DIFFERENT CULTURAL CONTEXTS HOW TO#
Experts have knowledge that is “conditionalized” that is, they understand the contexts in which their knowledge can be useful and how to apply it.For example, that report noted the following: The authors of HPL I 1 acknowledged the importance of culture but confined their attention to specific ideas for educators. Understandings of race and ethnicity, cultural values, historical perspectives, modes of communication, and the importance attached to different kinds of knowledge and skill are just a few of the topics that have been examined and reexamined as researchers have sought to understand the complex dynamics between culture, context, and learning. Since the 1970s, many scholars have explored ideas about culture and context and have also asked questions about the act of investigating such things. This idea is not new, and debates about the relative contributions of “nature” and “nurture” to people’s characteristics and abilities date at least to the 19th century. An individual’s development is affected by the environment in which she lives-including not only the family and other close relationships and circumstances but also the larger contexts in which families and communities are situated.
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