What can we learn from nursing students about teaching across cultures?

What can we learn from nursing students about teaching across cultures?

Teaching across cultures is a broad topic that encompasses many academic fields, but—to my surprise—one of the most beneficial articles I read was about nursing students.

Yoder (2001) wrote an article, intended for educators of nursing students, about the bridging approach to teaching. Yoder concisely sums up this model stating that “educators encourage students to maintain their ethnic identity, and teaching-learning strategies are modified to meet the cultural needs of students” (Yoder, 2001, p. 319).

In essence, the bridging pattern is intended to bridge faculty and students across cultural gaps. While some pedagogical philosophies might encourage faculty and students to find similarities or areas of consensus, the bridging pattern says that meaningful learning is based on attending to and encouraging cultural diversity, recognizing that “diverse students operate from deeply embedded and culturally defined systems of values, beliefs, and meanings about the world” (Yoder, 2001, p. 319). The goal here is to acknowledge the unique cultural backgrounds of diverse students, break down barriers faced by those students, and enrich the knowledge system for the whole classroom.

On the role of teachers in the bridging pattern:

Ideally, educators using the bridging pattern…

·      Recognize that students face barriers like prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping, and racism.

·      Can identify with culturally diverse students in order to help them express their views.

·      Value diversity and appreciate each student’s unique background.

·      Validate the reality of students’ experiences.

Eight ways to use the bridging pattern:

1.     Incorporate students’ cultural knowledge.

2.     Relate course content to the views of students from various backgrounds and identities.

3.     Provide successful role models for students of different cultures.

4.     Help students develop positive identities and self-concepts.

5.     Create a safe environment that encourages students to share their beliefs.

6.     Permit students to express problems related to prejudice or discrimination.

7.     Draw on your own experiences facing cultural barriers.

8.     Express your commitment to social change.

What does this mean for us?
Although Yoder wrote about the bridging pattern 14 years ago, I found this article to be incredibly useful as I have continued to think about my role as an educator in a liberal arts university in 2015. In my classrooms this semester, I have encountered students of diverse racial, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds. My students represent the intersectionality of many different identities, including gender, sexual preference, and political ideals. I believe that recognizing the importance of teaching across cultures has huge implications in educational institutions today. If we hope to be effective educators in today’s diverse classrooms, then we will do everything we can to learn more strategies like the ones I described in the bridging pattern. My hope as a teacher is to use approaches like the bridging pattern to reach all of my students in a culturally enriched and inclusive classroom.

(LLP)

#teachingacrosscultures

Yoder, M. (2001). The bridging approach: Effective strategies for teaching ethnically diverse nursing students. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 12(4), 319-325. doi:10.1177/104365960101200407