Facilitating Peaceful Conversations Across Cultures
Multicultural Educators are dedicated to creating mutual understanding among learners from differing cultural and linguistic backgrounds, but how can we translate this goal into educational practices? Automatic psychological roadblocks and cultural differences in speech styles often obstruct our best efforts, even for the most well-intended. We unintentionally misjudge and exclude others as a matter of course — in the classroom, on the school playground, in three-party conversations.
How can we overcome the psychological traps that cause us to blame and stereotype others? What makes up empathy, inclusion and effective communication? This research-based, entertaining session involves participants in activities to deepen and apply respect for diversity to conversation practices.
Dr. Gail Nemetz Robinson (Ph.D. Stanford University) is Professor of Linguistics, San Diego State University and was Founding Director of its Language Acquisition Resource Center as one of the nation’s first three National Language Centers. Her newest book is: PEACEFUL CONVERSATIONS – Preventing Conflict in Communication, in Spanish, as CONVERSACIONES PACIFICAS – Prevenir conflicto en la comunicación (August 2017). For more information see: gailnemetzrobinson.com