Teach Out Final Project Proposal

The rules of culture and power in the Spanish-Speaking World

by Rebecca Hobin

Each week, I have consistently connected our class readings and discussions back to Lisa Delpit's work Other People's Children. I am especially moved by her emphasis on the "culture of power." The traditional dynamic between teachers and students reflects a relationship of control. The teacher is expected to dominate and dictate the various discourses and literacies of the classroom. According to Delpit, "The rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power." While she argues that it is essential for students to understand language codes and rules, Delpit encourages educators to shift the power dynamic to incorporate more student voices in the classroom. As educators, we must prepare all students, especially multilingual learners and students of color, to succeed in their own world, not the world of the white man.

As a high school Spanish teacher, I am constantly learning the various discourses and literacies across the 21 countries of the Spanish-speaking world. While my Spanish education is rooted in Castilian Spanish from Spain, I teach non-native speakers as well as native Spanish-speakers who enter the classroom with rich linguistic knowledge and experience. All of my students present with unique dialects, accents, attitudes, and colloquial ways of speaking from their prospective cultures. Being the classroom teacher, the "culture of power" exists as I deliver direct Spanish language instruction to my students. However, I am not all-knowing in the Spanish language and culture. There are cultural codes, normalities, and linguistic rules that differ between the Spanish-speaking countries. For my Teach Out Project, I will be using Lisa Delpit's framework to deliver a culturally-based lesson to teach some of the various rules of culture and power that exist across Spanish-speaking countries. My goal is to promote cultural awareness and competency through this lesson.

Teach Out Lesson Plan:

1. With high school students as my target audience, I will introduce Lisa Delpit's five aspects of the "culture of power" and connect it to the rules of culture and power in the Spanish-speaking world.

2. I will provide examples of a few social rules and norms found within Hispanic cultures

3. Students will be asked about their own experiences in the Spanish language, and encouraged to reflect on the diversity of cultural codes in the Spanish speaking world.

4. Students will play a game (Kahoot) to review the cultural facts that they have learned.