Identify Your Cultural Frames of Reference

These questions were created by Zaretta Hammond from her book, "Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students". I see these questions as a useful tool to help you as an educator, parent, or loved one to start unpacking the aspects of who you are that are the most familiar to you--your cultural identity. In the words of Lisa Delpit (1995), "We usually ask teachers to investigate aspects of their cultural identity after they have encountered cultural conflict in the classroom, which is often too late." Part of the work is recognizing and understanding who you are and the stories and history you carry. These aspects of you create your reality and how you see and engage with your environment as well as others who have different stories and histories from you. As you work through these questions, take time to think through each question. These questions were not intended for you to answer in one sitting--take time to think about them, ask family members, look at photos or reflect on your own as you process through your cultural values and beliefs. If you have the book or are interested in purchasing this book, these questions can be found on pgs 77-78.