[Music] so how do people develop Intercultural sensitivity just what is meant by this concept how do we know when we have it if we are to Aid people's Intercultural development Where Do We Begin to understand how people move from an ethnocentric perspective to one that is more ethn relative and orientation Bennett's developmental model of Intercultural sensitivity also known as dmis provides a framework for understanding individual development and awareness along a Continuum from highly ethnocentric to highly ethn relative as people move through the stages their worldview becomes increasingly complex on the ethnocentric side an individual may be at denial defense or minimization on the ethn relative side an individual may be at acceptance adaptability or integration business is just business the world over as long as they all speak English there will be no problem they were born here so they should know how to do it the American [Music] way in the individuals in the denial stage tend to ignore the reality of diversity and are often characterized by well- meant but ignorant stereotyping and superficial statements of Tolerance also at this stage an individual's understanding of difference is minimal at best Bennett calls the denial stage the stupid question syndrome He suggests that people in denial tend to have a few say perhaps four ideas or pieces of stereotypic knowledge about a given country or culture moving individuals from the denial stage to the next involves helping them to develop better skills of category discrimination and to become more sophisticated in their thinking and more complex in their cognitive processing genetically they just don't have the capability to understand these things this company was built on our values so our opinion are the most important these are American schools and they've worked really well for us others should just learn to do it our way the defense stage is characterized by a recognition of cultural differences coupled with negative evaluations of those whose culture is different from one's own three areas of Defense are typically found denigration or derogation superiority and sometimes reversal denigration or deration refers to belittling or actively discriminating against another person superiority assumes extreme ethnocentrism to the point where one looks down on another reversal refers to changing sides or evaluating one's own culture as inferior to another it's not uncommon for people to be in the defense stage but they must be encouraged to move on Technologies bringing cultural inity to the undeveloped world if people are really honest with themselves they'd recognize that some values are Universal I don't see any difference race gender or culture we're just people people who have reached the minimization stage begin to recognize and accept superficial cultural differences such as eating customs money and so forth yet they continue to hold the belief that all human beings are essentially the same [Music] it is difficult to move people from this stage because they think they are doing okay individuals at the minimization stage see people as basically the same with little recognition of the differences that in fact do exist in minimization people ignore the influence of culture and lived experience that may be quite different among people believing that all people have the same needs but in reality they don't although minimization is the most advanced stage of the ethnocentric side of Bennett's model people at this stage often disregard the importance and value of cultural difference and tend to believe that people are all alike meaning that everyone is just like me movement into the ethn relative stages represents a sign ific change in one's view of difference from something to be avoided to something that is sought out individuals in the ethn relative stage search for ways to adapt to difference and begin to recognize that people live in culturally different [Music] contexts the more difference the better more difference results in more creative ideas the more cultures you know about the better comparisons you can make where can I learn about Mexican culture so I can be more effective in the classroom acceptance of difference is the first stage on the ethn relative side of Bennett's model this stage represents an individual's ability to recognize and appreciate cultural difference in terms of both people's values and their [Music] behavior acceptance of another's difference does not necessarily mean agreement with or even attempting to adopt those differences people still have their individual tastes and preferences some may be appreciated but not all cultures or cultural practices will be liked or valued by all people even though people find that they may not necessarily agree with all they see practiced within another culture they can at least least understand what they witness to really help this student learn I'm going to have to change my Approach I interact with my male and female colleagues somewhat differently to account for differences in the way respect is communicated I can maintain my values and also behave in culturally appropriate ways adaptation is the stage during which people begin to see cultural categories as more flexible and become more comp competent in their ability to communicate across [Music] cultures movement into adaptation from acceptance is driven by a need for Action such as better teaching or more profit and cognitive empathy the ability to see things from the perspective Ive of other cultures it is at this stage that we say people are becoming bicultural or Multicultural individuals are not simply regurgitating lists of dos and don'ts their knowledge and behavior are linked by conscious intention with intentional perspective taking and empathy being evident sometimes I don't feel like I fit anywhere I feel most comfortable when I'm bridging differences between the cultures I know whatever the situation I can usually look at it from a variety of cultural points of view integration is the final stage of the developmental model of Intercultural sensitivity although it is rarely achieved it reflects those individuals who have multiple frames of reference and can identify and move freely within more than one cultural [Music] group understanding that Intercultural development is not an overnight process but one that takes time and well planned exposure should influence the way we educate our students understanding and integrating what we know about Intercultural development and sensitivity into the education of young people and teachers will result in people who are more culturally effective and culturally competent [Music]