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Language is a significant component in learning. The moment we were born, we use language to communicate what we need. We further develop to understand the language of the people around us and what they want to share. Through language, we learn to express ourselves, and we know to understand the norms and ways of the place we live, the family we belong.

The language that we learn growing up is the inner voice we understand. We think silently using this language before making decisions, even simple ones like going to the right or left, in decision-making and others.  As we continue to interact with our surroundings and other people, we learn to think aloud or say to ourselves the words or actions we will do before executing them. We do this because we have developed reasoning, consideration, and understanding of the world around us. Another practical example of speaking silently or talking to oneself is our conscience, the moral compass of the voice within that gives us a sense of what is right and wrong.

I wrote the above in one of the teacher’s initiated discussions on the Vygotsky theory on language and thinking. In the last two and half decades, I encountered at least 15 different languages. The nature of my work allows me to interact with different nationalities and cultures. I needed to learn particular delivery of words, gestures, voice intonation from my clients to communicate with them and gain their trust effectively. I need to listen to my inner voice before any comments come out of my mouth to deal with clients.

I may not have fluently learned the different languages I am encountering every day, but I have learned how to engage and understand their different cultures.

References:

Apa psycnet. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2014-55592-002.html

Language as a medium for teaching and learning. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education/educational-technology-and-practice/educational-practice/language-medium-teaching-and-learning/content-section-2

[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pnghut.com/png/ddXa44qmJ4/world-language-foreign-english-as-a-second-or-learn-more-transparent-png

[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/255368241346479646/

I believe the definition of Culture and Education is represented by the illustration above.

The exponential growth of transportation, communication, and technology brought by globalization has created massive diversification in our society, both domestic and international. In any given place or community, we will able to see more than one culture co-existing. In the Philippines, the world describes the country that is both influenced by East and West due to the colonization of Spain, America, and Imperial Japan. However, we Filipinos have a common culture known by all as respectful, hospitable, and light-hearted. In those mentioned earlier, the Philippines has mixed cultures spanning from one island to another island, from one region to another region that exists and passes on from generation to generation.

The changes brought about by continuous infrastructure, and real estate development are often time damaging and cause a lot of displacement.  For example, like the nomadic Badjao, a group of people who live in boats and settled in shorelines with their day-to-day means of living comes from fishing and diving.  The Badjao people are unique in their own culture. The ability to free-dive and skills of deep sea fishing that is a learning which passes on from one generation to the next. They spend a lot of time in the water, thus acclimatizing themselves emotionally and physically up to the extent of intentionally rupturing their eardrums to become an efficient diver. Older men who have spent their entire lives on this way of living are observed of not having good hearing and women normally place clay type substance on their faces to be protected from sunlight. The development of the shorelines where they live and environmental issues force the Badjaos to find other livelihoods since the sea that provides for them can no longer sustain their survival. Their displacement resulted in migrating to cities forcing them to beg on the streets to survive. People are displeased with them for being irritable beggars in city streets. The so-called developments have displaced the Badjao’s without regard for their culture.

Education has a big part in reflecting on these cross-cultural differences in our country. Cultural self-consciousness within the country needs addressing in educating the young minds. Teaching this to children is very important because it helps them grow and function in a mixed culture country. For example, if we can educate our people about where the Badjao’s came from, their culture, way of living, and how they end up as city beggars. Perhaps everyone can learn to understand them. Education can also play a significant role in improving the way of life of the Badjao’s by educating them to diversify their livelihood from diving and deep sea fishing to eco-tourism diving and some other livelihood adapted to their nomadic life. The government can re-allocate their community to a much cleaner open seashore area and educating them on self governance, hygiene and sanitation.

In conclusion, the young generation needs to learn to reflect upon their own culture, others, and culture in general.

References

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://theculturewheel.org

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=671246029947515

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/badjao-nameless-forgotten-faceless

Anthropology 4U Hi! I’m Keirsten Snover and I’m an Anthropologist., Anthropology 4U, & Hi! I’m Keirsten Snover and I’m an Anthropologist. (2020, September 19). Characteristics of culture ~ key concepts in anthropology. Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://www.anthropology4u.com/characteristics-of-culture/

BOBBY LAGSA/RAPPLER [Personal photograph]. (n.d.).

Culture of the Philippines. (2021, March 03). Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_the_Philippines

Exchangesvideo (Director). (2011, February 13). What is culture? [Video file]. Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57KW6RO8Rcs

Koichi Kuwabara 桑原功一 (Director). (2019, August 15). Japanese man who got married WITH Badjao バジャウ族と結婚した日本人 [Video file]. Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://fb.watch/41ViJCTVpH/

Sama-Bajau. (2021, March 09). Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sama-Bajau

Teachers create what THEY Experience: KATIE Martin: TEDxElCajonSalon [Video file]. (2016, May 10). Retrieved March 09, 2021, from https://youtu.be/rcDpDPwRxvU

“DNA is a dynamic movie. DNA is not just a sequence of letters; it’s not just a script. Our experiences are being written into that movie, which is interactive. You’re like watching a movie of your life, with the DNA, with your remote control. You can remove an actor and add an actor. So, in spite of the deterministic nature of genetics, you have control of the way your genes look.“ says Moshe Szyf, one of the pioneers in the field of epigenetics.

Our personality and trait development will not entirely be base on our DNA. It means we can always influence to change the narrative of our growth. We are not to expect to become our parents or ancestors. Our development is dynamic, and it can change its course the moment we interact with elements and factors in our environment while growing up. Even though our genes can dictate us but we can have the freedom to become us.

Passing on the epigenetic markers or saying the good traits and characteristics to our progenies will alter and eliminate the stigma in our society that is sometimes attached to our clan or family name. We may also discover most likely that we halt serious life-taking illnesses that everyone thinks it is hereditary. It can only happen if we let both our genes and the environment take essential roles in our human development.

Sources:

The effort to turn the students into obedient and passive listeners is the banking education system’s primary objective. Students are expected to memorize, re-produce, and listen to the story of the teacher. The study materials used in teaching are tools to indoctrinate young minds to comply with the industry’s regulations. The students are taught to observe and keep the status quo of the teacher as the dominant one. The focus of teaching is on content learning and not the application. Because the students are not inquired or encouraged to say what they think, they are kept at bay. The students will always be at the receiving end of the narrative of the teachers. In this way, the system will produce a society of adaptable, manageable, and conformant workers obedient to the companies and corporations.

As they have gone through the banking education system, the students will be the future workforce expected by the capitalist to be the obedient and manageable society in general. They will not have the ability to see the situation that they are in since they were educated to follow and comply. They will be under the influence of the oppressors.

“I am a curious being,” stated on Pedagogy of the oppressed by FREIRE, Paulo, RAMOS, Myra Bergman [Video file]. (n.d.). Freire is talking about raising questions and consciousness about your surroundings. To discover, inquire and create solutions on the issues presented to the student. The structure is to explore, ask questions, and modify things to acquire and improve well-being. The student is encouraged to learn with fellow students and their teacher and vice versa, the teacher from the students. The students need to know how to articulate themselves to anyone, not to be dominated by others. This Problem-solving type of education encourages critical consciousness and collective construction of knowledge that paved the way beyond literacy. Society then will learn to ask questions to be aware of their oppressed situations and how to change that.

The US’s vested interest in colonizing the Philippines benefits from all the resources, workforce, and talent they get from the country. Using education to indoctrinate the Philippines’ young generation based on the US context has secured their future and position their people to oppress society. We were taught the culture of submission and followed the education pattern that prepares an individual to be a compliant and manageable worker. Our Philippine educational system focuses on mathematics, language, and science, which are leaning into compliance and conformity. These subject areas are essential but do not encourage students to be free thinkers. Discovering new things, being aware of the culture around us, and our history serves as the starting point to develop our young minds’ consciousness. You can’t bring change if you only improve the old order.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Freire