International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 2013, 5(2), 339-350 © 2013 International Online Journal of Educational Sciences (IOJES) is a publication of Educational Researches and Publications Association (ERPA) www.iojes.net International Online Journal of Educational Sciences ISSN: 1309-2707 Teaching the Mighty Culture: Made by Us & Maker of Us Mustafa Özcan Rhode Island College, Providence, RI, USA. ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: Received 03.05.2013 Received in revised form 01.07.2013 Accepted 15.07.2013 Available online 05.08.2013 As human beings we create culture, modify and refine it, teach it through formal and informal education, accumulate and pass it on through the generations. Culture is unique to humans. We are the maker of it. At the same time, culture is the maker of us. Our genes are not enough to make us who we are. We have to learn to be somebody. Being American, French or Turkish does not make any difference, this is all learned. The content of learning in becoming somebody is our culture. Not just our identity but the patterns of our behaviors ranging from eating, speaking and learning to all kinds of human activities are all molded by the culture we learn. Unlike innate biological features, which are given to us, we learn culture. Since we learn it, we can unlearn or relearn it, or we can learn more than one culture and can live a bi- or multi-cultural life. Teachers should learn the vitally important role of culture in shaping the identity and behaviors of their students. In this article, I explain how I teach culture in a teacher education program. © 2013 IOJES. All rights reserved Keywords: 1 Culture; nature of culture; teaching culture; power of culture; cultural diversity Introduction ȃIt is hoped that in the future, the profession will have less to say about the need to teach culture and more to say about ways to effectively teach itȄ ǻSeeyle, ŗşŝŘ, cited in Koppe, ŗşŞśǼ. ȃCulture is randomly and regularly used to explain everything. So at the same moment teacher education students learn nothing about culture, they use it with authority as one of the primary explanations for everything from school failure to problems with behavior management and disciplineȄ ǻLadson-Billings, 2006). I teach the mighty culture in a teacher education program. My college is a mid-sized public institution in the northeastern region of the U.S.A. Although the population of our city is quite diverse, the student body does not reflect the city’s racial and ethnic demographics. During the last twelve years, I have rarely had students from non-white backgrounds. Learning, teaching and transmission of culture play significant roles in determining who we are, but have received inadequate attention in the literature (Bailey, 2003; Xiao-yan; Beykont, 2002). Students come to my classes with limited knowledge about the role of culture in the making of the human mind and behavior (Ladson-Billings, 2006; Koppe, 1985). A comprehensive understanding of culture and its impact on students, families, and teachers requires an in-depth study of the concept (Brown, 2008). As such, I spend two-weeks Corresponding author’s address: Rhode Island College, Department of Educational Studies, HBS, No: 206, Providence, RI, USA. Telephone: 401-456-8654 Fax: 401-456-8284 e-mail: mozcan@ric.edu