Making an effort to accommodate different communication preferences, cognitive styles, and aptitudes results in lessons with a greater chance of reaching all students. refers to different cultures that one can encounter in the classroom and how it effects learning. Using multiple critical literacy lenses, examine the literacy curricula from several schools. Measures such as providing school signage in different languages, encouraging students to speak their first language at school, and displaying non-English books and materials creates an environment of acceptance and appreciation that benefits all students. Observe your students closely, and value your real-life experience of diversity over the textbook version. ERIC - ED592254 - Changing Demographics of Dual Language Learners and Diversity in English Language Classroom | ELT CHOUTARI "Speak in your First Language" (Attentive Listening) Activity (optional) Inspired by bell hooks' book chapter, I have designed a "speak in your first language" activity. Rebecca Oxford, Personality type in the foreign or second language classroom: Theoretical and empirical perspectives. In Horning and Sudol. Ways to Promote Equality and Diversity in the Classroom The American Association of Colleges and Universities, After School Program Lesson Plans & Curriculum, Student Teaching Frequently Asked Questions, How to Integrate Technology in the Classroom, Lesson Plan Guidelines for Student Teachers, The Importance of Diversity and Cultural Awareness in the Classroom, The Importance of Diversity in the Classroom. Modeling effective teaching practices involves building on and consciously referring to the knowledge base of said practices. Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). It is important to understand that people have different religious belief or no religious beliefs, and it may impact their participation in the classroom. Keywords. Diversity in the classroom - SlideShare New York: Teachers College Press. As a successful teacher, it is necessary to . Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools. Examine and critique popular culture as a voice for different cultural groups. There are four programs that teachers can incorporate in response to language diversity. The Importance of Diversity & Multicultural Awareness in - Drexel Home Fecho, B. When teachers successfully incorporate texts and pedagogical strategies that are culturally and linguistically responsive, they have been able to increase student efficacy, motivation, and academic achievement (Lee, 2001; Ladson-Billings, 1994). individual differences exist in how children whose home language is not English acquire English . Carol Lee. Retrieved September 5, 2005 from http://www.knea.org/news/stories/2003/workteam.pdf. beliefs about language and cultural diversity in the schools. Why Choose Drexel University School of Education? Lee, C.D. Urbana, IL: NCTE. When working and learning with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures present in the classroom, students gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. Perry, T., & Delpit, L. Use documentary films from PBS, etc., as a resource, designing carefully-phrased pre-post viewing questions and activities. Whether in a passive way by allowing students to use their home language, or a more active way by implementing teaching and learning practices that draw on more . Diversity in classroom - PHDessay.com As a group, compare and contrast their stories with the ones they read. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. It argues that, although our field has often been cast as a kind of corrective to the 'problem' of language diversity by helping to teach language norms, literature can - and should - be made a preeminent space for students to reflect on their . Crafting The humble prose of living: Rethinking oral/written relations in the echoes of spoken word. How does one practice critical education in literacy classrooms? Go into a different cultural community and interview people different than you. While many discussions concerning diversity focus on talking about the importance of diversity and recognizing difference, it is equally important to move to the next step: incorporating specific tips for addressing differences and how they play out. Critical literacy. Develop sustained contact with participants from diverse communities. Ethnographies of literacy in settings outside school. No quick fix: Rethinking literacy programs in Americas elementary schools. Equality State of being equal: rights, treatment, quantity, or value equal to all others in a specific group. For example, try to find examples that are relevant to students with different cultures and backgrounds. If you use them, provide in parentheses a description of what these are so oth-ers can learn to use the same language you do. Image source: Adobe Stock/michaeljung. New York: Metropolitan Books. The research on sharing time and similar classroom language practices shows that there is great variation in the narrative models, structures, and devices used across cultures and that children may experiment with many different types of narratives. Ability diversity - Ability diversity refers to varying abilities and disabilities. Apple, M. (1990). . The Effects of Not Addressing Diversity, Inclusion, or Cultural Rodriguez, R. (1982). Naturally, by exposing students to a diverse range of opinions, thoughts, and cultural backgrounds, youre encouraging them to be more open-minded later in life. Step 3. Teaching community: A pedagogy of hope. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. What is another way the stories could have been told? Four main reasons include lack of time, fear of making a mistake or teaching stereotypes, a lack of testing and assessment on culture . Professor Edwards is the editor of the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. It allows them to empathize with people different from themselves since theyre more aware of the experiences someone of a different race or cultural group may face. Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America. While the stereotypical demographic teacher population of the white, middle-class, female will often have to cross more distinct boundaries, other preservice teachers who are more linguistically, culturally, racially, and socioeconomically aligned with the growing diverse student population will have to engage in making the strange familiar, and making the familiar strange.. Hooks, B. Initiate a classroom conversation on a controversial topic with the one caveat being that participants use only one-syllable words. Use this list to critique or develop curricula. Examples and reflections from the teaching lives of literacy scholars. Kansas National Education Association (2003). I recommend it enthusiastically. (2003). Students bring funds of knowledge to their learning communities, and, recognizing this, teachers and teacher educators must incorporate this knowledge and experience into classroom practice. His research interests are in language, identity and the many ramifications of their relationship. Replicate the experience of non-English-literate families by having class participants read labels from common supermarket items with words blacked out, compelling them to buy supplies for their families without the ability to read words. John Edwards is a Professor of Psychology at St Francis Xavier University. Other peoples words: The cycle of low literacy. Lessons from research with Language-Minority children. Journal of Reading Behavior, 26(4), 439-456. NCES 2000-130). Ultimately we know both groups and, indeed, all language users have a right to be informed about and practiced in the dialect of the dominant culture, also mythologized as Standard English. Teachers are responsible for giving all students the tools and resources to access the Language of Wider Communication, both spoken and written. Class actions: Teaching for social justice in elementary and middle school. In addition, teachers need spaces to learn about the communities in which they will teach. However, some diversity is not so visible. In addition, teachers can also bring in texts relevant to the lives of students. The United States Census Bureau projected that the U.S. would become a majority-minority nation for the first time in 2043. Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). Increase the shared knowledge base with students, parents, and other local actors; regularly tap into students funds of knowledge. (1999). The logic of practice. Appreciating Culture and Diversity as a Teacher. Since specific learning disabilities are neurological disorders that affect a person's ability to either interpret what they see and hear or to retrieve and store information, they can be greatly influenced by a person's language and culture. Thus, if the students are not aware of the cultural backgrounds, they might not work with different persons. Teachers and teacher educators must respect all learners and themselves as individuals with culturally defined identities. New York: Guilford Press. Accomplish the projects above via audio and video tape interviewing; transcribing, studying, and compiling the stories of people from different cultures/places; collecting oral histories; all to be used as classroom resources. Making the effort to build such relationships can be challenging for teachers, and in cases where there is a language barrier, it may be necessary to engage with a language instructor or interpreter for support. Fenice Boyd, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Mary K. Healy, University of California, Office of the President (Retired), Ernest Morrell, Michigan State University, Tom Meyer, State University of New York, New Paltz, Jeanne Smith Muzzillo, Bradley University, Gertrude Tinker Sachs, Georgia State University. Negotiate roles and go beyond teacher-as-expert and student-as-novice. programs reflect the ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity of the nation. (Eds.). What does a critical education look like? These strategies will encourage all students cultural awareness, enhancing each students sense of identity, and foster inclusion in the classroom community. Rose, M. (1989). Developing this kind of knowledge may help to avoid linguistic racism or language marginalization (Delpit & Kilgour Dowdy, 2003; Gee, 1996; Gutierrez, Asato, Pachco, Moll, Olsen, Horng, Ruiz, Garcia, & McCarty, 2002; Perry & Delpit, 1998; Smitherman, 1999). Types of research:Participant-observer; ethnographic; action research; self-study. Develop a relationship and work closely with an ESL teacher or interpreter. After this experience, teacher may initiate discussion on being bi-lingual/cultural. Foreign Languages in the Classroom, Chapter 11. There are additional resources available to help educators grow their knowledge of cultural diversity and apply it to their classrooms. Christensen, L. (2000). This reveals that an increase in the number of students from more culturally or linguistically distant countries has no additional negative impact on students' educational outcomes. However, it is not enough to just teach the mainstream power codes; teachers need to foster ongoing and critical examinations with their students of how particular codes came into power, why linguistic apartheid exists, and how even their own dialectical and slang patterns are often appropriated by the dominant culture. Yes. Supporting Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners in - NCTE Examining the growing need for diversity and exploring ways to modify behavior in the classroom constitute a critical step toward creating linguistically inclusive and culturally sensitive learning environments. Harvard Educational Review, 73 (3), 362-389. Make things as visual as possible by writing on the board, diagraming, and using pictures. In order to properly understand and promote cultural awareness, teachers need to understand all the different types of diversity they may encounter in their classrooms including: A persons skin color can have a great impact on their experience in society. True Intersectionality refers to the way that various aspects of oppression come together and are unrelated. Teachers show students how to embrace different cultures by modeling respect and acceptance. Social justice-oriented teachers and teacher educators play a significant role in seeking alternative ways to address various forms of official knowledge with their students, especially forms of official knowledge that marginalize certain groups while privileging others.