Transcript Addressing Cultural Diversity in the Classroom Amy Talley
Addressing Cultural Diversity in the Classroom
Amy Talley
Why are we here? Vignette 1 Goals and limitations of this seminar How can we make the most of it?
Syllabus
Our Essential Questions:
What do WSFC schools look like in regards to cultural diversity?
What are a teacher’s responsibilities?
How can we work effectively with multi-cultural students and parents?
How can teachers be more effective and make learning easier for ELLs? What help/resources do teachers have?
The first step to being an effective teacher is getting to know your students.
Questionnaire Brainstorm questions for your possible questionnaires . Please add to my list!
Other ways to get to know your students:
Talk with other teachers, guidance counselors, community groups.
Incorporate journaling, family interviewing when possible.
Ask students privately if they would like to share information about their home countries/cultures that pertains to class.
Invite students to stay after for tutoring.
Important Acronyms:
ESL – English as a Second Language, an ESL student receives ESL services because they scored below proficient in the English language on a language test.
ELL – English Language Learner LEP- Limited English Proficient NOM-National Origin Minority
Take a guess!
How many languages do you think are represented:
in the WSFC schools?
At the high school where you will be student-teaching?
How many LEP students are In the WSFC schools At the high school where you will be student-teaching?
WSFCS: 6,396 – 94 languages Atkins: 135 - 2 Carver: 15 -2 East: 85 - 8 Glenn: 120- 10 Mt.Tabor: 61 - 12 North: 124 - 5 Parkland: 138 – 7 Reagan: 10 - 3 Reynolds: 100 - 10 West: 73- 11
WSFC Demographics
The top 5 languages are: 2009: 2008: Spanish (7,894) Spanish (5,776 students) Vietnamese (96) Chinese (96 students) Filipino (92) Vietnamese (54 students) Arabic (86) Filipino (42 students) Chinese (81) Arabic (36 students)
What is happening with our LEP numbers?
Our LEP population has plateaued . . . however our Hispanic population continues to grow. (factors including immigration policy, economy). The overwhelming majority of our LEP growth is coming from K students born in the US.
David Sisk (ESL Coordinator, District Level)
LEP and NOM growth 1995 - 2011 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 19 95 19 97 19 99 20 01 20 03 20 05 20 07 20 09 20 11 Additional NOMs LEP
Hispanic and NOM population growth in WSFCS 12,000 10,000 Hispanic 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 NOMS
LEP Students By Language in NC 2005-2006 (Top 10)
Spanish--74,766 Hmong-- 2,651 Vietnamese--1,322 Arabic--1,129 Chinese--1,041 Korean--855 French--854 Russian--580 Hindi--467 Japanese--383
Vignette 2
Vignette 3
WSFC LEP Procedures:
Identification: How will I know who my LEP students are and what modifications they need?
Testing Accommodations: Accommodations Form
“Modification/Accommodation forms are done by the LEP committee in the school, then they are to be shared with all teachers that have contact with the LEP student. We have asked the ESL teachers to make sure they are sharing the forms or information with each teacher because they are responsible for making sure the student receives all mods and accommodations due to them---liability issue if not followed. The student is not really able to use the testing accommodations unless they have received them in the classroom throughout the year.” Ann Talton, ESL Lead Teacher (WSFCS)
WSFC School Policy
School Classroom Teachers: Classroom teachers with LEP students are responsible for making their classroom instruction accessible, even for students at a beginning level of English proficiency. Classroom teachers are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the WIDA standards and their students’ levels of English proficiency in order to differentiate their instruction and to make modifications. They are also responsible for assessing students in such a way that does not discriminate against them on the basis of their language proficiency. Such accommodations for state testing must be well documented.
ESL teachers are supposed to be responsible for teaching the language of the content (WIDA standards. www.wida.us).
The mainstream teacher is supposed to be responsible for teaching the content while supporting the language simultaneously. This is the ideal.
David Sisk (ESL Coordinator, District Level)
MODELS OF INSTRUCTION:
Pullout: The LEP student leaves the classroom (is “pulled out”) for ESL services, working in small groups of instruction planned by the ESL teacher. Elective ESL classes: In the middle and high schools, LEP students receive ESL instruction during a scheduled class period and receive course credit. ESL is largely an English-only instructional program, with instructional support in the native language when feasible. Proficiency levels determine the level of ESL class the student will take. (Newcomers may need two periods of ESL services each day; group sizes are to be no larger than ten students; Students are to be grouped by proficiency levels; Students are to grouped by grade level) Sheltered Content Classes: Sheltered content classes in social studies, science, math, and English are offered at the high school level to LEP students. The mainstream teacher uses specific methods designed for LEP students, commonly referred to as Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP). Such methods include increased use of visuals, modeling, slower speech, modified assessments, scaffolding, and native language assistance when needed. This LEP instructional method is primarily designed for intermediate LEP students.
Co-teaching: The LEP student remains in the mainstream classroom, with the ESL teacher going in to work with the classroom teacher, providing appropriate instruction to the LEP student. To have a successful Co-teaching model, mainstream and ESL teachers must have time to plan cooperatively and must share the teaching responsibilities of that classroom. ESL teachers are not to be used as an assistant or tutor. Classroom time may be a mix of whole class, grouped lessons, or rotating stations with both teachers sharing the teaching role. (2-3 teachers working together is ideal).
From WSFCS ESL webpage
So, you thought you were just going to have to teach social studies/math/science/literature?
Remember that no matter what subject you teach, you are teaching your students language on some level. It may be just academic vocabulary, but it may also be that students are learning the course content in their second or third language.
Laws Affecting English Language Learners
Civil Rights Act of 1964 :
No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
Office for Civil Rights Memorandum (1970)
(
1) Districts must develop programs to assist LEP students so that they are not excluded from participation in the educational system.
(2) School districts must not place NOM students in special education classes on the basis of low test scores in English. NOM students must not be denied access to college prep. courses. (3) Programs designed to meet the need of LEP students must be effective, and should not be permanent or “dead end tracks”.
(4) School districts have the responsibility to adequately notify NOM parents of school activities. To be adequate, such notice may have to be provided in a language other than English.
Lau v. Nichols
(1974)
There is no equality of treatment merely by providing students with the same facilities, textbooks, teachers, and curriculum, for students who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education.
Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974
No state shall deny equal educational opportunity to an individual on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin.
Educational agencies must take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by its students in its instructional programs.
Student Rights
At this point in time, in accordance with federal law, students do not have to provide any proof of legal status to attend US schools.
All students must fill out a HLS upon registering for school. If there is another language listed, they are given a language test to determine their language proficiency.
LEP students are given the choice to receive ESL services. They may waive services.
All teachers are required to modify instruction and assessment as needed for LEP students.
The ESL program is federally mandated to prevent discrimination practices in the retention and grading of LEP students. Retention of an LEP student should only be considered if academic difficulties are not related to second language acquisition.
Vignette 4
OK, so I have no choice. I have to change the way I teach to cater to English Language Learners. It is their legal right, but why is it the RIGHT thing to do?
Before we move on, let’s talk about how it feels to be in a situation where you do not speak the language?
Have you ever experienced an ineffective language teacher? (Don’t mention names!) What made this teacher ineffective? How can you avoid the same situations with future students?
Were there any cultural misunderstandings?
Situations that made you feel uncomfortable?
What made you uncomfortable/more comfortable in foreign language settings?
Drop-out rates aren’t really that important, are they?
Tracking does not exist in today’s schools, does it?
All Students
Male Female Native Amer.
Asian Black
Hispanic
Multi-Racial White WSFCS 2006 2007
73.7 70.7
69.3 67.0
78.2 74.5
58.3 60.0
84.2 80.4
68.2 64.2
49.8 40.9
64.9 66.7
80.4 80.1
Graduation Rate for NC and Urban Districts NC 2006 and 2007 Durham Guilford 2006 2007 2006 2007 2006 2007
68.1 69.4
63.9 64.9
72.4 73.8
51.1 55.6
74.1 78.9
60.0 61.4
51.8 53.6
65.2 65.4
73.6 74.8
68.8 66.3
61.5 60.4
76.0 71.8
* 57.1
78.0 83.7
63.7 59.3
40.1 35.2
71.2 64.8
82.1 83.1
63.5 79.7
59.8 76.4
67.1 82.9
36.7 69.4
54.6 75.8
56.4 73.6
42.9 64.1
63.0 76.5
72.5 86.3
CMS 2006 2007 74.6 73.8
68.8 70.1
80.2 77.3
60.0 44.2
80.1 80.8
66.0 62.8
58.4 61.8
77.3 71.6
84.8 87.1
Wake 2006 2007 82.6 79.3
78.9 74.4 86.2 84.0
90.5 69.0
91.7 86.9
69.9 65.3
57.7 55.3
82.3 73.3
89.6 88.2
Vignette 5
ONLY first year in US schools LEP students that score below 4.0 on the reading portion of the ACCESS are eligible for an exemption on the reading EOG. There are no longer any alternate assessments for LEP students. However, some LEP students are eligible for testing accommodations.
There are no allowances for LEP students regarding meeting the HS exit and graduation requirements.
David Sisk
Vignette 6
Second Language Acquisition
Have you ever heard of BICS and CALP?
A silent period?
BICS/CALP (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills 1-2 yrs vs. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency 5-10) James Cummins Can-do descriptors (See handout)
Diversity Situation Analysis:
Work with a partner or in groups of three.
Skip 7 and 8
Do stereotypes affect us?
Asian Students
Let’s talk about stereotypes and how they can prove detrimental Diversity within group “Model Minority” Stress, pressure, isolation
Hmong students: Another growing (and often misunderstood) minority
Most North Carolina students with limited English proficiency are Spanish speakers (31,931), with Hmong (2,882) coming in a distant second.
The Hmong people are from rural mountain areas in southeast Asia. Many of the Hmong people were our allies in the Vietnam War and others fought against the communist nationalists in the Secret War in Laos. Hmong are divided into clans or tribes that share the same paternal ancestry. Each clan has a leader who oversees all relations and a shaman (wise man/medicine man) who deals with spiritual and physical problems. Traditional Hmong education is oral.
Respect is very important. Many times in teaching situations they will constantly nod and say, "Yes." Keep in mind that this yes might mean, "Yes, I am listening to you," not, "Yes, I understand." Usually Hmong people do not feel comfortable with direct eye contact and do not like to be touched on their heads.
Today, there are 85,000 Hmong students in public schools throughout the country.
There are large Hmong populations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
In North Carolina’s Burke County schools, Hmong students make up 67% of all Asian students in the district.
Hmong is the second most spoken language of ELL students in the US.
Many challenges face their community.
66% lives in poverty with an average annual salary of $9,923. Of those 25 years and older, 97% have less than a bachelor’s degree. Over half of the community report having no formal education. 80% are employed in the support, service, production, and labor field. 61% of Hmong households are “linguistically isolated”.
Hmong students
Does the model minority myth apply?
Only 31% of Hmong American students are graduating high school. Only 3% of Hmong adults over the age of 25 have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. (Hmong Today)
There are aspects of Hmong culture that clash sharply with our culture in the US, and sometimes American law. Traditional methods of healing: conflicts with social services.
Hmong households are usually large, and women do the housework. Young girls have tremendous responsibilities.
There is a high rate of teenage pregnancy in the Hmong community.
There are stark gender differences and arranged marriages. Women usually marry young (13-18) because having many healthy children is important. Of course this is changing drastically as children become “Americanized”.
Vignette 9
Hispanic students in US schools:
By 2025 Hispanic children will probably make up 25% of school-age children.
During the school year 2007-08, NC experienced the highest increase yet of Hispanic students. Our Hispanic population increased by 14,000. We have more than 97,000 Hispanic students in our schools.
Hispanic students lag behind other ethnic groups in academic achievement.
There is a gap, and it starts early.
Hispanic Students
Regarding the Hispanic cultures, it is important to keep in mind how these cultures are evolving. There is much culture-mixing, and some individuals are highly “americanized”, while others are newcomers. Some immigrant children grew up in the US, and are basically bicultural. They may be embarrassed by their heritage and try to fit in with mainstream students. Others may be proud of their heritage and feel isolated from mainstream culture and cling to others from their native lands. What steps could we take to more actively involve our cultural resources (Hispanic students, families, and community organizations) in our schools?
Vignettes 10 and 11
What responsibilities do students have outside of school?
What role models do students have?
Do parents participate in the education process?
Is education top priority?
Do parents push students too hard? Expectations?
Do parents/students trust school staff?
Do students/parents know what resources are available?
Special needs? How do modifications make students/parents feel?
Remember that the education process is very different in other countries, so students and parents may feel uncomfortable in US classrooms.
Multiculturalism involves recognizing differences in not only cultures, but also subcultures, race and social class, gender. (Tarasco example) ***Individuals from the same culture may be profoundly different.
Remember that using one style of teaching will not work for an entire classroom of students. A teaching style that is exciting and engaging to some students may be frustrating/scary to others.
Cultural Stumbling Blocks
Natalie Strittmatter November 9, 2011
Assumption of Similarities
Many people assume that everyone is the same deep down so communicating with people from other culture’s should be easy. Nonverbal symbols are not similar from culture to culture. Example: Smiles mean different things to different cultures. Are Korean people cold because they do not smile at foreigners? Why would an Arab student think that something was wrong with his appearance (something on his face/fly down) and rush to the bathroom to check when on a college campus in the US for the first time?
1.
Assumption of Similarities Gesture Activity
2. 2.
Write down what each picture represents to you.
3. 4.
Come here!
Common in the U.S. to ask someone to come here In other cultures this symbol is insulting.
In Cambodia and Vietnam this symbol is used to call an animal and is considered rude.
O.K
.
Commonly used in the U.S. for O.K.
Brazil and Germany view this symbol as obscene. Japan uses the symbol for money.
France uses the symbol for zero or worthless.
Peace Commonly used in the U.S as the peace sign.
Europeans use this symbol for victory when the palm faces away from you. With palm facing in it means “shove it”.
Champion Commonly used in the U.S. for a winner or champion in sports.
Russians use this symbol for friendship. In 1959 Khrushchev learned the hard way that this symbol for friendship was not universal. Americans assumed this gesture meant Victory.
Meanings of Common Nonverbal Symbols
Language Differences
Difficulties ESL students face with language differences: Dialects, slang, idiomatic expressions, vocabulary, and syntax all present problems for new language learners. People focus on one meaning of a word in the new language instead of the context.
One of the most common problems is negative questions. Ex. Aren’t you from Korea?
Nonverbal Misinterpretations
Time and spatial relationships are more difficult to understand.
Ex. Personal space and appointment times Nonverbal misinterpretation excerpt from Barna’s Stumbling Blocks article: An Oregon girl in an intercultural communication class asked a young man from Saudi Arabia how he would nonverbally signal that he liked her. His response was to smooth back his hair, which to her was just a common nervous gesture signifying nothing. She repeated her question three times. He smoothed his hair three times. Then, realizing that she was not recognizing this movement as his reply to her question, he automatically ducked his head and stuck out his tongue slightly in embarrassment. This behavior was noticed by the girl and she expressed astonishment that he would show liking for someone by sticking out his tongue. If you do not understand that different cultures view time and spatial relationships very differently, it will be very difficult for you understand that culture. Examples: In Central American countries personal space is very small. People may even bump into you trying to pay for things in a store. Whereas in American culture we are very aware of our personal space and do not like people to invade it. Time is also an important thing to consider as a nonverbal code. In many cultures time is perceived very differently. In what is known as “high context” cultures appointments are not as important as family time. Unlike the importance of time and appointments in the U.S. where you are expected to be on time. *Think about how time could be an issue when dealing with ESL students or their parents. Any thoughts on how your might experience a nonverbal misinterpretation in respect to time or spatial relationships?
Preconceptions and Stereotypes
Definition of preconception: an opinion formed in advance of adequate knowledge or background.
Definition of stereotype: a conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image.
What are some of the preconceptions and stereotypes about ESL students you have heard from other teachers?
High Anxiety or Tension
Stress occurs cross-cultural often in experiences.
We need to find ways for ESL students to feel appreciated and experience success right away in the classroom in order to reduce the anxiety they experience in their new cultural environment.
More things to consider: Cultural differences
Pronunciation of names Concept of family: Hierarchy, household, elders, family roles Life cycles: maturity, age-appropriateness Gender roles Eye contact Directness/Indirectness Showing of emotion Greetings Competitiveness: Group mentality vs. Individualism Cheating Discipline Religion: diet, absences Food: restrictions, eating times, discarding, sharing Health and hygiene: illness, dentists Perception of education and what is appropriate: questioning, nodding Perception of uniqueness: proud or ashamed of heritage
Benefits of a multi-cultural classroom:
ELLs are assets and add richness.
Students get a taste of the real world.
Students learn from each other.
Friendships form in unexpected places.
Prejudice and fear decreases.
Opportunities for learning and growth are high.
Think about your own experiences.
The Big Picture:
As educators, we must be advocates for all students/children. We never know the circumstances.
Families and personnel may have strong opinions about immigration, but remember that our job is to support, protect, and educate every student.
How to not get overworked
It would be difficult to research every culture and language that is represented in your classroom, but the more you know about the students you teach, the better off you are. Research the school district you plan to work in. Find out which cultures are represented there. Do some investigation about those cultures to avoid surprises. Use resources at your school and in your district. Talk to the foreign language teachers, ESL teachers, guidance counselors, other teachers, and administrators. Others may have already made valuable discoveries regarding certain students/subgroups.
Working with community groups may be helpful (volunteers, translators, liaisons)
What resources do you have?
School counselors School administrators Newcomer Center Transact ESL teacher, ESL district office Foreign language teachers at your school Parent volunteers Other teachers