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Cultural diversity in a classroom
Importance of cultural diversity in education
Cultural diversity in a classroom
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The expression ‘English as a second language’ (ESL) describes a person who speaks a language or languages other than English at home. As an Australian, all students have the right to learn how to communicate effectively in standard Australian English. They have the right to learn how the English language works and to learn and think using English. One of the main reasons as to why children learn to speak English as their second language is because it is the language used within schools. ESL learners are expected to do all this within a school and its’ curriculum. Children who speak English as a second language have been found to generally come from low socioeconomic status areas and have a higher number of dropouts in comparison to people who speak English as a first language (Ovando, Combs, & Collier, 2006). Studies found that ‘in 2006, 20% of children between the ages of 5-17 spoke a language other than English at home, and 5% spoke English with difficulty’ (Planty et al, 2008, page 12). A recent study has found that teachers with ESL learners that have special educational needs in their classroom expose them to restricted curriculum while attempting to fit their teaching practices to meet the needs of a variety of individual differences within their classroom (Wedin, 2009). To accommodate for students in a classroom that has English as their second language, teachers must understand the importance that language and culture have when it comes to learning, teaching and socialisation. A teacher must be sensitive to individual student’s learning needs and interests in respects to language and culture. To help students with ESL to engage better with a lesson and get more out of a lesson, as teachers we must be able to create outcom... ... middle of paper ... ...tive to individual differences is key to students especially that speak English as a second language. Every child’s rate of development varies so we must plan lessons to suit the needs of every student and create personal goals. Piaget believed that cognitive development involved enrichment of general operations such as conversations that can be uses as a tool to help solve problems. He suggested that student’s should be provided with options for exploration and discovery to assist experiences of operations and growth Works Cited Laura Baecher & Abigail M. Jewkes, (2014) TESOL and Early Childhood Collaborative Inquiry: Joining Forces and Crossing Boundaries. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education 35:1, pages 39-53. O’Donnell, A., Dobozy, E., Bartlett, B., Bryer, F., Reeve, J., Smith, J. (2012). Educational Psychology – First Australian Edition. Qld: Wiley.
After viewing the panel discussion about how our local school districts have implemented English Language Learning in their school, I am very intrigued. From what I gathered the field of ELL is a growing industry in education, especially in Colorado Springs. We have ELL’s students coming from all over the world. Here in Colorado Springs alone, school districts have to accommodate for over fifty different languages spoken by ELL’s. I can only imagine the challenge that comes with such a diverse group of non- English speakers in our community schools.
The World of Psychology. (2002). A Pearson Education Company. Boston, MA: Samuel Wood & Ellen Green Wood p. 593
The purpose of this study is to figure out which ways experienced teachers work best with culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study illustrates which strategies experienced teachers have found to work best. The diversity in school in the United States has increased each year. This means that there are an increasing amount of students who are learning English, English language learners (ELLs). This article comes from the perspective that each child should be taught to their specific needs. All students deserve a fair chance to learn. Fair means that every student is treated differently, not equally. Every student learns differently. In order to give every student a fair chance at learning, you must teach them according to their needs. An experienced teacher, Tiffany, describes her experiences working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study watches her methods and discusses what works based on data analysis of the success of her students.
Every year, the number of immigrants in the U.S. has grown “significantly.” Chen predicts that by the year of 2020, public schools will have at least 50 percent of students that are non-English speakers (¶5). This shows that it is important that public schools have a successful ESL program. The purpose of ESL programs is “to enhance” ESL students learning, to help students’ “emotional well-being”, and to accelerate students’ ability to learn the new language. According to Chen, some district schools have failed to support ESL students’ learning. For example, Chen stated that “...[some] school districts [have been] accused of not meeting t...
Westen, D., Burton, L., & Kowalski, R. (2006). Psychology: Australian and New Zealand edition. Milton, Australia: John Wiley & Sons.
One of the first challenges that ELL instructors must come to terms with is the identification and assessment of their students’ learning capabilities in their classroom. Traditional identification instruments designed for English speakers may not be valid with English language learners. Identification of English language learners with special needs should include consideration of several factors, such as family history, developmental and health history, first language and literacy development, previous schooling, and the learners' current academic ability, just to name a few. Learning in any language is affected by learning disabilities, but second language learners with special needs present additional educational challenges. According to the British Columbia Ministry of Education, Skills, and Training (Fowler & Hooper, 1998), instructors of English language learners with special needs should consider the cultural, developmental, and first language background of the learner. They should also do the following: (1.) Provide a highly structured learning environment; (2.) Focus on contextual learning;
When observing and studying ELLs, there are many advantages and disadvantages in a classroom and school for these students. In the classroom, ELL students have many individual opportunities to develop their literacy, especially in small reading groups. English learners also, are pulled aside by an ESL teacher during class hours to focus on reading and writing skills of English. According to Netten, Droop, and Verhoeven (2010), reading is “an activity which benefits from practice” (414). Many of these students struggle to become literate at a young age, but the more practice they receive the better they will become when focusing on developing literacy. Also, ELL students have an advantage when learning two languages because this makes them bilingual. The goal of bilingual education is to develop
The purpose of this assignment is to explain the impact of English language learners in the classroom. As a foreign student, English language learner in the United States faces multiple challenges for achieving academic success. To successfully complete a task, they need to master both English as a language and how it is used in core content classes especially when they are an adult. When trying to assist in instructing English language learners, they usually have many concepts and language abilities that they need to master, as do the teachers that are trying to teach them. With the incorporation of the concepts and approaches to identify and assess the issues and concerns that we have learned in our classroom instruction, such as lesson preparation,
LeFrancois, G. R. (1999) Psychology for Teaching. (10th ed.) University of Alberta Wadsworth: Thomson Learning.
Snowman, J, McGowan, R, & Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Krause, K, Bochner, S, Duchesne, S & McNaugh, A 2010, Educational Psychology: for learning & teaching, 3rd edn, Cengage Learning Australia, Victoria
Piaget also believed that children would only learn when they are ready. Children's use of language represents their stage in cognitive development, but he didn’t see language as a ‘central’ to children's development, as cognitive development begins at birth and is required for language development. He also states that children are egocentric – they can’t understand another person’s point of view. Criticisms of Piaget’s work = =
Children tend to learn more when they know why what they are learning is important and if that material is presented in an interesting way. Take for example a preschool teacher who needs to teach her class about the different shapes. Instead of just showing her students a poster with the different shapes on it, she has her students get out of their seats and begin exploring the classroom for differently shaped objects. Once they have found some objects, have them share with the class what the object is and what shape it is. This exercise will not only help the other students learn the shape of the object, but it will also help the student who is sharing. Piaget believed that children’s cognitive growth is fostered when they are physically able to experience certain situations. By having students share with the class what shapes their objects are, they are fostering their public speaking
There are many English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States. Therefore there should be progressive improvement in the programs for ELL’s students. Unfortunately there is a lot of stigma around certain languages, and on people whose first language is not English. This has created major setbacks in not only the education of student’s whose first language is not English, but also have created downfalls for the parents of these students as well. In 2010, the U.S census reported that 20% of the current population speaks another language other than English in the United States, and has since risen since then (Nieto, Bode, 2010).
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development focuses on the concept of schemas and cognitive thought that helps an individual organize knowledge and understand the world in comparison to Erikson’s theory which focuses on conflicts that arise between and within the ego. Accommodation and assimilation occur throughout Piaget’s theory as a result of children