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Importance of cultural diversity in education
Problem cultural diversity in education
Importance of cultural diversity in education
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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.
There are several key ideas that are crucial to understanding the best way to teach young, ELL students. The first idea is the importance of recognizing ELL’s feelings of isolation and alienation. When a teacher recognizes this, they are more capable of helping the student feel a part of the class. The student will struggle to participate if they do not feel like they belong with the other students. There is not only a language barrier, but also sociocultural differences that prohibit them from feeling accepted. Tiffany emphasizes the importance of acknowledging this problem and being aware during classroom activities. She suggests that you get a deep understanding of their cultural background, not just a “touristy” one.
Communication with parents is very ...
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...r they had all received the same language instruction for three years (kindergarten, first and second grade). These finding conclude that English language proficiency at the time of entering school does not matter. A good early literacy program works for both L1 students and ESL students who enter school at the kindergarten age. Students at that age are very susceptible to learning new languages quickly. The ESL children had difficulties in kindergarten, but by second grade they had caught up and were right on track with the L1 students and some of them even surpassed the L1 students.
Metalinguistic awareness increased within the ESL students, therefore their phonics increased as well and they scored higher than some L1 students. Students who know multiple languages at an early age are proven to do better in both languages than students who only know one language.
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.
Language development is very important, and these programs use the students’ native language as a tool to develop their second language. The time spent on each language and the quality of the language input play an important role in students’ language development. Tier one, two and three language strategies can be used to help the students meet their individual and group needs. Irby, Lara-Alecio, Mathes and Tong (2011) found out that students make the most progress in the language they are exposed to the most. When students were exposed to their native language for a greater amount of time (especially in the early years), they developed it and were able to transfer the skills and strategies as they learn their second language. They also found that language tier one, two, and three interventions are very effective when teaching. If these interventions are used appropriately and constantly, students will greatly benefit from them. Many studies agree that using the first language to begin the readiness process will allow students to develop their second language in a faster and more efficient way. According to Castro, Dickinson, Frede and Páez (2011), children have to be exposed to literacy and readiness skills from an early age. They believe that starting in preschool teachers should begin preparing children to learn English using their primary language. This will allow students
In the United States, there has been an increase in in the number of children from Spanish speaking backgrounds. The English Language Learners, commonly known as ELL’s, are being placed in Special Education without being properly tested for a learning disability. However there are a large number of ELL’s with learning disabilities in elementary grades that truly have a learning disability and are over looked. Many school districts have problems placing ELL’s. As a result these students end up in special education whether they have a learning disability or language impairment. Teachers are also indecisive when dealing with ELL’s. Most teachers recommend that ELL’s be placed in special education from day one. It is not because the child has a learning disability, it’s because most teachers are not properly trained to interact with ELL’s. Teachers also find it difficult, due to lack of training, having ELL’s with learning disabilities in their classrooms. More teachers would find their selves comfortable if they had training in dealing with ELL’s and ELL’s with learning disabilities. This paper discusses the issues and the concerns teachers have in dealing with ELLs and ELLs with disabilities, the challenges of identifying individuals with learning disabilities, and what type of assessments classify English Language Learners as having a learning disability.
A language barrier tends to "set students apart" from other students. If the entire class but one student speaks English, the whole class will likely avoid or ignore that student because they do not know how to communicate with him/her, or they may have the misconception that the ELL student is "stupid" because they cannot speak English. This is one of the hardships an ELL student may unfortunately have to face at school. Whether or not the ELL student speaks the same language as the other students, body language and unspoken communication makes it very clear whether or not that student is accepted or well-liked by the other students. If the ELL student feels uncomfortable in his/her classroom, he may begin to exhibit learned helplessness and may even refuse to attempt to learn things during the
We as educators must first develop reading skills for our ELL students so that they will get in the habit of reading and writing. We must also look at different avenues to increase their literacy skills. We must work on the strengths of our ELL students. When we work on what our ELL students already know then we can help build upon students learning from multiple languages. We can even have the ELL students share their native language with other students. This can help make learning interesting when they share their cultural background.
However, there is big difference between elementary school, where most of the programs designed to scaffold the linguistic and academic needs of ELLs, consequently, elementary teachers are likely to be better prepared than their secondary colleagues (Rubinstein-Avila and Lee, 2015). Nevertheless, because the language of a child is not as extend as a middle school student, they tend to retain more vocabulary than the young adults. One of the advantages of an elementary teacher is that they receive more training on how to prepare to teach ELLs than a secondary teacher since single-subject teachers receive limited preparation for teaching content to ELLs, and as a result are likely not to use the instructional strategies needed to teach this population effectively (Rubinstein-Avila and Lee, 2015). (Rubinstein-Avila and Lee 2015) found that not all teachers showed interest or concern about teaching ELLs in the secondary school.
As our nation shifts towards a more culturally diverse population both educators and families have to find a common ground to ensure that English Language Learners are academically successful. All stakeholders must carefully consider the social cultural impact on an ELL education. The process of raising bilingual learners take more than a language a school and a language learned at home. The transition must have a purpose and a goal.
...proving Students' Capacity in Foreign Languages." Phi Delta Kappan 1 November 2004. elibrary magazine. .
The article I chose to reflect upon is one that was both provided by Dr. Scarcelli and one I found to be the most interesting. This article addresses the issues and frequent questions administrators, board members, and classroom teachers have on second-language acquisition skills for ELL students (specifically, social and academic language). The article primarily focuses on statements/questions that are often made or asked concerning the acquisition of these two language skills and responds to said statements/questions in detail.
The concepts that are focused on for this research include, teachers perception, ESL students, and efficacy, which is based on how a teacher views bilingual education, organizes their instruction for these students, and the effectiveness used to bring out a desired outcome. English language learners require specific assistance and guidance through their transition so that they are able to improve and excel in their academic journey. It is important to note that teachers who are bilingually certified must always implement the particular methods that they have been trained for in order to be successful in their instruction to their ESL students. This research is aimed specifically towards elementary school students because this is the time that their language development begins to grow. A previous study from Gandara, Maxwell-Jolly and Driscoll (2005) found that there has been a continuous increase in the number of English language learners in particular regions of the United States. This 2005 research study also states that ESL students in the state of California have an extremely low passing rate of just 10% for the English Language Arts course (Gandara et.al, 2005). Problems such as these arise from an inadequate amount of ESL teachers, ineffective teaching strategies as well as teachers perceptions and involvement with these students. Therefore presented is our research question, does the implementation of specific ESL teaching strategies positively impact ESL student success in the area of language
At the beginning of this course I set three SMART goals including implementing research-based practices, differentiating the content, process and assessments, and incorporating visual materials to support academically diverse learners in my classroom. Throughout this course, I have been working towards meeting these goals to better serve the academically diverse learners in my classroom. I was able to accomplish all of the goals I had set in this course. My first goal, implementing research-based practices to meet the needs of academically diverse learners was a challenging goal. I focused on implementing cooperative learning, accessing prior knowledge, native language support, and scaffolding lessons. It was extremely beneficial having the ESL teacher come into the classroom and provide my ELL students in class support. My second goal, differentiating the content, process, and assessment was very beneficial to my teaching and my students learning. This goal helped me provide individual instruction and support throughout my literacy block. I was able to reach and challenge my high-level students and provide support and intervention for my struggling students. Lastly, my final goal was to incorporate visual representations to support ELL students. I incorporated pictures, graphic organizers, posters, and drawings. Throughout this
The ultimate goal in many classrooms is to communicate in meaningful and appropriate ways (Slavit 1998). In the United States, American students get the opportunity to learn a second language in high school, yet it has been proven that children learn better when they are young. Some schools are taking this opportunity to teach a foreign language to elementary students.
Diversity in classrooms can open student’s minds to all the world has to offer. At times diversity and understanding of culture, deviant experiences and perspectives can be difficult to fulfill, but with appropriate strategies and resources, it can lead students to gain a high level of respect for those unlike them, preferably from a judgmental and prejudiced view. Diversity has a broad range of spectrums. Students from all across the continent; students from political refugees, indigenous Americans, and immigrants bring their cultural and linguistic skills to American classrooms. Students not only bring their cultural and linguistic skills, but they bring their ethnicity, talents, and skills.
The second language learner that I have chosen to assess in my case study is an international student from Korea who is now attending year 11 and does the ESL course at my school, the Hills Grammar School. I will refer to my student with the name ‘John’ for confidentiality reasons.
As a future teacher, it feels intimidating thinking about having English language learners in a classroom full of English speaking students. I have never thought about having students who do not speak English in a classroom until recently because of our class discussions and the reading assignments. Therefore, since I am going to be an educator, I am glad to be aware that having ELL students in my future classroom is a possibility. I want to be a successful teacher for every student who walks into my classroom, rather they speak English or not. Chapters one, two, and three in Working with English Language Learners, written by Stephen Cary, are influential and have marvelous ideas on how to assess non-English speaking students, how to gain background knowledge about the students and