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Cultural diversity in the classroom
Essay about culturally responsive teaching
Cultural diversity in the classroom
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The Use of the Integrated Arts to Support English Language Leaners
Introduction
When asked about the role of the arts in the daily classroom, the average person may not think “educational,” but in today’s society the arts can be just that. Integrating the arts into everyday lessons has proven not only to aid those who speak English, but those who are English Language Leaners (ELLs) as well. In today’s society, ELLs make up 10% of the student population (Brouillette, 2012, p. 68). Therefore, educators must take it upon themselves to not only teach these students the core subjects that they are required to learn, but to speak English as well. Many educators have found that creating a culturally responsive classroom, as well as integrating the arts into their classrooms has greatly supported their English Language Leaners in more ways than one.
Culturally Responsive Classrooms
The first way that educators have supported their English Language Leaners, is by creating a culturally responsive classroom. Creating culturally responsive classrooms allows educators to establish meaningful bonds with each and every one of their students. One way that this can be done is through celebrating the many different cultural heritages that are present in the classroom, and incorporating them into the daily instruction (Grant & Reif, 2010, p. 100). This type of inclusion results in the students being confident in who they are, and feeling as though they belong in the classroom. Grant and Reif (2010) add that as a result of a culturally responsive classroom, “…students develop into individuals who are proud of their backgrounds, languages, families, traditions, and experiences” (p. 102). Creating a culturally responsive classroom can also be...
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...it is necessary for English Language Leaners to learn successfully.
References
Brouillette, L. (2011). Building the oral language skills of K-2 English language learners through theater arts. California Reader, 44, 19-29. Retrieved from http://www.californiareads.org/
Brouillette, L. (2012). Supporting the language development of limited English proficient students through arts integration in the primary grades. Arts Education Policy Review, 113, 68-74. doi: 10.1080/10632913.2012.656494
Grant, L., & Reif, N. (2010). Culturally responsive classroom through arts integration. Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education, 5, 100-115. Retrieved from http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jpme/
Greenfader, C.K., & Brouillette, L. (2013). Boosting language skills of English learners through dramatization and movement. Reading Teacher, 67, 171-180. doi: 10.1002/TRTR.1192
This activity suits the child’s current stage of oral development will interest them and aid in them progressing in their oral development. Children at this stage of development enjoy listening to stories which is good not only for their receptive skills, but also for their expressive language (Fellows and Oakley, 2014), in all four key components of spoken language. It helps with phonemes by getting the child to focus on the phonological patterns throughout the text (Fellows and Oakley, 214). Syntax knowledge allows them to observe the sentence structure and grammar in the book which allows them to develop a stronger awareness of the syntax. Visual aids in storybooks can aid in the child in the understanding of semantics (Fellows and Oakley’s), as the story is read aloud their receptive skills hear those more difficult words, when paired with a visual cue such as a picture in the book the child understands better and thus they are able to gain a better understanding of how to speak these difficult words. A better understanding of pragmatics can also be gained from storybooks as they understand how people communicate in society such as greetings and asking for things (Fellows and Oakley,
Culturally responsive teaching is very important in today’s day and age. Classrooms are filled with students from different backgrounds, races, and ethnicities. Teachers need to put into consideration those differences when building curriculum and creating a classroom atmosphere. Subcultures might also need to be considered when teaching, such as the culture of the disabled. The culture of students with disabilities is one that may appear within many classrooms due to the increase of students with disabilities. Teachers who are able to maintain a culturally responsive classroom and curriculum will provide ideal learning opportunities for all students and encourage them to succeed. (Darrow, 2013)
English language learners are at different levels of proficiency. Listening, reading, verbal, and writing skills of ELLs will require a variety of instructional levels to meet their varied needs. Understanding the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the learners, will enable the teacher to develop lesson plans that meet and challenge the skill levels of each student. Writing is one of the most productive activities for ELLs (Saville-Troike, 2012). Writing is a common method for testing knowledge and is used frequently for academic
As a native of Miami, Florida, I have witnessed the many cultural changes that have taken place over the years. As an educator teaching within the nation’s fifth largest public school district for the past 25 years, I have had a great amount of exposure to the cultural diversity that makes up the public school, and I have become very familiar with challenges, family issues, and cultural differences that can influence the educational performance of my students. I have developed an understanding that in order to provide the most successful learning environment for culturally diverse student’s, teachers must be able to provide classroom instruction that is free of personal bias and which addresses the diversified cultural learning needs of every student. Too many schools are not set up to give students an education that teaches them to love learning and takes their individual needs into account (Castleman & Littky, 2007).
Tchudi, Susan J, and Stephen Tchudi. The English Language Arts Handbook: Classroom Strategies for Teachers. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1999. Print.
Altogether, culturally relevant pedagogy is an approach of utilizing inclusive teaching practices in order to meet the needs of all learners. However, implementing such practices into teaching can be challenging for teachers, especially for beginner teachers. Therefore, the last section of this report will highlight challenges and the effectiveness in using culturally responsive teaching
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,
According to Gay, culturally responsive teaching is employing previous experience, performance style of student, and cultural knowledge for the purposes of making learning more suitable and effective for students (Gay, 2000). In other words, culturally responsive teaching practice is using cultural experiences, perceptions of ethnically, and cultural features of student to facilitate when teaching. Furthermore, culturally responsive teaching practice teaches through and to the strength of students. Culturally responsive teaching practices is necessary in connecting the cultural knowledge of students, style of performance, and previous experience to the knowledge of academic with the goal of legitimizing what the students already know. Therefore,
America is a multicultural society that is compiled of many ethnicities and cultural orientations. With the different backgrounds, it can sometimes be a task to incorporate each culture in the classroom. It is the teachers’ responsibility to make his or her classroom a multicultural environment for their students to broaden their horizons. Many may think
“Every student in the nation should have an education in the arts.” This is the opening statement of “The Value and Quality of Arts Education: A Statement of Principles,” a document from the nation’s ten most important educational organizations. The basic message is that music and art programs in the schools help our kids and communities in real and substantial ways. There is an abundant amount of facts and information that supports this statement. The benefits of arts education can be narrowed down into 4 basic categories: success in developing intelligence, success in ...
I’m a firm believer in maximizing the educational experience through effective classroom design to maintain conflict prevention, increasing time on task and being an added tool for content material; but now I also believe effective classroom design can be used effectively to build a inclusive arena for students to learn in. By consciously focusing on improving the inclusiveness of culture into my design of the classroom, student’s can develop a stronger link to the classroom and school community. This can allow students who may have felt culturally excluded from their environment to develop a stronger connection to their learning and improve their performance not only as academic learners but as members of their school
Art and its education are crucial in the development of young children. Therefore, it is of the upmost importance to ensure that our young children are being taught about art and its education in order for them to be successful contributing members of society. June Vail, a professor of dance at Bowdoin College explains, “The arts bring energy and creativity, a kind of learning that can only enhance every other kind of learning. (Vail).” She continues by saying that, “The enterprise of a liberal arts education is integrative, to educate students to be creative and flexible, to harness their energy in a different way (Vail).” Art begins to lay the foundation of success early for young children by developing their motor skills through paining with a paintbrush and drawing with crayons. Furthermore, it also helps promote language development by learning new shapes, colors, and allows them to describe their artistic creation. Lastly, it also helps children improve academically. A report that was done by the Americans for the Arts demonstrates that young people who participated regularly in the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, participate in a math or science fair, or win an award for writing an essay as opposed to students who do not participate in the arts (PBS). As a result of this, it is imperative to ensure that adolescent children of today begin
The purpose for the development of an English Language Learner intervention was that many students who had tested out of the ELL program were not finding success in most of their classes. There was a recognized need for intervention in this area. One of the action plan goals is to increase the graduation rate from 86% to 91%. Also to increase the English Language Arts proficiency scores that have decreased from 48% in 2012 to 23% in 2013. Lastly to increase the Math proficiency scores which have also decrease from 37% in 2012 to 29% in 2013. In order to achieve these goals the ELL coordinator began the intervention by meeting with students who are not currently enrolled in her Sheltered English class, who were failing one or more class. Each student participated in a one-on-one conference with the ELL coordinator and a learning plan was developed. The learning plan addressed the students test scores in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. The data used in the development of the plan included CAHSEE, CST, and benchmark scores. The next part element of the plan was a discussion of the subject area or areas wherein the student was in need of intervention. Once these areas were identified, the student’s specific needs in the subject were discussed, and an intervention, complete with strategies, was developed. The student was then monitored every six weeks to determine whether or not the student had made satisfactory progress or achieved mastery. The students were also asked to reflect on how the intervention process was working. If the students were not being successful with the intervention, the next step was to hold a student support team meeting to discuss remediation strategies, includi...
Ford, k (2010). 8 Strategies for Preschool English Language Learner’s Language and Literacy Development. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/36679/. Last accessed 5/4/2014.
Obviously, the most recent focus in education has been reading, and naturally, a language arts teacher must focus on reading in order to help her students develop into well-rounded communicators. Learning to implement new ways of tea...