Benefits of culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms

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Benefits of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms AMY KOEHN WALDEN UNIVERSITY MARCH 14, 2015

Transcript of Benefits of culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms

Benefits of Culturally and

Linguistically Diverse

ClassroomsAMY KOEHN

WALDEN UNIVERSITY

MARCH 14, 2015

The Value of Diversity

“All students bring cultural values and experiences to

their education, yet schools frequently disregard them,

particularly teachers who are unfamiliar with their

students’ cultures. …It makes sense for teachers to

learn about the students in their classrooms as well as

about their families, prior experiences, cultural

practices and values,” (Hawley & Nieto, 2010, p. 69).

“Sebastian”(not his real name)

Male

8 years old

Second grader

Youngest of

three siblings

Background Information

Home Language

Parents are native Spanish speakers.

Mother speaks very little English. Father

speaks some English, but is very limited.

Older siblings are bilingual in Spanish and

English

Sebastian speaks nearly proficient English

and also speaks fluent Spanish.

Socioeconomic Status

Parents are migrant workers

Family has traveled to Texas, Florida,

Arizona, California and now Michigan

Live in a small sub-community of migrant

families on the east side of town

Children all qualify for free/reduced lunch

Academic Challenges

Written communication is significantly affected

by language and mobility

Gaps in learning due to family mobility

throughout the school year

Vocabulary development and oral reading

fluency are significantly behind grade level

benchmarks

Cultural differences with majority of the class

(beliefs, traditions, experiences, etc.)

Lack of connection to peers

Funds of Knowledge

“Teachers who truly embrace culturally responsive

pedagogy recognize the importance of helping EL

students make meaningful connections between their

existing schema and content area concepts and skills,”

(Brooks & Karathanos, 2009, p.47).

Funds of Knowledge

Linguistic

Fluency in Spanish

Orally near proficiency in English

Basic sound-letter correspondence

understanding in English

Cultural

Understanding and experience of

Hispanic traditions and beliefs

Diversity of food experiences

Music, sports and video game

diversity

Funds of Knowledge

Family

Bilingual

Sibling support for school,

academics and social behaviors

Strong work ethic

Agricultural experience that relates

directly to our community

Experiences

Extensive travel in the United States

Holiday and Cultural celebrations

Experience with harvesting fruits

and vegetables

Multiple school experiences

Funds of Knowledge

Practical

Could provide translation help with

instructional materials that include Spanish

words, phrases or references

Could help students during plant unit

providing personal experience with

harvesting local crops

Peer support for new students and other

migrant children and families

Literacy Expectations

of the Common Core

State Standards

“[the] goal is to provide all English-

language learners, regardless of

their language proficiency levels, the

same opportunities to demonstrate

their content knowledge and skills

as their peers who are native

English-speakers or former

English-learners,” (Maxwell, 2013a, p. 1).

Schools are Recommended by the CCSS to Provide:

Appropriate instructional supports to make grade-level course work comprehensible

Modified assessments that allow ELLs to demonstrate their content knowledge

Additional time for ELLs to complete tasks and assessments

Opportunities for classroom interactions (both listening and speaking) that develop concepts and

academic language in the disciplines

Opportunities for ELLs to interact with proficient English speakers

Opportunities for ELLs to build on their strengths, prior experiences, and background knowledge

Qualified teachers who use practices found to be effective in improving student achievement

(Common Core State Standards Initiative, n.d.)

Strengths of the Standards for Language Learners:

Prepares all students, including ELLs for college and careers and to participate fully in

what has become a global workplace (Language Magazine, 2015).

Encourages significant collaboration between content area teachers and teachers of ELL

students, which my increase scaffolds and support for ELLs in the general classroom and

content area instruction.

Challenges of the Standards for Language Learners:

Making CCSS content accessible to ELLs who are deficient in oral and written communication skills, (Coleman & Goldenberg, 2012).

Schools need to establish a school-wide focus on literacy, (Language Magazine, 2015).

Extra scaffolding needs to be in place to support ELLs for vocabulary as well as oral and reading fluency in English

Text complexity and the focus of the standards on the learner creating meaning, puts additional burdens on ELL students who could previously rely on the teacher to help with vocabulary and meaning construction.

Overcoming these

Challenges

Maxwell suggests teachers

spend time, “…picking apart

the standards, stripping them

down to the essential concepts,

simplifying the language and

developing strategies that all

of them can use to support

English-learners in both

content and ESL classes,”

(2013b, p. S9).

Instructional Strategies to Help Overcome

Challenges for ELLs and the Standards:

Collaboration between ESL and content-area teachers

Including language and content instruction throughout the academic day

Utilizing “push-in” support to provide additional scaffolding for ELLs

Helping teachers develop a deep understanding of language acquisition

Time devoted to getting to know individual students and their specific learning needs

Identifying and addressing cultural and linguistic differences that may enhance or hinder

learning

Explicitly teach academic language related to content

(Maxwell, 2013b)

References:

Brooks, K., & Karathanos, K. (2009). Building on the cultural and linguistic capital of English learner (EL) students. Multicultural Education, 16(4), 47–51.

Coleman, R. and Goldenberg, C. (2012). The common core challenge for English language learners. Principal Leadership, 12, 46-51.

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (n.d.). About the standards. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/

Hawley, W. D., & Nieto, S. (2010). Another inconvenient truth: Race and ethnicity matter. Educational Leadership, 68(3), 66–71.

Language Magazine. (2015) Cutting to the common core. Retrieved from http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=4130.

Maxwell, L. A. (2013a). Consortia struggle with ELL provisions. Education Week, 32(27), 1–17.

Maxwell, L. A. (2013b). Standards and English-learners: It takes a village. Education Week, 33(10), S9–S12.