Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds

Another challenge educator’s encounter is the cultural gap that is between students and teachers. It is important for educators to understand that some culturally diverse children may need things explained to them in a different way for them to gain an understanding.

356). Furthermore, Ideal 1-1.11 states that we are “to provide all children with experiences in a language that they know, as well as support children in maintaining the use of their home language and in learning English” (Decker, Decker, Freeman, & Knopf, 2009, p. 356). It is my opinion there are many teachers that may have a problem in maintaining this standard simply because of the location of their center. If a center is in a semi-rural area, the teachers in the center could have a problem teaching about other cultures with exception to basic knowledge of a culture. Take for instance Middlefield Ohio. In Middlefield, there is a heavy influence of the Amish culture and generations of farming families. A teacher in Middlefield may have trouble relating to a child in her class that comes from India. It is a challenging task to learn and educate oneself on an unknown topic, there is a great deal of responsibility in planning a diverse curriculum to meet the needs of so many individuals.

Among staff behavior at my school site, I’ve seen and heard comments that reflect points from one end to the other on the Cultural Proficiency Continuum. Culturally destructive comments heard for the past several years such as “these parents need to learn English” to “our parents don’t support the teachers here” and more show that some teachers and staff I work with have a long way to go before being considered culturally proficient. On the other hand, I’ve heard comments that demonstrate cultural competence. The 2nd grade teacher that successfully recruited Spanish speaking parent volunteers to her classroom-and they continue to volunteer in her room this year even though their child is in another classroom! Thankfully, my school has several teachers that make it a priority to understand all families, and to make all members feel welcome and valued in their classrooms and school.

Cultural tendencies have a huge impact on the way children tend to participate in educational activities. The ethnicity of a child may change the way that teacher view a child. Suppose you had an Asian child in previous years who was quiet and reserved. You get a new child, you expect this one to be the same way, but he is not. We as teachers have to learn that each child is their own individual self, and they do not act the same way, no matter what race, gender, or social status they are.

Diverse cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds function as sources of person, family, and community values. These backgrounds serve as a function of being the base of the foundation that makes up a family, community, or a person’s values. A culture shapes how people experience the world. It allows them to be a part of a community through interrelation of beliefs, experiences, and traditions that they share through their backgrounds. Social backgrounds influence how they might view their life values and how they see others. Cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds affects how someone or a group may view and experience communicational, nutritional, and spiritual values along with the rest of the 12 domains of Purnell’s model. Experiencing

This course has really enlightened my view of being able to learn the value of linguistic and cultural diversity and the influential learning opportunities it gives today’s classrooms and schools. We as teacher educators were allowed to examine our attitudes, beliefs, and preferences regarding linguistically and culturally diverse students, families, and communities and learn methods for working together to confirm high levels of learning for all students. Also, strategies for guaranteeing

In my view we don 't do very well in fostering our children 's cultural identity. It 's not something I 've seen to be emphasized or build upon. The environment is welcoming and respectful that is true. Our staff and children are culturally diverse. I’ve never seen a child turned away or excluded because of their culture. I do believe we respect everyone 's culture and beliefs and practices. However, I don 't see much of it being incorporated. We had a spanish speaking student once. We respected the culture and the family and there was one staff that was able to speak with the family. I tried incorporating spanish songs, I tried introducing words like the fruits or colors in both english and spanish. I only knew a few short phrases in spanish and I tried using them whenever possible. Although we had that language barrier she was able to communicate with me in other ways and I was able to see that she was developing at a nice pace. I tried creating

Teachers must learn about their student’s cultures if they want to educate them to the best of their ability. Many of the students in culturally diverse classrooms will want to learn in different ways. Some will want to learn in pairs, groups, as a class, or just alone. If the teacher is educated in their culture then lessons can be adjusted to appeal to every student as much as possible instead of forcing some to forget about their culture and learn like others. Students from

To my surprise, the challenges that the minority students experience in the United States have never crosses my mind. However after going through this article, I bet to concur with all the arguments provided by the authors. It is true the high number of people migrating to the United States have significant impacts on the nation at large. This is because many people have known the things that are happening in the schools regarding the perception on minorities and little efforts have been done to deal with the situation. The message writtern in the article is reiablesince the United States as a nation is facing a problem when it comes to its ability to accommodate people who are moving into the country especially in terms of schooling (Commins & Miramontes, 2006). Additionally, there is also an issue about teaching language were the minorities are experiencing a problem in learning linguistics. The fact that the increasing number of immigrants to the United States has posed a challenge to the school system is also interesting. The discussion about the success of linguistic languages in schools is something that has been in mind for a long time.

Gaining learning and experience about other cultures background will enrich my multicultural knowledge. Therefore, as an educator I must learn about others culture. As I begin to learn about others cultures I will understand how values influence the ways families interpret the instruction that feels right to them. A close study on Figure 3.1 implies that a teacher’s point view or the way the students are treaty can affect their learning. It keeps narrating the story of a teacher that had to learn her students’ roots, their culture values, to get to know them in order to reach them in an academically level. The cultural values are very important and cannot be overlooked, they shape our intrinsic motivation. Many families try to keep their values and belief intact at home, so their children when they step in a classroom. Monica Brown, is the Department editor of Diversity Dispatch, argues in her article, Educating All Students: Creating Culturally Responsive Teachers, Classrooms, and Schools, that nowadays it is noticeable the diversity growths in schools, however, this is not the problem. The problem is the way teachers have responded to the diversity growth. (Brown, M. 2007). Therefore, this will affect the students learning. Brown cross with a strong point in regarding the lack of sensitivity some educators show towards their students’ culture. As educator I don’t want to be one of many teachers Monica Brown speaks on her article. I will understand that I must respect my

Diverse cultures within the United States are rapidly developing and growing and the educational sector is the number one target to ensure that English –learners are receiving adequate education. Within the educational sector there are administrators and teachers who are involved in students lives on a daily basis to ensure that education is equal. In order to achieve the vital objective of equality, socio-cultural influences on ELL students, bilingualism and home language use, parental and community resources, and partnerships between families and schools all have to be considered to provide an opportunity for equal education.

In particular, those that face issues under our bilingual education. Basically what No Child Left Behind is all about, however it ends up favoring “English acquisition as opposed to bilingual education.” (Spring, pg.176) The growth of bilingual speaking children in our public schools highly correlates with the teachers being hired to do their job. When we have such an immense number of White educators, how can they really focus on touching upon all of the different language and cultural aspects. We might have education programs such as English as a Second Language (ESL), but such programs only focus on the learning of the English language and not the overall teaching of keeping both the child’s language and culture while teaching them another

Similarly, in their article, Addressing Linguistic Diversity From The Outset, Commins & Miramontes (2006) point to the importance in ensuring teacher education programs adequately equip new teachers to work with “work with the wide diversity of language, culture, and

Fostering cultural awareness in children has many benefits that contribute to the overall development of children. Educators encounter challenges that may include academic pressure, collaborating with diverse families, and meeting the needs of the students. This paper examines theoretical perspectives using a longitudinal study. The study examined the experiences of children ages 3.5 to 5.5, by using their everyday experiences of race and ethnic diversity in their classroom setting.

A Literacy Environment is very instrumental to young children’s learning. A learning environment that is culturally sensitive is to create a multicultural climate in the classroom. Multicultural awareness could be taught in all of the subject matters in a classroom. A teacher can use strategies and a teachable moment when they are encountered. For example, if a student is making fun of another because of how they talk or sound. The teacher can use that moment to punctuate the importance and relevance of different backgrounds and culture. The world we live in a diverse world with different religion, beliefs, color and shapes of people. A teacher should be verse in multicultural education to be able to teach students about