Essay on Reflection: Education and Culturally Diverse Students

Considering that I have not decided yet if I want to be a teacher, or which ages I would like to instruct, this opportunity was helpful and significant. Moreover, it was fascinating to see the same person instruct two separate classes and curriculums; it taught me that if I were one day to find myself in the position of having to teach different courses, I could apply the same method of teaching in all of them by adapting it to the curriculums and to the students’

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

The largest challenge that educators are confronted with when teaching children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are many of these educators may not be bilingual as well as not know anything about the child's culture. Granted, many teachers who will be teaching children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are ESL/bilingual education teachers… but in some cases that may not be. According to the textbook, “Cultural differences have strength and value (98)” which means that the child’s culture will mean a lot to them, and will help them shape who they are in their education and their lives. Also, children who are culturally and linguistically diverse may feel like an outcast to the other children that are

This course has made me well versed in the teaching modules needed to become an effective teacher in the twenty-first century.Teachers have dual responsibilities in this generation. Teaching has evolved from simply making sure that the students are learning the subject matter of preparing them for survival in the 21st Century Learning. This necessitates engagement in Digital Participatory Culture, and the importance of Civic Engagement. Students are entering an age where they are being asked to possess more skills than ever to compete for positions against other students around the world.

This course has taught me many things about myself and who I am as a tutor. When beginning this course, I was not sure what to expect from the overall class. I knew that I enjoyed helping others and I find myself to be a strong leader, so this course would be enjoyable for me. I expected myself to be a tutor who was helpful and friendly, and I hoped to be the best tutor I could be. Becoming the tutor I am today took time, and there is still lots of room for development. Before starting this course, I certainly did not have well developed skills that are needed to be a great tutor. I have grown as a student and as a tutor throughout this semester, and I have even applied my knowledge from this course into other classes. I love helping others,

During this course I have learned so much. I had a great time with my host teacher and the students in teacher in the classroom. The principle Mrs. Vance was a great help and supported to me. I appreciate having the opportunity to teach in a classroom. I have had a lot of insights from this course which prepared me for the future. I learned about implementing lesson plans that are corporate with Common Core standards, and differentiate instructional.

Gant Elementary School is a typical of American society in being culturally and linguistically diverse. According to its enrollment demographics, the total enrollment in Minnie Gant Elementary School is 590 over the school year from 2014 to 2015. Among them, 52% of the students are white, 20% are Hispanics or Latinos, 7.5% are Asians, 6.4% are Black or African Americans, and 6.1% have two or more races. “Language diversity is a fact in U.S. school,” said my SERVE class teacher—Mrs. Mueller—now teaching third grade, “approximately twenty percent of students in my class speak another language other than English in the home.” Later, as I found that there are 29 students in my third grade classroom; although they are all fluent in English, five of them speak Spanish, one speaks Vietnamese, one speaks Thai, one speaks Japanese and another speaks Russian.

I strive to enhance academic, personal, and professional achievement for all learners. My purpose in this area is to provide students with the tools to be successful in college, not remediate K-12; hence the term developmental implies the development of the “whole student.” My philosophy of teaching is to promote positive social change by supporting the academic and personal growth of college students through instruction, counseling, advising, and tutoring. Addressing both academic and nonacademic factors will enhance personal and professional achievement for all learners which leads to increase in student success and retention. I believe access to high- quality education will promote student learning, and help students develop to their fullest potential. My philosophy is to influence those we educate with the highest levels of competence and

Anyone who is familiar with Lehigh University knows that the college strives for diversity. Being diverse is something I have in common with Lehigh. In matters of race, I may not be very diverse, but my background is. Many unusual family situations have occurred in my life. It all began when my father was incarcerated. He was sent to prison when I was two years old, leaving my mother and I alone. Around the age of six, my mother married a man of a different race. She then had three other children. However, these were not my only siblings. My father had other partners and all together had three other children. As I reached the seventh grade, many complications grew at home. My mother decided to allow me to move in with my grandmother

My field experience this semester left a significant impact on me and changed the way I would look and think about teaching in the future. It was very beneficial to me because it was my first opportunity to get hands-on experience in a classroom setting and it allowed me to take the concepts that I was being taught and directly apply them to my personal experience. The involvement that I had teaching my group of kindergarteners was one that affected me in both an emotional and professional way. I was able to relate topics covered in class to my observations and teaching, which provided me with a better understanding of those concepts like motivation, praise, feedback, and literacy development.

When I was first presented this task of interviewing another educator, I was apprehensive because the concepts that are being addressed in the prompts are so important to a teacher’s personal teaching philosophy. These prompts almost appeared to be questions that one might hear at a job interview for a teaching position. I did not at first want to subject a colleague to these questions, as they require so much deeper though and inquiry from the teacher. That is why I first answered the questions myself. I feel that the responses to these questions are the center for a teacher’s approach to culturally responsive teaching.

In order to address the learning needs of culturally diverse students, understanding how to create effective multicultural learning environments is critical. The trend that we are observing today in children from cultural and linguistic different backgrounds is that their numbers are growing substantially. Therefore, we as educators must be highly responsive and aware of the array of cultures that are represented in our classrooms on a daily basis. Sadly and too often the first step that educators push on LEP students is assimilation into the mainstream.

Multiculturalism adds to students comfort when working with their peers of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (Werner, 2013). At its best multicultural children’s literature helps students understand that despite our many differences we all share common feelings and aspirations (Allers, 2011). It is critical to make sure that teachers have professional development programs that teacher educators how to integrate multicultural education into their curricula (Werner, 2013). A successful school system treats diversity as a source of potential growth rather than a hindrance to student performance (OECD, 2010).

This course has taught me many new things about teaching. I have gained knowledge about topics such as moral education, expertise, decision-making, and classroom management, just to name a few. Through the reading and portfolio essays, my desire to teach has strengthened throughout the semester. Because of this course, I now have a better understanding of the educational and psychological needs my future students, as well as myself, will have and how to meet them.

The majority of countries around the world, including the United States, contain different linguistic and cultural groups. Despite this, few educational systems truly embrace these diverse languages and cultures inside the classroom or through instruction (Pinnock, 2009). “Language is the channel through which people’s cultures are transmitted”, but promoting only one or two languages deemed important the school system is separating many children from their culture (Pinnock, 2009). The ways in which language and culture are utilized in the classroom can be a “vital barrier or enabler” in successfully achieving national education goals (Pinnock, 2009). By embracing cultural as well as linguistic backgrounds and implementing them into classroom instruction, educators can help reduce the barriers facing an increasing population of English language learners in America’s educational system.