Addressing Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

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Addressing Cultural Diversity in the Classroom

• Amy Talley

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• Why are we here? Vignette 1
• Goals and limitations of this seminar
• How can we make the most of it?
• Syllabus

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Our Essential Questions

• What do WSFC schools look like in regards to
  cultural diversity?
• What are a teachers responsibilities?
• How can we work effectively with multi-cultural
  students and parents?
• How can teachers be more effective and make
  learning easier for ELLs?
• What help/resources do teachers have?

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The first step to being an effective teacher is
getting to know your students.

• Questionnaire
• Brainstorm questions for your possible
  questionnaires. Please add to my list!

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Other ways to get to know your students

• Talk with other teachers, guidance counselors,
  community groups.
• Incorporate journaling, family interviewing when
  possible.
• Ask students privately if they would like to
  share information about their home
  countries/cultures that pertains to class.
• Invite students to stay after for tutoring.

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Important Acronyms

• ESL English as a Second Language, an ESL
  student receives ESL services because they scored
  below proficient in the English language on a
  language test.
• ELL English Language Learner
• LEP- Limited English Proficient
• NOM-National Origin Minority

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Take a guess!

• How many languages do you think are represented
• in the WSFC schools?
• At the high school where you will be
  student-teaching?
• How many LEP students are
• In the WSFC schools
• At the high school where you will be
  student-teaching?

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• WSFCS 6,396 94 languages
• Atkins 135 - 2
• Carver 15 -2
• East 85 - 8
• Glenn 120- 10
• Mt.Tabor 61 - 12
• North 124 - 5
• Parkland 138 7
• Reagan 10 - 3
• Reynolds 100 - 10
• West 73- 11

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WSFC Demographics

• The top 5 languages are
• 2009 2008
• Spanish (7,894) Spanish
  (5,776 students)
• Vietnamese (96) Chinese
  (96 students)
• Filipino (92)
  Vietnamese (54 students)
• Arabic (86)
  Filipino (42 students)
• Chinese (81) Arabic
  (36 students)

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What is happening with our LEP numbers?

• Our LEP population has plateaued . . . however
  our Hispanic population continues to grow. 
  (factors including immigration policy, economy).
  The overwhelming majority of our LEP growth is
  coming from K students born in the US.
• David Sisk (ESL Coordinator, District Level)

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(No Transcript)
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Hispanic and NOM population growth in WSFCS
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LEP Students By Language in NC 2005-2006 (Top
10)

• Spanish--74,766
• Hmong-- 2,651
• Vietnamese--1,322
• Arabic--1,129
• Chinese--1,041

• Korean--855
• French--854
• Russian--580
• Hindi--467
• Japanese--383

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• Vignette 2

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• Vignette 3

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WSFC LEP Procedures

•  
• Identification How will I know who my LEP
  students are and what modifications they need?
• Testing Accommodations Accommodations Form

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• Modification/Accommodation forms are done by the
  LEP committee in the school, then they are to be
  shared with all teachers that have contact with
  the LEP student.  We have asked the ESL teachers
  to make sure they are sharing the forms or
  information with each teacher because they are
  responsible for making sure the student receives
  all mods and accommodations due to
  them---liability issue if not followed.  The
  student is not really able to use the testing
  accommodations unless they have received them in
  the classroom throughout the year.
• Ann Talton, ESL Lead Teacher (WSFCS)

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WSFC School Policy

• School Classroom Teachers Classroom teachers
  with LEP students are responsible for making
  their classroom instruction accessible, even for
  students at a beginning level of English
  proficiency. Classroom teachers are responsible
  for familiarizing themselves with the WIDA
  standards and their students levels of English
  proficiency in order to differentiate their
  instruction and to make modifications. They are
  also responsible for assessing students in such a
  way that does not discriminate against them on
  the basis of their language proficiency. Such
  accommodations for state testing must be well
  documented.

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•  ESL teachers are supposed to be responsible for
  teaching the language of the content (WIDA
  standards. www.wida.us).  
• The mainstream teacher is supposed to be
  responsible for teaching the content while
  supporting the language simultaneously.   This is
  the ideal.
• David Sisk (ESL Coordinator, District Level)  

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• MODELS OF INSTRUCTION
• Pullout The LEP student leaves the classroom
  (is pulled out) for ESL services, working in
  small groups of instruction planned by the ESL
  teacher.
• Elective ESL classes In the middle and high
  schools, LEP students receive ESL instruction
  during a scheduled class period and receive
  course credit. ESL is largely an English-only
  instructional program, with instructional support
  in the native language when feasible.
  Proficiency levels determine the level of ESL
  class the student will take. (Newcomers may need
  two periods of ESL services each day group sizes
  are to be no larger than ten students Students
  are to be grouped by proficiency levels Students
  are to grouped by grade level)
• Sheltered Content Classes Sheltered content
  classes in social studies, science, math, and
  English are offered at the high school level to
  LEP students. The mainstream teacher uses
  specific methods designed for LEP students,
  commonly referred to as Sheltered Instruction
  Observation Protocol (SIOP). Such methods
  include increased use of visuals, modeling,
  slower speech, modified assessments, scaffolding,
  and native language assistance when needed. This
  LEP instructional method is primarily designed
  for intermediate LEP students.
• Co-teaching The LEP student remains in the
  mainstream classroom, with the ESL teacher going
  in to work with the classroom teacher, providing
  appropriate instruction to the LEP student. To
  have a successful Co-teaching model, mainstream
  and ESL teachers must have time to plan
  cooperatively and must share the teaching
  responsibilities of that classroom. ESL teachers
  are not to be used as an assistant or tutor.
  Classroom time may be a mix of whole class,
  grouped lessons, or rotating stations with both
  teachers sharing the teaching role. (2-3 teachers
  working together is ideal).
• From WSFCS ESL webpage

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So, you thought you were just going to have to
teach social studies/math/science/literature?

• Remember that no matter what subject you teach,
  you are teaching your students language on some
  level. It may be just academic vocabulary, but
  it may also be that students are learning the
  course content in their second or third language.

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• Laws Affecting English Language Learners

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Civil Rights Act of 1964

• No person in the United States shall, on the
  ground of race, color, or national origin, be
  excluded from participation in, be denied the
  benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination
  under any program or activity receiving Federal
  financial assistance.

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Office for Civil Rights Memorandum (1970)

• (1) Districts must develop programs to assist LEP
  students so that they are not excluded from
  participation in the educational system.
• (2) School districts must not place NOM students
  in special education classes on the basis of low
  test scores in English. NOM students must not be
  denied access to college prep. courses.
• (3) Programs designed to meet the need of LEP
  students must be effective, and should not be
  permanent or dead end tracks.
• (4) School districts have the responsibility to
  adequately notify NOM parents of school
  activities. To be adequate, such notice may have
  to be provided in a language other than English.

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Lau v. Nichols (1974)

• There is no equality of treatment merely by
  providing students with the same facilities,
  textbooks, teachers, and curriculum, for students
  who do not understand English are effectively
  foreclosed from any meaningful education.

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Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974

• No state shall deny equal educational opportunity
  to an individual on account of his or her race,
  color, sex, or national origin.
• Educational agencies must take appropriate action
  to overcome language barriers that impede equal
  participation by its students in its
  instructional programs.

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Student Rights

• At this point in time, in accordance with federal
  law, students do not have to provide any proof of
  legal status to attend US schools.
• All students must fill out a HLS upon registering
  for school. If there is another language listed,
  they are given a language test to determine their
  language proficiency.
• LEP students are given the choice to receive ESL
  services. They may waive services.
• All teachers are required to modify instruction
  and assessment as needed for LEP students.
• The ESL program is federally mandated to prevent
  discrimination practices in the retention and
  grading of LEP students. Retention of an LEP
  student should only be considered if academic
  difficulties are not related to second language
  acquisition.

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Vignette 4
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• OK, so I have no choice. I have to change the
  way I teach to cater to English Language
  Learners. It is their legal right, but why is it
  the RIGHT thing to do?
• Before we move on, lets talk about how it feels
  to be in a situation where you do not speak the
  language?
• Have you ever experienced an ineffective language
  teacher? (Dont mention names!) What made this
  teacher ineffective? How can you avoid the same
  situations with future students?
• Were there any cultural misunderstandings?
• Situations that made you feel uncomfortable?
• What made you uncomfortable/more comfortable in
  foreign language settings?

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• Drop-out rates arent really that important, are
  they?
• Tracking does not exist in todays schools, does
  it?

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Graduation Rate for NC and Urban Districts 2006
and 2007
WSFCS 2006 2007 NC 2006 2007 Durham 2006 2007 Guilford 2006 2007 CMS 2006 2007 Wake 2006 2007
All Students 73.7 70.7 68.1 69.4 68.8 66.3 63.5 79.7 74.6 73.8 82.6 79.3
Male 69.3 67.0 63.9 64.9 61.5 60.4 59.8 76.4 68.8 70.1 78.9 74.4
Female 78.2 74.5 72.4 73.8 76.0 71.8 67.1 82.9 80.2 77.3 86.2 84.0
Native Amer. 58.3 60.0 51.1 55.6 57.1 36.7 69.4 60.0 44.2 90.5 69.0
Asian 84.2 80.4 74.1 78.9 78.0 83.7 54.6 75.8 80.1 80.8 91.7 86.9
Black 68.2 64.2 60.0 61.4 63.7 59.3 56.4 73.6 66.0 62.8 69.9 65.3
Hispanic 49.8 40.9 51.8 53.6 40.1 35.2 42.9 64.1 58.4 61.8 57.7 55.3
Multi-Racial 64.9 66.7 65.2 65.4 71.2 64.8 63.0 76.5 77.3 71.6 82.3 73.3
White 80.4 80.1 73.6 74.8 82.1 83.1 72.5 86.3 84.8 87.1 89.6 88.2
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Vignette 5
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• ONLY first year in US schools LEP students that
  score below 4.0 on the reading portion of the
  ACCESS are eligible for an exemption on the
  reading EOG. There are no longer any alternate
  assessments for LEP students.  However, some LEP
  students are eligible for testing
  accommodations.  There are no allowances for
  LEP students regarding meeting the HS exit and
  graduation requirements.  David Sisk

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Vignette 6

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Second Language Acquisition

• Have you ever heard of BICS and CALP?
• A silent period?
• BICS/CALP (Basic Interpersonal Communication
  Skills 1-2 yrs vs. Cognitive Academic Language
  Proficiency 5-10)
• 
  James Cummins
• Can-do descriptors (See handout)

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Diversity Situation Analysis

• Work with a partner or in groups of three.
• Skip 7 and 8

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Do stereotypes affect us?
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Asian Students

• Lets talk about stereotypes and how they can
  prove detrimental
• Diversity within group
• Model Minority
• Stress, pressure, isolation

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Hmong students Another growing (and often
misunderstood) minority

• Most North Carolina students with limited English
  proficiency are Spanish speakers (31,931), with
  Hmong (2,882) coming in a distant second.

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• The Hmong people are from rural mountain areas in
  southeast Asia.
• Many of the Hmong people were our allies in the
  Vietnam War and others fought against the
  communist-nationalists in the Secret War in Laos.
  
• Hmong are divided into clans or tribes that share
  the same paternal ancestry.
• Each clan has a leader who oversees all relations
  and a shaman (wise man/medicine man) who deals
  with spiritual and physical problems.
• Traditional Hmong education is oral.

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• Respect is very important. Many times in
  teaching situations they will constantly nod and
  say, "Yes." Keep in mind that this yes might
  mean, "Yes, I am listening to you," not, "Yes, I
  understand."
• Usually Hmong people do not feel comfortable with
  direct eye contact and do not like to be touched
  on their heads.

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• Today, there are 85,000 Hmong students in public
  schools throughout the country.  
• There are large Hmong populations in Minnesota,
  Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
• In North Carolinas Burke County schools, Hmong
  students make up 67 of all Asian students in the
  district.
• Hmong is the second most spoken language of ELL
  students in the US.

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• Many challenges face their community.
• 66 lives in poverty with an average annual
  salary of 9,923.
• Of those 25 years and older, 97 have less than a
  bachelors degree.
• Over half of the community report having no
  formal education.  
• 80 are employed in the support, service,
  production, and labor field.
• 61 of Hmong households are linguistically
  isolated.

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Hmong students

• Does the model minority myth apply?
• Only 31 of Hmong American students are
  graduating high school. Only 3 of Hmong adults
  over the age of 25 have a Bachelors Degree or
  higher.
• (Hmong Today)

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• There are aspects of Hmong culture that clash
  sharply with our culture in the US, and sometimes
  American law.
• Traditional methods of healing conflicts with
  social services.
• Hmong households are usually large, and women do
  the housework. Young girls have tremendous
  responsibilities.
• There is a high rate of teenage pregnancy in the
  Hmong community.
• There are stark gender differences and arranged
  marriages. Women usually marry young (13-18)
  because having many healthy children is
  important. Of course this is changing
  drastically as children become Americanized.

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Vignette 9
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Hispanic students in US schools

• By 2025 Hispanic children will probably make up
  25 of school-age children.
• During the school year 2007-08, NC experienced
  the highest increase yet of Hispanic students.
  Our Hispanic population increased by 14,000. We
  have more than 97,000 Hispanic students in our
  schools.
• Hispanic students lag behind other ethnic groups
  in academic achievement.
• There is a gap, and it starts early.

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Hispanic Students

• Regarding the Hispanic cultures, it is important
  to keep in mind how these cultures are evolving.
  There is much culture-mixing, and some
  individuals are highly americanized, while
  others are newcomers.
• Some immigrant children grew up in the US, and
  are basically bicultural. They may be
  embarrassed by their heritage and try to fit in
  with mainstream students. Others may be proud of
  their heritage and feel isolated from mainstream
  culture and cling to others from their native
  lands.
• What steps could we take to more actively involve
  our cultural resources (Hispanic students,
  families, and community organizations) in our
  schools?

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Vignettes 10 and 11
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• What responsibilities do students have outside of
  school?
• What role models do students have?
• Do parents participate in the education process?
• Is education top priority?
• Do parents push students too hard? Expectations?
• Do parents/students trust school staff?
• Do students/parents know what resources are
  available?
• Special needs?
• How do modifications make students/parents feel?

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• Remember that the education process is very
  different in other countries, so students and
  parents may feel uncomfortable in US classrooms.
• Multiculturalism involves recognizing differences
  in not only cultures, but also subcultures, race
  and social class, gender. (Tarasco example)
• Individuals from the same culture may be
  profoundly different.
• Remember that using one style of teaching will
  not work for an entire classroom of students. A
  teaching style that is exciting and engaging to
  some students may be frustrating/scary to others.

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Cultural Stumbling Blocks
Natalie Strittmatter November 9, 2011
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Assumption of Similarities

• Many people assume that everyone is the same deep
  down so communicating with people from other
  cultures should be easy.
• Nonverbal symbols are not similar from culture to
  culture. Example Smiles mean different things
  to different cultures. Are Korean people cold
  because they do not smile at foreigners? Why
  would an Arab student think that something was
  wrong with his appearance (something on his
  face/fly down) and rush to the bathroom to check
  when on a college campus in the US for the first
  time?

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Assumption of Similarities Gesture Activity

• 2. 2.
• 3. 4.

• Write down what each picture represents to you.

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Come here!

• Common in the U.S. to ask someone to come here
• In other cultures this symbol is insulting.
• In Cambodia and Vietnam this symbol is used to
  call an animal and is considered rude.

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O.K.

• Commonly used in the U.S. for O.K.
• Brazil and Germany view this symbol as obscene.
• Japan uses the symbol for money.
• France uses the symbol for zero or worthless.

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Peace

• Commonly used in the U.S as the peace sign.
• Europeans use this symbol for victory when the
  palm faces away from you. With palm facing in it
  means shove it.

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Champion

• Commonly used in the U.S. for a winner or
  champion in sports.
• Russians use this symbol for friendship. In 1959
  Khrushchev learned the hard way that this symbol
  for friendship was not universal. Americans
  assumed this gesture meant Victory.

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Meanings of Common Nonverbal Symbols
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Language Differences

• Difficulties ESL students face with language
  differences
• Dialects, slang, idiomatic expressions,
  vocabulary, and syntax all present problems for
  new language learners.
• People focus on one meaning of a word in the new
  language instead of the context.
• One of the most common problems is negative
  questions. Ex. Arent you from Korea?

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Nonverbal Misinterpretations

• Time and spatial relationships are more
  difficult to understand.
• Ex. Personal space and appointment times
• Nonverbal misinterpretation excerpt from Barnas
  Stumbling Blocks article An Oregon girl in an
  intercultural communication class asked a young
  man from Saudi Arabia how he would nonverbally
  signal that he liked her. His response was to
  smooth back his hair, which to her was just a
  common nervous gesture signifying nothing. She
  repeated her question three times. He smoothed
  his hair three times. Then, realizing that she
  was not recognizing this movement as his reply to
  her question, he automatically ducked his head
  and stuck out his tongue slightly in
  embarrassment. This behavior was noticed by the
  girl and she expressed astonishment that he would
  show liking for someone by sticking out his
  tongue.
• If you do not understand that different cultures
  view time and spatial relationships very
  differently, it will be very difficult for you
  understand that culture. Examples In Central
  American countries personal space is very small.
  People may even bump into you trying to pay for
  things in a store. Whereas in American culture we
  are very aware of our personal space and do not
  like people to invade it. Time is also an
  important thing to consider as a nonverbal code.
  In many cultures time is perceived very
  differently. In what is known as high context
  cultures appointments are not as important as
  family time. Unlike the importance of time and
  appointments in the U.S. where you are expected
  to be on time. Think about how time could be an
  issue when dealing with ESL students or their
  parents. Any thoughts on how your might
  experience a nonverbal misinterpretation in
  respect to time or spatial relationships?

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Preconceptions and Stereotypes

• Definition of preconception an opinion formed in
  advance of adequate knowledge or background.
• Definition of stereotype a conventional,
  formulaic, and oversimplified conception,
  opinion, or image.
• What are some of the preconceptions and
  stereotypes about ESL students you have heard
  from other teachers?

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High Anxiety or Tension

• Stress occurs often in cross-cultural
  experiences.

• We need to find ways for ESL students to feel
  appreciated and experience success right away in
  the classroom in order to reduce the anxiety they
  experience in their new cultural environment.

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More things to consider Cultural differences

• Pronunciation of names
• Concept of family Hierarchy, household, elders,
  family roles
• Life cycles maturity, age-appropriateness
• Gender roles
• Eye contact
• Directness/Indirectness
• Showing of emotion
• Greetings
• Competitiveness Group mentality vs.
  Individualism
• Cheating
• Discipline
• Religion diet, absences
• Food restrictions, eating times, discarding,
  sharing
• Health and hygiene illness, dentists
• Perception of education and what is appropriate
  questioning, nodding
• Perception of uniqueness proud or ashamed of
  heritage

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Benefits of a multi-cultural classroom

• ELLs are assets and add richness.
• Students get a taste of the real world.
• Students learn from each other.
• Friendships form in unexpected places.
• Prejudice and fear decreases.
• Opportunities for learning and growth are high.
• Think about your own experiences.

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The Big Picture

• As educators, we must be advocates for all
  students/children. We never know the
  circumstances.
• Families and personnel may have strong opinions
  about immigration, but remember that our job is
  to support, protect, and educate every student.

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How to not get overworked

• It would be difficult to research every culture
  and language that is represented in your
  classroom, but the more you know about the
  students you teach, the better off you are.
• Research the school district you plan to work in.
  Find out which cultures are represented there.
  Do some investigation about those cultures to
  avoid surprises.
• Use resources at your school and in your
  district. Talk to the foreign language teachers,
  ESL teachers, guidance counselors, other
  teachers, and administrators. Others may have
  already made valuable discoveries regarding
  certain students/subgroups.
• Working with community groups may be helpful
  (volunteers, translators, liaisons)

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What resources do you have?

• School counselors
• School administrators
• Newcomer Center
• Transact
• ESL teacher, ESL district office
• Foreign language teachers at your school
• Parent volunteers
• Other teachers

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• What are the three most important things you
  learned from this Power Point? Come ready to
  share.