The classroom that I am in, like many of the ones everyone else is in, is very diverse. There is not a single white student in the class. My first impression on seeing this is that I’m sure English is not the primary language for many of these students. Not being able to communicate with the student I had to work with was one of my biggest fears. Fortunately for me, Kanye*was monolingual so that was not an issue directly. However, there were student in the classroom who were much more fluent in another language then they are in English. And to my surprise it was much more then just a handful of Spanish speaking student. There were a few kids who spoke mostly Spanish at home, two that spoke Creole (they were cousins and lived together so it made sense), and one that spoke a type of Asian dialect. I had an opportunity to talk to the classroom teacher about how they go about handling such a wide range of different language barriers in one classroom. Her answer was so simple I had to just laugh. She told me the only way handle it is to just let them be themselves and that if they can let everyone else know who they are, then everyone can learn off each other. This reminded me a lot of the Goldenberg article. She allows these students to learn in the language they know best because she feels that it really will help them. This is exactly what Goldenberg talked about. By allowing a student to learn in their native language, they are able to take what they already know about things such as sentence structure, and reapply it to their lives when they being to learn English. The problem most English language learners face is that there are many teachers who try putting an end to a student’s use of their primary language in the classroom. They think that by doing so they are creating more opportunity for the student to get further with their learning of English, when in reality they are greatly hindering it.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI know that your cooperative teacher told you to just "let them be themselves", But I was wondering if your teacher incorporated their culture or language in the curriculum somehow to better their learning experience in the classroom. It is important to accept and notice these differences, but it is more important to value them! In Carlson's article, we reviewed his construction of a democratic multicultural curriculum and pedagogy. This issue hits the second step, which is involving young people in a discussion not just about "gays" but about the identity and differences of students and their culture. Discussing this vital information will lead the student's and teacher in the direction of a great learning experience, where the children understand other children differences and culture. It was very nice of your teacher to let him speak freely, although he should incorporate their culture into the curriculum. For example he could incorporate his native language into the class by learning a few phrases and referring back to them, also teaching them to the class. Perhaps it is too late for you to pass this great advise on to him, so I am positive you will use it in your classroom!
Jodi
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteThe students in your classroom appear to come from different language backgrounds. According to Theorist Claude Goldenberg, English language learning students in the United States came from over 400 different language backgrounds. Most of them were born in the United States and about 80% of their parents were born outside of the United States.
When you questioned the teacher and asked her, how does she handle these different languages in the classroom? She said simply by letting the children be themselves and if they can let everyone else know who they are, then everyone can learn off each other. This culturally competent teacher demonstrated sensitivity to the children’s linguistic differences and also encouraged social interaction as a means for setting the stage for learning. Goldenberg notes that on the average English language learners academic achievement tends to be low, so it is very important that teachers offer useful guidance and socialization experiences to help their academic success.
You mentioned that putting an end to a student’s use of their primary language in the classroom is not a good idea and may hinder them. I agree with this concept, because research has suggests that literacy and other skills and knowledge transfer across languages. That is if you learn something in one language, you either already know it in another language or can more easily learn it in another language. In addition, the transfer of reading skills across language also occurs, and the NLP (National Literacy Panel) was the latest to reach the conclusion that learning to read in the home language promotes reading achievement in the second language. Teaching students to retain their language at school and teaching students to read in their first language both promote higher levels of reading achievement in English.
-Amanda L.
Hi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI love your application of Goldenberg's theories. You've represented these concepts accurately--well done.
I wonder about your characterization of your classroom as diverse. IS it diverse, or is it segregated? I ask because you mention that there is not a single white student in the classroom. What would Kozol say?
Keep thinking on these things,
Dr. August