English Learners

EESL 650 University of Alabama at Birmingham Summer-2010

Pieces of the PuzzleAre You Culturally Responsive?

Rodney Ragland & Lari Valtierra

Objectives

• The learner will be able to:– Define culture and the role it plays in

the classroom with colleagues. – Discuss the impact of culture on

ELL’s comprehension with colleagues– Identify ways to become more

culturally responsive in his/her teaching with grade-level teams.

THINK – PAIR – SHARE

What do you know about

Culture?

What is culture?

• Culture is a set of common beliefs and values shared by a group of people and that binds them together in a society.

• All people are members of at least one culture.

• The norms of a culture define roles and provide a framework that makes people’s behavior predictable and understandable to one another.

Jameson (1998)

www.indoindians.com/.../misc/iceberg_culture.gif

Goals of Second Language or Multicultural Education

1. Teach ELLs to understand US culture.

2. Help ELLs achieve a personal accommodation between their two cultures.

3. Teach ALL students to value language and cultural diversity.

4. Equitably educate diverse learners.

Jameson (1998)

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

1. Acknowledge students’ differences as well as their commonalities

2. Validate students’ cultural identity in classroom practices & instructional materials

3. Educate students about the diversity of the world around them

4. Promote equity and mutual respect among students5. Assess students’ ability & achievements validly6. Foster a positive interrelationship among students,

their families, the community, and school7. Motivate students to become active participants in

their learning8. Encourage students to think critically9. Challenge students to strive for excellence as defined by

their potential10. Assist students in becoming socially and politically

consciousRichards, Brown, and Ford (2004)

Group Discussion

The Alamo

How do you teach? Are you

culturally responsive?

How can I be culturally responsive?

Be conscious of choice of language

Be conscious of images presented

Engage in critical & reflexive thinking

Learn history & culture of ELLs

Collaborate with & visit teachers who

are culturally responsive

Gay’s (2000) principles of culturally responsive pedagogy

Prior Knowledge

How does culture affect

comprehension in the classroom?

Jean et André

Jean et André sont frères. Jean est l’aîné. Les deux vont au lycée qui se trouve à moins de cinq kilomètres de leur maison à Paris. Bien qu’il y ait une différence d’âge dr trois ans entre les deux frères, leurs niveaux scolaires ne sont séparés que par deux années. André est en sixième.

En quelle classe est Jean?Jameson (1998)

Jean and Andre

Jean and Andre are brothers. Jean is older. The two go to a school which is located less than five kilometers from their home in Paris. Although there is a difference in age of three years between the two brothers, their grade levels are only two years apart. Andre is in sixth grade.

What grade is Jean in? Jameson (1998)

Educational SystemU.S. vs. France

United States France

GRADE LEVELS

6 67 58 49 3

10 211 112 terminal

Jameson (1998)

Always Remember:

“Culturally diverse students are

empowered or disabled as a direct result of

their interactions with educators in schools.”

-Jim Cummins

References

• Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Teacher’s College Press.

• Jameson, J.H. (1998). Enriching content classes for secondary ESOL students (National Edition). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics and Delta Systems.

• Kersaint, Gladis, Denisse R Thompson, Mariana Petkova. (2008). Teaching mathematics to English language learners. Routledge.

• Richards, H. V., Brown, A. F., and Forde, T.B. (2004). Addressing diversity in schools: Culturally responsive pedagogy. Tempe, AZ: National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems. Retrieved 12 July, 2010, from www.nccrest.org/Briefs/Diversity_Brief.pdf.