As asked in your reading packet: what are some ways that background information will serve as a practical purpose in your instruction? (p. 6)
Elem Ed majors, let us know from your perspective. Subject-secondary majors, let us know from your specific discipline. Be creative. And you know you have to keep the standards in mind...
Secondly: Time for some introspective analysis...(p.9) Where are you in the development of your cross-cultural skills? Review each item on the list and rank yourself.
Also read and share observations (if you like) on Leanna Traill's quote on p. 11.
What do you have to say about the "Hidden Curriculum?"
Please address the difference between BICS and CALP.
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In reference to the "Hidden Curriculum" topic, I thought about how the different aspects of the hidden curriculum were being applied to the class I was in, and found that one area, environment, was one that the teacher stressed. As an assignment students were to write an editorial and present it to the class as if they were a radio DJ. Each student was able to bring in their own music to play during their presentation, allowing them to promote their culture and share it with the class. This was interesting because I was able to see how the ELL kids represented their cultures using their music. The students were excited about being able to play their own music to the class, and I can tell that they felt a sesne of pride in their culture as they did so. I think that the way the teacher was able to incoporate culture and music into an otherwise mundane writing assignment is an exemplery example of how the hidden curriculum can make ELL students feel at home in the classroom.
I believe that acquiring background information serves many purposes in your instruction. It's important to learn how other cultures may deal with certain problems/situations as well as the different learning styles that cultures may have. Being educated in your students' backgrounds will allow you to reach out to your students in ways that are helpful, successful, and meaningful as opposed to those who don't even have a clue as to where a student's country of origin is even located. Being able to relate to a student's culture and understanding what they are going through, will put the students' minds at ease. The students will feel comfortable in this type of learning environment because they will most likely not be afraid to want to learn or to answer questions or to simply make comments on the lessons being presented. Having knowledge of a student's background info. may also prevent discrimination. If everyone was educated about how life may be difficult for people in other countries and if they knew all the hardships they have been through, there may be less discrimination toward other cultures.
I think gathering background information on ELL students is essential to making their educational career a pleasant and worthwhile experience. As an elementary teacher I feel you need to be aware of all the various "background areas" of your ELL students discussed in the reading packet: primary language, educational background, geographical background, personal interests/abilities/health, family situation, and culture. Lessons, activities, discussions, etc. that take place in your classroom should reflect your ELL students just as much as they do all the other students. They should relate to who they are, what they like or are interested in, and what their skill/ability levels are. ELL students should feel that they and what they bring to the classroom are important and taken into consideration. Teachers should do whatever it takes to reach ALL of the students in their class. They should not short-change students because of a language or cultural barrier. Teachers should learn about their ELL students' culture and find ways to communicate with and include them in classroom activities despite them not being able to speak English well or at all. Also, getting to know ELL students and showing interest in their background and where they come from is going to make them feel all the more welcome in a classroom. Not to mention the fact that both the teacher and the other students will learn a great deal in the process that they would not learn from reading any textbook.
The exercise we did the first day of class when we wrote down what was most important to us was a great eye opener. Many times we take things like family and friends for granted. It is important to also remember that not everyone has the same background and it is often important to do a little research to gain a little backgroung information on your students. Interestingly enough I talked to one of my cooperating teacher about this. While he was student teaching he had a student who had been sexually abused. His cooperating teacher didn't fill him in on all the details but he was at least given a heads up. He was able to do some research and found some useful tips on how to successfully get through to children with this experience. He was warned to give the child plenty of personal space and to avoid certain subjects. The same teacher is also having his students write out their own autobiographies and he is also having them create posters on the country that their families immigrated from. I think this is a great project for both the teacher and the students. The teacher gets to know more about the students and the students have a great opportunity to learn more about their heritage and background.
Being that I have only been in this particular classroom for three days, I have only noticed a few of "The Hidden Curriculum" tactics. The students' desks are arranged in 7/8 short rows. In each row the desks are pushed together. This set-up encourages a lot of interaction and lends itself well to cooperative learning. However, the teacher does not keep the students in these exact groups for all activities. She constantly moves students around. She divides them into new groups for each activity. Also, there are numerous learning centers around the room that the students can visit alone or in small groups of 3/4. I think this is great since most of the learning centers I have seen are designed for students to visit independently. The fact that these centers are so visually appealing to students also caught my attention. The classroom also has an adundance of learning materials available to the students. The materials are out in the open and the students can easily access them at their convenience.
When I read the section on gathering background info I immediatly thought of an incident that happened last summer in the preschool I teach at.There was a girl who was in our summer camp for the first time. She had been adopted from China, had only been in this country 7 months and was just 3 yrs old. She spoke very little English and had been adopted by white parents who did not speak Chinese.That was all we knew about her.We realized quickly that we would need to know more.
Whenever we served snack in the class she would "flip out" and start screaming and crying. Then at lunch time she had so much food in her lunch box, she would take everything out and gaurd it with her arms and body. If anyone came near her she would scream and cry.After 2 days of this we finally asked her mother what was going on. That was how we found out that she had been in an orphanage where they were only given 2 meals a day, mainly rice, and the older bigger kids would steal the food from the smaller younger kids. This little girl was overwhelmed by the amount and availabilty of the food when she came to this country. She traveled everywhere with tons of food but was still terrified someone was going to take it from her. We solved the problem by taping off a section of the table for just her lunch and none of the other kids were allowed to touch her food or her area of the table. Since none of the other children wanted to have her scream at them they were all more then happy to accomodate her.Its been a year now and she is no longer obbssed with food, she doesn't bring that much for lunch anymore and she can now sit near anyone without thinking they are going to steal her food.
With the background info that we received we were able to better understand her needs and fears since she wasn't able to readily communicate them to us. We were able to accomodate her and make her feel more comfortable so she could begin to trust us.
Knowing a student's background information is very important, particularly if they come from a different country or speak a different language. If a child speaks another language it is important that they get proper instruction in their native language, and not be thrown into a less challenging class. As a school, it is important to know what type of schooling the child has had before. This is to make sure that the child is up to speed, and can get extra help if necessary. If the child recently immigrated to the United States, they may be experiencing culture shock. The teacher should be aware of this so that they could deal with the situation appropriately, plan proactively, and aid the student in his/her adjustment. On Pg. 1 in Chapter 1, it states that "Effective instruction requires that we first know and understand our students, and then use these understandings to create a climate of respect, support, and expectation. If a teacher does not know the students background, this climate cannot be created. This is particularly important in Elementary Education, because that is where much of the student's knowledge comes from. It is the foundation for high school, higher education, and life. If a child's needs are ignored this would negatively affect his performance and overall education.
Gathering background information on a student ultimately becomes your best teaching strategy in a classroom. Knowing about each of your students, such as where they come from, who they are, what they believe in, their morals/values etc, helps a teacher prepare lessons that can expose all the other students to new ideas and a new welcoming mentality. As an English Secondary Education major,it is crucial for me to gather as much information from my students as possible. Many times it is best to do this the first few days of school and it is always best if your students share this information with you personally and with their classmates. This will allow the students to begin forming a bond almost immediately. This can mean that students who possibly come from the same country or have parents from opposite nationalities may start sitting together and sharing stories. When students begin sharing this bond and begin accepting the beautiful differences between each other, they begin forming a safe, yet educational classroom.
Please address the difference between BICS and CALP
The acronyms BICS and CALP refer two different distinct aspects of language skills. The acronym BICS refers to basic interpersonal communication skills. BICS mainly deal with day to day language in social settings which students use to interact with one another. ELL students often use these skills either in the playground, or on the school bus, or any other social events. Even when students communicate well with one another, this may not necessarily mean they have proficient English skills in an academic sense. The acronym CALP refers to cognitive academic language proficiency. This aspect of language addresses more the academic and formal language skills. Researchers have concluded that ELL students may acquire proficient BICS much quicker than they do CALP. It has been estimated that an average ELL student may acquire BICS within two or three years of arriving in America, but it could take up to ten years for ELL students to catch up to students whose primarily language is English (Thomas & Collier, 1995). Clearly ELL students, although they may be able to communicate with one another well, often need more time to master formal English skills. I will be sure to keep this in mind when I become a teacher. Again this addresses the importance of gaining some background on students so that we can become more efficient teachers.
Gathering background information is an essential task for any high-quality teacher. It is a way of getting to know all students in the classroom. One thing that allows children to feel safe and secure is when there cultural differences are acknowledged and respected by others. Understanding cultural differences will indeed cater for a more pleasant classroom environment. The teacher and his or her students will be given the opportunity to experience ideas and various traditions from cultures all over the world. This will also help the teacher accommodate to meet the needs of all students because all students regardless of their background need to be acknowledged and treated with equality and respect. This will allow ELL students to feel more relax and comfortable in their new learning environment.
One of the main goals of teachers is to be more than a teacher, it is to be a friend, a mentor, almost like a parent that provides with necessary tools to be a productive/healthy adult. Learning to communicate, understand and appreciate all the differences that students bring to a classroom is key factor in achieving the goals of a “good” teacher. Learning about the cultural background of students will serve teachers as the mediator to communicate effectively not only with the students but also with their families. Learning about students background will make students feel that they are valued and respected as individuals which will in turn lead to positive students-teachers relationships. Learning about students cultural background will also help teachers understand and communicate more effectively with students since certain body language expressions and behaviors are not interpreted the same by many cultures, therefore reducing the chances of miscommunication, misunderstanding and even unintentionally offending students which then will make the student-teacher relationship “ineffective”.
"The Hidden Curriculum" establishes the foundation of how children will learn in your setting. I bragged to my junior field supervisor on how great this one teacher had his class set up. I absolutely loved all his posters with funny sayings under them. He even had his ceiling blocks individually wrapped with pastel paper and on them he had quotes from all different poets. His techniques were inspiring. He wasn't afraid to quote shakespeare to 7th and 8th graders who giggled. He stayed positive and in control. He laughed,smiled, walked around and spoke to everyone in a loud and clear manner. He respected everyone's answers even if they were incorrect. He would respond in a manner that showed understanding. He'd say, "ok, I could see where you got that but what else could it be?" I loved that...If I were his student, that response would make me feel like I was close to being right so maybe I should try harder. This teacher had the right idea about the "hidden curriculum" --have any of you experienced excellent teachers like this. If so what were some of their techniques that set the tone for the class for a motivating learning environment?
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