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.