The Australian Curriculum is futures oriented. The overarching objective is to equip students with 21st century skills and a quest for lifelong learning (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2012, pp. 4, 5, 28). The challenge for teachers working at the crossroads of these varying discourses in the classroom is to translate the curriculum in a manner that places each student at the centre of teaching and learning in a encouraging and intellectually challenging manner. This paper will compare and contrast these various discourses within the Middle Years (Years 7 – 9) and Senior Years (Years 10 – 12) contexts.…
The articles, “Multiculturalism”, “Culturally Conscientious Classroom”, “Why do we teach?”, and “Multiple Intelligences” all identify the different groups of students in an American classroom. Students vary according to their ethnicities, abilities/disabilities, and intelligences. First, teachers must construct an environment and utilize teaching strategies that engage all students. Teachers can begin this construction process by following the five dimensions of multicultural education. For instance, teachers need to integrate content, construct knowledge, encourage equality, reduce prejudice, and empower school culture.…
Other culturally responsive teaching methods would include student-centered instruction, culturally mediated instruction, reshaping the curriculum by utilizing non-textbook resources, offer learning…
Culturally Relevant Learning Experience After watching the video, “Why Kids Hate School” where Nikhil Goyal speaks of the difficulties his subject, Nick Perez, experienced in high school, it is clear that school is a place where each learner must change to fit the mold created for them by the governing education system, rather than the system conforming to meet the cultural differences of the students it serves (TEDxYouth, 2012). In order to understand what this means for Nick Perez, or any other student is a similar system, we must discuss, first, the definition of cultural relevance and what it means in the context of the public school system. As, Ladson-Billings, describes in his article, “But that’s just good teaching,” (1995), the…
For decades, the United States has been described as a “melting pot” of different cultures. As the population of the United States increases, factors such socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic diversity continue to grow as well. Multiculturalism can be seen in all aspects of life, including university education. With increasing minority populations at colleges across the nation, an education in diversity becomes more important. Promoting an education in diversity in university life and cultural courses not only discourages students from developing disrespectful preconceptions but also prepares them for the diverse environment of the modern workplace.…
This paper discusses assessing diverse learners. My emphasis is on English Language Learners. It gives clear ideas who are they and how fast ELL students are growing in the United States. There is a concern about fairness in assessment for ELL students if we are going to compare it to other children. In spite of the fact there are lots of issues, how to teach them and how they respond to the assessment is extremely critical to their academic success…
Read Chapter 4" Collaboration with Families" and Chapter 5 "Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Issues in Education". Respond to the following: Q 1 | Why is it so important for teachers to understand culturally relevant pedagogy? Culturally relevant pedagogy promotes cultural acceptance and awareness in the classroom environment. It is effective in supporting the student(s) cultural identity and helps the student(s) develop perspectives that challenge inequalities in schools and society.…
empowers a student,s identity in order to facilitate a change. Culturally relevant pedagogy is a term that is used to describe an approach of teaching where the teacher makes connections between students’ home culture and the school cultural life, while still complying with the curriculum requirements of the state and school. Also described as “the pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” (learnnc.org, p. 1).…
“82 percent of the approximate 3 and one half million school teachers are non-Hispanic white. 7 percent of teachers are non-Hispanic African American with the remaining 8 percent being Hispanic.” (Maxwell, 2014) In addition, 74 percent are female. Maxwell in his article, U.S. Schools Enrollment Hits Majority-Minority Milestone; claimed that “the lack of diversity among students creates cultural divides between students and teachers.…
Ladson-Billings writes that culturally relevant teaching is much more in depth than just adapting school culture to the culture of the students. In reality, it can also be used to help the students understand their own culture and to help them interpret and conceptualize knowledge (Ladson-Billings, 1992). For this to work and be effective, minority cultures must be acknowledged as a vital strength and asset instead of just adapting the white Caucasian to fit the needs of all minorities (Ladson-Billings, 1992). Teachers must also recognize that culturally relevant teaching addresses the needs of minorities as a whole instead of individual empowerment (Ladson-Billings,…
Culturally responsive teaching, for me, is teaching with my students’ cultures in mind. It is not about teaching a specific culture, which is a big no-no in an American classroom, but about acknowledging the various cultures students from different racial or ethnic backgrounds bring into the classroom. Bringing culturally responsive teaching into the classroom helps inspire creativity in students in a way that it recognizes their own culture and uses it as one of their tools for learning. A teacher who appreciates and celebrates cultural diversity in the classroom motivates students to highlight very confidently their own culture in whatever assignments they are completing such as essays, projects, etc. Knowing that they are acknowledged, students…
Individuals that include teachers, administrators, and school psychologists that work in schools are a diverse group. As are the students and families in which we provide our services to. The topic of diversity in retrospect of culture is fundamental to the process, content, and outcomes of schooling. Competence of diversity and cultural differences in daily practice will address barriers to learning and promote a healthy environment in which all students can thrive. Potential barriers exist within the development of a home-school partnership with diverse families.…
At some point, students will be faced with different cultures and the more exposure to the unknown the more acceptance that will be created. However, a culturally responsive classroom is created through a school and teachers who want to make a difference in their students’…
Developing culturally competent schools is a process that begins with understanding the community, its surroundings and how it affects the students. Cultural awakening leads to better communication, acceptance and assists in developing an identity. It also expands understanding of the world. It is vital to provide inclusion of multiculturalism in our schools so that students…
ADDRESSING DIVERSITY OF LEARNING IN CLASSROOM In today’s school, many different elements of diversity present themselves. These include race, learning styles, gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs. e.t.c In order to ensure that each student in the classroom is gaining the maximum benefit, teachers have to understand and treat each student as a unique individual.…