Introduction
Developing and implementing a multicultural framework provides all students with a positive educational environment and promotes academic achievement. The use of a multicultural curriculum should include "cultural values, belief systems, and traditions that inform the production of such cultural forms" (Drader, 1997). Students from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to preserve and embrace their cultures. Education builds knowledge, therefore, students learn to accept other cultures/groups when they are able to understand other perspectives. Based on the readings and research completed for Cultural Foundations of Education, the following concepts have established a critical role in promoting a multicultural environment: praxis, …show more content…
In 1992, the parents from Flores v. Arizona alleged their children’s rights had been violated based on the EEOA due to an inadequate program of instruction for ELL students. In 2000, the district court found the program of instruction for ELL students was inadequate due to lack of resources, few qualified teachers including aides and overpopulated classrooms. The same year the ruling was made, Proposition 203, HB 2064, passed into law, requiring all education to be taught in English only. As a result, the Structured English Immersion (SEI) method was placed into effect in 2006. Students who are not proficient in English receive instruction of English Language Development (ELD) for 4 hours a day. The purpose is to achieve proficiency in one year (AZ Department of Education, 2014). However, studies on an English-only program have revealed many concerns regarding the SEI model to include isolation, no instruction in core subjects, increased dropout rates, and unrealistic timeframes (Rios-Aguilar, Gonzales-Canche, and Moll, 2010). Other concerns regarding the teaching environment were inadequate materials, methods for teaching English, and acculturation (Lillie, et. al., …show more content…
Other students in the classroom learn about diversity, acceptance, and respect of others cultures. The research supports the transferability of skills from one language to another; their native language development helps facilitate learning of a second language. Therefore, if the first and second language have similar rules to build literacy skills, such as writing conventions, text directionality, common orthographic sounds, and cognates (Moughamian, Rivera, & Francis, 2009), this approach would be beneficial for pre-emergent and emergent students. Since 85% of ELL students in Arizona are Hispanic/Latino and 73% of ELL students consider Spanish as their home language (AZ Department of Education, 2015), a comparison of the Spanish and English language would be helpful for teachers in Arizona. Both languages use the Roman alphabet and though there are more phonemes in English than in Spanish, they have similar letter-sound relationships, which help generalize phonemes that lead to phonological awareness. In addition, both languages have common roots in Greek and Latin that lead students to transfer cognates. Both languages also have similar sentence structure rules. Lastly, both languages use the same process of reading and writing to include phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, comprehension, and writing mechanics (Colorado, 2007).
Developing and implementing a multicultural framework provides all students with a positive educational environment and promotes academic achievement. The use of a multicultural curriculum should include "cultural values, belief systems, and traditions that inform the production of such cultural forms" (Drader, 1997). Students from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to preserve and embrace their cultures. Education builds knowledge, therefore, students learn to accept other cultures/groups when they are able to understand other perspectives. Based on the readings and research completed for Cultural Foundations of Education, the following concepts have established a critical role in promoting a multicultural environment: praxis, …show more content…
In 1992, the parents from Flores v. Arizona alleged their children’s rights had been violated based on the EEOA due to an inadequate program of instruction for ELL students. In 2000, the district court found the program of instruction for ELL students was inadequate due to lack of resources, few qualified teachers including aides and overpopulated classrooms. The same year the ruling was made, Proposition 203, HB 2064, passed into law, requiring all education to be taught in English only. As a result, the Structured English Immersion (SEI) method was placed into effect in 2006. Students who are not proficient in English receive instruction of English Language Development (ELD) for 4 hours a day. The purpose is to achieve proficiency in one year (AZ Department of Education, 2014). However, studies on an English-only program have revealed many concerns regarding the SEI model to include isolation, no instruction in core subjects, increased dropout rates, and unrealistic timeframes (Rios-Aguilar, Gonzales-Canche, and Moll, 2010). Other concerns regarding the teaching environment were inadequate materials, methods for teaching English, and acculturation (Lillie, et. al., …show more content…
Other students in the classroom learn about diversity, acceptance, and respect of others cultures. The research supports the transferability of skills from one language to another; their native language development helps facilitate learning of a second language. Therefore, if the first and second language have similar rules to build literacy skills, such as writing conventions, text directionality, common orthographic sounds, and cognates (Moughamian, Rivera, & Francis, 2009), this approach would be beneficial for pre-emergent and emergent students. Since 85% of ELL students in Arizona are Hispanic/Latino and 73% of ELL students consider Spanish as their home language (AZ Department of Education, 2015), a comparison of the Spanish and English language would be helpful for teachers in Arizona. Both languages use the Roman alphabet and though there are more phonemes in English than in Spanish, they have similar letter-sound relationships, which help generalize phonemes that lead to phonological awareness. In addition, both languages have common roots in Greek and Latin that lead students to transfer cognates. Both languages also have similar sentence structure rules. Lastly, both languages use the same process of reading and writing to include phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, comprehension, and writing mechanics (Colorado, 2007).