Today’s Multicultural, Bilingual, & Diverse Schools SPED 326 Spring 2015

Agenda Objectives The Danger of A Single Story Diversity & Single Stories Activities Looking Ahead

Cultural and Linguistic Differences: What Teachers Should Know Jot down your Initial Thoughts about the Challenge: What influence does culture have on a student’s school success? How does linguistic diversity influence classroom performance? What impact do culture and language have on a family’s involvement in school and on their child’s education?

Objectives By the end of this session, you will … Think about how your own culture, norms and values impact your interactions with diverse students and families Identify specific skills and strategies for culturally responsive teaching Discuss the challenges and importance of advocating for students from diverse backgrounds as a teacher.

The Danger of a Single Story http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en 0:10-3:00 Think-Pair-Share Reflect on Chimamanda’s story. When have you viewed a person based on a single story. What happened? What is the danger of single stories in the school context?

What is “culture” ? Definition: Culture is an interrelated and dynamic system, developed over time, and shared by a group of people. Cultures are dynamic, changing over time. Culture includes: values and beliefs behaviors and practices images and artifacts For some people, the word “culture” evokes thoughts of special holidays, certain kinds of music or literature, styles of dress, and ethnic foods. But culture is more than that: Culture is also a way of describing the combination of the various groups to which one belongs—racial, ethnic, religious, and social, among others. To be part of a culture generally entails sharing a variety of customs, attitudes, practices, values, educational expectations, and ways of relating to others. And, though many cultures share particular attributes and values, it is important to remember that major differences exist between and within them.

Why does diversity matter? Three-quarters of the world’s major conflicts have a cultural dimension. Bridging the gap between cultures is urgent and necessary for peace, stability and development. Cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only with respect to economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development 21 May From UN report Intercultural Dialogue Equitable exchange and dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based on mutual understanding and respect and the equal dignity of all cultures is the essential prerequisite for constructing social cohesion, reconciliation among peoples and peace among nations. Interreligious Dialogue UNESCO’s Interreligious Dialogue programme, an essential component of Intercultural Dialogue, aims to promote dialogue among different religions, spiritual and humanistic traditions in a world where conflicts are increasingly associated with religious belonging. Culture and Development Placing culture at the heart of development policy constitutes an essential investment in the world's future and a pre-condition to successful globalization processes that take into account the principles of cultural diversity.

Who has “culture?” Everyone. The multiple components of culture include: gender language country of origin religion neighborhood regional affiliation age socioeconomic background ethnicity racial identification sexual orientation dis/ability …and our many ways of being

Local Knowledge More examples: The way to greet people Color, eg. Green, Red Marriage Space Eye contact Can you share some examples? Holidays; polyandry, polygamy, VS monogamy

Why talk about culture? Image of the students Theory of learning Culture influences what adults assume about children and want for children. Theory of learning Culture influences how children approach learning.

How does culture impact schools and academic performance? Genetic deficit ? Cultural Deficit ? The social context of special education Cultural Difference

How does this impact special education? Disproportionate Representation Students from diverse backgrounds are disproportionally represented in special education.

Disproportionate Representation The fact is that students from so-called diverse backgrounds are disproportionately segregated. Risk ratios The largest risk ratio for students who are black is intellectual disability (2.86) (U.S. Department of Education, 2010) Percentage of students in special education in different environments by Race/Ethnicity Gifted education placement Examples (U.S. Department of Education, 2009)

Research Shows The face of America’s teachers remains homogeneous, even as the diversity of students continues to grow. As of 2008, 83% of the teaching force was white, whereas 41% of students were from non-white backgrounds. (U.S. DOE, 2007–2008a) As of 2009, the majority of students in some states were racially or ethnically diverse: California (73%), New Mexico (75%), and Texas (67%), whereas more than half of the teachers in those states were white. (U.S. DOE, 2012) Prospective teachers from European-American backgrounds saw themselves as “normal” and believed that students from diverse backgrounds needed to be knowledgeable and accepting of the beliefs held by the dominant culture. They did not identify a connection between diversity and learning. (Milner, 2005)

Cultural Responsiveness Cultural competence To become culturally responsive, teachers should engage in an ongoing process of: Understanding that culture has a role in education Actively learning about students’ cultures and communities Learning about the beliefs and values of a variety of cultures, whether or not those cultures are represented in the class Broadening their awareness and gaining insight into issues facing diverse students, families, and communities Cultural competence refers to an ability to learn from and respectfully relate to other cultural backgrounds, heritages, and traditions. It comes from acknowledging and understanding one’s own culture and values while respecting those of others. Teachers—most of who come from white middle-class backgrounds and who often do not reflect the diversity of their students—work hard to provide meaningful and effective instruction. However, it is often the case that unperceived cultural differences in the classroom lead teachers to choose instructional methods that may conflict with the needs of their students. Cultural perceptions about disabilities may also vary between and within cultures. Disabilities may be viewed in a variety of ways, for example as: A condition to be corrected A natural personal characteristic A reflection of an individual’s differences for which adaptations and accommodations should be made Something that brings shame or pity to families A spiritual gift or blessing Cultural Connection Mr. Bennett understands that if his students are to learn the required curriculum, he must teach them the supporting vocabulary. This year, his students will be using words such as similar, congruent, compare, and contrast. As he thinks about ways to get this information across to his students, Mr. Bennett recalls that Navajo rugs are decorated with patterns that illustrate the concepts he is teaching. He decides to imbed this instruction into his lessons as a means both of teaching his students their vocabulary words and introducing them to Navajo culture.

How does linguistic diversity influence classroom performance? Language Acquisition Second language proficiency develops incrementally, somewhat like first language development. Teachers who have an understanding of the developmental language stages are more likely to be able to provide appropriate and differentiated instruction to English learners. See the table below for an overview of the stages of second language acquisition. Example: to support language learners in a science class from Pearl Example: to support language learners in a science class

Culturally Responsive Instruction Challenges school cultures unintentionally endorse specific values belonging to the dominant culture while failing to consider the values of other cultures. Inequities in school practices, along with stereotypes, can erode students’ strengths, lessen their motivation, and compromise their educational outcomes. When students struggle academically, teachers often discount language as a factor.

What can teachers do? Including curriculum content about the histories, contributions, experiences, points of view, and concerns relevant to students from diverse backgrounds Providing curriculum content to students in a way that is validating and meaningful Using a number of sources in addition to textbooks to provide curriculum content Making connections between background knowledge and content standards Utilizing an array of instructional strategies (e.g., role-playing exercises, response cards) to address students’ distinct preferences Teaching students to respect their own and others’ cultural identities and differences Promoting multicultural education during instruction as well as during other school activities Using multicultural literature to teach reading and writing and to illustrate the social or cultural contributions made by various groups of people Being mindful about communication regarding to students’ linguistic diversity Collaborating with families Cultural Connection Mrs. White, a colleague of Mr. Bennett’s, feels uncomfortable when she hears students speaking in another language with their siblings or friends at school. She finds it frustrating and inappropriate because she does not know what they are saying. During a staff meeting, however, Mrs. White learns that when students are not allowed to use their native language, they are deprived of a key component of their heritage. Mrs. White decides that the next time she hears them she will try not to think of it as inappropriate.

Activity 1 To assess your own beliefs, take a moment to answer the questions below. Do I think that I know and understand a student’s abilities and level of development better than his or her parent or guardian? How accurate do I believe a parent’s report and suggestions to be? Do I believe that the parents of my students can teach their children as well as I can? How much effort do I make to learn from the parents of my students about their unique backgrounds? Do I visit the homes or communities of my students? Do I respect and put into action the views and ideas of my culturally and linguistically diverse families? Do I utilize interpreters when in conference with students’ families who are not fluent in English? Teachers might not realize that the way they interact with their students can influence family involvement. http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/clde/cresource/q3/p07/#content

Activity 2 With your group, complete the graphic organizer about your supplemental reading: Culturally Responsive Educators Activities to Become a Culturally Responsive Educator Culturally Responsive Instructional Activities Supporting Culturally Diverse Families

Activity 3 Fishbowl Directions Move to create a circle around the room The chairs in the middle will be our “fishbowl” Only the 4 people in the middle can speak. One person from each group must be represented at all times. Group members on the outside of the circle can tag “in,” but wait until their group representative has made a substantial contribution Keep discussion focused on what you learned from the textbook and supplemental readings. Outer circle may pose questions to the inner circle.

Fishbowl First topic: What are the problems in education and specifically special education around culturally and linguistic diversity? Second topic: What are some strategies that you learned to help you be a culturally responsive teacher?

Reflection In what ways do power and privilege create inequitable educational opportunities and outcomes for students from diverse backgrounds? What does this make you think about your role and responsibilities as a future educator?

Looking Ahead… Next class: Vision and Hearing Impairment Read Chapter 14 & 15