Diverse+Learners

=toc Diverse Learners=

Improving English Education for Diverse Learners
 “ // Of course, learning English and learning it well is absolutely essential for academic and future life success, but the assumption that one must discard one’s identity along the way needs to be challenged. There is nothing shameful in // // knowing a language other than English. In fact becoming bilingual can benefit individuals and our country in // // general.” // —Sonia Nieto, 1999

 When students are asked what the main components are that make up their cultural identity, they normally respond that __language__ and __ethnicity__ are the most important factors. When teachers acknowledge, recognize and respond positively to students' cultural background, students respond positively in the classroom in return. One of the ways teachers can create a positive environment for ELLs is to incorporate their culture and their language into everyday lessons. For example, allowing students to come up with the word of the day-- in any language. The student then must teach the class how to say the word and what it means. Also, allowing students to use their primary language in journal exercises and free writes can help them feel more comfortable with writing in general. By incorporating other languages into the classroom, both bilingual and monolingual students can benefit. Bilingual students benefit because they are placed in a less stressful environment and monolingual students benefit because they are exposed to other language and cultures. 

 Several times teachers must be the sole educators in students' lives who are struggling with English proficiency. It is very common that struggling students come from homes that the parents devote their time and energy to providing for their families and giving them the chance at a better future by sending them to an American school. At the end of the day, homework help and time spent reading becomes scarce and non-existent. Teachers must recognize that they might be the only educators/ source of support in a student's life. As teachers we cannot get discouraged or frustrated when our ELLs are not at the same level as English speaking mainstream students. It is our responsibility to teach to the students at whatever level they are at. Ultimately, we teach kids, not curriculums. The key is bringing confidence to students and their English speaking skills. Purposely pairing students allows students with different levels to help students with English barriers. Also, providing different books/lesson plans to different groups in the classroom can allow teachers to teach to the different levels of the different students in the classroom. This can be done in all content areas. For example, when teaching about Abraham Lincoln in a social students classroom, the teacher can provide chapter books, picture books, magazines, etc.

 According to a report from the US Department of Education, "new and veteran teachers alike say they do not feel very well preprared to teach effectively to the four fastest growing changing aspects of the nation’s schools—raising standards in the classroom, students with special  needs, students from diverse cultural backgrounds,and use of technology.” Moreover, the report notes that 54 percent of the teachers surveyed taught students who had limited English proficiency or were culturally diverse and that the teachers’ “feelings of preparedness did not differ by teaching experience” Children from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds must straddle two worlds, the world of home and community and the world of school. If the majority of our teachers are from the same backgrounds then this gap is not so wide; however, there is still a chasm between the diversity of educators and students. As educators we tend to teach to the world perspective that we are familiar with, which becomes dangerous when the classroom is full of culturally and ethnically diverse students.  Promoting the academic success of culturally and linguistically diverse learners means understanding various perspectives and tapping the knowledge base of each learner. It implies seeing the culture of the student as a resource for learning. It is imperative that as educators we perceive multiculturalism as more than adding a few pieces of literature written by an author of color; it means viewing the classroom as a microcosm of society and welcoming multiple perspectives as parts of the whole picture. For so many students, becoming a member of the academic community is learning a second culture. Students must learn rules and nuances for behaving, for communicating, and even for thinking. "We must recognize how the social, linguistic, and cultural networks interweave in the classroom. They form the context of learning. If we look at our classrooms—how students have the opportunity to learn as much as what they learn—then we can help our diverse learners to develop the  academic literacy they need to succeed in the academic community."

 "Teachers want to make language and cultural identity a resource for learning. In so doing, they turn to the power of language to help students invent, engage, and extend beyond perceived boundaries." There are many issues concerning culture, race, gender, and class in the classroom. Having a diverse group of students is a great opportunity to teach about toleration and understanding.

 One idea for improving English education for diverse learners is using a "Jigsaw" approach. This approach includes splitting up the students into groups and having them work on different things. After each group completes the assignment, have the groups come back together. "The structure it provides lends itself naturally to differentiating instruction. Because learning experiences can be differentiated by content based on student readiness and interests, the jigsaw technique allows students to learn from text that is matched to their interests //and// independent reading level while also learning from their peers, who have worked with text that is appropriate for them."

 Vocabulary seems to be one of the main challenges that face ELLs. By creating vocabulary exercises that can benefit the whole class, both native and non native English speakers can gain knowledge through words. Teachers can use a source-based approach wherein they work with root words that are important in English, which is basically a Germanic language, as well as in such Romance languages as Spanish, Italian, and French. These root words will be familiar to the majority of the students and students will be able to respond more confidently during lessons. For example, the word manager refers to someone that "handles things." The roots word "manus" means hand. This can also be found in words such as manual, manicure, or manufacture. The Spanish word for hand is "mano." By showing students these connections, students will begin to see how connected different languages are.

 This article discusses the basic principles for learning. Some of the main points include:  1) Being literate is at the heart of learning in every subject area. <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 2) Learning is a social act. <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 3) Learning about learning establishes a habit of inquiry important in life-long learning. <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 4) Assessing progress is part of learning. <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 5) Learning includes turning information into knowledge using multiple media. <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 6) Learning occurs in a global context. <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">

=CEE's Aspirations for English in the 21st Century= In the "Reconstructing English Education for the 21st Century: A report on the CEE Leadership and Policy Summit," English Language Arts teachers and Educators met at the Conference on English Education to rethink the subject in terms of the 21st century. As part of the report, the CEE addressed diverse learners in one of the seven main concerns. They divide the category of diverse learners into two: "linguistically diverse learners" and "culturally diverse learners." They aspire to focus on the different diverse learners’ ways of learning literacy. They also posed the following questions:

<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> "What theoretical and research-based approaches might support new and experienced teachers' development of intercultural competence and culturally relevant pedagogies? What should new and experienced teachers know about language acquisition and English language learning? about language variation and dialect? What promising practices related to cultural and linguistic diversity should English educators share with new teachers and teacher educators? What are some new directions for research in this area? How might we best communicate to policy makers and other stakeholders what we know and believe about supporting culturally and linguistically diverse learners in English education?" (Miller 269).

<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> In short, the CEE asserts a need for English teachers to come to a consensus of how best to work with "linguistically diverse learners" and "culturally diverse learners" in English education.

=English as a Second Language and English Language Learners= The ELL population has grown dramatically in the last several years, and is likely to continue with its high growth pattern due to the regular immigration of non-native speakers. This affects the classroom environment, and students who are English language learners are soon to become the norm in several schools. How are teachers going to cater to them? How are teachers going to assess their development? How will their needs be met? "Because assessment is a critical part of effective literacy instruction, it is important for classroom teachers to know how to evaluate ELLs' literacy development," but so many teachers are unprepared for such specific needs in their classrooms.

<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Several ESL students may escape notice for their proficiency in speaking because they have developed skills that deem them proficient in conversational English among their peers. While they have the ability to verbalize their thoughts, their written literacy and reading skills may be sub-par, and are only noticed when they are asked to turn in written work. When giving instruction to these students it helps to explain contextual clues and give a preview of the material about to be covered.

<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> One way to help ESL students is to explain and discuss cultural metaphors. We all use metaphors everyday in our speech; these can confuse students who are trying to learn English and get stuck at the literal meaning, rather than the metaphorical. One way to help ESL students engage with metaphors is to have them put together a collage of all the metaphors they hear in one day and then put captions as to what the metaphors mean. The student must also put together a list of metaphors in their native tongue and explain them to the class. This helps students to feel important - they are bringing something new and important to the class, and they are sharing pieces of home. Another way to help ESL students to engange with every day metaphors is to trace the origins of the metaphors. For example, "pull your leg" was commonly believed to help the suffering of someone who was hanged and was later used jokingly in text. The estmology of phrases helps ESL students to gather information about the foreign culture and the English language.

=Eight Beliefs for Supporting Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners= <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 9px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> This article addresses the concepts as well as concrete approaches to work with diverse learners. The article presents principles which comprise an overall vision for improving education for diverse learners. The mission statement is entitled "Eight Beliefs for Supporting Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners in English Education," and is reproduced below:

<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> "We believe that . ..

As part of the need to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century, an awareness and responsibility of the teachers to tailor information to diverse learners has arisen.<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 9px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
 * 1) Teachers and teacher educators must respect all learners and themselves as individuals with culturally defined identities.
 * 2) Students bring funds of knowledge to their learning communities, and, recognizing this, teachers and teacher educators must incorporate this knowledge and experience into classroom practice.
 * 3) Socially responsive and responsible teaching and learning requires an anthropologically and ethnographically informed teaching stance; teachers and teacher educators must be introduced to and routinely use the tools of practitioner/teacher research in order to ask difficult questions about their practice.
 * 4) Students have a right to a variety of educational experiences that help them make informed decisions about their role and participation in language, literacy, and life.
 * 5) Educators need to model culturally responsive and socially responsible practices for students.
 * 6) All students need to be taught mainstream power codes/discourses and become critical users of language while also having their home and street codes honored.
 * 7) Teachers and teacher educators must be willing to cross traditional personal and professional boundaries in pursuit of social justice and equity.
 * 8) Teaching is a political act, and in our preparation of future teachers and citizens, teachers and teacher educators need to be advocates for and models of social justice and equity."

<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Teachers can better assist the success of their linguistically and culturally diverse students by doing any number of the following:


 * 1) Have high expectations of their students
 * 2) Having an essentially positive learning environment
 * 3) Creating time in the classroom for students to participate in quality reading, writing and discussion
 * 4) Provide direct instruction to all students and tailor it to specific students when those individuals need more attention
 * 5) Scaffold learning in the students' zones of proximal development
 * 6) Use assessment as part of instruction and as a student learning tool

=Different Learners= We have routinely tested students in the American school system. We test all students, but then there are other tests which exist to label students or identify them. Those tests are meant to identify students as outside the realm of normal in an effort to better meet their needs. Testing is part of science, and in order to make the field of Education seem more legitimate, scientific discourse is ubiquitous. We are constantly attempting to define "normal" in our schools, and all the tests we administer to determine what is or isn't normal have implications and they send messages to our students. Let us not forget the eugenics movement, fueled by statistical data analysis, which served as justification for Hitler's Master Race. After reviewing the history of scientific data and its misuse, Jan W. Valle and David J Connor make their point, "we must be vigilant about both intended //and// unintended consequences of scientific practices."