Results
Methodological Dimension
Qualitative. The most prominent evaluation method in the literature on CRP in early education was qualitative methods including interviews, observations, and case studies (i.e., analysis of a small number of teachers’ journal and notes, in-depth interviews). The purpose of conducting these methods was mostly to evaluate teachers’ preparedness and self-efficacy, learning environments (e.g., classroom environment and teacher practices), and child development.
Teacher Evaluation. Some scholars conducted case studies to gain in-depth insights on teaching practices and teachers’ readiness. Brown & Lee (2012) conducted a case study of three preschool teachers who were recruited based on the recommendations by district
…show more content…
Observation methodology was widely used to evaluate the learning environment. (Durden et al., 2015) observed classrooms to measure how culturally responsive the learning environment is and how well students respond to CRP. During the observations, the authors examined teacher-child, peer-peer interactions, and nonverbal communications that represent culturally relevant teaching and learning. The observation was based on the Anti-Bias Checklist (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010) and the principles of CRP (Ladson-Billings, 1994). The checklist is not available online, however, the Teaching Research Institute at the Western Oregon University (2015) offers an anti-bias classroom observation checklist for environmental evaluation that has been adapted from the Derman-Sparks’ and Edwards’ …show more content…
Although this checklist does not focus solely on cultural diversity, the questions provide a framework that researchers and educators need to focus on when evaluating culturally responsive classroom environment.
In addition to the classroom observation, a cultural event, called “Family nights,” was observed by the researchers to examine how teachers interact with children and their families. The overall observational field notes were analyzed to first identify teachers’ beliefs on CRP and their culturally relevant practices. Then, the authors developed patterns to create a connection between CRP and children’s sociocultural development. To date, most of the qualitative studies were teacher-oriented, even though the goal of CRP is to improve children’s sociocultural and learning
Gloria Ladson-Billings supports this idea in her essay titled “’Yes, But How Do We Do it?’ Practicing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy” and also expands upon its importance by adding the insight of how teachers think about the social contexts, the students, the curriculum, and about instruction, all impact the students because how teachers regards these contexts get woven into their pedagogy, which create the very classrooms for learning.
These principles include suggestions for dealing with their implications such as the use of multiple methods to convey information, providing explicit instruction in academic language, incorporating primary language supports, making expectations clear, and using testing accommodations when appropriate (2010). Characteristics of culturally responsive instruction include high expectations, positive relationships with families and communities, cultural sensitivity, active teaching methods, student control of portions of the lesson, and instruction around groups and pairs to create low anxiety (2010).
The event that I attended for the interpreter observation requirement was an event that occurred in the classroom and took place in order to provide interpretation for a guest speaker, Richard McGann, who was Deaf and blind. The event was held at the University of Pittsburgh during the Intro to Interpreting American Sign Language-English class taught by Jessica Adams on Tuesday, November 10th at 5:30PM and the interpreted lecture took place in a typical classroom located on the third floor of the Cathedral of Learning. The classroom used for the guest lecture was the same room that the class meets at regularly, so there had been no special modifications made in order to accommodate the
The first few years of a young child’s life, from birth to four years old, are very critical to his/her overall development, due to most of the time, teacher professionals are individuals who play the key and an active role in their early childhood development are teacher professionals who have a passion and a genuine desire to help them learn, grow and succeed in their education. These are just a few roles that early childhood educators plays in the field of early childhood education for working with young children in their early childhood years of life, which the requirements, most of the time, are to have both a formal education and passing teacher-certification score.
The Child Development Center of College of San Mateo provides early care and educational programs for children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Children are divided into classrooms with a “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two or three “associate” teachers. Klara attended Classroom, “A,” a stimulating and well-resourced classroom. Klara was observed for two hours on Monday from 9 am to 11 am and for two hours on Wednesday from 9 am to 11 am. During these two hours, classroom activities consisted of “free time,” “story time,” and an outside “play time.” A “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two “associate” teachers were present during observations. Additionally, a total of eighteen children were in attendance during the observed days.
“Educational practice is necessarily based on the assumption that students are willing to engage in educational activities that they will lend their cooperation and support to the process in their education. Students who do not offer such cooperation, who are unmotivated, present significant challenges” (Williams and Ivey, 2001, 75). High school school-children show the most trouble with cooperation and motivation; they only have a few more years of schooling and for some pupils that is the end of their education. That was one of the main reasons why I wanted to observe a high school classroom; the other main reason is because I have actually considered teaching high school grades. I observed Ms. Edith Stone and her Algebra II mathematics classroom.
As an early childhood educator, this course has develop a deepen my understanding of my own practice, become familiar with contemporary theory and research, highlight the importance of continuing professional development and improve the necessary skills, knowledge and approaches to achieve the best outcomes for my
Many teachers are not satisfied with the Professional Development programs they attended, many found that the programs open their cultural awareness but were unsuccessful in educating them how to implement cultural strategies in their classroom (Lew & Nelson, 2016; Turner, 2007).On the contrary a more recent study, the teachers who had attended the Professional Development had participated in the familiarity of culturally responsive teaching, the frequency of using culturally responsive teaching strategies and comfort with and concerns about culturally responsive teaching. The teachers rated the importance of culturally responsive teaching very high after the workshop ( Mckoy, MacLeod, Walter & Nolker,
In 1995, Delpit published Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. Although the excerpt analyzed in this paper is from a larger work, it was written by Delpit (1995) as a self-contained speech. This excerpt includes many of the concepts Delpit believes to be the basic cultural conflicts in the classroom, which are stereotyping, child-deficit assumptions and student isolation and invisibility. Delpit's goal is to "remove the dynamic of oppression that are inherent in any classroom…that come together when (primarily white) teachers spend time with 'other people's children'" (Delpit, 1995, pg.69). Through Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom, Delpit lays the foundation for multicultural education and details ways teachers can solve the inherent problems that arise as a result of many cultures interacting in the classroom. The purpose of this paper is an analysis of this text through an analytic, interpretive and normative reading.
Developmentally appropriate practice provides a framework of promoting quality in early childhood education programs. It Developmentally appropriate practice are used to help create a program that is acceptable for the age and development of young groups of children with also considering the individual need of each child. When programs use developmentally appropriate practice they should help develop the domains of development. These domains are all connected, a child’s development in one domain impacts what takes place in another domain.
...l Analysis. The researchers coded the data looking for patterns to define categories which is a qualitative in design. The interviews which are also qualitative, were audiotaped and used by the researchers to clarify the teachers’ beliefs, refine classroom observation data, and used to establish a hypothesis and research question used by Fischer-Mueller & Zeidler (2002). The role of the researchers during the interviews is to actively engage the teachers but not illicit a desired response. The interviewer is to question the teachers in order to clarify questions which arose from the observations and further probe the teachers in their beliefs and classroom practices.
The article, “Action research in early childhood education” found in Eric Digest, informs teachers how to become professionally developed and how to improve a student’s learning by having the teacher overview their work, and make changes in their work if needed. Katz, L. (n.d.). Another Look at What Young Children Should Be Learning. Eric Digest. The Electronic Version.
The school that I visited was new. It was the first year of the school opening. The school board had combined two schools into one, so the students had to adjust to their new environments and new individuals. They seemed to be getting along well with each other. Since the school is new the teacher has to adjust to new problems that araise. Times for the subjects and times for using the computer labs change. So the teacher must always be fixable for anything. In this observation of this classroom I learned about the enjoyment of teaching. How you have to adapt to each of the students.
The students that I observed in the classroom were of middle to high school. I went to see 8th, freshman, 10th , and seniors classes, they seemed excited and very curious to why I was there. The middle school was more alive and rambunctious while I observed them. The High school kids were more relaxed, more comical. Some were paying attention while others seemed tuned out to the lecture or involved in socialization with friends within the class. By the end of the class Mr. Hasgil had restored the attention of everyone by using tactics such as history jeopardy with candy as the prize with the high school kids. In both he middle school and high school the kids were mostly Caucasian with a mixture of black, Asian , and Hispanic in the classes.
I attended a second grade class at Smallville Elementary on February 22, 2014; the class began promptly at 0855. There are 26 children in this second grade class. There are 15 male students and 11 female students. The student diversity is 2 Hispanics, 1 African-American, 1 East Indian, and 1 New Zealander (White but with an extreme accent). Three children were left-handed.