Cultural Plunge
Ways to develop a cohesive academic environment. In the first step of making a student feel comfortable in my classroom no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexuality, I would first make sure I get to know my students and their backgrounds. I will then create strong relationships and bonds which each of my students so that they feel welcomed, comfortable, and accepted in my classroom. It is important for teachers to encourage students that everyone is the same and still human no matter their race, gender, religion, and etc. I will always make sure that my students are interacting which each other by doing group work and having discussion with one another so they can be united as one. I want my students to be
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able to get out of their comfort zone and work with students in the classroom that may have different beliefs than them or a different race than them. Bridging cultural divide beginning with me.
I do believe that to stop the cultural divide it will begin with me being the teacher. If my students see that I am treating other students different based on who they are or I am allowing students to feel uncomfortable, then they wouldn’t want to work together to look past those differences as well. I have to be the model for my students for them to understand that it is important for us not be separated and to accept people for who they are. If students see that I am interacting with someone in another culture, then they will start to do so as well and they wouldn’t see anything wrong with it interacting with others. For example, if my students are seeing me interacting with a student who is white with me being black, then other students in the classroom that are colored will see that their is nothing wrong with interacting with people who are a different race than …show more content…
you. Word Count: 324 Assessing Learners Purpose of assessments. The purpose of assessment is to collect information or evidence on learners and making judgments about the results (Hall, 2014). The information on an assessment comes from what was being taught in the classroom or from an activity. The results can be used to monitor a student’s progress, establish a level of the student’s knowledge, compare student’s results, and etc. Assessments that were easy.
Many times, summative assessments have been very easy. Some summative assessments occur at the end of a work unit. It has always been easy for me to pass a summative assessment if I became very knowledgeable in the topic after reading and completing assignments during the lesson I am being assessed on. It was the fact that I knew the information and I was able to practice what I learned by completing assignments that made it easy for me. It was also my interest in the topic that was being tested.
The setup of assessments. The way a teacher set up an assessment can make a student seem more knowledgeable than what they truly are. For example, if a teacher gives a multiple choice test, then a student can make a guess on all of the answers and end up getting the answers correct without really knowing the information. The results may appear that they were knowledge about the subject, but in reality, they really didn’t know anything about the information on the
assessment. Being too hard on a learner. I don’t think a educator can be too hard on a learner if they are making them do more work on a test. Like I stated in the last paragraph, if a student is taking a multiple choice test, then they are able to guess on the answers. If they are taking a fill in the blank test, they are able to critically think about the answer. A fill in the blank test will allow the teacher to see if the student was truly knowledgeable on the subject. It gives best results on how students may need improvement. Comparing assessments. Out of all of the assessments, I think diagnostic assessments are the best for measuring student’s progress. I like how they can be used to determine which areas and subjects that students need extra assistance so they can make improvement. It gives teacher a overview of where they need to aim in their focus on and how they need to teach students to help them to succeed. Word Count: 414
...Teaching acceptance and diversity of different ethnicity is one of the key components that can be taught in our school systems today. Here in America we have many different ethnic groups and races, we are one big melting pot. During school these differences should be embraced in a positive manner and a proper learning experience. Diversity is often mistaken for the word division, and sometimes people teach that diversity is division. Diversity should be taught in a way that brings people together, not divide people into groups. Like Konig said, “I hadn’t really given much thought to the ethnic and national backgrounds of Sarah’s classmates. I can guarantee that Sarah, being two and a half gave the subject absolutely no thought.” (51) We can take a few lessons from Konigs daughter and learn to not give the subject any thought, and just accept people for who they are.
Similar to the intervention mentioned in the article, I would actually make time and learn not only the students’ name, but also get to know a bit more about them as a person. I would definitely be aware of these situations since I know how big of an impact it is in someone’s identity and well-being. There are many ways that educators can establish positive ethnic and linguistic identities in the students’ surroundings. One of them is by asking teachers to create an international week, wherein there would be different programs everyday for the rest of the week that has to do with students’ culture. In one day, students can dress up according to their culture, and then another day can be an international potluck day, where students bring their favorite cultural dish and share it to class, another one is performing a talent that has to do with their culture, and so on. Things like these will make students be aware of the different cultures that surround them, and learn about how other cultures exist, not just their own. Furthermore, just like previous reading we had about Sleeter (2013), students who embrace both their culture and the dominant culture do better than student who do not. In addition, students perform better academically when the topic can be related to their personal situations or experiences, and I believe teaching students in a multicultural way will be best for all of the students. Above all these, students will understand that everyone is equal, and everyone has their own abilities and talents, no matter how you look like, the way you speak, or where you came from, everyone is entitled to be whoever they want to be, without having to adjust and shift one’s beliefs from their
The first step towards addressing the racial achievement gap begins with educators addressing his or her individual racial attitudes for, as the authors purport, “As we become personally aware of our own racialized existence, we can more deeply understand the racial experiences of others” (Singleton, Linton, 2006). In all honesty, I think Singleton and Linton hit the bull’s eye by suggesting that the first step towards initiating culturally relevant teaching is for the teacher to really examine his or her attitudes, values, and principles.
When the majority of teachers in America are White, middle class women who only speak English in a country were students are starting to come from a multitude of backgrounds it is no wonder problems are arising. As more people from different cultures and religions immigrate to the United States the average classroom is losing the cultural uniformity it had in the past. Though the faces in classrooms are steadily changing many teachers have not been able to adjust as quickly to the ever growing diversity taking place. One would expect for teachers to still be able to teach students effectively whether they share a similar background or not, but in actuality cultural conflicts between teachers and students are only getting worse. Especially when
“An array of knowledges, skills, abilities and contacts possessed and used by Communities of Color to survive and resist racism and other forms of oppression” encompasses the main idea of Community Cultural Wealth. It is vital to understand that students will step foot into the classroom with a variety of cultures zipped up in their backpacks, and it is our job as educators to make sure that equality is instilled/taught in our classrooms. The second a student feels a sense of discrimination, whether from ourselves or their fellow classmate(s), is when the safe and comforting environment of the classroom begins to diminish. Here I will discuss just how important it is to see the differences amongst students as an advantage
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.
Effective practices such as INCLUDE, allows teachers to accommodate more diversity in their classrooms. When teachers have the mindset of accommodating their classrooms, they reduce the need for making more individualized adaptations, unless necessary for particular students. The most important aspects to maintaining an orderly and effective classroom environment are organization, grouping, instructional materials, and strategies to promote successful students.
In my class, we respect ourselves and take care of one another. I will encourage my students to try their personal best in every situation they find themselves in. I will remind students that your personal best effort does not look like your neighbors. I will structure my classroom environment so students can easily collaborate and form positive relationships with one another. The structure of my classroom environment will be full of warmth, patience, and humor creating an environment that is welcoming, safe, and fun for my students. We will look out for another and help one another reach our fullest potential individually, academically, and socially.
We need to be aware of the diversity in the classroom. Cultural diversity includes: bi-racial, adoptive, immigrant, gay, and step-families. It is a large majority of the students today even in my generation. Focusing on making a balanced curriculum that exposes the students to all of these different backgrounds is very important. I know that it is likely that a teacher will not be able to cater to every student, but it is important to involve each of them. There is a large percentage of students that have dropped out due to the lack of having a connection with the curriculum. It is frustrating that we are lacking progress in our schools to help these children connect when studies show that each cultural group will soon be equal in numbers. We need to form a better
I will always use different learning styles. Also, I will not “favorite” a certain race or ethnicity. I will involve my students in creating a diverse classroom by them always questioning, “Is this fair?” “Should we judge based off of race or language?” In my classroom, my students will be challenged to do one of two tasks. The first task will be to research the different races, ethnicities, religions, language, or social class and why it is important to represent diversity or acceptance. The second task will be to research the different issues in schools when diversity was not represented in a classroom. The students will be given the resources to complete one of the following tasks each week. The resources will include books and several websites. It is important for students to understand the different cultures within the United States. By the students understanding the many different cultures could help them be more accepting and not judge a person based on their race, language, religion, or any other culture identification. Diversity in a classroom is important. Both teachers and students should value and respect the different cultures. A teacher should represent positivity towards the diversity in the classroom. Teachers are role models for their students and they should not in any shape or form not accept a student because of their race, gender, nationality, or language. In my
For this cultural plunge assignment, I attended the Choma Food Festival hosted by the African Student Association here on campus under the Office of Multicultural Affairs. This event interested me because I have always been fascinated with the African culture, as in wanted to know more about it, but I was not able to fully discover what all it entailed. I feel as the African Culture is part of my heritage that I am most unfamiliar with. African culture is very different from the American culture, so even though I am African American, there is so much to learn about the aspect of African culture alone. People of African descent have a rich culture and I am glad that I attended the event, because it was like discovering a portion of my ancestral background that I wasn’t aware of.
Diversity includes not only the student’s abilities, but also their learning styles and cultural backgrounds. In addition, the teacher’s educational philosophy, which is comprised of their own values, beliefs, cultural and socioeconomic background, are factors in how the diversity of the classroom is perceived and addressed. Research by Khan, Lindstrom, & Murray, stated that, “teachers’ beliefs about diversity and their varying levels of cultural competence can positively or negatively influence their ability to effectively work with culturally diverse students” (2014, p.55). When educators are aware of these differences, they are able to appropriately plan, modify and conduct meaningful
Referred to as “assessment of learning,” (Chappuis, J., Stiggins, Chappuis, S., & Arter, 2012, pg. 5) components of summative learning include evaluating, measuring, and making judgements about student knowledge, both on individual levels and group levels. Rather than supporting learning by way of formative assessment, summative assessment verifies learning, (Chappuis, J., Stiggins, Chappuis, S., Arter, 2012). Naturally, this is what interests educational stakeholders: administrators, parents, teachers, and those who create educational policies. (Chappuis, J., Stiggins, Chappuis, S., & Arter, 2012, pg. 5). Summative assessment historically and presently presents itself in the form of graded quizzes, tests, graded papers and presentations, district benchmark tests, state standardized tests, and college entrance
I’m a firm believer in maximizing the educational experience through effective classroom design to maintain conflict prevention, increasing time on task and being an added tool for content material; but now I also believe effective classroom design can be used effectively to build a inclusive arena for students to learn in. By consciously focusing on improving the inclusiveness of culture into my design of the classroom, student’s can develop a stronger link to the classroom and school community. This can allow students who may have felt culturally excluded from their environment to develop a stronger connection to their learning and improve their performance not only as academic learners but as members of their school
There are a lot of different cultures in the world we live in today. Finding the place you belong and discovering your own culture can be a challenge. This is especially true when you look at culture as an individual versus culture in your family, or even within your community. I’ve always been very family oriented, so that plays a big part in who I am and how my family’s dynamic works. I believe that my family has had a huge impact on the development of my culture, and I hope that I have had the same impact on theirs.