Standard 4.3 Diversity, Cultural Understanding, and Global Awareness.

Candidates model and facilitate the use of digital tools and resources to support diverse student
needs, enhance cultural understanding, and increase Global Learning.

The artifact that reflects mastery of standard 4.3 Diversity and Culture is the Global Learning
PowerPoint I developed for the elective course I took on Diversity. The demographics at Mt.
Carmel have changed significantly. An increased percentage of students in my classroom have
English Learner Language needs as well as learning disabilities. This resource was developed
and shared with my peers on the school shared drive. The assignment required research on
family traditions, beliefs, cultures, and norms for Hispanic students, Asian students, African
American students, and Arabic students. It is fascinating to me to see the differences and
similarities among varying cultures. What we may see as a sign of disrespect, is actually a sign
of respect in a different culture. Many African American students will not make eye contact with
an adult. Many teachers see this as a sign of disrespect, or as an evasive or sneaky maneuver.
While in fact, the student has been taught at home a different norm. It is important as teachers to
embrace the diversity and differences of our students. The level of support at home varies from
culture to culture.
The first year I taught at Mt. Carmel I had a student from Africa, Nigeria specifically. His given
name instantly became an issue upon enrollment. The name his parents had given him was of
high honor in his country of birth. In our society, it is the name for human waste. For
confidentiality reasons I am not putting the exact name into print, but it was one that made his
peers giggle and laugh as soon as they heard it. I addressed the issue with his father, and he was
highly offended. He refused to allow his child to be called by a nickname, or a shortened version
of the name. It took many conversations with this parent to portray that I was not trying to
insinuate any insult towards him or his child that my priority was in keeping this child from
being mocked or bullied. I resolved the issue by having him come into our classroom for a visit
to give him the opportunity to talk about his culture, and the honor of names in his country. He
was able to explain to the students how words can have different meanings from culture to
culture. The end result of the experience was positive.
The global learning piece I developed will serve as a resource tool for peer teachers who need
resources for incorporating culturally diverse lesson content in their classroom. Future impacts of
the assignment for myself was an increased awareness of cultural traditions and norms. I will
strive in the future to allow parents to visit my classroom to share cultural traditions. I will try to
design lessons for all of my students that are culturally relevant.
This Global Learning presentation impacted the entire staff at the school. Creating awareness
and giving them a resource to use in their classroom will increase the number of discussions
about global awareness in our school.