Multicultural

Education Issues and Perspectives Seventh Edition James A. Banks and Cherry A. McGee Banks
Chapter 12 Review: Language Diversity and Schooling 1) What did you learn about immigrant students and their schooling in this chapter? I must confess that as a Spanish teacher, this chapter is the one I am most interested in and consequently I feel I have more background knowledge than other chapters. I knew a lot about immigrates already, but I found the progression interesting. I knew that early 1900s brought a lot of European immigrants, and I also knew that Italians and Irish had a hard time being accepted by those born here. I also know that there currently is a pro-English, anti-other-culture mentality right now. What I found interested is that this author claimed that the hardest periods for immigrants were also the periods when the most immigrants came to the USA. I would not have made this correlation. I also found the progression of laws/court rulings on ELL fascinating. I am more in tune with the methods of language instruction, but I had little knowledge about court rulings. I was proud to read Johnson was pro-language but I wonder why the program didnt deem one way was right. I liked that he allowed the exploration of methods, and multitude of language teaching methods can be attributed to this. I was not shocked that Bushs mentality was pro-English, as this is really the first president I remember and I have seen the ripple affects of his presidency. 2) In what ways are the challenges facing English language learners, African American students, and indigenous students in school similar and different? ELL students have similar difficulties in school to that of African Americans and indigenous students. First off, their primary language is not the dominant one in society and is viewed in a negative light. These students not only have to comprehend material in their own language, but often need to learn Standard English (as its the one associated with the academic world). While not due to the same causes, all groups tend to have lower test scores and higher drop out rates than their White counterparts. 3) What support is provided for English language learners in a local school, and how are these decisions made? Interview school staff and document their responses to these questions. Out of the last two schools I worked at, ELL students were submersed. When asking my current principal, he says the reason these students are in regular classrooms is because by the time theyve reached the high school level the students have acquired enough English skills that it is not an issue. The two ELL students I have now speak Spanish at home, and I find that the boy is the most reluctant to speak Spanish in class out of all my students. He would MUCH rather be speaking English. As for my previous school, I had an exchange student in my class from China. She was placed in my room because she asked to be, and she had a personal investment in Spanish. Everyone in her family spoke at least 3 languages, and she wanted to do the same. She did not receive any additional support from me or other teachers, but this may be because she was one of my hardest working students. Elizabeth Wood February 2013

When I was still in high school, we had a young boy from Cambodia come to school a month or so in. I vividly remember him being secluded from the other kids, being sat at a computer with headphones and repeating vocabulary activities. As we got older, he proved to have a higher level of vocabulary than most of our peers but its obvious that that seclusion and shock of being secluded in a new culture has negatively affected his life. 4) You are in charge of designing the best possible program in your school for ELL. What features would be part of this program? Why? What aspects of language and language learning would be useful for mainstream teachers to know? How can they incorporate this knowledge when teaching their subject matter? I think the best program for ELL students is one that will cover diverse curriculum topics in classes like English, Social Studies, and History. I think this is important because if only the White mans lessons are presented, those students will not be getting what they need. If content is centered on their own culture, students will feel ostracized. Its better to cover a variety of groups, because it better reflects the true melting pot that the USA is. Its also better to assume the motto its different. Do not use or encourage its gay or thats so stupid, but rather its different from what I/you are used to. I think its important for teachers to know the main differences between submersion and transitional/maintenance bilingual education. Its important for teachers to know why each student is receiving each program. For example, foreign exchange students are submerged because its all about getting as much exposure and real experience as possible. These students also signed up for that experience. Younger children however did not choose the challenge presented, and will often get frustrated easier. Teachers should also learn about cultural differences. For example, Asian cultures tend to be quieter and have a hard time looking people of respect in the eyes. As Americans, most teachers would think that something is wrong with a child if s/he is being quiet or avoiding eye contact. Research has also shown that forgetfulness is a language/culture thing. For example, in Spanish if something is forgotten that something forgets itself. In English, I am the one forgetting that object. Therefore, that forgetfulness is a little more prominent in Hispanics. If a teacher has an ELL student, the things that I have found that help are: - Speak slightly slower. Not too much to sound bizarre, but slow down speech so they have more time to process it. - Use a lot of gestures and images to relay meaning. - If an ELL student is having a hard time understanding, and youre second explanation doesnt go well, have another student try explaining what you said. - Try to allot one on one time with that student, or pair them with a willing student.

Elizabeth Wood February 2013