The culturally competent teacher involves and works with families and community resources , understanding the differences in families, and the important influence of family participation in the students' learning.
Building a wider school community is helpful for the students. Trying to get this altogether can benefit the students future, but it must be condoned to all parents. Being this culturally competent teacher I must reach out to all different backgrounds that the parents of these students may have and try to convince them to participate. I could address these problems by maybe getting a translator or a teacher assistant to translate what I say so that the parents can understand so they may ponder whether or not to participate.
The first little bit of education that I child receives is from their parents, whether it is intentional or not. A human being is a product of their surroundings, so before a child steps foot in a classroom they have learned some form of information from their parents or family members. I would want to have an interactive and open relationship with the parents of the students, because learning is a two way road and there is always room for input. A teacher always needs to enter each day with an open mind, open ears, and open eyes. The first step to being a good teacher is allowing room for change and input from those around you.
If I was the teacher of this class this classroom there are some challenges that I could forsee in collaborating with the parents of my students. About fifty percent of the students in the class are Hispanic. If these parents wanted to meet with me it would be difficult to properly communicate the very important information concerning their child. The fact that I am a white American who is teaching a one hundred percent Hispanic and African American class might give these parents the impression that I might not be able to properly teach these children due to my sociopolitical views or due to the culture gap between my students and I. Many parents do not think that it is important to speek to the teacher possibly because there was never an effort made in the past by a teacher to try to get the parents involved in the education of their child. The theorist that I could relate this prompt to is Lisa Delpit. Delpit was all about participation in the classroom and outside of it.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Prompt 3: Shor
The culturally competent teacher should be able to use a variety of assessment techniques appropriate to diverse learners and accommodate sociocultural differences that affect learning.
Every student learns differently. Some are visual learners. Others are auditory. Still others are tactile (touch or hands on). Others learn by various combinations. Some learn best by participation (Shor), while others by interaction (Goldenberg). This is true even within the same culture. One of the problems with standardized testing is that the tests fail to take into account these different learning styles.
In the classroom that I was tutoring in, the students would learn by just hearing the teacher, but they wouldn’t get the full effect of the assignment. So since they don’t get the full effect, the kids would need to do a hands on assignment which is related directly to Shor because he stated that kids learn best by participating.
When I would go there and help tutor the teacher would send me to help the kids who were struggling with the assignment and help them out one on one. This would help them get the gist of the activity better and also would help them get more practice.
There are many techniques that can be used in the classroom that can be used in order to get the students involved in the lesson in order to assess the progress of the students. By using a variety of audio and visual props, group and individual exercises, as well as ensuring an equal participatory atmosphere in the class, are sure methods to grab the students attention in order to get them involved in the classroom. Shor states that in order to provide a quality education for children we must get them to feel as though they need to participate. By ensuring that all voices in the classroom are heard in a participatory atmosphere, the task of properly assessing the progress of each student becomes an easier task compared to the tactics of past education in which students were expected to memorize and regurgitate information by taking test after test.
So in conclusion, Participation is key in the students being involved and letting them get the most knowledge out of school and it will help them get the best experience that they can. Also there are many techniques that teachers can use to get the students involved and participating.
Every student learns differently. Some are visual learners. Others are auditory. Still others are tactile (touch or hands on). Others learn by various combinations. Some learn best by participation (Shor), while others by interaction (Goldenberg). This is true even within the same culture. One of the problems with standardized testing is that the tests fail to take into account these different learning styles.
In the classroom that I was tutoring in, the students would learn by just hearing the teacher, but they wouldn’t get the full effect of the assignment. So since they don’t get the full effect, the kids would need to do a hands on assignment which is related directly to Shor because he stated that kids learn best by participating.
When I would go there and help tutor the teacher would send me to help the kids who were struggling with the assignment and help them out one on one. This would help them get the gist of the activity better and also would help them get more practice.
There are many techniques that can be used in the classroom that can be used in order to get the students involved in the lesson in order to assess the progress of the students. By using a variety of audio and visual props, group and individual exercises, as well as ensuring an equal participatory atmosphere in the class, are sure methods to grab the students attention in order to get them involved in the classroom. Shor states that in order to provide a quality education for children we must get them to feel as though they need to participate. By ensuring that all voices in the classroom are heard in a participatory atmosphere, the task of properly assessing the progress of each student becomes an easier task compared to the tactics of past education in which students were expected to memorize and regurgitate information by taking test after test.
So in conclusion, Participation is key in the students being involved and letting them get the most knowledge out of school and it will help them get the best experience that they can. Also there are many techniques that teachers can use to get the students involved and participating.
Prompt 2: Delpit
One of the tasks of this prompt was to describe the linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural characteristics of the students in the classroom that I am tutoring. Some the students I am tutoring are bilingual but they don’t understand either language to the max. I was able to tell who the kids were that spoke a different language at home because at times they would use their home language instead of English. I can tell that the students have picked up on both languages quickly because they are first grade students that have conversations in both languages.
The students in my class sometimes forget that they are in school and act as if they are at home with their families. The teacher tries her best to relate to everyone and their backgrounds, but it is difficult with such a wide variety of ethnicities. Each lesson is designed by the teacher so that it is fair to the whole class and universally connects everyone. The class I am in is mostly Asian and Hispanic children. The teacher speaks Spanish fluently and sometimes she even speaks Spanish to the children when they do not listen. The class that I visit every week is like a melting pot. Children come from all different cultures and backgrounds, but they are all put into one classroom where they interact and learn with each other. This sets up a future for our world where everyone understands and respects one another, regardless of race or ethnicity.
The cultural capital that they bring is great; although they come from non-wealthy backgrounds they have the knowledge to be fluent in two languages. Many middle-class children with opportunities for a better education have difficulty in learning a new language. Although this maybe requires more work for the students and teachers to teach them English it could pay off in the long run. Also when students understand both languages well, they could go on to learn a third language in the middle and high school grade levels if the opportunity is given. This is excellent for the future of these children because knowing more than one language fluently is great to put on job applications and chances are they can get a better job. Many schools and companies need translators when dealing with students or clients that aren’t fluent in English. Having someone who could do help translate will benefit schools and companies.
The theorist Lisa Delpit talked a lot about the silenced dialogue and how cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings of the rules and thus undesirable behavior. The teacher of the classroom I was in tried to make it very clear of what was expected, but with the cultural differences in the class it was very hard.
The students in my class sometimes forget that they are in school and act as if they are at home with their families. The teacher tries her best to relate to everyone and their backgrounds, but it is difficult with such a wide variety of ethnicities. Each lesson is designed by the teacher so that it is fair to the whole class and universally connects everyone. The class I am in is mostly Asian and Hispanic children. The teacher speaks Spanish fluently and sometimes she even speaks Spanish to the children when they do not listen. The class that I visit every week is like a melting pot. Children come from all different cultures and backgrounds, but they are all put into one classroom where they interact and learn with each other. This sets up a future for our world where everyone understands and respects one another, regardless of race or ethnicity.
The cultural capital that they bring is great; although they come from non-wealthy backgrounds they have the knowledge to be fluent in two languages. Many middle-class children with opportunities for a better education have difficulty in learning a new language. Although this maybe requires more work for the students and teachers to teach them English it could pay off in the long run. Also when students understand both languages well, they could go on to learn a third language in the middle and high school grade levels if the opportunity is given. This is excellent for the future of these children because knowing more than one language fluently is great to put on job applications and chances are they can get a better job. Many schools and companies need translators when dealing with students or clients that aren’t fluent in English. Having someone who could do help translate will benefit schools and companies.
The theorist Lisa Delpit talked a lot about the silenced dialogue and how cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings of the rules and thus undesirable behavior. The teacher of the classroom I was in tried to make it very clear of what was expected, but with the cultural differences in the class it was very hard.
Monday, May 3, 2010
First Prompt
In my VIPS tutoring I got placed in a school in a part of Providence that isn’t the best but isn’t the worst. En route to school I pass a part of Providence that was in the upper echelon and then I passed a part that was in the dumps. Also on my way to the school I realized that the school is right off of the main road and it isn’t in the best area possible. The school itself isn’t very new but it’s not very old and everything is very modern. The classrooms are all in great condition and it is kept extremely clean and tidy. The building is very large and the surroundings consist of an all pavement courtyard, and a little playground. The classroom is very spacious and the learning environment is very appropriate for an elementary school setting.
When I got to the school it had ample parking and it kind of looked like a jail because all of the windows were caged in. When you get there you must hit the buzzer and someone will let you in, which is very safe because not just anyone can get in the school. Then I had to go and sign in at the secretary’s office. The secretary then showed me to my room and introduced me to the teacher. She was very nice and looked professional. When I looked around the room it reminded me of my elementary school and it made me feel comfortable. The classroom had a carpet for reading, round tables where the kids would sit, a computer area, a teacher’s desk, and all the other necessities that a teacher would need.
After that I looked at the kids and noticed that they were very culturally diverse. There were a good percentage of African Americans, Caucasian, and Asian. The teacher isn’t very strict but she is stern when she needs to be. She doesn’t undermine the kids, but when she needs to she takes the control that is necessary to keep them in line. There were a few kids who didn’t know how to be in control most of the times, so the teacher had to discipline them. Also something that I liked was when the kids were good the teacher would give the kids fake dollars and coins that would be linked to the schools store, when the kids were done at the end of the month they would either save their dollars or they could go to the store and buy little things that they like. That helped the kids stay focused and in line because they wanted to earn the dollars.
When I got to the school it had ample parking and it kind of looked like a jail because all of the windows were caged in. When you get there you must hit the buzzer and someone will let you in, which is very safe because not just anyone can get in the school. Then I had to go and sign in at the secretary’s office. The secretary then showed me to my room and introduced me to the teacher. She was very nice and looked professional. When I looked around the room it reminded me of my elementary school and it made me feel comfortable. The classroom had a carpet for reading, round tables where the kids would sit, a computer area, a teacher’s desk, and all the other necessities that a teacher would need.
After that I looked at the kids and noticed that they were very culturally diverse. There were a good percentage of African Americans, Caucasian, and Asian. The teacher isn’t very strict but she is stern when she needs to be. She doesn’t undermine the kids, but when she needs to she takes the control that is necessary to keep them in line. There were a few kids who didn’t know how to be in control most of the times, so the teacher had to discipline them. Also something that I liked was when the kids were good the teacher would give the kids fake dollars and coins that would be linked to the schools store, when the kids were done at the end of the month they would either save their dollars or they could go to the store and buy little things that they like. That helped the kids stay focused and in line because they wanted to earn the dollars.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Introduction
Hello Everyone,
My name is Mark Kay but everyone calls me Alex. I live for sports, family, friends, and partying. I am a health and physical education double major. I am in my 2nd semester at Rhode Island College. I am very outgoing and i am very easy to get along with. Hope everyone has a good semester and im looking forward to the warm wheather.
-AK
My name is Mark Kay but everyone calls me Alex. I live for sports, family, friends, and partying. I am a health and physical education double major. I am in my 2nd semester at Rhode Island College. I am very outgoing and i am very easy to get along with. Hope everyone has a good semester and im looking forward to the warm wheather.
-AK
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