Alex Dominguez - ESC16.NET

UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY + SUCCESSFUL PARENT ENGAGEMENT = STUDENT SUCCESS!

Alex DominguezEducation Service Center, Region 20

WHO ARE YOU?

REFLECTION: 2,3,4

• Pairs: Where did your ancestors come from?

• Triads: Where are you from?

• Quads: Discuss a time when someone made an assumption about you because of your appearance, a group you belong to, or a situation.

WHO AM I?

THE STATISTICS

• In 1984, approximately one in four school children were minority students.

• By 2020, that figure likely will increase to nearly one in two.

Pallas, Natriello, & McDill

• Over 40 million people in the U.S. speak a maternal language that is NOT English.

• Teachers are facing classes of students who speak a dozen or more languages and dialects.

In the past 20 years the fastest growing segment of school-age population has been among English Learners.

National Center for Education Statistics, Institution of Education Sciences (ed.gov)

Spanish 87.4%

Vietnamese 3.2%

Chinese Languages 2%

Korean 0.9%

African Languages 0.5%

Migration Policy Institute

THE STATISTICS

2002-2003 2011-2012 Increase

National 4,119,000 4,390,000 6.6%

Texas 626,000 722,000 15.3%

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CULTURALLY SENSITIVE?

Cultural sensitivity means being aware that cultural differences and similarities exist and have an effect on values, learning, and

behavior.

-Stafford, Bowman, Eking, Hanna,

and Lopoes-DeFede (1997)

STORY TIME

STORY TIME

Mike was riding home on the city bus reading a magazine (his favorite subscription). He left the magazine on the bus and as he exited, he spoke a quick Russian greeting to some passengers whom he had overheard speaking Russian. Mike had learned a few phrases from his brother-in-law who is Russian. After Mike got off the bus, he noticed the bus make its next stop with quite a commotion. He turned to see the Russians running toward him with a guns!

STORY TIME

After taking a circular route home, he got to his second floor apartment, breathing a sigh of relief. He didn’t know why the Russians were so angry with him, but he was relieved to be home and have lost them. A half-hour later, he heard a noise outside on the street, he looked out the window, and saw the Russians coming into his building.

How did the Russians find out where he lived?

SELF-ASSESSMENT

• What are some of the different cultures in my school? • How does my school/classroom celebrate the differences among

our cultures?

How could our reflection activity help a classroom become more sensitive to the cultures in the classroom?

CULTURAL DIFFERENCESBE aware

• Everything we do, regarding time, personal space, body language, voice volume, small talk, eye contact, and eating is shaped by our culture.

• When you have a student and/or parent that appears to have a cultural difference take the time to understand the differences.

Seek first to understand, and then

to be understood.S. Covey

CULTURAL AWARENESS

CULTURAL AWARENESS

• Do not judge the behavior of others through the eyes of your own culture.

• Do be aware of how much culture affects language acquisition and behavior.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

• It reminds me of…

• It makes me think about…

• I remember when…

• I wonder…

WHAT EDUCATORS CAN DO

• Establish rapport with parents.

• Let parents know you care about their child, and suggest ways that they can help their child succeed in school.

• Be consistent and honest.

• Help parents locate community resources.

• Recruit parent volunteers from all cultures.

WHAT EDUCATORS CAN DO

• Demonstrate a positive attitude toward new cultures.

• Familiarize yourself with all the holidays and traditions your students celebrate.

• Plan instruction that includes the integration of cultural histories.

• Make sure your classroom reflects diversity.

WHAT EDUCATORS CAN DO

• Be direct and deal with student biases right away.

• Do not create different standards for different groups.

• Establish expectations and clearly communicate them.

Students should not feel embarrassed of their cultural practices.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

• Respect the uniqueness of each family system.

• Develop a personalized relationship with families.

• Communicate in culturally appropriate ways.

• Create alliances with cultural guides in the community.

• Evaluate process and outcomes.

ADDITIONAL STEPS

• Help ALL families navigate the system.

• Provide outreach rather than traditional approaches.

• Practice trust and relationship building strategies.

• Help families learn strategies to support their child’s academic needs.

• Children from diverse cultural backgrounds tend to do better when parents and professionals work together to bridge the cultural gap between home and school

• Successful schools engage families from diverse backgrounds, build trust and collaboration, recognize and respect and address family needs, and develop a partnership where power and responsibility is shared

IN SUMMARY …

Sounds Like

Example

Looks Like

Cultural Diversity in the classroom