There is often a divide between the ‘mainstream’ viewpoint, one that derives from European values and beliefs, and the multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual population served by most public schools1. As a result of this divide, minority students tend to be disadvantaged by school culture, curriculum, teaching methodology, and assessment measures that promote and serve the Euro-North American middle-class norm2. In addition to helping minority students and families learn about the norms and values of the classroom and the schools, teachers and administrators need to recognize that it is crucial to adapt the educational system to reflect its multicultural and multilingual community.
One option is to incorporate diverse families’ home cultures into the school curriculum3. For example, families may visit the classroom to share their knowledge, or students may be given homework assignments that require that they interview their parents, grandparents, or other family members about their communities or their immigration experiences4. This kind of activity helps to acknowledge families’ cultural values by showing them that they can provide valuable contributions. It also helps students make better connections between the school curriculum and their personal experiences, which in turn will help them succeed academically.
Another strategy in adapting the educational system is to acknowledge the unique ways that families are involved in their children’s education. Conventional forms of family engagement include bake sales, fundraisers, the Parent Teacher Association, back-to-school nights, and participation in parent advisory councils and/or school governance boards. Such types of family engagement emphasize the norm of middle-class status. Educators need to move beyond using participation at school events as the only indicator of family engagement and care in order to recognize the full range of parents’ contributions to their children’s education. Other ways to participate include families engaging in a “transmission of sociocultural values5.”For example, some families might choose to take their children with them to work in the fields in order to help children realize that without an education they might end up working in similar jobs5. This is also a valuable type of family engagement in their children’s education.
1. Gunderson, 2001
2. Ovando & McLaren, 1999
3. Dyson, 2001
4. Gonzalez et al., 1993
5. Lopez, 2001, p. 430
Activities
Adapt the educational system to reflect its multicultural and multilingual community
Take an active role in developing a true partnership between school and family by adapting the learning environment to be more reflective of the rapidly changing demographics of the American population and your school community.
1. Skim the article Tochon, F. V. (2009). The key to global understanding: World languages education—Why schools need to adapt. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 650-681.
2. What are Tochon’s arguments for the acceptance, exposure, and instruction of world languages? Create a list of these arguments.
3. Think about how the acceptance, exposure, and instruction of world languages might affect bilingual and multilingual speakers, as well as monolingual speakers learning another language?
4. What is the author’s argument for teaching a world language at an earlier age, starting in elementary school? Do you agree? Could this be feasible?
5. Do you think there is a need for our educational system to adapt to the ever-growing population of American students who are non-native speakers of English? That is, do you think the traditional monolingual approach to education has to change in America? If so, how?
6. Read the article Arias, J. (2008). Multilingual students and language acquisition: Engaging activities for diversity training. English Journal, 97(3), 38-45.
7. Read and adapt the diversity training exercises so you can complete them. How did you feel after completing one of the exercises? How do you think your non-native English speaking students feel navigating English on a daily basis?
8. What kinds of “diversity training exercises” and classroom/school adaptations do you think you could implement to foster more linguistic and cultural tolerance and respect among students, especially among monolingual speakers?
9. Read and make an outline of “Addressing Diversity in Schools: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy” at https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/44906808/addressing-diversity-in-schools-culturally-responsive-nccrest. Create an outline using the following headings from the article:
a. What is culturally responsive pedagogy?
b. What must the educational system do?
c. How do teachers become culturally responsive?
d. Specific activities for becoming a culturally responsive teacher.
e. How does instruction become culturally responsive?
f. Specific activities for culturally responsive instruction.
g. What are the implications of culturally responsive pedagogy?
10. Take notes on each of these sections. What did you learn from the reading? What concepts or activities do you think you can apply to your own situation?
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(a) The teacher regularly assesses individual and group performance in order to design and modify instruction to meet learners’ needs in each area of development (cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical) and scaffolds the next level of development.
1(e) The teacher understands that each learner’s cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical development influences learning and knows how to make instructional decisions that build on learners’ strengths and needs.
1(g) The teacher understands the role of language and culture in learning and knows how to modify instruction to make language comprehensible and instruction relevant, accessible, and challenging.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms, including Native Hawaiian history and culture.
2(e) The teacher incorporates tools of language development into planning and instruction, including strategies for making content accessible to English language learners and for evaluating and supporting their development of English proficiency.
2(i) The teacher knows about second language acquisition processes and knows how to incorporate instructional strategies and resources to support language acquisition.
2(j) The teacher understands that learners bring assets for learning based on their individual experiences, abilities, talents, prior learning, and peer and social group interactions, as well as language, culture, family, and community values.
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
2(o) The teacher values diverse languages and dialects and seeks to integrate them into his/her instructional practice to engage students in learning.
Standard #7: Planning for Instruction
7(i) The teacher understands learning theory, human development, cultural diversity, and individual differences and how these impact ongoing planning.
Standard #8: Instructional Strategies
8(k) The teacher knows how to apply a range of developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate instructional strategies to achieve learning goals.
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
9(e) The teacher reflects on his/her personal biases and accesses resources to deepen his/her own understanding of cultural, ethnic, gender, and learning differences to build stronger relationships and create more relevant learning experiences.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(b) The teacher works with other school professionals to plan and jointly facilitate learning on how to meet diverse needs of learners.
10(l) The teacher understands schools as organizations within a historical, cultural, political, and social context and knows how to work with others across the system to support learners.
10(m) The teacher understands that alignment of family, school, and community spheres of influence enhances student learning and that discontinuity in these spheres of influence interferes with learning.
10(p) The teacher actively shares responsibility for shaping and supporting the mission of his/her school as one of advocacy for learners and accountability for their success.
1. Tochon, F. V. (2009). The key to global understanding: World languages education—Why schools need to adapt. In Review of Educational Research, 79(2), pp. 650-681.
2. Arias, J. (2008). Multilingual students and language acquisition: Engaging activities for diversity training. In The English Journal, 97(3), pp. 38-45.
3. “Addressing Diversity in Schools: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy” at https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/44906808/addressing-diversity-in-schools-culturally-responsive-nccrest
4. “Culturally Responsive Positive Behavioral Support Matters” at http://dm.education.wisc.edu/abal/intellcont/CRPBIS%20Brief_Bal%20et%20al_2012-1.pdf
5. “Research Matters/Creating Culturally Responsive Schools” (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) at http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept05/vol63/num01/Creating-Culturally-Responsive-Schools.aspx
6. “Culturally Responsive Differentiated Instructional Strategies” (NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development) at https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/uploads/005/120/Culturally%20Responsive%20Differientiated%20Instruction.pdf
7. Brown, M. R. (2007). Educating all students: Creating culturally responsive teachers, classrooms, and schools. In Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(1), pp. 57-62.
8. Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. In American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), pp. 465-491.
Acknowledge the unique ways that minority families are involved in their children’s education
Do you believe that all families are involved in their children’s education? Sometimes cultural differences create misconceptions about the family’s involvement in their child’s education. Discover the various ways that families support their children’s learning.
1. Start by examining your own beliefs about minority parents and families:
a. Do you think the parents and families of your students who are learning English contribute to their children’s education?
b. If so, how?
c. If not, what do you think prevents them from doing so? Do you think certain ethnic groups are more involved than others in the education of their children?
Write a 1-page reflection answering these questions. By examining and reflecting on your beliefs and potentially hidden biases, you can grow as an educator and better meet the needs of a rapidly growing multicultural student population.
2. Think more specifically about your own students:
a. Do you think certain parents/families are more involved or supportive than others?
b. Why do you feel that way?
c. How do you perceive the quality of their involvement or support?
d. Could you collaborate with these parents/families to help other parents/families get more involved in school matters in the expected way?
3. Many parents perceive their role as nurturer and the school’s role as educator with parent involvement as mainly a North American concept; therefore, there may be a mismatch between educators and families’ expectations (Guo, 2006). For example, Asian parents may perceive family involvement as a negative practice. They may think this happens only when their child has gotten into trouble. If they intervene, it may be disrespectful because their actions might undermine the teacher’s authority. Teachers may misperceive this “lack of involvement” of the parents as a sign of disinterest or disengagement. However, many parents indicate that they care passionately about their children’s education and they are involved in many ways that may not necessarily reflect the norm of North American school expectations. These tend to focus on:
a. Getting information about the child’s education
b. Checking textbook or homework assignments and sitting next to child while he/she is completing homework
c. Reviewing test scores
4. There are other ways in which families can engage in their childrenʻs education, for example, one Mexican family whose children did very well academically did not participate in school in traditional ways, but they brought the children to work in the farm fields and had them appreciate the importance of a good education in terms of quality of their future life (Lopez, 2001). Try to learn about other ways in which your students’ families are engaging in their education. You can do this via the Open House, newsletters with short surveys, phone calls, home visits, etc. Incorporate these findings into your own instruction and work with administration to provide more support for a stronger school-family partnership.
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(n) The teacher is committed to working with learners, colleagues, families, and communities to establish positive and supportive learning environments.
Standard #4: Content Knowledge
4(m) The teacher knows how to integrate culturally relevant content to build on learners’ background knowledge.
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
9(e) The teacher reflects on his/her personal biases and accesses resources to deepen his/her own understanding of cultural, ethnic, gender, and learning differences to build stronger relationships and create more relevant learning experiences.
9(m) The teacher is committed to deepening understanding of his/her own frames of reference (e.g., culture, gender, language, abilities, ways of knowing), the potential biases in these frames, and their impact on expectations for and relationships with learners and their families.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(d) The teacher works collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and achievement.
10(m) The teacher understands that alignment of family, school, and community spheres of influence enhances student learning and that discontinuity in these spheres of influence interferes with learning.
10(q) The teacher respects families’ beliefs, norms, and expectations and seeks to work collaboratively with learners and families in setting and meeting challenging goals.
1. . Guo, Yan (2006). “ ’Why Didn’t They Show Up?’ Rethinking ESL Parent Involvement in K-12 Education” at http://www.teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl/article/viewFile/29/29
2. “African-American and Chinese-American Parent Involvement: The Importance of Race, Class, and Culture” (Harvard Family Research Project) at https://archive.globalfrp.org/publications-resources/publications-series/family-involvement-research-digests/african-american-and-chinese-american-parent-involvement-the-importance-of-race-class-and-culture
3. “Research on Parent Involvement with Diverse Families” https://www.pacer.org/cultural-diversity/research-literature.asp
4. “Working With Families of Different Cultures” at http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/default/files/pt_ch1.pdf
Consider the cultural and linguistic challenges families face to communicate with you and the school. What can you do to address some of those challenges?
Familiarize yourself with cultural values of families and how those might or might not be aligned with a school’s expectations, learn about communication barriers from the family’s point of view, and discover ways to create a more welcoming line of communication.
1. Read the practitioner brief: “Building Collaboration Between Schools and Parents of English Language Learners: Transcending Barriers, Creating Opportunities.” Download at http://docshare04.docshare.tips/files/379/3792758.pdf As you read, jot down notes and reflect on points that speak to you. Use the graphic organizer included below to focus your reading.
2. After completing the above reading task, list some things you learned. Are there any areas in your teaching or institutionally at your school that should be addressed to ameliorate cultural or linguistic challenges faced by the families of your students?
3. Read the article, “Why some parents don’t come to school” by Finders & Lewis (1994).
4. As you read the article answer these questions:
a. What are some of the cultural or linguistic challenges faced by families trying to communicate or to engage with school? What are some examples from the article?
b. List the five suggestions made by parents for teachers and administrators? What do you think about these suggestions? How do you think you could implement them in your situation?
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(l) The teacher understands how learner diversity can affect communication and knows how to communicate effectively in differing environments.
3(n) The teacher is committed to working with learners, colleagues, families, and communities to establish positive and supportive learning environments.
3(q) The teacher seeks to foster respectful communication among all members of the learning community.
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
9(e) The teacher reflects on his/her personal biases and accesses resources to deepen his/her own understanding of cultural, ethnic, gender, and learning differences to build stronger relationships and create more relevant learning experiences.
9(i) The teacher understands how personal identity, worldview, and prior experience affect perceptions and expectations, and recognizes how they may bias behaviors and interactions with others.
9(m) The teacher is committed to deepening understanding of his/her own frames of reference (e.g., culture, gender, language, abilities, ways of knowing), the potential biases in these frames, and their impact on expectations for and relationships with learners and their families.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(d) The teacher works collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and achievement.
10(m) The teacher understands that alignment of family, school, and community spheres of influence enhances student learning and that discontinuity in these spheres of influence interferes with learning.
1. “Building Collaboration Between Schools and Parents of English Language Learners: Transcending Barriers, Creating Opportunities” at http://docshare04.docshare.tips/files/379/3792758.pdf
2. Finders, M., & Lewis, C. (1994). Why some parents don’t come to school. In Educating for Diversity, 51(8), pp. 50-54. At http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may94/vol51/num08/Why-Some-Parents-Don%27t-Come-to-School.aspx
3. “Building Trust with Schools and Diverse Families: A Foundation for Lasting Partnerships” at http://www.ldonline.org/article/21522/
4. “Steps Towards Learning: A Guide to Overcoming Language Barriers in Children’s Education” at https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/content/dam/global/reports/steps-towards-learning-lr.pdf
Work with families to find the optimal ways to communicate with them
Adapt to the needs of the families, find the barriers and sometimes unspoken obstacles hindering school and family communication, and learn about and try various ways to improve upon the relationship.
Part I: Helping parents communicate better with school
1. Read the one-page article “Helping Parents Communicate Better With Schools” at
2. What are some potential barriers for families in communicating with schools that are noted in the article? Write these barriers down in an ordered list, prioritizing from those you consider more important to those you consider less important for your circumstance.
3. What are some suggestions or actions the parents can take to improve these conditions? How could you disseminate these ideas to the parents of your students in a productive and friendly manner?
4. Considering the challenges and suggestions for improving communication from the article, your priority list, and areas where you consider parents could work with you, pick one strategy to address the first barrier you listed above.
Part II: Learn about parents’ communication preferences
In 2011, the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) surveyed 50 of its member districts to elicit 43,310 responses from 22 states on school-to-family communication preferences of parents and non-parents.
1. Download and study the free PowerPoint file at http://www.nspra.org/2011capsurvey
2. What did you learn from the results?
a. What were parent’s preferred methods to receive communication from the school?
b. What kind of content or information do parents want from their child’s teacher?
c. What kind of information do parents want from their school’s leaders?
3. Was there anything in the results that surprised you? How do these findings relate to how you and your school communicate with families? Are there any changes that need to be made?
Part III: Helping parents communicate
1. Read through the article “Helping Parents Communicate Better with Schools” by Kreider, Mayer, and Vaughan at https://www.readingrockets.org/article/helping-parents-communicate-better-schools
2. As you read through the article, consider these questions:
a. What are some communication responsibilities of educators and parents?
b. What are some ways you can teach parents about empowering strategies for communicating with their child’s teacher and the school?
e. What are some communication barriers discussed by the authors? Which communication barriers have you been exposed to? What are some plans of action your school community can take to address these?
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(a) The teacher collaborates with learners, families, and colleagues to build a safe, positive learning climate of openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry.
3(f) The teacher communicates verbally and nonverbally in ways that demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning environment.
3(q) The teacher seeks to foster respectful communication among all members of the learning community.
Standard #8: Instructional Strategies
8(m) The teacher understands how multiple forms of communication (oral, written, nonverbal, digital, visual) convey ideas, foster self expression, and build relationships.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(d) The teacher works collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and achievement.
10(g) The teacher uses technological tools and a variety of communication strategies to build local and global learning communities that engage learners, families, and colleagues.
10(m) The teacher understands that alignment of family, school, and community spheres of influence enhances student learning and that discontinuity in these spheres of influence interferes with learning.
1. “Helping Parents Communicate Better with Schools” at https://archive.globalfrp.org/early-childhood-education/publications-resources/helping-parents-communicate-better-with-schools
2. National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) survey of 50 of its member districts (43,310 responses from 22 states) on school-to-family communication preferences of parents at http://www.nspra.org/2011capsurvey
3. “What Parents Want in School Communication” at http://www.edutopia.org/blog/parent-involvement-survey-anne-obrien
4. “How Strong Communication Contributes to Student and School Success: Parent and Family Involvement” (from the National School Public Relations Association) at http://www.nspra.org/files/docs/Strong_Communication_Students_School_Success.pdf
Learn about the families’ cultural assumptions about communication with teachers, staff, and the school
Develop more fluid and transparent communication between school and family by getting to know cultural assumptions some families might have about communicating with school personnel.
1. Consider the lines of communication you have with the families of your students. Do you have active and continuous communication with your students’ families? Why or why not? Are there particular families with which you feel the lines of communication have broken down or never existed? What do you think happened?
2. What is your (and your school’s) definition of or assumption about communication with families? What do you expect from them?
3. While we should be careful of over-generalizing or stereotyping cultures, there may be certain assumptions families have about communicating with schools based on their previous experiences or cultural values. For instance, in some cultures, the teacher is highly respected and therefore the parent may be very reluctant to question a teacher about their child’s education; otherwise, it may be seen as disrespectful—as if questioning the teacher’s authority or expertise. Family involvement in school, such as volunteering at school and attending school conferences tends to be primarily a North American concept (Guo, 2006). Parents of minority/immigrant children may not take an active a role in communicating with the teacher as commonly expected. Instead of seeing this as a lack of interest on the parents’ part you should explore alternative ways to establish useful lines of communication with parents.
4. A lot of communication initiated by the school and teachers to families takes the form of written correspondence (e.g., school newsletters, teacher notes, and emails). Some family members of your students may not know enough English to fully understand these written communications. What are some alternative ways in which you could communicate with parents? For example, in some cultures, it is common for parents and teachers to talk briefly when dropping/picking up the children. Is this something that might be viable at your school? Think about it, ask colleagues and parents about possible strategies, and implement a few.
5. Even if family members know enough English to understand written communications, their confidence to communicate their own thoughts, concerns, and suggestions could be limited when compared to that of a native speaker. How can you help families feel more comfortable communicating with you? Which methods might work? Again, consider checking with your peers, school staff, and parents. Try out one or two strategies and assess how effective they are.
6. Interesting and important information could be obtained by surveying your students’ families or interviewing them. For example you could ask them:
a. How would you like to communicate with the school and me?
b. How would you like to receive communication from the school and me?
c. How often would you like to receive information from the teacher?
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(c) The teacher collaborates with families, communities, colleagues, and other professionals to promote learner growth and development.
1(k) The teacher values the input and contributions of families, colleagues, and other professionals in understanding and supporting each learner’s development.
Standard #3: Learning Environments
3(a) The teacher collaborates with learners, families, and colleagues to build a safe, positive learning climate of openness, mutual respect, support, and inquiry.
3(l) The teacher understands how learner diversity can affect communication and knows how to communicate effectively in differing environments.
3(q) The teacher seeks to foster respectful communication among all members of the learning community.
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
9(e) The teacher reflects on his/her personal biases and accesses resources to deepen his/her own understanding of cultural, ethnic, gender, and learning differences to build stronger relationships and create more relevant learning experiences.
9(i) The teacher understands how personal identity, worldview, and prior experience affect perceptions and expectations, and recognizes how they may bias behaviors and interactions with others.
9(m) The teacher is committed to deepening understanding of his/her own frames of reference (e.g., culture, gender, language, abilities, ways of knowing), the potential biases in these frames, and their impact on expectations for and relationships with learners and their families.
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration
10(d) The teacher works collaboratively with learners and their families to establish mutual expectations and ongoing communication to support learner development and achievement.
10(m) The teacher understands that alignment of family, school, and community spheres of influence enhances student learning and that discontinuity in these spheres of influence interferes with learning.
1. Culturally sensitive communication strategies at https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/publications/critical-practices-for-antibias-education/family-and-community-engagement
2. “Communication Patterns and Assumptions of Differing Cultural Groups in the United States” at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/lpsc_wksp_2007/resources/elliott.pdf
Language Shock Activity
Understand what it feels like to be a student learning English.
A language shock activity allows pre-service teachers to experience what it feels like to be a student learning English.
- Ask student teachers to follow classroom directions in Chinese.
- Ask student teachers to observe their classmates’ physical reactions and share their emotional responses at the end of the activity.
Some student teachers tend to become frustrated and ask if they can speak English. This language shock activity provides an opportunity for student teachers to experience first hand what it is like to be an English language learner student. It may also help student teachers become more sensitive when later addressing the affective needs of their own students who are learning English. Teachers need to develop the intercultural ability to move “across cultures in a way that is tolerant of conflicting perspectives and deeply respectful of people’s lived differences.”1 This intercultural ability requires that teachers move beyond learning about other groups to reach the stage of examining the cultural contexts that have influenced their own behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs2.
InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
1(g) The teacher understands the role of language and culture in learning and knows how to modify instruction to make language comprehensible and instruction relevant, accessible, and challenging.
Standard #2: Learning Differences
2(i) The teacher knows about second language acquisition processes and knows how to incorporate instructional strategies and resources to support language acquisition.
2(o) The teacher values diverse languages and dialects and seeks to integrate them into his/her instructional practice to engage students in learning.
1. MacPherson et al., 2004, p. 5
2. Mujawamariya & Mahrouse, 2004; Solomon & Levine-Rasky, 2003
3. “How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment” at https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/how-create-welcoming-classroom-environment
4. “Developing Intercultural Competence” at https://www.edcan.ca/articles/developing-intercultural-competence/