Values/Goals/Norms/Mission/Diversity... Oh My!

     Wow! What a week! We have done so much in this class already, and I cannot wait to learn more! On Monday, We set a mission for our class: "In EDUC 350 we will become better educators through immersing ourselves in diverse populations to better meet the needs of our students by creating a sense of community inside and outside the classroom."

I think this is a great mission if we follow through with it! As a future ESL teacher, I am always immersed in diverse populations! However, as we also discussed in class on Wednesday, diversity varies based on the following:

·         Gender

·         Race/Ethnicity

·         Socio-economic status

·         Religion

·         Community

·         Disability

·         Beliefs

·         Political Status

·         Citizenship Status

·         Learning Styles

·         Level of education

·         Occupation

·         Home life/Family Makeup

·         Language

·         Age

·         Sexual Orientation

·         Culture/Customs

·         Physicality

     I mean, WOW! And that certainly is not all of diversity, but it certainly is a lot to cover. I never would have thought physicality as a diverse trait, but it is true. Not everyone is tall or short or skinny or plump. We all vary - and that is something else that might need addressing within the classroom - especially if it is a point of interest that makes fun of the student instead of building them up. It is important for me, as an ESL teacher, to work with content teachers, EC teachers, AIG teachers, and Title One teachers, and any other specialty teacher to help our students to the best of our abilities. Instead of trying to fight for time with a particular student, we need to work together to accomplish the student's goals - especially the ones on his/her IEP plan. And parent involvement, family history, cultural norms - they all influence the child's learning abilities, which is why it is important for us as teachers to be involved within the community and getting to know what our students face in their everyday life.

     On Monday, we also discussed some goals and norms we wanted within our EDUC 350 class. They are as follows:

Values/Goals:

·         1. To get a good grade

·         2. To build/create a class culture

·         3. To be more confident and learn how to embrace all cultures

·         4. To learn how to deal with the hard situations

·         5. To learn how to get to know our students individually

·         6. To learn how to differentiate lessons based on circumstances

·         7. To be aware of biases and keep them from affecting instruction

Norms

·         1. Everyone contributes to the class

·         2. Respect everyone's opinions

·         3. Be aware of yourself

·         4. Be open minded

·         5. Be prepared

     Now, I know getting a good grade in class is a great goal to have; however, I am not really sure if it is a "class" goal. That is more on the individual to achieve that goal. Yes, the class as a whole can help each other out and encourage one another, but it is up to the individual to meet that goal. I loved that one of our goals was to get to know our students better and on a more individual basis. As an ESL teacher, I often work with smaller classrooms. Now, there are ESL classrooms that are big, like a normal elementary classroom; but in the rural areas, the ESL classrooms tend to be small. Because of that, ESL teachers get to know their ELs (English Learners) really well. This is extremely important within a classroom because you become familiar with how the student learns, what they specifically need help with, and how to adjust your lesson to better fit their needs. If we do not get to know our students, then we fail as a teacher and we fail our students. 

     I also liked the fact that keeping an open mind, reminding your students to keep an open mind, and teaching the correct facts were all addressed this week. Too often we become so close-minded that we do not realize how it is influencing our everyday lives. I believe with all the recent events happening within our country, many people are realizing how wrong history has been. They have realized that maybe what they thought to be true, really, actually wasn't. But, unfortunately, there are many who refuse to see the truth because of how close minded they are.

      That is why it is so extremely important for us as teachers to encourage diversity and accept diversity and encourage questioning, but discourage stigma. This will be a difficult task to accomplish, as our students are influenced by their families and the media, but like was stated in class today, WE set the culture in our classroom. WE set the ground rules; WE set the norms/goals/values of our classroom. Something I read brought about a good point: “Teach students to match their behaviors to the setting. We all behave differently in different settings. Teaching students the differences between their home, school, and community settings can help them switch to appropriate behavior for each context…While some students adjust their behavior automatically, others must be taught and provided ample opportunities to practice. Involving families and the community can help students learn to adjust their behavior in each of the settings in which they interact.” (teachervision.com). This incorporates so many things we have discussed and read about so far in class, and just proves the point that we need to be aware of our own biases and behaviors and teach are students to be aware of theirs, as well.

     To be honest, everything we have talked about this week has hit on every single NCTCS.

We demonstrate leadership (1) by establishing our classroom culture.

We establish respect (2) when encouraging students to discuss, research, and listen to various cultures/viewpoints/opinions.

We know the content we teach (3) when we teach it accurately and effectively.

We facilitate learning and academic growth (4&6) by holding our students to higher standards and encouraging them to learn and grow more.

We reflect on our practice (5) to make sure it is free of bias by communicating with other teachers and keeping that community communication open.

     This has been an awesome week as our eyes have been opened to certain aspects of culture and diversity that we may not have considered before! Tune in next week for more mind blowing educational facts!

Culture. . . What's that?

The following lines are a few sites and how they define culture:

Culture is the social behavior and norms found in human societies. (Wikipedia)

The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group. (Google).

a :  the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generationsb :  the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also :  the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time.c :  the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.d :  the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic.(Mariam Webster)

--the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.--that which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.--a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certain nation or period: (Dictionary.com)

All of these hit on our class definition of culture - the growth/development of human characteristics and social norms through the integration of beliefs, values, and traditions based on place and time, shared by a group of people.

Like we said in class, culture is complex. There is culture for every area of life - within families, religion, race, friends, community, language, gender, social class, etc. Defining it is extremely difficult. However, it is something we must teach within our classroom.

As a teacher, we are always growing to improve our instruction. One way to do that is by learning about different cultures. As a future ESL teacher, I will have students of different ethnicities, who are greatly influenced by their cultures. It is important for me as a teacher to understand their cultures and where they come from so that we can effectively instruct them. I need to display these cultures within my classroom and make all of my students feel safe. Having lessons on their culture, having them present on their culture, and supporting events dealing with their cultures all helps show them that their culture and other cultures are important and valuable.

This class will improve my knowledge of diverse populations and how to better instruct each individual. I look forward to continue to learn about various cultures and how to incorporate learning for all. The incorporation of various technology tools will help me understand them better and potentially use them within my own classroom, which is always a plus!