ERIC Identifier: ED341648
Publication Date: 1992-01-00
Author: Coballes-Vega, Carmen
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse
on Teacher Education Washington DC.
Considerations in Teaching Culturally Diverse Children. ERIC
Digest.
Recent projections (Griffith, Frase, & Ralph, 1989) have estimated that
minorities in the United States will comprise one-third of the population; in
some metropolitan areas African Americans and Hispanics will constitute a
majority of the school-age population. In other communities, there are
concentrations of school-age children from both Native American and Asian
backgrounds with growing numbers of immigrants and refugees from Asia, Latin
America, and the Caribbean (First, 1988). Currently, the majority of prospective
teachers are White females (American, 1990), which stands in sharp contrast to
the backgrounds of the students they will teach. This digest examines
considerations within preservice teacher education programs to address this
challenge.
BACKGROUND
There has been growing concern about how best to
meet the educational challenge of learner diversity. Some researchers (National,
1991) have raised questions about the efficacy of teacher education programs
which attempt to deal with learner diversity and which explore changes in
prospective teachers' roles in modifying instruction. However, other researchers
(i.e., Banks & Banks, 1989; Bennett, 1990; Sleeter & Grant, 1988) have
recommended that the following be included within the teacher education
curriculum:
* at least one course in multicultural education that takes into
consideration the needs of all students;
* information about the history and culture of students from a wide number of
ethnic, racial, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds;
* content about the contributions made by various groups;
* information about first- and second-language acquisition and effective
teaching practices for working with students from limited English proficient
(LEP) backgrounds; and
* field experiences and student teaching opportunities with students from
varying backgrounds.
COURSES IN MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
Currently there are
multicultural education courses across the United States which are used in
teacher preparation programs. The issues raised with respect to educational
equality, equity, and social justice within a historical, legal, and
sociopolitical context are central to the content. For many prospective
teachers, the information provided in these courses is new and has not been
discussed in general education courses or in preservice education courses. This
background is important for the teacher to have in order to understand the
rights and responsibilities of students as well as of teachers and parents.
While having this information may not eliminate the stereotypes or
misconceptions that teachers have about groups, it can serve to inform more
directly future instructional decisions which they will make. For example, while
it may not eliminate some gender beliefs, being aware of the attitudes and
perceptions a teacher has about girls and boys and mathematics may diminish
sex-segregated groups within the class during math activities.
INFORMATION ABOUT HISTORY AND CULTURE
Information provided
on the history and culture of future students can be a valuable resource for the
prospective teacher when making decisions about students, adapting pedagogy, and
involving parents. Successful models of open communication between diverse
teachers, students, parents, other school personnel, and community liaisons can
also be incorporated into teacher education courses.
Many African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans have
had educational experiences where they suffered as a result of negative social,
economic, and educational policies (Banks & Banks, 1989). Practices such as
referral of these students in disproportionate numbers to special education
classes continue even today. With additional information, teachers may be able
to ask further questions or request technical assistance in providing
appropriate instruction before a referral is considered.
Some researchers (Bennett, 1990; First, 1988) have focused on the miscues
which occur between teachers and students based on misinterpretations and
generalizations made about cultural background. Student behaviors such as
attention-getting strategies, ways of responding to questions, and ways of
interacting are examples of actions which are influenced by cultural background.
For some African American, Native American, and Hispanic students, cooperative
grouping instructional activities may be better because they parallel the
context for learning found in their cultures. Teachers can consider modifying
traditional direct instruction to include other types of instruction from which
all students can benefit.
Another classroom factor to be considered is the extent to which the literacy
tradition of the home and culture closely resembles that of the school. If there
is a strong emphasis in the culture on the oral tradition, then knowledge may be
transmitted through "verbal usage and memorization" as in the cases of Moroccan
and Western Samoan cultures (Field & Aebersold, 1990). This is different
from the highly literate tradition in the United States and presents problems if
the teacher expects certain types of classroom interaction based on reading
text.
The cultural values transmitted by parents can be markedly different from
those the children encounter in the schools. For example, among some Southeast
Asian parents the individual's role within the family is of primary importance;
personal desires are secondary (Morrow, 1989). Thus, for these students a
decision to care for younger siblings while parents work might come before a
decision to complete a school assignment. Understanding child-rearing practices,
family relationships, and interpersonal communication is critical in
understanding parents. Communication can be increased by using the home language
for conferences and providing written notices in both languages for those
parents who have difficulty with English. Community liaisons, aides,
translators, or volunteers who are bilingual can assist in this area. The
teacher can solicit more participation and cooperation from parents if the
message is communicated appropriately.
INTEGRATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS
Modeling the integration of
content about the contributions of various groups is vital for prospective
teachers because it can demonstrate effective ways of using this information
within the classroom. For many students this may be the first opportunity they
have had to be exposed to others' national heroes, heroines, events, notable
contributions, and theories.
LANGUAGE BACKGROUND
In working with students from varying
ethnic and cultural backgrounds, prospective teachers must recognize that many
will come from diverse language backgrounds. While there may be a group which
can generally be described as "Southeast Asian," these students come from
different countries and also speak different languages.
The incorporation of information about first- and second-language acquisition
and effective teaching practices for working with students from LEP backgrounds
is critical for teacher planning. Information about the language strengths and
needs of students will be helpful for working with special personnel such as
bilingual teachers and English as a second language teachers.
Knowledge about the student's use of both languages can assist the teacher in
the development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills activities.
The teacher may know that one student has contact with English-speaking peers
outside of school and also reads material in English at home. Another student
may socialize primarily with students from his/her own language background and
read materials at home in the native language. This information can be helpful
to the teacher in setting up homework assignments as well as in-class
interactions with other studen ts (Hudson & Fradd, 1990; Cheng, 1987).
FIELD EXPERIENCES
There is a need for field experiences and
student teaching opportunities to work with diverse students. Prospective
teachers can benefit interacting with these students before they enter the field
and while they are still able to dialogue with teacher educators and teachers in
the field. It can be a time to design instructional activities which can be
applied within a variety of contexts and with different learners. With changes
in school populations projected within this decade, it is important for
prospective teachers to also have contact with the populations which they will
ultimately serve.
REFERENCES
References identified with an EJ or ED number
have been abstracted and are in the ERIC database. Journal articles (EJ) should
be available at most research libraries; documents (ED) are available in ERIC
microfiche collections at more than 700 locations. Documents can also be ordered
through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service: 1-800-443-ERIC. For more
information contact the ERIC Clearinghouse on Teacher Education, One Dupont
Circle, NW, Suite 610, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 293-2450.
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. (1990). Teaching
teachers: Facts & figures. RATE III: Research About Teacher Education
Project. Washington, DC: Author. ED 324 295
Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. M. (1989). Multicultural education: Issues and
perspectives. Needham Heights, MA: Simon & Schuster. ED 311 102
Bennett, C. (1990). Comprehensive multicultural education. Boston: Allyn
& Bacon.
Cheng, L. L. (1987). Assessing Asian language performance: Guidelines for
evaluating limited-English-proficient students. Rockville, MD: Aspen Publishers,
Inc.
Cummins, J. (1984). Bilingualism and special education: Issues in assessment
and pedagogy. Avon, England: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Field, M. L., & Aebersold, J. (1990, March). Cultural attitude toward
reading: Implications for teachers of ESL/bilingual readers. Journal of Reading,
33(6), 406-10. EJ 405 082
First, J. M. (1988, November). Immigrant students in U.S. public schools:
Challenges with solutions. Phi Delta Kappan, 70(3), 205-10. EJ 379 978
Griffith, S. E., Frase, M. J., & Ralph, J. H. (1989). American education:
The challenge of change. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau.
Hudson, P., & Fradd, S. (1990, Fall). Cooperative planning for learners
with limited English proficiency. Teaching Exceptional Children, 23(1), 16-21.
EJ 416 641
Morrow, R. D. (1989, April). Southeast-Asian parental involvement: Can it be
a reality? Elementary School Guidance and Counseling, 23(4), 289-97. EJ 396 286
National Center for Research on Teacher Education. (1991). Final report. East
Lansing, MI: Author.
Sleeter, C. E., & Grant, C. A. (1988). Making choices for multicultural
education. Five approaches to race, class, and gender. Columbus, OH: Merrill
Publishing Company.
