Teaching in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Settings

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Teaching in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
Settings
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Who are the culturally and linguistically diverse
students?

• Ethnic Enrollment at DSC in Fall 2002
• Asian 59 1.4 146
• Black 85 2.1 23
• Hispanic 208 5.0 333
• American Indian 6 0.1 0.0
• Multiracial 8 0.2 14
• Total 366 8.9 5 yr change
• From 2002-2003 Facts Figures

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Reasons for Attending College
Percentage responding Very Important
Whites 7,999 Nonwhites 2,630
Source Frankie Laanan, Community College
Students Career and Educational Goals, New
Directions for Community Colleges (Winter 2002).
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High Context Low Context

• Loose schedules
• Intuition, spiral logic
• Feelings important
• Fast interchange
• Conformity/stasis
• Status distinctions
• Insiders/outsiders
• Group paramount

• Tight schedules
• Analytical reasoning
• Words important
• Extended talk
• Adaptability/change
• Status more subtle
• Openness to others
• Individual paramount

Source Noel, Jana. Developing Multicultural
Educators. Longman New York, 2000, pp. 16-17
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Teacher Attitude Toward MinoritiesDeficiency
Orientation Difference Orientation

• Something lacking in minority students
• Blame the minority students for failure
• Teach only for majority students

• Minority students have strengths
• Get to know minority student culture
• Provide inclusive instruction

Source Noel, Jana. Developing Multicultural
Educators. Longman New York, 2000, pp. 119-120.
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Learning Style Preferences

• Cultures that value cooperation produce students
  who prefer group work.
• Group work requiring application of theory to
  real life experience is appropriate.

Source Sanchez, Irene. Motivating and
Maximizing Learning in Minority Classrooms, New
Directions for Community Colleges (Winter 2000)
pp. 37-40.
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Why minority students dont answer

• Prefer to share ideas in groups to outdoing other
  students
• Prefer teacher-directed structure
• Reflective cognitive tempo that involves thinking
  before acting

Source Sanchez, Irene. Motivating and
Maximizing Learning in Minority Classrooms, New
Directions for Community Colleges (Winter 2000)
p. 41.
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Why Bilinguals Need College ESL

• Outside of college and professional settings,
  most speakers use about 2,000 words.
• Many bilingual students lack academic vocabulary
  and structures.
• Bilinguals lost with academic text and college
  lectures.

• Lower-level college ESL courses develop basic
  vocabulary and common structures.
• Higher-level college ESL develops academic
  vocabulary and structure.
• Bilinguals with college ESL are more skilled in
  academic English.

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Opening College to Minorities

• Value diversity in the orientation program
• Develop an easy-access ESL program
• Feature cultures in student activities
• Create an international student club
• Include diversity in college success class
• Promote international student experiences

Source Clements, Evelyn. Creating a Campus
Climate in Which Diversity Is Truly Valued, New
Directions for Community Colleges (Winter 2000)
p. 63.
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Technology and Minority Students

• Minorities are half as likely to have Internet
• Self-paced Internet activities allow students
  with language barriers more time
• Software may present minority stereotypes

Source Palma-Rivas, Nilda. Using Technology to
Facilitate Learning for Minority Students, New
Directions for Community Colleges (Winter 2000)
pp. 76-81.
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Teacher Values - Adjustments

• Interact with students
• Develop cooperation
• Use active learning
• Give prompt feedback
• Promote time on task
• Communicate high expectations
• Respect diverse talents and styles

• Notably on classwork
• Very important
• Also allow reflection
• In a polite manner
• Not highly valued
• For all students, including minorities
• Vital in having respect of minority students

Source Townsend, Barbara. Integrating
Non-minority Instructors into the Minority
Environment, New Directions for Community
Colleges (Winter 2000) pp. 88-89.
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Where can I learn more?

• The Center for Multilingual Multicultural
  Research Bilingual/ESL/Multicultural Education
  Resources _at_ http//www-rcf.usc.edu/cmmr/BEResourc
  es.html.
• The Dalton State College ESL web page
  _at_http//www.daltonstate.edu/esl/esl.htm includes
  article on Hispanics at DSC.
• Electronic Journal of Multicultural Education _at_
  http//www.eastern.edu/publications/emme/2000sprin
  g/tuleja.html.