Meaningful Global Diversity Initiatives in the Language Classroom

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Meaningful Global Diversity Initiatives in the
Language Classroom

• Jorge V. Pardo
• HS Spanish / Director of Multicultural
  Development
• Tower Hill School Wilmington, DE
• MCRCs Teachers Teaching Teachers November 5,
  2008
• Session 1 500 600 PM / Dinner 600
  715 PM / Session 2 715 815 PM

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Workshop Description and Correction

• Join two (one) passionate Spanish language
  teacher as he shares meaningful and
  diversity-filled initiatives in the language
  classroom.
• From classroom videoconferences with schools
  abroad, to creating educational exchange
  programs, this workshop will show you ways to
  teach serious diversity and language at the same
  time.
• --------------------------------------------------
  ---------
• Expert issue / Questions Comments

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Handouts

• World languages, Spanish Hispanics sheet
• Me Vale song by Maná
• Quinceañera overview
• Movie, music, and additional resources
• Voicethread information sheet
• --------------------------------------------------
  ---------------------------------------------

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NAIS Cultural Identifiers

• Ability
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Gender

• Race
• Religion
• Sexual-orientation
• Socio-economic status

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Workshop Overview

• Part I Language and Multiculturalism
• Our advantage as language instructors
• Our multicultural responsibility
• Social justice and diversity conversations

• Part II Diversity / language initiatives
• Language the big picture
• Learning through music, movies, and travel
• A public school ESL exchange program
• Cyber communications technology
• Peace Corps Worldwise Schools

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Part I. Language Multiculturalism

• Our advantage The options for teaching
  multiculturalism in language classrooms are
  limitless compared to other disciplines
• Our multicultural responsibility
• Grammar-based vs. holistic approach
• Language teachers are diversity instructors not
  by choice
• Cultural, historical, art sections on books
• Breaking stereotypes and false pretexts, like...

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Like

• That guy looks Mexican!
• Welcome to the Latino Race!
• - Would you like to try some Cuban food?
• - No thanks, I dont like spicy food.
• T or F All Mexicans are illegal and only speak
  Spanish.
• And

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Latin America poor, rural, black and white kind
of place
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All Mexicans look like this
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Not what I had in mind about Mx.
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What about these guys?
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Part I.- C Social Justice and diversity
conversations

• Social Justice and diversity conversations The
  basics
• Theres nothing like hot-button topics to spark
  meaningful conversations and get them to talk in
  advanced courses
• Consider current event topics like
• What does it feel like to be a victim of
  prejudice?
• LGBTQ marriage and same benefits rights
• How have we as a nation have evolved from the
  60s?
• National terrorism
• What type of prejudice do Latinos face in the
  U.S.?
• The U.S. immigration issue towards illegal
  Mexicans
• Bringing culture and reality to the classroom
• Cooking and sampling during class
• Invited speakers (choose a variety of individuals
  that go against common stereotypes)

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Part II Additional Language Diversity
Initiatives

• The big picture
• World languages and Spanish
• Hispanics in the United States

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World Languages Spanish

• Spanish is a spoken language thats alive. Its
  actively spoken in 21 countries of the world and
  all over the U.S. Hispanics make up the largest
  ethnic minority group in the US (41 mill.).
  Approximately 60 of them are of Mexican descent.
• I. MAIN LANGUAGES
• native speakers
  speak the language
• 1. Mandarin 863 million 1,025 million
• 2. Hindi 357 million 476 million
• 3. Español 352 million 409 million 
• 4. Inglés 335 million 497 million

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(continuation)World Languages Spanish

• II. INTERESTING FACTS
• World population 5.9 billion
• Spoken languages / dialects today more than
  5,000 (845 from India)
• English is the most widespread and the most
  popular second language in the world. It has by
  far the largest amount of vocabulary words
  (490,000 plus another 300,000 technical terms).
  This is more than all the words in the Spanish
  and French languages combined. However, it is
  doubtful that people use more than 60,000 words.
• Spanish is the native and official language of 21
  countries in the world
• III. HISPANICS in the US
• TOP minority group in the US (more than
  African-Americans)
• Population in the U.S. 45.5 million, or 1 out
  of 6.5 Americans
• 15.1 of U.S. population
• 66 of Hispanics are of Mexican origin
• 2nd group of Hispanics in U.S. - Puerto Ricans,
  followed by Cubans
• Sources 1998 World Almanac and Guiness Book of
  World Records 2000 U.S. Census

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Part II-B Learning through movies, music, and
travel

• Language advantage and multicultural issues
  from race, to social justice
• Let them speak to your students in their language
• Music sample
• A study of Manás Me Vale (see handout)
• Movie sample
• A study of Quinceañera (see handout)
• Using papers and voicethread to debrief the movie
• Music and movie resources (see handout)
• Traveling Local and abroad
• What to look for and how to find out about
  meaningful trips and companies
• Food, restaurants, tours and guides

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Part II-C A public school ESL exchange program

• The creation of a language exchange program
  between our independent school and a local public
  middle school
• Tower Hill / AI Dupont MS Language Exchange
  Program
• Program multicultural benefits beyond language
  immersion

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Part II-D Cyber communications and technology

• Written highways
• Online opinion forums and surveys
• BBC Mundo http//news.bbc.co.uk/spanish
• Univisións Foros Foros
• Online surveys http//www.encuestas.com
• Contacting schools abroad
• Pen-pals via letters or email (i.e.
  www.epals.com)
• Online chats videoconferences
• See handout for more resources

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Part II-D Cyber communications and technology

• Our partnership with schools in different
  countries, continents, and poles
• Proyecto Polo a Polo
• How we got started
• Chatting with Argentina
• Our first humbling, videoconference experience
• Meeting Antarctica
• Common interests and discussions
• http//voicethread.com/ - home
• The concept (follow voicethread handout)

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Part II-E Peace Corps Worldwise Schools

• Peace Corps' Worldwise Schools
• The concept
• World Wise Schools matches up Peace Corps
  Volunteers (PCV) in the field with U.S. classroom
  teachers. The result is a vibrant two-year
  exchange of ideas, stories, pictures, and
  artifacts that helps U.S. students in the
  classroom learn about the people, geography,
  environment, and culture of the world from the
  direct experience of Volunteers living in other
  countries.
• My two-year experience with a PCV in Paraguay

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End of Presentation

• Additional initiatives, suggestions, ideas.
• Questions / Comments
• Contact Information
• Jorge V. Pardo Tower Hill School
• Email jpardo_at_towerhill.org
• Tel. [phone] ext. 342
• www.towerhill.org
• Thank you for your time!