Cultural and Linguistic Disconnect in Classrooms
Students are often the first people to call teachers out for being disconnected. A prime example is displayed in chapter two of Milner. Mr. Hall, a science teacher working in an urban school believed that he just needed to know his content area to be a successful educator (49). However, he discovered that he also need to know his students deeply to get his students to respond to him in meaningful ways. Disconnect can be defined as a lack of personal connection between teachers and students. Disconnect can come at any stage of the school year. It can happen at the fault of the teacher or at a cultural level. The two types of disconnect that I will discuss in this paper are cultural and linguistic disconnect. Cultural disconnect refers to the customs, music, and pop culture of the students and ways that teachers do not understand their students’ culture or depreciate it. Linguistic disconnect refers to the phrases, words, sayings that are used amongst students and can include Ebonics and other cultural languages. This paper will attempt to expose the impacts of disconnect and discuss what measures first year teachers can take in order to be a culturally and linguistically responsive.
Growing up in Calvert County, MD, I only had two teachers who were people of color in thirteen years. That is a major problem for a student coming of age, whether white or a person of color. While many political figures do not believe
Due to the mismatch of race from teachers to students in schools, the minority students have a harder time receiving a higher education.“When minority students see someone at the blackboard that looks like you, it helps you reconceive what’s possible for you,” said Thomas S. Dee, a professor of education at Stanford University. By having a teacher with the same race as the student, creates a bond in knowledge of the barriers that minorities have to jump through. It also lets students see that even though they might be in a tough situation, they are able to receive a high level of education and may be able to reach their dreams. In an article in the Nea Today titled When Implicit Bias Shapes Teacher Expectations, they explain that the opinion
I don’t think there is one school district that is not fighting for or have some type of program in place to address the achievement between whites and student of color; but yet the issue doesn’t seem to be going away. As I reflect on the meaning of racism as defined by the authors, they also state that this mistreatment is carried out by societal institutions or people who have been conditioned by society to act, consciously or unconsciously in harmful ways towards people of color. Sadly, I fear that so many of our young people has or is falling prey to the transfer of racism. We (teachers, parents, and the community) have to acknowledge with our kids that race is part of their daily lives; but they do not need to conform and understand how to rise above the stereotypes through encouragement, high expectations, build caring relationships and self-confidence they will
Cultural differences pose several barriers for students and may impair their opportunity to learn. These barriers are created by differences in language expression, communication style, preferred learning style, gender-role customs and behaviors, and limited parental involvement due to these cultural or socioeconomic barriers
If I was to start teaching in the public schools of my hometown tomorrow, the majority of my students would be white. When a
Teaching in racially diverse classrooms often leaves educators feeling uncertain about how to proceed and how to respond to historically marginalized students. There is pressure to acknowledge and accept students of color with different perspectives, to diversify the syllabi, be more aware of classroom dynamics, and pay attention to how students of color experience the learning process.
Recently, as the schools in the United States become more diverse in cultures, the needs for new English learners to learn the basic of English and grow in fluency has expanded. Nevertheless, a major of English learners receive insufficient education and have low achievement at school. Therefore, the approach of the schools for English learners might not be sufficient for them to unchain themselves from the boundary of differences in language and culture. As a result, the article “What It Takes for English Learners to Succeed” from Jana Echevarria, Nancy Frey, and Doug Fisher provides a guideline for teachers to help their English learners by using the four practices of “Access, Climate, Expectation, and Language Instruction.” The four practices can be divided into two categories. Access, climate, and expectations focus on educational settings, while language instruction focuses on teaching contents.
Since teachers’ expertise and teaching qualities are integral to the educational process, the impact teachers have on students is tremendous. However, how can teachers be impactful if they do not have the materials to do so? In general teachers need more supplies and training in order to address the needs of African American students. It is important for teachers to understand the students they teach in order for students to develop academic enthusiasm. Teachers have not been trained in ways to reach minority groups in order to better encourage those from a different backgrounds to learn and perform the needed tasks. Most schools, according to an article from the Atlantic, take the silver bullet route by just throwing money at this problem. (Summarizing this source is a way to shorten effective evidence) Others, however, don't even do
Teachers must learn about their student’s cultures if they want to educate them to the best of their ability. Many of the students in culturally diverse classrooms will want to learn in different ways. Some will want to learn in pairs, groups, as a class, or just alone. If the teacher is educated in their culture then lessons can be adjusted to appeal to every student as much as possible instead of forcing some to forget about their culture and learn like others. Students from
Teachers can begin by incorporating Banks’ five dimensions of multicultural education. In addition teachers must take into consideration DuPraw and Axner’s six fundamental patterns of cultural differences. Then, parents and the community will need to be educated on the cultural differences. However, the parents will need their voice to be heard in order to decrease cross cultural miscommunication. As our country’s population diversifies, it will be our responsibility to not only educate ourselves but our students as well as our parents in order to have a successful
African American students account for the larger majority of minorities in public schools in the United States. Most areas in the northern part of the United states and coastal areas are ethnically diverse. However, down south this is not the case. Students of color will experience a harder time in the education system. African American students meet the obstacle of educators who will not want them to succeed based on a preconceived thought. In fact, Caucasian teachers make up for 85% of all
Another challenge educator’s encounter is the cultural gap that is between students and teachers. It is important for educators to understand that some culturally diverse children may need things explained to them in a different way for them to gain an understanding.
As an ESL instructor, I teach a diverse classroom full of migrants with a variety of backgrounds. It’s as multicultural as a classroom can be! I try to incorporate my students’ cultures into our lessons. After all, everything we know and understand comes from the lens of our culture. Take for example our own education. Think about how much influence our point of view had on our education. Now, how much is our point of view affected by culture? I try to be as culturally responsive as possible. However, I know that there is always room for improvement.
As an educator it is important to be aware of the various learners in the classroom as well as being able to shift lessons accordingly to adapt to a greater number of students. In addition it is essential that culturally responsive practices is adapted in the classroom in order for all students to have a sense of belonging and are able to participate. For this reason, a teacher must actively use culturally responsive practices to engage students and their families because it helps to develop a relationship and maintain a level of communication. Learning “facts” about different cultures is not enough, it is more important that we make
Next, we will discuss the teacher subculture of a school environment. Teachers are an important “subculture since they make the most contact with students” (Ballentine & Hammack, 2012, p. 216). The culture that is set by the teacher impacts the learning process by either helping students thrive or be unsuccessful. Also, the subculture that includes teachers can be further broken down into grade levels, content areas, or length of service. For instance, an inexperienced teacher will not immediately be included in the subculture of seasoned teachers. It will take time for him/her to be accepted into that subculture. A new teacher who tries to be too friendly to students may receive sanctions from
Education is one of the most important factors in every person’s life regardless of where they’re from, their race, or their culture. Becoming educated not only makes life easier for us but also can help people become more successful in all things. However with so many people of various races, ethnicities and backgrounds in the United States it is difficult to create an education system that attends to each student’s individual culture. Ones own culture influences their actions and lifestyle, therefore this can create conflict if it is different from their schools cultural teaching style. Multicultural and multilingual classrooms have become the norm in many educational and professional settings throughout the U.S. because of changing immigration patterns caused by globalization (Institute for Educational Leadership, p. 2). For teachers today, it is essential to understand the role of culture and have the ability to interact interculturally in the classroom to create an effective learning environment. Analyzing cultural issues or differences can help teachers to understand some of the unconscious processes that shape individuals’ actions and interactions, as well as their language use and communication. “Teachers who understand cultural diversity…are more likely to be successful in their multicultural classrooms” (Samovar, Pg.2).