Recommend 10 strategies for creating a positive and supportive learning environment in the multicultural classroom.- Develop a personal plan for increasing your knowledge about and experiences with cultural groups that are different than your own. How will you assess your progress at becoming more aware of cultural differences?
A multicultural environment in today's 21st classroom celebrates and appreciates the differences that their students manifest in their classroom. Teachers should teach students to seek the truth in understanding and celebrating the richness that they find themselves surrounded by.
Teachers can prepare their students to be well adapted to the differences they'll find in high school, college and life. Teachers themselves have to learn to see these differences as an advantage to discovering new paths to create unique, personal and effective lessons and classes.
Here are 10 strategies that I think can help create a supportive learning environment for our multicultural classrooms.
Gender
1)Create an environment free from gender biases in an elementary classroom by showing examples of females performing typically male jobs that reflect today's gender roles in our society. For example: a picture of a female construction worker or a stay-at-home dad. In middle and upper level classes, these same examples can be used and teaches can create video-interview and integrate is into a lesson or post on a class blog.
2)Create same-gender classes for girls in science, math and other core subject eliminates the male dominance factor and can boost girls confidence and strengthen female identity. Culture can affect how women see themselves in the eyes of men, girls may be more inclined to take on a leadership role, solve problems and learn to "think like a man". Roles that women may be culturally conditioned to delegate to the opposite sex, will be taken on by females in lieu of male students.
3)Empower girls to aspire to greatness by showing historical and contemporaneity examples women in history
Language
4)Address the needs of ELL students by creating classes that give them the sense of belonging they need to empower them. Teachers must recognize tat students will make mistakes and model correct language instead of telling them they are wrong. For example if a student asks "Teacher I can go to bathroom?" reply by modeling the correction "Oh, Can you go to the bathroom?". There are many other strategies to use such as pairing ELLs with students with strong language skills, labeling objects in the classroom and relating root words and prior knowledge.
5)Celebrate linguistic diversity by encouraging students with different languages to strengthen their own skills, encourage monolingual students to learn another language. Show students that they will have more options in like if they have a second language.
Cultural
6)Empower students of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds by using prominent figures that created history and those who changed it. Present not only the facts but the cultural background that students can identify with and adopt as role models. When teaching US History, try to find parallels or simply the events that were taking place during the time in the countries your students culturally are tied to.
2)Create same-gender classes for girls in science, math and other core subject eliminates the male dominance factor and can boost girls confidence and strengthen female identity. Culture can affect how women see themselves in the eyes of men, girls may be more inclined to take on a leadership role, solve problems and learn to "think like a man". Roles that women may be culturally conditioned to delegate to the opposite sex, will be taken on by females in lieu of male students.
3)Empower girls to aspire to greatness by showing historical and contemporaneity examples women in history
Language
4)Address the needs of ELL students by creating classes that give them the sense of belonging they need to empower them. Teachers must recognize tat students will make mistakes and model correct language instead of telling them they are wrong. For example if a student asks "Teacher I can go to bathroom?" reply by modeling the correction "Oh, Can you go to the bathroom?". There are many other strategies to use such as pairing ELLs with students with strong language skills, labeling objects in the classroom and relating root words and prior knowledge.
5)Celebrate linguistic diversity by encouraging students with different languages to strengthen their own skills, encourage monolingual students to learn another language. Show students that they will have more options in like if they have a second language.
Cultural
6)Empower students of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds by using prominent figures that created history and those who changed it. Present not only the facts but the cultural background that students can identify with and adopt as role models. When teaching US History, try to find parallels or simply the events that were taking place during the time in the countries your students culturally are tied to.
7)Involve parents by asking them to participate in school events that celebrate the family's cultural heritage. This gives the event authenticity and can be a place to create stronger relationships between the school . the students and their teachers.
Racial
8)Create a classroom atmosphere and environment that celebrates racial diversity. Use classroom material and textbooks that do the same. Avoid using ethnocentric classroom materials that contain racial references that favor one race over another. Encourage students to interact with other students of different races both in and out of school.
9)Become knowledgeable on how the different racial groups have become part of our demographics Understand the struggles and accomplishments that each one has gone through in becoming "Americans" from the perspective of each racial group so you can understand and address behaviors that they may be associated with.
Sexual Identity
10)Enforce a zero-tolerance policy on bullying and student discrimination and verbiage and behavior associated with homosexual and transgender hate.
Personal Plan for becoming a more culturally aware teacher
As an immigrant to the United States, I feel I posses the cultural sensitivity to address the needs of the biggest minority group in the United States: Hispanic Americans. However I posses very little experience with students of other minority groups.
I have recently been accepted for the teacher pool for Memphis City schools. If accepted for a position I will have the opportunity to work with schools that have many African american students. I am fascinated by this demographic group and consume music, literature written by African Americans. My personal geographic location limits my exposure to this group.
I have always surrounded myself with people that are at least bi-cultural. I am looking forward to creating a social circle here in the US that allow me to explore the cultural diversity in this country.
Racial
8)Create a classroom atmosphere and environment that celebrates racial diversity. Use classroom material and textbooks that do the same. Avoid using ethnocentric classroom materials that contain racial references that favor one race over another. Encourage students to interact with other students of different races both in and out of school.
9)Become knowledgeable on how the different racial groups have become part of our demographics Understand the struggles and accomplishments that each one has gone through in becoming "Americans" from the perspective of each racial group so you can understand and address behaviors that they may be associated with.
Sexual Identity
10)Enforce a zero-tolerance policy on bullying and student discrimination and verbiage and behavior associated with homosexual and transgender hate.
Personal Plan for becoming a more culturally aware teacher
As an immigrant to the United States, I feel I posses the cultural sensitivity to address the needs of the biggest minority group in the United States: Hispanic Americans. However I posses very little experience with students of other minority groups.
I have recently been accepted for the teacher pool for Memphis City schools. If accepted for a position I will have the opportunity to work with schools that have many African american students. I am fascinated by this demographic group and consume music, literature written by African Americans. My personal geographic location limits my exposure to this group.
I have always surrounded myself with people that are at least bi-cultural. I am looking forward to creating a social circle here in the US that allow me to explore the cultural diversity in this country.
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