Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse

Studentsby

Dr. Paul A. Rodríguez

Some Starting Thoughts

Since 1990, the ELL population in US public schools has increased 101%

Many are “economic refugees”

These are not the only students struggling with poverty & cultural differences – Many native born students face these same obstacles

Linguistic Diversity

Obstacles to everyday communication

Obstacles to academic language

See Michalski’s bibliographies for online language & linguistics resources and for multicultural read-alouds

Cultural Diversity

Eye contact – to make or not to make?How to address teachers & other adultsHow to behave in a classroom – stay in seat, etc.How/when to communicate with the teacher – absence work, conferences, concerns

Cultural Diversity

How to work in groups – copy or own work

Different nonverbal communication – thumbs up, wave with palm showing, etc.

The meaning of laughter

Personal space

Keeping face & failure

Naming traditions

Economic Diversity

The underlying characteristics of generational poverty have surface representations at school – see Michalski’s chartsEx.: Important relationships & the reliance on people to survive = Students decide if they will work in the classroom based on whether or not they like you.

Economic Diversity

Rules of the middle class & high society

It is difficult for those students suffering from generational poverty to interface with the middle-class culture prevalent in most public schools (Michalski & Payne)

Core Elements of Teaching in a Diverse Classroom

Organized, colorful environmentStudent-centered classroom where they feel safe & comfortable working together & learning from each otherTheir experiences appear in instructionPhotos, music, films related to contentGroup & pair work – contribute what can

Core Elements of Teaching in a Diverse Classroom (cont.)

Culturally diverse literature, music, etc.

Cultural, national, international, & global perspectives

Supplementary materials

Similarities & universals of human experience

Resources

Michalski, Marina. “Are We Speaking the Same Language Here? Considerations in Teaching Linguistically, Culturally, and Economically Diverse Students.” SDE National Conference on Differentiated Conference, Las Vegas, July 2007.

Payne, Ruby. (2001). A framework for understanding poverty. Highlands, TX: Aha! Process, Inc.