Affective Learning

The culturally competent teacher should be able to use a variety of assessment techniques appropriate to diverse learners and accommodate sociocultural differences that affect learning.

A teacher might respond to the linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural characteristic of the students in her or her classroom by noticing their difference and use them to learn. The teacher might want to learn more about where their students are from and try to use that and a teaching tool in the classroom. The teacher might respond to the linguistics by learning the basics of the student’s language so that if they ever come into trouble with English then you will be able to have some resource to be able to help your students. If the only language your students know how to speak is Spanish and they are learning English but could be having trouble learning English then it will be easier for you as the teacher if you are able to understand at least a little bit of what your student is going through. The teacher might respond to the ethnic part of their students by learning more about where their students came from and what their culture is like. By learning more about their culture you could use that in the classroom to help them learn. By the students knowing that you care about who they are they will enjoy your class and enjoy you as a teacher. The teacher might respond to the sociocultural characteristics of the students by observing how they interact with their peers. By noticing how different races of students interact with each other would be very interesting for the teacher. It would also be interesting for the teacher to observe how the same races of students interact with each other. When I become a teacher I want to be able to learn from my students as much as they learn from me. I want to be able to use what I learn from my students in the classroom and in the curriculum to help them learn.

This experience I think connects to Ira Shor’s theories. He is theorist who believes in empowering education. Empowering Education “is a critical-democratic pedagogy for self and social change.” (p.15) If you are able to create a change in yourself for your students then your students will be able to learn a lot more from you because they will be interested in you as their teacher. The students will go through their own individual growth and experience and be able to change because of what they have learned. 

Involvement with parents and the community

The culturally competent teacher involves and works with families and community resources, understanding the differences in families, the important influence of family participation in students’ learning, and benefit of collaboration with the wider school community.

If I were the teacher of the classroom that I volunteer in I imagine that I would come across a lot of challenges. I might come across challenges with the parents of the students in the classroom because some of them could speak another language. The language barrier would cause challenges in telling them how their children are doing in the class. If an issue came up with a student in the class and if I needed to talk to a parent that does not speak English it would cause problems of knowing how to communicate what I need to the parents. To address these challenges I might want to have another teacher that speaks that language come in with me to the conference between the student’s parents and me. Another way I could address this could be to have some background in the language to be able to have some way to communicate with the parents even though it would still be difficult. Another challenge I could have with the parents could be that the parents do not want to be involved in their child’s school life and don’t have any cares or worries about how their children are doing in school. If I have an issue with the student that needs to be talked about with the parents also but the parents don’t care about how their children are doing in school then there is no point in confronting the parents about it. I would want to respect anything that the parent feels is right for their child but also want them to know what I feel is right for my students. Also if any parent is concerned about what I am teaching or the way that I am teaching their children then I would try to make the parents feel as comfortable as possible with me as a teacher.

As part of the No Child Left Behind there are four pillars and one part of those four pillars is more choices for parents. This gives parents more opportunity to have more say in their children’s education. If they are a part of a low performing school then the parents have the option to be able to transfer their child to a better performing public school within the district. If a parent decides to do this then the district must provide transportation for that child to be able to get to that school. This works well for low income families who want their children to be able to go to a good school because they want their child to achieve academically. 

Diversity in the classroom

The culturally competent teacher should be able to account for, demonstrate awareness of, and respond to the sociocultural distinctiveness of her or his students, families, and communities when planning for and delivering instruction.

The classroom that I volunteer in is very diverse. There are African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites in the classroom working together. These students notice that they are different but they don’t see it as a problem. They don’t see themselves as better than any others just because of the color of their skin. The students can all sit in a group as a part of the classroom and work together. The students are excited to be in that classroom to be with their friends and are excited to learn. Some of these students live in a home where their primary language is Spanish because that is the language of their parents or grandparents. Although they mostly speak Spanish they learn and speak English in the classroom. I have seen a few of the students speak Spanish to each other while in the classroom. They will speak Spanish sometimes with their peers while they are working in groups or during their snack time.  I find it very interesting that they will sometimes speak Spanish with some of their peers but know to speak English anytime doing class work or speaking to the teacher or in front of the class.

Society could improve if they were like the students because these students don’t worry about the color of their classmates or where they came from. This asset could improve society so much because all people would be able to work together and people would be able to be friends without worrying about what they look like on the outside but by who they are on the inside.  This would also make society a lot safer because of the same reasons.

According to Infoworks, in Rhode Island 74.3% of students are white, 7.9% are African American, 14% are Hispanic, 3.3% are Asian or Pacific Islander, and only .5% are Native American. For students that are receiving ESL or bilingual education there are 93.5% who do not receive any at all, 5.1% who receive ESL, 1.1% who receive bilingual, and only .3% are in both programs. In the school that I am volunteering in 52% are Hispanic, 17% are African American, 26% are white, 4% are Asian or Pacific Islander and only 1% are Native American. For students that are receiving ESL or bilingual education there are 64% are non-recipients, 16% who receive ESL and 20% who receive bilingual. Most of the students in my classroom are part of a minority, which makes them the majority of the class. 

Difference between the teacher and the students

The culturally competent teacher is aware of the diverse cultural groups represented in his/her classroom, investigates the sociocultural factors that influence student learning, and is able to integrate this knowledge into his/her teaching.

All the students in the classroom all have their own story to tell and their own beliefs. This causes the students to be curious about how other people live but also cause them to believe that they live the ideal lifestyle and they want to prove that to the other students in the classroom.  I went to an elementary school in the country not in the city so these kids already have a different history than I do. This could bring challenges for me because I am not used to the way that people live in the city. These students live a different lifestyle then I have ever been in. The students have also told me stories about how they only have either a mom or a dad and this also sets me apart from them because I grew up with both parents and in a big family. A lot of these kids don’t even know what it is like to have a family.  This could create challenges for me as a teacher because I will not be able to understand where some of these students are coming from and to be able to understand some of the things they are going through. This could also create advantages for me as a teacher because it will show me the differences between my students and be able to learn from them. I want to be able to look into each of my student’s cultures and learn about where they came from and use that in the classroom. I want to be able to learn from my students as much as they will learn from me.

Johnson’s article “Our house is on fire” relates to this because he discusses how race has always been an issue and that we need to look past and realize what people really are. This would help in the classroom because in the classroom all students are equal and should have an equal opportunity for learning. 

The first few times that i went to my school i got lost on my way there because I was not used to where i needed to go. When I first arrived at my school it was not exactly what I had expected because the windows are gated and that is something that I have never seen at an elementary school before. Once I got into the school and met the students and teachers I felt more comfortable because the students want to get to know you and want you to be working with them. The teachers are also very inviting into their classrooms and seem like they enjoy that I am spending my time working with their students. Everyday that I have been to work with the students the teacher has had them sitting around her on a rug where they read and do activities where the teacher can involve every student into her lesson. This helps to get the students more interested in what she is teaching because the students get to be more involved. Although some of the students can get easily distracted they all seem very interested in what their teacher is saying to them and what to be a part of what she is teaching to them. The students being respectful and polite to not only their teachers but also their peers is very much valued in this school. You can tell this because they have a school store in which the students can receive play money to spend at the school store. The only way that the students can earn this money is if they are well behaved and show respect. My second time going to the school the principle and a boy and girl student were standing in the office when I went to check in. When i came up to the door the boy opened the door and held it for the girl and me. The principle saw this and told him to always remain a gentlemen and handed him a few of the dollars. This showed the boy that the principle noticed his gesture and that he appreciated it. The students in my group get so excited when i show up because they love getting the attention of a guest coming into their classroom and working with them. I go twice a week and just started last week with working with the students. I have 3 groups of students and work with the same kids every time that I go. Working with the students twice a week gives them more practice in the areas that they need help with. 

My name is Kim Skaling. I am a sophomore and majoring in Elementary Education. My semester is going good so far. It is going to be a very stressful semester between classes and homework but also very exciting. I am excited to start the service learning project because it will be a great experience but I am also very nervous about it. Outside of classes and homework I like to spend my time with family and friends. My family is very important to me because I grew up in a big family with 5 older brothers and many outside of my immediate family. I also have 3 nephews and 1 niece and 1 nephew or niece on the way and they all mean the world to me.