Berman, Municucci, McLaughlin, Nelson, & Woodworth. (1995, August). School Reform and Student Diversity: Case Studies of Exemplary Practices for LEP Students. Institute for Policy Analysis and Research, National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning. World Wide Web: http://www.nclea.gwu.edu/pubs/schoolreform/index.htm. Three of my favorite strategies that were mentioned in this article were cooperative learning groups, whole language techniques, and cultural validation. Cooperative Learning Groups The main feature of this technique involves peer instruction and mutual help(p. 28). Cooperative learning groups involves having groups that include students who are strong and weak in a particular subject or English speaking skills. This way the student(s) with the stronger skills can assist the student(s) with the particular weak area. For example, in my second grade classroom I have 37 students separated in 5 cooperative learning groups that consist of 6 students and 1 groups of 7 students. In each group, I have a team leader that manages the group work and oversees the productivity of the group. I have it so the groups have high and low level learners so everyone can help each other in particular subjects such as reading, writing, and math. I reward the groups with group points on my white board when they demonstrate success in a group project or when the class has a question and answer round and their group answers the question correctly. Sometimes it is tough to implement group work because the students have to work on getting along with other students with different learning styles and personalities, but it provides them a real world opportunity to practice their communication and conflict resolution skills we learn in class. Whole Language Techniques The purpose of this technique is so that students can relate what they are reading to situations that are related to their own lives. This involves students "using the language instead of learning about the language" which include the use of journals, news stories, illustrating books, etc (p. 35). For example, one of the teachers in the article used character maps to understand the characters and their motivations when reading James and the Giant Peach. In my second grade class, students respond to journal prompts in the morning. The class was reading Hello Amigos which is about a Mexican boy named Frankie Valdez who celebrates his birthday at school and at home. It has certain cultural contexts within the story which is portrayed in the vocabulary, food, and clothes. The students can really identify with Frankie because most of them come from a similar background. So one the journal entries that week included: How do you celebrate your birthday? The students shared with each other what they wrote in their journals. After students were finished sharing, we had a compare and contrast chart on the board and we listed how our birthday celebrations were similar and different from Frankie Valdez. By using such techniques, the students are able to identify what they learned in the story and were able to relate and differentiate the particular experiences from their own lives. Cultural Validation This instructional strategy makes students and their families realize that their primary language and culture is of value. Teachers develop curriculum and lessons that "connect with students experiences [such as] interviewing people in their community [or] writing about themselves" (p. 81). For example in my second grade, each student gets to do a Star of the Week board, in which one student per week is assigned a bulletin board to themselves that highlights his or her life. Each student includes a paragraph about himself or herself, along with pictures of him or her and his or her family. Also, we have a project where students interview their grandparents and do an Ancestor Report. This includes answering questions and posting a picture of their grandmother or grandfather. This project is displayed outside in the hallway where everyone could see. Lastly, my classroom contains both Spanish and English labels on major objects, centers, and furniture in the room. It shows that both languages are just as important and I want all students to learn both terms. Implementing such lessons in my class will make learning much more meaningful and memorable to my students. |