Ethnic and Cultural Diversity
To discuss ethics and cultural diversity, I chose a video called “Diverse education for a student in the educational system”, which was published by TED Talks. I consider this source to be especially valuable and informative as it provides knowledge and data that every specialist in the field of education needs to know. This video talks about the importance of the formation and promotion of diversity in the educational process and what an important role it has for the student (TEDx Talks, 2018). I believe that every educator should follow this approach. In his practice of working with demographics of primarily Hispanic and Mexican children, it is necessary to form an unbiased attitude to different cultures.
Ethnic and cultural diversity is thus critically important for building a healthy educational process. This is also due to the fact that there are many ethnic groups in the country, characterized by different cultures and views of the world. Teachers should be able to maintain a balance among representatives of different cultures to ensure the best process of memorizing new information by students (Gay, 2000). Moreover, these circumstances help to develop tolerance and a greater sense of security. It also helps students familiarize themselves with other languages and cultures and encourage and respect them.
Cultural Congruity
I believe that the concept of learning styles baseline is of particular importance in the educational process. It consists in the fact that this aspect makes it possible to conduct a more effective learning process. This is due to the fact that the cultural values of the individual and the community converge with those established in the educational institution. (Gay, 2000) Moreover, it helps to avoid manifestations of discrimination and bias on the part of both students and teachers and representatives of the educational institution.
Learning styles are valuable in the process of learning any subject and in any age categories. They manifest themselves against the background of individual characteristics of students, which help them determine the most effective ways to memorize the information they receive. Aspects such as active and affective engagement also play a role in this process. They also require the application of improvement measures in order to achieve the best results. Active learning implies the full involvement of children in the learning process, which involves the use of various tools. This can be a representation of information in various forms, such as pictures, text or audio (Ndura, 2004). Hence, they may include question-and-answer sessions, discussion, impromptu writing assignments. Moreover, the introduction of contextual activities is an additional way.
Affective involvement also plays a special role in the process of presenting and learning new material. This aspect is of interest because it implies the division of power among all participants in the educational process. This is done through consultation and taking into account the opinion on how the training plan should be tripled. Thus, students are characterized by greater involvement and loyalty towards the subject and the teacher. In addition, the affective aspect includes such indicators as student motivation, attitudes, perceptions and values.
Personal Case for Culturally Responsive Teaching Praxis
Cultural impact through learning cooperatively can be very effective in the classroom. His name was due to the fact that the culture in which people grow up has a strong impact on how people perceive the world. Similarly, this aspect affects the learning process and the perception of new information. Moreover, cultural contribution through cooperative learning becomes the main determinant when choosing strategies and forming a training plan for a particular science.
Rituals and routines can influence the course of the lesson and how students will perceive the information. These two actions can have a special effect on both children and teachers (Sullo, 2009). One of the rituals that are closest to me is debriefing after the lesson. Thus, this procedure allows not only to consolidate the material covered, but also to identify gaps that are important to fill. In this process, it is also important to take into account such a concept as culturally responsive teaching. This approach helps to avoid a gap between the reader and the students, which can significantly complicate the learning process. In addition, thus, the educator should pay attention to his wards and be empathic and caring, take into account the cultural characteristics of different nationalities.
The main components of culturally-responsive practices are also, it significantly modernizes and favorably influences the formation of communication experience in different cultures, which is important for every student. The goal is to identify and use the strengths and weaknesses of students to improve the learning process (Allison & Rehm, 2007). In a culturally responsive classroom, the teacher must correlate the learning activities and experiences that the students have. In addition, it is also important to take into account such an aspect as the previous knowledge of children.
Reflection
Implementing cooperative learning strategies in the classroom can have many benefits. Especially it concerns cultural benefits which are also crucial during education. One of these strategies that I have applied in practice is jigsaw, which has contributed to optimizing the acquisition of knowledge and team building. In addition, it allows teachers to erase the boundaries that arise between students due to cultural and social differences.
Cooperative learning is considered to be a valuable method for transferring new knowledge to students. This method involves the work of children in small groups to achieve a common goal. An important aspect is the monitoring and control by the teacher to obtain the most effective results (Erbil & Kocabaş, 2018). Collaborative learning also has various strategies that can be used depending on the tasks and goals of the activity. They make it possible to conduct the learning process using past knowledge and experience to solve the problem. In addition, the use of such strategies provides an opportunity to work on key competencies and communication skills of students.
The usefulness of collaborative learning strategies also lies in their versatility and the possibility of multiple use. I often use the team jigsaw method as a way to improve the learning process. This method involves the distribution of parts of the task for study and memorization among the group members (Fitriyah & Fauzi, 2020). Further, each student performs his task, and then transfers this knowledge to other team members, making their valuable contribution. Thus, one of the strengths of the jigsaw strategy is the development of student understanding, improving relationships and communication between children and blurring the boundaries associated with cultural differences.
Culturally Responsive Routines and Rituals
According to my personal experience, I consider culturally centered efforts in the classroom to be of critical importance. Such approaches as implicit bias, inclusivity in school culture, anti-bias education, multicultural service-learning can make a difference and be very beneficial for the learning process and student’s communication. I am a 7th and 8th-grade math Special Education teacher working primarily with Hispanic and Mexican children, so I can confidently state that culture plays a vital role in the process of education.
One of the main problems that may arise when teaching representatives of different cultures may be implicit cultural bias towards students. It can manifest itself in the choice of a particular student over others based on his origin and cultural background (Whitford & Emerson, 2019). Hidden bias can significantly worsen the relationship not only between students and the teacher but also in the team as a whole. Getting rid of this factor and creating a space free from bias will allow teachers to establish an educational process and increase efficiency. Moreover, it is possible to strengthen ties and relationships between all participants of the educational process.
Multicultural education can also bring positive changes to the educational process. Based on my personal experience, I can conclude that it promotes student cohesion. In addition, this makes it possible to create equal conditions for all children, regardless of their cultural, ethnic, and social affiliation. This is because the primary goal of multicultural education is to facilitate the process of acquiring knowledge. Therefore, culture-oriented learning can have a considerable contribution to the learning process. However, it also requires considerable effort and some knowledge. Consideration of this aspect also contributes to creating a safe environment for all students, which improves the learning process for all participants. The learning space, where the main focus is on culture and knowledge, becomes a place where students feel confident and marked.
References
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.
Ndura, E. (2004). ESL and cultural bias: An analysis of elementary through high school textbooks in the western United States of America. Language, Culture & Curriculum, 17(2), 143–153.
TEDx Talks. (2018). Diverse education for a student in the educational system |Elijah Jones| TEDxYouth@Wilmington [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Allison, B. N., & Rehm, M. L. (2007). Effective teaching strategies for middle school learners in multicultural, multilingual classrooms. Middle School Journal, 39(2), 12-18.
Sullo, R. A. (2009). Teach routines, rituals, and procedures. The Motivated Student: Unlocking the Enthusiasm for Learning, 52-61.
Erbil, D. G., & Kocabaş, A. (2018). Cooperative learning as a democratic learning method. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 32(1), 81-93. Web.
Fitriyah, T., & Fauzi, M. F. (2020). Improving quality of Arabic translation course through jigsaw cooperative learning. Izdihar: Journal of Arabic Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Literature, 3(1), 17-30. Web.
Whitford, D. K., & Emerson, A. M. (2019). Empathy intervention to reduce implicit bias in pre-service teachers. Psychological Reports, 122(2), 670-688. Web.