ADDRESSING DIVERSITY
Abstract
Diversity is an important concept in the world of teaching and learning. As an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher, I believe that I have a big responsibility to meet the individual needs of my diverse ELL students. In my previous course on Foundation of English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education, I learned that 42 percent of public school students in the United States were racial or ethnic minorities in 2003 (U. S. Department of Education Annual Report on Schools 2005). It is also estimated that there are about 9 million children ages 5 to 17 that speak a language other than English, and around 3 million are having a hard time communicating in English (Cole, 2008). According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (2013) there is a boom of minority population through the region. These figures only proved that educators are faced with culturally, economically, and linguistically diverse students. I strongly believe that these children deserve the opportunity to learn in a new and challenging learning environment while keeping their cultural traditions and beliefs. They would learn better if the learning environment meets their specific learning needs, and the teacher welcomes their diverse cultural background.
Part 1: Diversity Self Knowledge
What is diversity? For me, diversity means having unique ideals, beliefs, experiences, dreams, personality, language, intelligence, work, tradition, religion, economic background, education, and other things that make a person unique. I am diverse because there’s no other person who thinks, and acts like me. I am an optimistic person, and I always believe that there’s a reason why everything happens. When I make mistakes, I try to learn from them so I won’t repeat the same mistake in the future. As an ESOL teacher, I think it is important for me to do a self-check on the things that make me diverse. The following are some of the characteristics that make me diverse.
· I am a Filipino.
· English is my second language.
· I speak 3 other languages that are spoken in the Philippines. (Chavacano, Cebuano, and Filipino)
· I just had a baby girl!
· I am kind, loving, and thoughtful.
· I am an ESOL teacher, and I enjoy teaching.
· I am a Roman Catholic, and I believe in God.
· I enjoy taking pictures of nature and people.
· I speak a little Chinese.
· I have 3 brothers and a sister.
· I am a visual learner.
· I enjoy reading novels.
· I collect stamps and family portraits.
· I believe in honesty.
· I believe in giving 100% in everything that I do.
· I’m scared to drive, and I just started driving at 35!
· I used to write blogs when I teaching English as Second Language in China.
· I love gardening.
· I can swim.
· I believe that everyone deserves a second chance.
All these characteristics show that I am a diverse person, and they influence me to become a better educator by being more sensitive to my students’ individual needs. I am now more aware that each child is different, and should be treated according to his own individuality. I may share some of these characteristics with other people, but no one else share everything that makes me a unique being. As I was writing these things down, I realized that every student should be treated as a unique individual because each student has his own culture at home and has a different learning style and needs. I won’t see my group of ESOL students under one small group, although they share the same level with their WIDA ACCESS test result. They may have scored the same in Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening, but they still have other differences that I must take into account when planning lessons. I can differentiate my lessons based on their learning preferences or interests.
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Strengths
* I plan for engaging and rigorous lessons.
* I am sensitive to my students’ difficulty in acquiring English as a Second Language.
* I am a good listener and I try to give my students a chance to be heard.
* I like my students to work in a small group.
* I can speak a little Spanish, the language of the majority of my ESOL students.
* I understand that it can be hard to learn a second language.
* I am kind and honest.
* I value hard work and reward my students for showing their best work in the class.
* I can easily connect with my students.
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Weaknesses
* I am not very good in integrating Math into our class discussions.
* I don’t know a lot about the US history since I am new to this country.
* I need to increase my wait time for students to come up with a good answer.
* English is not my first language.
* I did not have my schooling here in the United States.
* I am not trained to handle children with special needs, yet I am push in to help ESOL students with Learning Disability.
* I am not familiar with the culture of my students from around the world.
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Opportunities
* My students learn in small groups.
* There’s a need for ESOL teacher due to the increase of Hispanic population.
* I believe that my students can succeed in school.
* Students and teachers can share a unique cultural characteristics.
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Threats
* Poverty is such a big threat for students to succeed in school and be college ready.
* Parents who are not able to support their kids for homework at home.
* Students worry about their score on standardized testing.
* Students with difficult home life.
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Part 1: Diversity Self Knowledge
Demographic Diversity Portrait: Esther Jackson Elementary School
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Total Student Population
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566
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Gender
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Male: 279
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Female: 287
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Race/Ethnicity
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African/American: 122
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Hispanic:
302
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White: 132
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Asian:
10
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Other
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Socioeconomic Status
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Free/Reduced Lunch: 65
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Language
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English: 254
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Spanish: 302
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Other: 10
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Ability
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Regular Education:
305
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ELL:
156
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Special Education:
71
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Gifted/Talented
Education: 34
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Esther Jackson Elementary School has a very diverse student population. The diversity of our students has a great impact on how we deliver our lessons, in order for the students to learn the standards set by the state of Georgia. The teachers are trained to use the classroom interactive technology so students are able to see some examples of videos about the lesson. Teachers are also required to use graphic organizers in brainstorming and checking for students’ understanding. As a result of this diversity, we are always using differentiated instruction for the teaching process, content, and product.
The school take advantage of the diversity by having programs to enrich teaching and learning. We have programs for the ESOL students to be pulled-out for small group classes. For ESOL students how are in general education during Science and Social Studies, we support them through our Push-in ESOL programs. We also have afterschool programs that are free to students who need extra support, especially if they are unable to complete their homework at home. We also provide extended day for ELA/Reading and Math for students who are not on the grade level on their Reading and Math skills.
Our school incorporate Universal Design for Learning to enhance learning for all students by teaching with differentiation, and using all the resources during teaching and learning time. We incorporate technology in the classroom for students to use, such as ipads, desktops and laptops. For Math, students have their own ALEKS account to access more practices on the lessons taught by the teacher. For ESOL students, we have Imagine Learning program that helps students to have extra practice on the lessons using songs, chants, poems and short stories. We also use cooperative learning for students to work with groups as independent practice. It is important that we focus on vocabulary development when introducing new topics. We also introduce difficult ideas using pictures and more examples. We also have a group of teachers and staff who are very responsive to students who are in need of support in Tier 1 to Tier 3. Our building is also designed to be accessible to every student with disability.
References:
Badertscher, N., & Scott, J. (2013). Hispanic Enrollment Surges in Metro Schools.
Retrieved from
Esther Jackson Elementary School. (2015). Demographic Diversity Portrait. Roswell, GA:
School Data Clerk Office.
Saravia-Shore, M. (2008). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107003/chapters/Diverse-Teaching-Strategies-for-Diverse-Learners.aspx
U.S. Department of Education. (2005). The Condition of Education 2005 in Brief.
Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/2005095.pdf
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