For this assignment, "my" new family
will be welcomed into my classroom as they are emigrating from Peru.
Five ways in which I will prepare
myself for cultural responsiveness are:
1. Setting up to meet the family,
one-on-one to learn more about the family. In this meeting, I will present them
with the All About Me questionnaire so I may be able to get a better picture of
the child's influences and family culture. I will also use this meeting to
address any language barriers that may be a problem for the child.
2. After the family meeting, I will
speak with the children already in the class and show them a picture. This will
provide the children with some expectations of who the child is. I will address
any differences that may occur because of the child's cultural identity. This
is important as Derman-Sparks & Edwards (2010) point out that children become
aware of society's attitudes toward their family's cultural way of being. I
want to prevent the new student from losing their sense of belonging.
3. In the classroom, I can label
things with the child's home language, as well as English, so they do not lose
the sense of primary language identity. I will together with the parents in
order to translate and label some of the common items in the classroom to
understand the child more clearly.
4. For the child, I will display
signs in multiple languages (Welcome) as well as allow them to have some books
from home in their primary language. After doing research about Peru, it is
important to note that Peru is a primarily Spanish-speaking country, however it
is multi-lingual. I cannot assume that traditional Spanish is the primary
language of this new family.
5. Finally, the first week of class
for the child, I will have the child bring in pictures of their family and have
the curriculum center around that child's favorite things so the classmates may
learn more about him/her. By providing concrete, daily life experiences, it
will help all of the children better interact with one another (Derman-Sparks
& Edwards, 2010).
I think that by working together with
the family, I will provide a smoother transition into a "new world"
for their child. By recognizing the family's differences and expectations, we
can better understand the importance of education from the family about their
history, goals for their child and expectations regarding the classroom
environment and teachers (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010).
Reference:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen
Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves.
Wahsington, DC: NAEYC.
Clara,
ReplyDeleteI love your idea about showing a picture of the new student to your class before the new student arrives. This way the children will be able to become familiar with that child before the child even arrives. Great idea!!!
Clara,
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that you will have welcoming signs in multiple languages so that all students feel welcomed and included within their classroom.
Clara,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your ideas on what you are going to do to welcome your families.
You are using materials and strategies that integrate respect, diversity, and acceptance in your environment which is essential to children's self-esteem and development.
Clara,
ReplyDeleteYour tips are insightful. I am an ESL teacher and I teach children whose first language is not English. I can really use these tips, professionally. Thanks.
Janille
Clara,
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas. We already have labels in Spanish in our classrooms but I think it would be an interesting idea to use multiple languages. It would not only be good for the children but for touring families as well. Thanks for sharing.
Clara,
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, especially using words in multiple languages and showing the picture of the child to the students. This way, they will be prepared when the new child comes and there will be less anxiety.
Shannon