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While reading the article Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content. I came to the conclusion that most schools are at a level one on their multicultural approach. I know that the school that I work at actively tries to promote the knowledge of other cultures by having assemblies and articles. I know currently we have an article and board up that talks about Ramadan in our school so that students can look more into what it is. But I wouldn’t classify some school efforts to be on a higher level. I also am aware of the fact that it can be difficult for schools to go past a level one depending on the individuals in the community, on the school board and what is the popular topic of choice at the time.

One thing I wanted to focus on from the article Teachers’ Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the Impact on leadership Preparation: Lessons for Future Reform Efforts was their discussion on professional learning communities. It stated that PLCs typically focus on the school’s improvement efforts but from my experience with them they focus on issues in the school such as behavior and grades. The focus of cultural diversity and the increase of learning new things about other cultures isn’t the main priority. Another thing that I think that makes it difficult for PLCs to focus on cultural issues is that most individuals that make up the PLCs are not individuals of a dominate minority group that makes up the school.

The biggest thing that I see as educators that we might forget is that our students that might be culturally different experience different things than we did when we were in their shoes. Once we do this and use the resources that we have to help our students it will be that much easier for us to give our students the proper tools for them to excel in the education and their futures.

Banks, J.A. (2003).  Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content.  Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

Mette, I. M., Nieuwenhuizen, L., & Hvidston, D. J. (2016). Teachers’ perceptions of culturally responsive pedagogy and the impact on leadership preparation: lessons for future reform efforts. Manuscript, Vol 11(1), NCPEA International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation. Retrieved June 3, 2018, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1103652

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Cultural Considerations - Marvin Peterson

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Cultural Considerations - Marvin Peterson

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After reading Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content, by James Banks, which is something I have seen before in my undergraduate work, it reminded me of the approaches that often devastate urban schools and their learners. The contributions and the additive approaches rely on students to add perspective to their learning without having the historical context to do so (Banks, 2003, np). Adding posters on the wall of "heroes" does a great deal for self-confidence, but it lacks deeper institutionalized practices that benefit people that are outside of the mainstream power dynamic (white, male, heterosexual). While this practice is a start, and students should see role models that look like them, it is only a topical solution. Students needs to see history, literature, mathematics, science, and the arts through the lens of their ancestors. If for no other reason than this has been granted to the aforementioned mainstream power dynamic belonging individuals. The transformative and the social action approaches (Banks, np) reach for the next level of integration of teaching and learning multiculturally. Multicultural Education (ME) should empower students that have historically lacked power, a voice, and representation. ME should include textbooks from authors with depth and breadth in sex, race, ethnicity, and the origin country of the text. ME should include teachers receptive to their own understanding of their own biases. ME should include multifaceted multimodal delivery that supports students that may not conform to the paper-pencil test evaluative model. ME should incorporate real-world examples of the realities of the world, how they affect others, and be taught without hesitation.

In reading English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Educational Strategies Multiculturalism’s Five Dimensions by Alba Ortiz, I found one key facet especially important in creating Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT). Ortiz speaks of the volumes of students that are overrepresented in special education due to lack of separation of educational disabilities and low proficiency in english due to a student being or presenting needs in English language learning. Ideally these students could take a one size fits all test or assessment to clarify their needs but since no such thing exists, teaching teams have the responsibility to take language and cultural factors in to account making the process very subjective.

References:

Banks, J.A. (2003).  Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content. Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, June 3 from http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf.

Ortiz, A. (2001). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies. LD Online. Retrieved 2018, June 3 from http://www.idonline.org/article/5622/.

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After the reading the article titled Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content by James Banks, I was able to gain a better understanding of the various levels in which we as educators can get our students involved in within the classroom, in order to create a more culturally responsive and inclusive environment. The first approach (The Contributions Approach) discusses the idea of classrooms celebrating special holidays and events in order to get students involved in lessons and experiences related to different cultural and ethnic groups. The second approach (The Additive Approach) discusses the idea that various content and concepts are added into the curriculum without actually needing to change the framework of it. Instead, the teacher integrates information into the curriculum and lessons so that students can gain a better understanding of various perspectives from different cultures. The third approach (The Transformation Approach) discusses the idea that the curriculum is changed and re-structured in order for students to view various cultural and ethnic issues and events, while also gaining different points of view. And finally, the fourth approach (The Social Action Approach) discusses the idea that students become involved in the process by making their own decisions about issues and events they view as important, and then they take action in order to solve those problems. This approach teachers students decision-making skills and educates them about social change, which allows for them to be reflective learners in the classroom. Working in a school that isn’t very diverse in regards to the population of students there, I think it’s important to utilize these four different approaches when trying to include more cultural and ethnic issues and events to learn about. It’s critical for students to learn about major issues, concepts, problems, and events that have taken place so that they are more aware and become more knowledgeable on the topic and can carry this wealth of knowledge with them. I also think it’s important to talk about the customs, traditions, and beliefs from other cultures, while also discussing my students’ own cultures, too. This allows students to become more involved in their learning, and they can gain a lot when communicating and researching about these experiences.

I also read the article titled English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Educational Strategies Multiculturalism’s Five Dimensions by Alba Ortiz. This article focuses a lot on students exhibiting learning difficulties in the classroom because of language barriers or due to cultural differences. With that being said, these students need to receive early intervention so that we as educators are able to correct these problems, and can allow for them to be successful in the classroom by reaching their full academic potential. If students have limited English and they are not receiving the proper instruction for English as a second language, it will be hard for them to make progress in the classroom. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds might have difficulty understanding certain concepts being taught to them because they don’t have these experiences to relate to. As an educator, it’s critical to modify our curriculum so that it meets the unique needs of each individual learner. This is why it’s important to get to know our students on a personal level so that we can better accommodate their needs and deliver our instruction based on their various cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, it’s important to deliver instruction that will appropriately address our students’ diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. By creating an environment, delivering differentiated instruction to our students based on their needs and backgrounds, and offering opportunities and experiences for our learners to grow, ultimately this will allow for our students to become more knowledgeable on the topic and will allow for them to build upon this knowledge as they get older. In doing so, children will become more responsive to various cultural and ethnic perspectives, which will allow for them to be successful in the classroom setting.

References:

Banks, J.A. (2003).  Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content. Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, June 3 from http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf.

Ortiz, A. (2001). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies. LD Online. Retrieved 2018, June 3 from http://www.idonline.org/article/5622/.

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English Language Learners- Alexandra Schulz

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English Language Learners- Alexandra Schulz

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The article I found most helpful when it comes to clarifying and outlining my understanding of the variety of approaches to include multicultural content in schools was "Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content" by James Banks.  I also read and related to Ortiz’s article on English Language Learners with Special Needs as I have several students who are both ELL and have special education needs in my classes/on my caseload.

I work at a very diverse high school in Minneapolis and inclusion, celebration of difference, and cultural awareness are championed in my school.  Despite a range of resources four English language learner’s students who are not fluent in English are less likely to experience the level of academic success of their English-speaking peers and are ultimately less likely to graduate.  I co-teach several math classes and although I am there primarily to serve students with IEPs who need extra support in math I often spend time helping ELL or ESL students as well.  Considering how difficult some of the content is and how rigorous the courses can be, many of these non-special education students need the same kinds of supports and modifications found on many student’s IEP’s in order to enable them to understand the content.  That being said, it seems as though it is only fair that schools are constantly working to provide the best possible free public education to ELL students by continuing to strive for a more culturally competent school community as well as devoting resources to these students to prevent them from becoming discouraged and falling behind.

Banks, J.A. (2003) Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content. Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from

http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

Ortiz, A. (2001). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies. LD Online. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from http://www.ldonline.org/article/5622/

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After reading  Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content by Banks, and  Teachers’ Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the Impact on Leadership Preparation: Lessons for Future Reform Efforts by Mette,  Nieuwenhuizen , and  Hvidston I understand that efforts attend to culturally responsive teaching is vital.  It was interesting that in the article by Mette et al, the school district that was studied began with a grass roots effort to understand how their practices affect students and made efforts to improve teacher understanding and instruction.  Those efforts were generally positive and and student achievement increased for English Language Arts and Math.  It is unclear to me if they were using a specific approach to change that correlates with those in the Banks article.
I wonder how effective change is from a top down approach.  The school in the Mette article was led by grass roots efforts and supported by administrators.  There was buy in within the building and professional development was provided by peers.  When changes are mandated by a district, I wonder if the result is as effective.  I work in a district that has similarities to the one in the Mette article.  The district has undertaken an effort to help teachers learn about culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices.  Select groups of teachers have received trainings from Dr. Sharroky Hollie and the entire district staff have gone to his presentations.  I've thought that some of the information has been helpful, but some of the suggestions feel "canned" and prescribed.  I think there needs to be a much deeper dive into student culture and background in order to really understand their roots.  I also don't think that a school can make significant, long term changes without community input and support.  Schools are amazing and do so much with so little, however, broadening their reach to affect change could be more powerful.

Banks, J.A. (2003).  Levels of integration of multicultural content.  Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

Mette, I. M., Nieuwenhuizen, L., & Hvidston, D. J. (2016). Teachers’ perceptions of culturally responsive pedagogy and the impact on leadership preparation: lessons for future reform efforts. Manuscript, Vol 11(1), NCPEA International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation. Retrieved June 2, 2018, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1103652

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Culturally Diverse and English Language Learners

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Culturally Diverse and English Language Learners

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By: Amber Norberg

I read through the Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content by James Banks and was reminded of my time spent teaching in a Title I school for 7 years. The population I taught was very diverse. Families were from Nepal, Russia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and many more countries. Languages were spoken in the home that made it difficult to find interpreters for which led us to using a language line when necessary. Each family brought with traditions and cultural beliefs of their own. After reading through this article I identified the most with Level 1. Outside of the designated celebration time period, we did not study much else about the specific country or anything else related.  With technology being so advanced and access to countless resources, it is my job as an educator to provide the most up to date and relevant ideas and experiences to my students.  Doing this does take time and effort, but so much can be gained from incorporating culturally diverse lessons in to my school year.
I also read through the article English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies by Alba Ortiz. Throughout my teaching  career, the following questions have been asked: Does this student need additional support and possibly a special education evaluation? Or, rather, is this student struggling because there is a language barrier?  “Students with limited English may fail because they do not have access to effective bilingual or English as a second language (ESL) instruction” (Ortiz, 2001). There were times throughout my teaching career that it became difficult for us teachers, as a team, to determine what specific students needed.  As a teacher, it is my job to provide a classroom that is conducive to academic success for all of my learners.
A big focus at my school was building background knowledge for students who were English Language Learners. We wanted to create experiences, form connections and expand vocabulary so that when continuing on in school, the students could pull out what they already knew and build on top of that. I always tried my best to differentiate instruction in the classroom hoping to reach all students.

Banks, J.A. (2003).  Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content.  Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

Ortiz, A. (2001). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Srategies. LD Online.  Retrieved 2018, February 4 from http://www.idonline.org/article/5622/

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Promoting Culturally Responsive classrooms 

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Promoting Culturally Responsive classrooms 

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By: Amber Solmonson
The school I am at is not very divers in terms of cultures however family styles are very diverse here. We have many students who are being raised by their grandparents or great grandparents as well as foster families. Our school seeks out ways to be inclusive and supportive of all the family styles that we have. One way we are doing this is that we area starting a community garden that we received a grant from so we can invite people of all ages and backgrounds and abilities to come help work on the garden. I think this will help our small community reach out to families. We will also be able to provide our lower income families with fresh produce which is something that we are lacking in our small town.The first reading about teachers perceptions and leadership impact reminded me of this. Our assistant principal is the point person for this project and The reading mentioned the role of the administration to be aware of the school environment and how culturally responsive it is.

The short writing about the levels of integration i found interesting, I think level 1 is what schools and teachers typically do and I hadn't stopped to think about how it really doesn't connect with the culture aspect as much as teachers hope to. I really found interest in the last 2 levels and they brought back to me the memory of a book I read about a school in Chicago where the kids were frustrated with their school environment and the teacher helped them through a social justice style to advocate for their school and the amount of skills they learned from it was incredible. I wish I could recall the name of the book and if I do I will be sure to share it, I read it for a class 8 years ago and was absolutely inspired. I think sometimes teachers think it is their job to create the content and the lessons but when you utilize kids interests they are encouraged to learn more and become more involved.

Mette, I. M., Nieuwenhuizen, L., & Hvidston, D. J. (2016). Teachers’ Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the Impact on Leadership Preparation: Lessons for Future Reform Efforts. Manuscript, Vol 11, NCPEA International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation. Retrieved June 1, 2018, from http://www.ncpeapublications.org/attachments/article/712/Mette_Nieuwenhuizen_Hvidston_Teachers_perceptions_of_culturally_responsive_pedagogy_and_the_impact_on_leadership_preparation.pdf

Banks, J.A. (2003) Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content. Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from
http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

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Culturally Responsive by Crystal Del Aguila

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Culturally Responsive by Crystal Del Aguila

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I read through all of the readings and kept thinking about the Elementary School that I went to. It actually had a class specific for children who didn't speak English, it was mainly of children whose language was mainly Spanish. Some of my friends would make fun of these children because they were different and spoke differently, but I remember thinking that they were the same, they might have even been more smart than other people because there curriculum was different. I never understood why they didn't just learn English and be done with it, but I never judged. My husband was actually in a type of class like this one and he told me that it was frustrating, sometimes knowing a different language is hard and trying to learn a new one is even harder. I am not too sure how it happens now in schools, from the readings, it does seem that it has changed and they test the children with early intervention strategies to see where the children are educational wise. When it comes to Levels of Integration, I think that it's a nice step into the right direction. A lot of children still don't understand themselves or their culture because nobody has taught it to them. I am Hispanic and barely learned Spanish when I was 22, after I met my husband. I always wanted to learn because I was surrounded by it, but my parents never taught me, and when I met my husband, his parents only spoke Spanish, so I had to find a better way to communicate and now I speak it as fluent as I can. I feel like it's good to involve cultures in school, but maybe add a little more, let the kids explore themselves and find out who they are.

Banks, J.A. (2003) Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content. Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from
http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

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English Language Learners and Early Intervention - Jennelle Bishop

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English Language Learners and Early Intervention - Jennelle Bishop

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I connected right away to a section in the article English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies by Alba Ortiz, titled Early Intervention for Struggling Learners (Ortiz, 2001). I am currently in a situation where I am trying to refer a third grader for special education assessment. In the article, Ortiz talks about the importance of early intervention strategies being used as soon as a learning problems are prevalent. In the situation I find myself in, I am the first teacher that has taken action for this student in the 4 years she has been as school. This student also happens to be an ELL student and has received ELL services 45 minutes to an hour everyday while in school. After collaborating with our ELL specialist we decided that intervention was needed for our student. We discussed her academic achievements with her previous teachers and all had said they "hoped she'd grow out of it" or "thought she would catch on with time". Now we have reached a point where we are so far behind that we are incorporating 1st and 2nd grade reading skills in order to help her catch up. Creating an inclusive learning environment as been pivotal for her as well. We have worked with Somali speaking staff to keep her mom informed of her progress. We are now working as a team to get her as close as we can to the level her peers are at. It is still a very long hill to climb.

Ortiz, A. (2001). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies. Retrieved from http://www.idonline.org/article/5622/

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English Language Learners and Multicultural Content- Sarah Hengel

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English Language Learners and Multicultural Content- Sarah Hengel

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The article English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies by Alba Ortiz, reminded me of when I taught kindergarten. I had a student who primarily spoke Spanish at home and her parents did not speak English.  She started receiving ELL services at the beginning of the school year.  Also, after beginning of the school testing she scored low enough to qualify for math and reading intervention services.  Unfortunately, because she was receiving ELL services she was not able to receive reading intervention only math.  Throughout the school year she was very eager to participate in class and would raise her hand many times when she was called on she had no answer.  For awhile I thought, she must be thinking of how to say her answer in English, she just needs more processing time.  I started thinking that there may be more to processing as we got further into the school year.  I talked with our success coach who was fluent in Spanish, and I asked if she would speak with my student in Spanish and see if she was having any processing issues when she was speaking her first language.  Together we worked on early interventions for this student.  By the end of the year she was making progress, and she was not referred to special education.  She was put on the watch list to make sure she continues to make growth.  Without working with a team of teachers to support this student she may have been referred to special education, which English language learners can sometimes be over-represented in special education (Ortiz, 2018).  I also found Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content by James Banks a very interesting read.  I have always enjoyed learning about other cultures.  I have always tried to incorporate stories and books about different cultures in my classroom library.  I feel that for the most part I have stuck with level 1 (the contributions approach) of the levels of integration when incorporating multicultural content into my classroom.  It is important for me to step out of my comfort zone and incorporate more culturally relevant content.  Our world is ever changing and growing, and our students need to be able to work with a variety a people from different cultures.  As a teacher the schools I have worked at have been diverse socio-economically, culturally diverse, or both.  It is important that our students understand those around them.

Banks, J. A. (2003). Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content. Approaches
to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018,
February 4 from http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

Ortiz, A. (2001). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies. LD
Online. Retrieved 2018,
February 4 from http://www.ldonline.org/article/5622/

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After reading Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content by James Banks it brought me back to when I was teaching my 5th graders last year about Native Americans. As teachers we shouldn't give our "opinions" because it can come back at us from parents being upset about changing their child's mind about a particular event in history. Especially if the parent thinks opposite of what was said. I was most curious about one particular question I had to ask my students. It was "Are Native American still alive today? ".  It was astonishing to find that out of 28 fifth graders only two thought Native Americans were still living today. This boggled my mind. We immediately went into a level 3 (The Transformation Approach) and level 4 (The Social Action Approach) of integration. I had full blooded Native Americans come in and speak about their history and how they still celebrate their heritage today.   This lead my students to want to better educate their parents and peers around them.   This is also when I realized that these students were heading to 6th grade and have gone year after year missing out on a more diverse background. To help this we need to bring in more culturally responsive environments by educating children and adults.

Banks, J. A. (2003). Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content. Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

Mali

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Imagine coming to American in a third grade classroom. Many children that speck different language feels like their world is coming to an end because they are place in classrooms that no one can speak their language and most teacher and student treat them like they are uncapable of learning english.. In America the school systems makes the children believe that it is wrong or bad if you don’t know how to speak English. So many teachers in the system teach children to forget or leave their culture behind and pick up American ways.ELL is teaching teachers that it is okay for a child that do not speak English to learnd keep their old language too. Learn different ways to  with all children from prek to high school that don’t know English.Ways you can help them learn different stragities to understand that English language and threw their old language. In a

English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategie, it show you this good way to teach a child from a different language threw picture of how to write a summer my showing them step by step threw picture and a couple of words. It is at eight step process but also you can do it as a dance and it helps the child learn new words and that it is ok to speck in front of the class. Teacher that you have to get to know the back ground of your student and learn about their culture. That you should try to make them feel as comfortable as possible, so the student is able to learn and adapted to the surroundings of you and the other students. You as a teacher have to build a bond with the student that cannot speak English because they will come to you when something is wrong in the school or someone is miss treat them so you have to be personal with them.

Ortiz, A. (2001). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies. LD Online. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from http://www.ldonline.org/article/5622/

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Integration of Multicultural Content - Emily Young

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Integration of Multicultural Content - Emily Young

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The first thing that teachers need to do when creating a multicultural classroom is create a positive inclusive school climate. What I have found is that this can be difficult to do when there is not a lot of diversity in the class. The kids have a hard time understanding when they have not had that experience of knowing someone from a different culture than their own. I taught at a high school that was home to a lot of hunters, fishers and self-proclaimed "hicks". We were learning about Christopher Columbus and how when he came there were Native Americans living on the land already. I was trying to being in the level 2 teaching to at least start the conversations on the different concepts and perspectives the Native American community had (Banks, J. A. 2003). One of the students made a comment about how their dad said Native Americans just get a lot of money and are alcoholics and smoke a lot. Many of the students agreed. It was then I realized that these kids did not know anything about Native Americans. They did not know that there were kids who were of Native American decent in their own school. If a student from a different culture were in that class, it would not have been a positive environment for them and really could be detrimental. We began conversation on a Level 4 level (Banks, J. A. 2003). We thought up a scenario where Christopher Columbus came to their town that year, instead of America so long ago. We talked about how they felt, what they would do, how their thought process changed. Soon they were able to understand what Native American history was and how they felt because they were able to empathize with them. They were able to create that positive school climate (Banks, J. A. 2003).

Banks, J. A. (2003). Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content. Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

Ortiz, A. (2001). English Language Learners with Special Needs: Effective Instructional Strategies. LD Online. Retrieved 2018, February 4 from http://www.ldonline.org/article/5622/

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Integration of Multicultural Content- Abby Kuzara

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Integration of Multicultural Content- Abby Kuzara

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After reading "Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content" by James Banks, I reflected on what cultural experiences, based on the multicultural levels, I have had as a student, student teacher, and teacher. When I was growing up I remember learning about different cultures on a day throughout the year. We would spend a day learning about different cultures and celebrating them. Classmates who shared some of these cultures would bring some information or family members into class. After that day was over, we would move on and talk about something else. This would be most comparable to level 1 that Banks talks about (Banks, 2018). Fast forward to my teaching days, I am trying each day to talk about other cultures or differences my students have. This has started with talking to my students about their IEP's and being able to talk about what they need to be successful in the classroom. I teach a study skills course that doubles as a post-secondary readiness class. Being able to talk about their IEP's has allowed my students to feel comfortable talking about other important topics that are relevant in today's society. We are able to dig deep into the issues we are facing today. Students feel comfortable talking about their opinions and how they would handle or fix certain situations.

Banks, James A., "Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content", accessed 2/1/2018. http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

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I have never had the opportunity of working with an English Language Learner (ELL). I work in a small district "up north", where there is little cultural diversity. I also grew up in a small community where there also was very little cultural diversity, so this information is all fairly new to me. Students who may have a different primary language other than English may fail in school due to a lack of or no access to ESL instruction (Ortiz, 2018). In the school where I work, I could honestly see this happen due to the lack of resources for ESL and the fact that we haven't had any ELLs while I have been there. It would be important to work as a team if a ELL student came to our district which would include the teacher, administrator, parents, ESL teacher and if they are receiving other services such as special education, speech, DAPE, etc. those people should be involved as well. It is important that everyone that is working with the student is on the same page and is familiar with the student's language and prior knowledge. Prior knowledge is very helpful as it helps content make more sense through connections of what the student already is familiar with. The most important thing is to intervene early on for these students. Early intervention can help prevent learning problems and create a general education "support system" for learners that may struggle to help improve on those issues (Ortiz, 2018).

References:
Ortiz, A. (2018). English language learners with special needs: Effective instructional strategies. Retrieved from http://www.ldonline.org/article/5622/

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Early Intervention for English Language Learners

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Early Intervention for English Language Learners

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Early intervention of ESL, or any intervention ELL student, is extremely important for an ESL learner. The earlier one learns a second language, the easier it is for the child to learn it and apply it. With proper intervention and instruction provided to enhance his English language, the child will learn how to speak and communicate his needs to his teachers and peers.
Due to the foreign native language and the cultural differences, the child may have a harder time adjusting to the English language and the gaps between the home and school may be widening. An ELL learner would benefit from private ESL instruction, capitalizing the child's strengths, Title I or services of the like, and,or a support group. This will help the child feel like a part of the class and the general society being able to use his abilities to strengthen his learning. He will be able to communicate his needs and wants to all those who he comes in contact with which will enable to succeed in school and at home.

Ortiz, A. (2001). English language learners with special needs: Effective instructional strategies. Retrieved from  http://www.ldonline.org/article/5622

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Facilitating engagement between the school and the community

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Facilitating engagement between the school and the community

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Ortiz (2001) states that educating English Language Learners with special learning needs that are not attributable to a disability should be the primary responsibility of general education. She further states that additional general education supports such as support groups and family counseling, funded through federal Title I monies, should be provided as supplements to general education instruction. Out-of-the-box use of Title I funds can serve as a way to integrate school and community resources and provide an opportunity to meet family needs, which in turn enhances students’ academic achievement. For example, community principals in Lincoln, NE, designated Title 1 funds to provide for Behavioral Health Therapist in partnership with Family Services.

The following document provides ideas for supporting engagement between families and schools: http://www.communityschools.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Sarah_Pearson_Notes1.PDF

Jill K.

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Being mindful of WHY your personal perspective is the way it is

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Being mindful of WHY your personal perspective is the way it is

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As educators, we understand the importance of building a community of learners where everyone feels like they are an equal member who is granted the same privileges as everyone else. The unfortunate truth, though, is this is much more easily said than done. We can't treat all of our students the same, because they don't come to us with the same backgrounds and perspectives. My school did a culturally responsive training a couple months ago and we took a survey that had you mark the racial group that each question aligned with, relating to yourself. The questions were favorite author, your neighbors, colleagues, favorite musician, favorite actor, characters in tv shows you watch, ect. It was eye opening to see how many peoples surveys reflected in every area, a culture that was similar to their own. It is easy to see how our personal perspectives, based on who we surround ourselves with, the literature we read, the music we listen to, and the shows we watch, give us a narrow view of the world. We have a responsibility as teachers to think critically about the culture we feel most connected to, in order to gain perspective, and broaden our view of the world. It is through this growth and learning that we will be able to make strides towards creating a more inclusive educational environment.

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When there is a student who is an English language learner everybody must work as a team to help this child succeed. This includes the general education teacher, special education teacher (if child is in sped), administrators, and the english as a second language (ESL) teacher. Helping ESL students is not the ESL teachers sole responsibility, everybody must take part. One of the best strategies to use while working with any student is to teach using that students prior knowledge. It helps students make a connection to the content, hence better understand it. Another idea for teachers who are teaching ESL students is to give them multiple chances to review previously learned information. Students who are learning a second language may also need some individual time with teaching staff to help them fill in the gaps in background knowledge. (Ortiz, 2018

Ortiz, A. (2018). English language learners with special needs: Effective instructional strategies. Retrieved from  http://www.ldonline.org/article/5622/

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Cultural Considerations                                                        Nicole Pooley

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Cultural Considerations                                                        Nicole Pooley

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Integration of multicultural content can look different depending on where you live and what school you work in.  If I work in rural Wisconsin there there may be more cultural diversity than if I work in rural Missouri.  The society in which a child grows up can foster cultural sensitivity. As educators we have the ability to foster such an environment.  We can have a class where we are integrating the theory of mind in a transformation approach.  We can help students see events, in history for example, from the perspective of diverse ethnic and cultural groups(Banks 2003). If we can help teach students to use the theory of mind and put themselves into other people's situations maybe we can help promote racial, ethic and cultural diversity and understanding.

Banks, James A., "Levels of Integration of Multicultural Content", accessed 1/30/2018. http://resources.css.edu/diversityservices/docs/levelsofintegrationofmulticulturalcontent.pdf

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One important thing that we as teachers need to keep in mind is the importance of treating each student with proper respect and dignity.  Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) helps teachers effectively teach in classrooms which have a variety of cultural differences.  Teachers should try to find the time to do a “Personal Dimension of CRP” to help determine if they themselves have a bias towards or against a particular culture, religion or idea (“Culturally Responsive Pedagogy”).  When dealing with a variety of students from different backgrounds and ethnicities, one has to be extra careful not to favor one student over another or unfairly judge another student.  Following through with these ideas will help us support, foster and respond properly to a culturally inclusive environment.

"Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Teaching Like Our Students Lives Matter." Innovation and Leadership in English Language Teaching: I. doi:10.1108/s2041-272x(2011)0000004017.

Chavie H

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Inclusion of multicultural students into the classroom

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Inclusion of multicultural students into the classroom

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When you are in teaching setting where multicultural students can be impacted, it is very important to be able to connect. Not only with the students but the parents as well. Being able to contact parents when needed is just as important as talking with the students. If a student’s parent speaks another language in the home, the teacher needs to know this. Not only for the way you interact with your communication with the parents, but the understanding that at home they may not be able get the same help or understanding.