Video Reflection

Teachers at the Loom : Weaving Together Culture , Family and Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Students

One of the major problems that the teachers have to contend with is increasing culture and linguistic clashes in the classroom as a result of the increasing number of immigrants in the region . Scholastic learning naturally involves that of interaction /communication between the teacher and the student . The Iris Center Homepage [1] illustrates through their web modules the classic rendition of `acclimatizing culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional (CLDE ) students Initially , it challenged [me] the

viewer into delving deeper into the problem of a CLDE student that was exemplified in the CLDE archetype Maria . At first , I downplayed Maria 's problem , as merely that of change in learning environment but upon going through the CLDE module , this simplistic notion was disproved and it [the module] taught me that a barrage of factors may concomitantly explain the problems of CLDE students and that there are multitudes of resolutions to the CLDE problems

The module suggested the following useful approaches --- (1 contextualizing (2 ) language development (3 ) joint productive activity , and (4 ) cognitive challenge instructional conversation . This will focus only on two approaches for `acclimatizing ' CLDE students - language development and joint productive activity - and the possible classroom activities that would fall under such methods

Language development is corollary to stumbling down the barriers for culture and communication . Generally , most schools worldwide have included the English language in their core curricula . Aside from their native language , students have a short knowledge on English . CLDE students during their school `acclimatization ' is unable to used English in their academic time for the fear of making a mistake and being made a laughingstock in front of the class . How do the academicians /educators contend with this problem

ESL is a normative part of the learning process that aims to improve the English of the local students and the [CLDE] transferees One of the posited reasons why CLDE students fail to participate in the learning process is that the learning environment is not stimulating mediational interventions for the learner . Perhaps one of the best methods in teaching the language without isolating the CLDEs is by foreign association . Through the use of graphic materials and deliberately associating them with common items and translating their meanings , the CLDE students get to learn while at the same time , they get to be more comfortable with the learning atmosphere . Additionally , the educator can opt to create language activities that are not stifling and would require team work . Bring Me 's , Pass the Message and other icebreakers can be incorporated into the language curricula to reduce the boredom and to make language classes more conducive for participating

Joint productive activities are designed to reduce the tension between classmates to classmates and between classmates and teachers . Its ' main objective is to reduce classroom tension and promote a social atmosphere conducive for learning . Additionally , it reduces the fear [of the student] of being singled-out by spreading the...