Literacy Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

I have been working my way through this collection of articles for the past few weeks and finally finished last night while on the stationary bike at the gym. My personal copy contains almost an entire package of turquoise blue Post-it flags marking various pages and sections that really spoke to me. I have read and written a lot about multicultural education in the past year and I am inspired to teach in a way that reflects appreciation for differences rather than a way that views differences as deficits. I have so many ideas, hopes, and dreams floating around in my head, yet I still feel a huge struggle to transform all these flagged quotes and ideas into actual teaching practice.

I am particularly interested in the use of multicultural principles and literature when it comes to reading instruction, yet the programs that my district has chosen imply a particular way of teaching that I either have to subscribe to or override it (which I am really not supposed to do, yet feel compelled to). I know that my district is also very invested in meeting the needs of all kinds of learners, yet I still feel conflicted over how to make it work with all that I have taken in from what I have read while at the same time utilizing the purchased reading program according to the district's intentions.

This particular book breaks the overall topic into 6 categories:

1. Awareness & Attitudes Towards Literacy
2. Principles of Instruction
3. Enhancing Reading Comprehension
4. Using Writing to Develop Reading
5. Selecting & Using Multicultural Literature
6. An Annotated Bibliography of Multicultural Children's Literature

Given my role as a [future] Kindergarten teacher, I found sections 5 & 6 to be the most directly applicable. I took a Global Literature course online last fall, but I have not taken one specifically focused on multicultural literature. Both types of literature share similar goals, but I believe a particular distinction is that global literature includes stories from various countries where multicultural literature involves different cultural groups within the US. [that was the distinction in a text that I read, but it most likely differs from source to source].

What I liked most about section 6 in particular was the inclusion of a table listing the book titles vertically and also major themes horizontally. For each book, important themes included in the story were checked off. I think this is a very helpful tool given that as teachers we simply can't be aware of all the great books that are out there. I have become familiar with quite a few titles and have purchased books that I really liked or that I think discuss a good message, yet this allows me to find a book given a particular theme I want to discuss. Themes include--Accomplishment, Community, Courage, Cultural Event, Death, Family, Food, History, Humor, Intergenerational, Play, Pioneers, Relationships, Survival, and Unity. This section also includes an annotated bibliography which provides a brief description of the stories, genre, and what group is represented.

Often I read through a book and put it back on the shelf, yet this book contains sections that I feel like I will refer to for my instruction. I know that the themes and stories for the Kindergarten reading program are already organized in the core program, yet I now feel more comfortable inserting some different stories that may prove to be more meaningful.

I am still left with the burning question--How can I possibly fit in everything that I want to do in 2 hours and 20 minutes. I guess I have to remember I can't do it all every single day, yet I will make a strong effort to incorporate some of what I have learned in order to make the process of learning to read more suitable for children whose backgrounds are different than what our core program anticipates.

As I finished up this book, I was reminded of another text that I read this year called Black Ants and Buddhists by Mary Cowhey. I loved this book because the author demonstrates how she truly incorporated the elements of critical thinking and teaching about differences in her primary classroom. Her stories were very inspirational to me and I would love to be able to watch a teacher like Mary in action!

Also, I have been meaning to mention this for the past week....Jen at Following the Footsteps is doing a Back to School Teacher Idea Swap again this year each Friday in August. The first link up will be this Friday August 6th. It's a great way to share your ideas about fun back to school activities and see what other teachers are doing as well. Last year we posted some pics of our freshly cleaned/designed/decorated classrooms and lots of great ideas were shared. I have my first idea ready and I will be joining her swap on Friday!

A little culture talk

Today I came across a paper that I wrote last fall. I was asked to write my own cultural autobiography and these are some of my concluding thoughts that I thought I would share with you all. My experience teaching at an international school has really sparked my interest in culturally competent teaching and I feel like I have come a long way since I first started teaching, yet I still have a lot to learn. I always enjoy going back to read something I have written and it is interesting to see if my ideas have stayed the same or changed since the piece was written.

Except from my paper-->

At this point, I feel like I am operating at a certain level of understanding with regards to multicultural education that has not yet fully translated into my practice. I have an awareness that contributes greatly to how I see my role as an educator, yet I am still working hard to become that educator. I feel like I am on a journey, but I have only just begun. I am just now starting to acutely examine my own cultural understanding and I believe that I still have a lot of work to do, both personally and professionally.  I have read countless books on multicultural education and I would feel safe to say I am developing a passion for the ideas, strategies, and results associated with transforming traditional pedagogy into something more inspired.

One of the most poignant realizations has have taken hold is that I do not need to have all of the answers. I am the owner of my own culture, but I cannot possibly have first hand understanding of every experience every student has had thus far. I need to learn to rely on others as a rich source of knowledge and that begins with asking questions. Earlier I reflected on how I never gained a sense of my own culture because my family rarely shared stories of our ancestors. Had I been more curious as a child, wondering, asking, and trying to take it all in, perhaps I would have grown up with a different awareness of my place in this world. I didn’t ask the questions that would have elicited the stories that were begging to be told. Fortunately, it’s not too late to start asking those questions now.

Certainly becoming this kind of teacher, an open-minded warrior for equity and social justice in education, is not an easy task. It necessitates vulnerability, bravery, critical thinking, awareness, and a lot of hard work. It often means going against the grain, turning around on the escalator and running up the stairs that continue to move downwards which just might feel like going nowhere. To be this type of teacher takes commitment to not only my values and beliefs, but commitment to listen to and learn from the values and beliefs of others without judging one or the other as superior. I often feel intimated by how small my own bundle of life experiences seems in comparison to others. My privileged life has not presented me with hard trials like many of the students I might come across throughout my teaching career. As much as I want to know what it’s like to be in their shoes, I never truly will. That doesn’t mean that I can’t foster a relationship with those students, and a community among all students, where they feel comfortable to share what makes them who they are so that I can get as close as possible to knowing what it’s like to be them.

We each have our own story. Some are filled with happiness and success, others are not. Regardless of the details of our story, we each have the right to be proud of who we are and the cultures from which we come. It is my hope that our educational system begins to view those diverse backgrounds and different languages not as deficits, but as the treasures that they are. Without the diversity that is derived from individuals with differences coming together for a common purpose, we are left with a cookie cutter world where difference and change are feared and education fails.

What are your teaching goals?