Troubling educational statement: Every child can learn.
Revised statement: Every child has the right to learn. It is up to us to ensure they can learn, in their own way, based on their needs.
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
The effect of culture on learning
The effect of culture on learning
In
today’s globalized world, a
classroom will often consist of students from a variety of different cultures.
Due to the significant variations between cultures, it is important for us as
future teachers, to consider how these cultural differences influence student
learning.
Children
from different cultures will often differ in their non-verbal communication.
Comprehension and expectations of facial expression, body language, tone of
voice, physical touch and so on will be different for students depending on
their culture. In some cultures, eye contact, for instance, is considered a
sign of disrespect and aggression. If we, as teachers, are not aware of these
differences, we can unknowingly hinder a student’s learning.
Cognitive
styles have also been found to differ between children from different cultures.
Children from different cultures appear to obtain, process and assess knowledge
differently.
If as teachers we do not consider the different
cognitive styles of students from different cultures, we can cause students to
experience “cognitive and
emotional conflict, poor academic performance, and low self-esteem” (Baruth &
Manning, 1992).
It
is important to note that although culture can greatly impact a child’s learning, all children from a specific
culture cannot be grouped into the same learning style. As teachers, we cannot
assume that all children from one culture will have the same cognitive style or
same understanding of non-verbal communication. That is to say, there exist
intra-cultural differences within cultures that teachers must consider when
dealing with individual students with the same culture, as well as those from
differing cultures.
Culture
plays a huge role in an individual’s learning skills and learning environment. As such, if not
considered, it can interfere with a student’s learning. When teachers
consider cultural backgrounds, they are able to create better learning
environments for children based on their needs, ultimately setting the
conditions for all children to learn.
ReferenceBaruth, L.G. & Manning, M.L. (1992).
Multicultural education of children and adolescents. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Rishima Talwar
Rishima Talwar
5 Ways to Bridge Cultural Differences with Learning
1.
Allow students to bring their
cultures and knowledge into the classroom
Learning becomes easier and more efficient when students are able to bring in their prior knowledge and make connections between what they already know and the new ideas and concepts that they are learning. As future teachers, we should acknowledge that students come to school with different life experiences, and we should allow children to tap into these experiences to enhance their knowledge base effectively.
2.
Get to know your students
Take the time to get to know your students and
where they are coming from. If you know about their family make-up or
immigration history, you can help students find connections with the material
they are learning in class and their personal lives. When students are able to find
relevance in the learning material and connect with it on a personal level,
they are more likely to engage with this material and take an active position
in their learning.
3.
Appreciate different cultural
values and work on being culturally-sensitive
As teachers, we should be aware that not all cultures have the same set of values or beliefs. Different cultures, for instance, have different rules for communication: body language, gestures and facial expressions differ from one culture to another. In this case, we need to be sensitive to the fact that children from different cultures will have different ways of communicating. To prevent segregating and confusing students, we should be sensitive to their cultural differences.
4.
Set high expectations for all
students
Studies have shown that teachers often set lower expectations for students who are from different (especially minority) cultural backgrounds, as well as children who have different linguistic abilities. In order to produce the best work from students, we should set high expectations for every learner. Students from different cultures and backgrounds should also be viewed as capable learners, who can reach high performance standards. These standards need to be modified based on the learner and his/her abilities, but they should nonetheless challenge and motivate all students to work hard.
5.
Incorporate more multicultural
learning materials within the classroom
Teachers should incorporate books and learning materials that reflect the cultural and linguistic differences within their classroom. There should be books written from different perspectives and about different cultures, artwork from around the world, a welcome sign with different languages. By bringing in a diverse selection of materials into their classroom, teachers can help make their classroom more inclusive and welcoming to students from diverse backgrounds and cultures. If students feel accepted and welcomed, they are more likely to develop a passion and love for school and education.
It is important to note that many of these
suggestions will not only help students from different cultures learn, but they
will also benefit all students in become more culturally accepting and open-minded.
These suggestions will help set the conditions to create a society that is free
from discrimination, stereotypes and biases.
ReferenceVillegas, A., & Lucas, T. (2007). The
Culturally. Educational Leadership, 28-33.
Rishima Talwar
Rishima Talwar
Internal Factors: The Psychological Aspects of a Classroom
Making
a classroom an inclusive place for learning is the best way to teach children.
Many children have exceptionalities when it comes to learning. These learning
exceptionalities are at times diagnosed and official, at times they are not.
Just because they are not diagnosed does not mean they are not valid.
When a learning environment is not
inclusive, not all students will learn. The students who are stronger
academically may be able to learn, but not all of the students will. Many of
the students will shut down and stop paying attention. They will not trust the
teacher so they will not be willing to come for help. They will not trust
efforts that are made to help them especially if they are used to being singled
out and isolated.
As a teacher it is important to take
these exceptionalities into consideration when planning a lesson. By planning a
lesson that is inclusive to all you’re making a classroom where students feel
that they are welcome and a part of.
When a child believes that they are
capable, they will be more willing to learn. Making accommodations in the
classroom can be something as simple placing them in the front row where they
have a better sight line to the lesson, or allowing for extra time when
needed.
Making
small adjustments can help build a relationship of trusts with the children and
build a better learning environment.
When a child believes they have a
place within the classroom they are more open to the learning process. This is
achieved by building trust in the students and showing the students that as a
teacher you trust them. This can be done by giving students choices and
allowing them to have a say in classroom procedures.
The accommodations and trusting
relationships that are built in a classroom allow for students to learn. When
classrooms do not have the welcoming atmosphere that is comforting and gives
students a sense of security, it is less likely that every student can learn in
that environment. When the internal environment of a classroom is open and
welcoming, the students have a higher chance of success.
Sources
Ames, Carole. "Classrooms: Goals, Structures and Student
Motivation." Journal of Educational Psychology (1992): 261-271.
Internal Factors: The Physical Aspects of a Classroom
One of the many obstacles that prohibit a
child from learning are the internal factors of the classroom: part of what
makes up the internal factors of a classroom are the physical aspects. These factors
can have a negative or positive impact on a child’s ability to learn.
The physical aspects of a classroom
are made up of the temperature, lighting and acoustics of a classroom. If these
factors are not satisfactory they can prevent every child from learning. For
example, if a classroom is too warm or too cold students will find it difficult
to concentrate. Or if the lighting is not satisfactory kids can have a harder
time concentrating. The background noise of the classroom and it’s surrounding
environment also have an impact on the students ability to learn and their
mood.
The physical aspects of the
classroom all have an impact on the mood of a child and when these factors have
a negative impact on the moods of the students the learning environment is no
longer favorable to the students.
These factors can sometimes be
adjusted to help reduce their effects on students, but at times they are out of
the teachers control. The temperature can be regulated by the purchase of additional
fans or heaters but this would require additional resources that the teacher /
school may not have access too. Some of the solutions may be too expensive to
fix, but the solution to the problem is to adjust the lesson plan so that the
lesson is doable when the environmental factors are unbearable for students.
For example: when the room is too warm for students to pay attention a teacher
can show an educational video or if a classroom is too noisy allowing students
access to noise cancelling headphones or allowing them to listen to their own
music can help them regain focus.
By making small adjustments to the
lesson plan and taking into consideration the physical classroom conditions a
large difference can be made in the learning environment. Adjusting these
conditions will make it easier for the children to learn.
Sources
Marchand , Gwen C, et al. "The Impact of the Classroom Built
Environment on Student Perceptions and LEarning ." Journal of
Environmental Psychology (2014): 187-197.
Benefits of Differentiated Learning
According
to the Glossary of Education Reform, the definition posted for
Differentiated Instruction, or Differentiated Learning, “refers to
a wide variety of teaching techniques and lesson adaptations that
educators use to instruct a diverse group of students, with diverse
learning needs, in the same course, classroom, or learning
environment.” The need for differentiated
learning can be anything from sitting a student who needs frequent
body breaks near the door to changing an assignment completely while
keeping the content the same in order for a student to get the most
out of learning.
The
Government of Alberta published a book called Making a Difference:
Meeting Diverse Learning Needs With Differentiated Instruction. A
chapter in this book focuses on meaningful activities that can be
used for students that need differentiated learning. These meaningful
activities include things “identifying similarities and
differences, summarizing and note taking, using and creating visual
representations, generating and testing hypotheses, and using cues,
questions and advance organizers to make sense of learning.” All of
these pull from the students' existing strengths and maximizes their
results to pull the same amount of learning from a lesson as those
students who are able to learn in the standard and traditional way.
The
benefits of differentiated learning is outlined in Chapter 8. It
focuses mainly on those students who have learning disabilities,
language barriers, and those who are gifted. A group that could be
added to this are those students who have difficulties in an external
environment.
Students
with learning disabilities will need differentiated learning because
they are not necessarily able to absorb the information being taught
in the way that traditional teaching expects them to. Differentiated
learning allows them to pull on their strengths to portray what they
want to portray. For example, students with disabilities that prevent
them from writing essays can draw a picture, or make a PowerPoint
presentation. The same information can be told in many different
ways.
Students
with language barriers are not going to be able to absorb the lesson
because they are not able to understand the lesson. Differentiated
learning can be through showing pictures to allow them the chance to
understand the lesson while they are learning the language.
Students
who are gifted may not feel challenged in the classroom.
Differentiated learning helps them because it allows them to pick a
medium for assignments that challenges them. This keeps them
interested and invested in what the class is doing because they are
able to do something that interests them.
Students
who have external difficulties may find differentiated learning
helpful because of their difficulties. If someone comes from a
disadvantaged family, differentiated learning allows that student to
pick ways of learning that they do not have access to outside of the
classroom. It also allows them to become more engaged in the lesson
that is going on.
Sources:
Teaching Students with Exceptionalities
Teachers, at all levels, refer to special needs students as those with
exceptionalities. In general, exceptionalities fall in five broad categories:
Behaviour
Communication
• Learning
Disabled
• Autistic
• Language
Impairment
• Speech
Impairment
• Hard
of Hearing
Intellectual
• Gifted
• Mild
Intellectual Disability
• Developmental
Disability
Physical
• Blind-Low
Vision
• Physical
Disability
Multiple (These students
have a combination of conditions)
Although statistics are difficult to obtain, it has been estimated that
between 10-13% of the student population has exceptionalities. Some students
and teachers may view the extra attention given to special needs students as
unfair. It is quite likely that you will have a diversity of students in your
classroom—representing a variety of talents and abilities. With this in mind,
some generalized strategies can be used as you work with all special needs
students:
·
Be aware that special needs students may not want to be
singled out for any special treatment. This may identify their disability for
other students and cause them to receive some form of attention they may not be
able to handle.
·
Ensure that your attitude and responses to special needs students are
identical to those to other students. View all students as contributing
students.
·
Consider learning over a long period of time. Special needs students may
require extended periods of time to master a concept or learn a specific skill.
You may need to repeat information several times and reinforce it in many ways.
·
It is quite easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the weaknesses of
special needs students. Yet it is vitally important to identify the individual
strengths of each and every student in your classroom.
·
Help students understand that grading, evaluation,
and assessment is based on identifiable objectives in accordance with
individual potential. Evaluation should not be coupled with the limitations of
students, but rather to their expectations.
·
Provide significant opportunities for students of all abilities to learn
from each other. Structure a variety of lessons and learning activities to
promote collaborative learning.
·
Do not make inappropriate assumptions based on students'
exceptionalities. For example, don't assume that a student who is confined
to a wheelchair is an unhappy child. Don't assume that a learning disabled
student is not gifted in the visual arts. Likewise, don't assume that
children with disabilities are disabled in all areas.
Source and Resources:
Categories of Exceptionality and Definitions – Peel District School
Board
Exceptionalities Determined by Identification Placement and Review
Committee (IPRC) - OTF
Inclusive Teaching Strategies - Cornell University: Center
for Teaching Excellence (CTE)
Learning How to Learn: Leveraging the Power of Learning Skills and Work
Habits, Grades 1-12 -The International Symposium on Classroom Assessment
and Assessment for Learning (AfL)
Learner's Charter of Rights
As part of WGSI The Waterloo Global Science Initiative, a series of panels and discussions are held called the Equinox Summit . “WGSI’s summit series, a biennial gathering of experts from around the world aimed at tackling tomorrow’s biggest challenges and seizing opportunity today”. During the Summit of 2014, a list of rights was posted that the group believe to be “essential to the success and livelihood of learners everywhere”.
Learners’ Charter of Rights
- Learners have the right to access good education.
- Learners have a right to feel safe.
- Learners have a right to fail safely.
- Learners have a right to progress at their own pace.
- Learners have a right to self-assessment.
- Learners have a right to mentorship.
- Learners have a right to create content.
- Learners have a right to personalised, flexible support.
- Learners have a right to define their goals.
- Learners have a right to social collaboration.
- Learners have a right to academic collaboration.
- Learners have a right to physical, mental and emotional well-being.
http://www.wgsi.org/blog/learners-charter-rights
Assistive Technology in The Classroom
“Every child can learn, just not in the same way or on the same day” - George Evans
As part of the Research into Practice series by the Ontario Association of Deans of Education, the use of technology in the classroom has been examined. Assistive technologies should be used as part of the regular class and available to all children, not just those who have more obvious needs. “Use assistive technology as part of the regular rhythm of the class. When assistive technology becomes part of the classroom’s “DNA,” students and teachers will use it naturally and organically.”
The article also points out that technology is always changing, and in ways we haven’t had experience with before. We need to try new things and implement changes into the classroom to provide the resources required for all children to learn. “Don’t be afraid. We have changed the ways we teach mathematics and language (among many curricular areas) because of recommendations from applied research. A supportive school environment, where teachers and other educational specialists collaborate with and mentor each other, will support the implementation and use of assistive technology.”
Every child has the right to learn and it is up to the educator to ensure they have everything they need in order to learn. When it comes to learning disabilities in the classroom, there are many innovative assistive technologies available to students. These range from very simple manipulative toys to extremely complex powered wheelchairs and expensive computer software.
Sam Rutherford
Source:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_TechnologyTools.pdf
How Environment can Impact a Child’s Learning
There are many things that
teachers need to contend with inside a classroom. Not only are they receiving
students who come from different socio-economic backgrounds, they also have
students who are stimulated or turned off by vastly different things. The
classroom and school environment then has a very big impact on the learning
that can happen. If a classroom is too hot, too cold, too bright, too dark,
lack of fresh air, mildew, excessive noise, etc. All these can impact the
learning of the students within the classroom. These factors might not affect
all students, but as long as it affects the learning of some, it disrupts the
flow of the entire class. Our troubling statement was “every child can learn.”
It is troubling in this instance because not every child will react to
classroom environments the same way as the others. If it is the teacher’s job
to help these students learn, then they must find ways to overcome the
challenges posed in the classroom environment.
Another factor present to
teachers is the fact that it is becoming ever more common to include technology
and new teaching methods inside the classroom. However, as most school were
built quite a long time ago, with none of these accommodations in mind, it is
hard to implement them so that they will function properly within the classroom
without being a detriment to any student’s learning. For example, one of the
most problematic architectural issues in schools is their accessibility
(Disabilities Act). All students must be able to attend their classes, no
matter where these classes are situated in the building. Some schools however,
have no yet made these alterations and therefore the learning of some of the
students who have any sort of disability is compromised. There are many factors
that can impact a child’s learning that goes above and beyond the actual lesson
of the day. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the teachers and the
principal to resolve these issues in order to accommodate the learning of each
and every student.
Kelly Maisonville
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