I recently learned that I will have a Taiwanese student joining my class. I know absolutely nothing about my soon to be student, her family or their culture. I would like to make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved. In order to prepare myself to be effective with my approach to the family and my new student I need to take some time to find out more about the family and what I can do to ensure they are comfortable. Thus far I have come up with 5 ways to be culturally responsive.
1) First , I will familiarize myself with the Taiwanese culture.
2) Second, I will inquire with admin to see if the student will need a translator or other special arrangements.
3) Third, I will make arrangements to meet with the family in hopes of allowing them to share their expectations.
4) Next, I will prepare the other teachers and students of our new family and the ways in which I have learned how to make their learning experience a productive one.
5) Finally, I will make adjustments within the lesson to bring my new student up to date as well as incorporate visual aids to help them feel more secure in their new learning environment.
Essentially, my sincere hope is that by taking the time to learn about Taiwanese culture, if I have any hidden bias I will uncover them and make the needed adjustments to be successful in reaching the total child. "Ongoing learning about yourself, as well as about the children and family you serve, makes it possible to effectively decide what to say, what to do, when to wait, and when to act in many different kinds of settings"(Derman-Sparks, 2010).
Reference
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Photo:
https://sites.google.com/site/maegansimsece/multicultural-education
3 comments:
Violanda,
Great post! I like the strategies that you included how you will prepare yourself to support this child and their family from Taiwanese. I really like how you included an interpreter for the child to help them navigate through a new environment, culture, and possibly a new language.
It is important to help make the child and their family's transition stress-free and that they feel welcomed, supported, and respected!
Hi Violanda,
This was a great post! I used some of the same strategies as you did. I did not think to ask administrations if my new student would need other accommodations other than a translator. I also like how you shared you would prepare your students and other teachers for your new student's arrival. This is a great way to introduce a new culture to the classroom setting as well as prepare students that there may be some cultural differences and is okay.
Violanda,
I truly appreciate how you included administration in the process for welcoming the family. This ensures that administration is also aware of the family and if needed can provide any additional resources to the family. For example, administrators can help the family learn and use legal as well as community resources in order to keep them safe (Derman-Sparks). Administrators are aware of additional community resources to help the family.
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
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