Brennan Ahlin
EDCI 3144
1/28/14
Why is it important for teachers to reflect
on cultural and linguistic diversity?
It is important to
understand the student’s culture so that we can help them meet their needs to
succeed with their education
Explain the difference between BICS and CALP.
Why is it necessary for teachers to understand the distinction between these
two types of language proficiency?
Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills is the student’s ability to
understand basic English, like conversation. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
is the student’s ability to use a more complex language and understand it, like
what they would use in their academic work. Teachers need to be able to
identify which category the student fits in to so they can help them with their
needs.
In the Challenge, Mr. Bennett wrote notes
home to Maria’s family. Why might this have proved problematic? What other
options might you recommend to Mr. Bennett for communicating with Maria’s
parents?
Maria’s family might have not been able to understand what Mr.
Bennett was saying in those letters, or did not know how to correctly reply to
them. Mr. Bennett should try speaking to Maria confidentially to try and
understand how the family communicates at home, and if there is an easier way
to reach out to them. If there is an issue regarding communication between the
two, Mr. Bennett could provide a translator to make communication easier.
Mr. Stone, a teacher from a rural community
where all the students share similar cultural backgrounds, relocates to a large
city where the students come from a wide variety of cultural groups. He notices
that many of his students are not performing well in class. Upon
self-reflection, he realizes that because of cultural differences these
students may not relate to his style of teaching or to the stories and examples
he uses in class. What can Mr. Stone do to become more culturally responsive
and meet the diverse needs of these students?
Mr. Stone could research the different cultures to try and better
relate to them. He could try and incorporate examples from his research into
his lessons for the students to better understand the material.