Journal #2- IRIS Module Assessment

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.