The IRIS Center Module - Essay Example

In the challenge provided about Maria, how her teacher Mr. Bennett and the school respond to her situation, is a practical example of cultural influence and ignorance. In this case, there is failure by the teacher and the school to address the problem at hand, which is Maria’s bilingualism and cultural influence. This is due to the fact that, despite the heavy influence that her cultural background has on her, the teacher continues using the same mode of teaching instruction as he uses on other students.

There lacks a deliberate effort to understand and address her linguistic dilemma and cultural influence since she has lived in Mexico most of her life hence, this can create a communication barrier during learning. Moreover, the school has not taken any measure to improve her proficiency in the use of English as a mode of communication in both speaking and writing. This is in view of the fact that this is the language she is expected to use in learning and which plays a critical role in her overall academic performance.

Introducing a special programme for her and for other students with similar problems where they get to learn both written and spoken language so as to be at a level playing field with their language proficient colleagues would really assist in addressing Maria’s problem to a large extent. . As a result, she lacks the necessary motivation to concentrate since she feels completely out of place. Secondly, language barrier may be a major factor affecting Maria. Since English is a second language to her, it is the dominant language in her school and consequently in her learning hence, she may experience problems if she is still in the early stages of developing proficiency in its usage.

This is exhibited by the slow development of her reading and even participation in class. Concerning her ability to chat with other children in English, it is important to note at which stage she is at as an English learner. This is important because the various stages of learning stages lead to both Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), which are two types of language proficiency. In this case, Maria may be having acquired the BICS type to be able to communicate only at a social level and therefore not able to exhibit the same academically (York, 2006).

The perception that Maria’s parents may be indifferent to their daughter’s education may be misplaced. This is in light of the fact that they may have some personal reasons holding them back based on their culture or the school and the teacher have not used the appropriate forms of communication. A major personal reason why the may have not responded to Mr. Bennett’s instructions may include their limited language skills. Moreover, the notes sent to them via Maria may be in English or translated in formal writing that is hard for them to understand considering they just moved from Mexico.

This only shows that there is lack of effective communication