Final Application Assignment - Essay Example

ARAB AMERICAN CULTURE Topic and Arab/American Culture, Food and Cuisine. The will read Middle Eastern Basics: 70 Recipes IllustratedStep by Step Setting: Classroom from Monday to Friday. 2 hours per day. Demographic Information: For this activity, students were used as participants for various data collection processes. The students numbered fifteen (15) were selected from mixed racial population made up of people from African Americans, Asians, Indians and Russians backgrounds. As middle school students, their ages ranged from fourteen (14) to seventeen (17) with the modal age being sixteen (16) years of age.

The population is made up of both male and female gender with females dominating the class. However, roles are assigned to students without any considerations for gender biases. This means that when assignments are given the same scoring rubrics hold for males as females. There is one special need student with hearing impairment. Objectives: There are three major objectives guiding the conduct of the present lesson. 1. To develop cognitive knowledge of how 70 selected Arabic American recipes are prepared by use of acceptable catering practices and conduct.

This objective will be implemented before the actual practical lesson because students will be required to undertake personal reading to widen their knowledge of Arabic American cuisines. 2. To develop practical ability to prepare the selected recipes. For each student, there should be a practical ability to prepare at least 3 of the available recipes. This objective is set to be achieved during the lesson. This is because it is an interactive task that requires the presence of the learner and instructor to make the dissemination of information free flowing and thoughtful 3.

To develop idea of the important place of food culture in the larger cultural geography of Arabic and American settings. This objective will be implemented after the lesson as students read and practice on the various delicacies that exists for the identified cultural geography. Differentiating Instruction: From the demographic information about the participants, it would be noted that the students possess different learning needs by virtue of their level of cognitive development, physical ability, gender, and racial backgrounds.

These differences notwithstanding, all the students are given the same piece of task at any point in time and are also given the same scoring rubrics. These provisions notwithstanding, when it comes to the actual execution of classroom interactive learning, special strategies are used to allow for and enable coherent integration or inclusion among the students. Specifically, peer learning method is used to ensure that students are given the opportunity to learn from their colleagues. Peer learning has been identified to be a very effective inclusive learning strategy that ensures that students automatically learn about their learning differences from friends and with the guidance of teachers, learn about how to acquire some learning qualities and skills that friends possess that they do not have (Alvesson 40).

Activity Description: As part of the peer learning strategy that was devised, there was the need to use a learner-based learning activity would ensure that on a very personalized note, students can develop ideas, concepts and skills for themselves. Because of this, the FRAYER model was used in the activity. The model generally allowed for the following steps to be followed: 1. Students were grouped using a mixed competence procedure. For example students who were identified to be academically dependent were paired with those who were academically independent. 2. A FRAYER template as shown below was prepared for each group, which was made up of 2 students. 3. New concepts and keywords about the topic of Arabic American food culture were introduced.

Through a brainstorming approach, definitions of these words were given in the Definition column of the FRAYER model diagram. Based on each definition, students were made to expand their knowledge level by giving characteristics of the various concepts that had been defined. Based on the characteristics, further brainstorming was undertaken to make students draw out picture and explain the pictures to give out examples of the various concepts. These were later grouped into examples and non-examples on the chart. 4. With this approach, the topics on the recipes were introduced, enhancing the students’ personalized ability to develop meaning out of concepts for themselves.

Reflection: On a whole, the learning strategy that was devised can be said to have worked perfectly for the students. This does not mean however, that there were not challenges. A number of challenges were faced including the need to give some students extra tuition for them to come to levels with their colleagues. The indication that this gave was that it is important to respect diversity at every point in time in the classroom. This is because students exhibit different diversities, including learning styles and learning competences (Blunt, Jones, & Richard 78).

In effect, using only one learning strategy at a given point in time may not favor all students. Within the timeframe that I had, I could have used a combined approach that would have ensured that at least the learning needs of as many students as possible was catered for. Attachments: Source: Worksheet Works (2013) Cited Works Alvesson, Malcolm. Understanding Organizational Culture. London: Sage Publications. 2002. Print. Blunt, Pious, Jones, Morrison & Richards, Douglas. Managing Diversity in the Classroom.

New York: Ultimate Press Series. 2012. Print. Worksheet Works. Frayer Model Diagram. 2013. Web. December 07. 2013