Do Children Benefit When Their Teacher Speaks Their Second Language - Research Proposal Example

Teacher Shared Language It is estimated that at the current rate of immigration to the United s of different ethnic groups like Africans, Asians, Hispanic etc, these minority groups will constitute a majority in the country, outnumbering the white ethnic groups in public schools. Parents migrate to seek better future prompted by economic needs mostly, some rare cases it could also be for political reasons. Children of such parents have no choice. They need to go through the education process in their adopted country and to be successful they would have to pick up under graduate or even post graduate degrees. In the United States this means their proficiency in English becomes the key factor in order to achieve this. In most areas of the United States, children are growing up in a diverse society. In this culturally heterogeneous society, children in addition to adjusting to the differences in the practices observed at home and outside, particularly their school, have to deal with the additional pressure of adjusting to different languages. School is the most important social circle that the child operates in, second of course only to home. For children belonging to minority groups, they have to invariably adjust to a language different from their mother tongue in the school. The communities that are at risk of this problem are the African-Americans, the Asians and the Hispanic linguistic groups. Since this other language, English, is also the medium of instruction in the school, it often traumatizes the child as she copes with the consequences of ‘not following instructions’. While the diversity is high in the student group, the teachers are mostly emerging out of English speaking groups who do not speak any other language. “American demographers report that even as public school populations are becoming are becoming ethnically, linguistically and economically more diverse the teaching force in the United States is becoming more homogeneous (Evangelauf;1988, National Educational association 1987). Coupled with this data is the fact that many economically disadvantaged students, students of colour, for whom English is a second language, generally perform academically less well than their mainstream counterparts.” (Jackson, December1993/January1994) The overarching concern among educators has been the high drop-out rates among these children. The Educators in the United States have engaged in a number of remedial policies to counter this. However according to one study, the dropout rate remained at 40 to 50 percent among the Mexican American and mainland Puerte Rican children as compared to 14 percent among whites and 25 percent among African Americans. (García & Baker) This study focuses on the impact on the minority children groups of the language used in classroom curriculum; more specifically on the impact when the teacher shares their language. Studies in linguistics has brought forth certain important distinctions in the way a child learns a language. “Development in infancy towards basic mastery of a spoken language is not at all like learning a foreign language by memorizing a vocabulary and practicing the rules of a new grammer.” (Ziman, 1991) Many studies have proven that language impacts the teacher-student relationship (Saluja, Early, & Clifford 2002). When the teacher and student speak the same primary language, there is less of a cultural mismatch between teacher and student. For this reason the quality of language exchange between student and teacher is a key component of how to measure the quality of learning in the classroom. Approximately 40 percent of children in U.S. public schools are from culturally diverse backgrounds (NCES 2003). However, only a limited number of teachers in highly concentrated minority communities speak the second language of the minority group. Unlike many children who arrive in US classrooms everyday and find familiar environments and teachers who speak their same language (English), many culturally and linguistically diverse students may feel like they are moving “from one world to another” as they go from home to school (Au 1993, 9). This type of learning environment may restrict the bilingual child from performing at their maximum potential. Further, it has been observed that many bilingual students are more likely to give voice to their bicultural experiences when there are bilingual, bicultural adults in their classroom, who legitimize their perceptions, insights, and concerns (Darder & Upshur, 1991). There is an additional issue of assessing their understanding in subjects like science. In my study I explored whether a shared first language between student and teacher contributes and facilitates the learning process. Teachers who share their child’s first language and culture can minimize some of the differences between home and school. Often these teachers serve as role models, validating the identities of culturally diverse children (Saluja, Early, & Clifford 2002). The purpose of my study is to identify what, if anything in particular contributes and facilitates the learning process when a teacher speaks the same first language of the minority group in the classroom, as opposed to a teacher who does not speak their first language but is sensitive as to how to reach students whose English proficiency is limited. Literature Review Teachers who share their students’ culture can minimize some of the differences between home and school. Often these teachers serve as role models, validating the identities of culturally diverse children (Saluja, Early, & Clifford 2002). Unfortunately, while the need for teachers who reflect the cultural diversity of the student population has grown, the percentage of culturally diverse teachers has declined (Saluja, Early, & Clifford 2002). A cultural mismatch between teachers and the children they teach can result in uncomfortable classroom experiences for some children and teachers. Unlike many children who arrive at preschool and elementary classrooms and find familiar environments and teachers who speak their same language (English), many culturally and linguistically diverse students may feel like they are moving “from one world to another” as they go from home to school (Au 1993, 9). There is a failure to recognize the social inequalities that exist in our educational system (Darder, 1991), and nowhere is this it more apparent than in a classroom that comprises of large percent of minority children. Teachers cannot hope to begin to understand who sits before them unless they can connect with the families and communities from which their children come. To do that it is vital that teachers and teacher educators explore their own beliefs and attitudes about non-white and non-middle-class people (Delpit, 1995). Children become aware of their ‘group’ membership by age nine and its importance to their well being and this realization is reflected in their language. Even young children are aware of the different language codes we use in everyday life. They often have a remarkable ability to adapt (Delpit 1995). Education has a social function. The values of the group they belong to tend to provide direction in how they mature and develop into individuals. Any education given by a group tends to socialize its members, but the quality and value of the socialization depends upon the habits and aims of the group. (Dewey 1916) While earlier waves of immigrants were mostly from European countries, today’s immigrants are primarily from Latin American and Asian Countries (Martin & Midgley 1994). They are also most backward economically. When children neither fear nor value the structural implication of school, they appear free to confront the premises and politics of school openly and directly (D’Amato). All classrooms are particular social settings, mini-culture in themselves, that are not universal, and therefore, teachers share a common responsibility to see the familiar with new eyes. Personal assumptions about the nature of the world must give way to considerate of how students and other participants in a social setting see the world (Frank 1999). Methodology Setting The two classrooms I observed were taught by Mr. Mata, a Hispanic teacher who is fluent in Spanish, and Mr. Jonas, an African American teacher who is only fluent in English. Both classrooms appeared to be well organized, neat, with seating arranged efficiently. Both classrooms had the appearance and atmosphere of well managed classrooms, with rules and classroom procedure on display for all to examine. Both teachers had sufficient control of their classrooms to encourage a good learning environment. The school is located in south central Los Angeles, in the neighbourhood of a low income, Hispanic community. The school is new, only five years old, and very well kept. This sets it apart and it seems to be out of order in this dilapidated community. Participants Fourteen seventh grade students from two separate classrooms were interviewed for this study. All students were Hispanic, five females and nine males. All fourteen students spoke fluent Spanish and had parents who spoke no English. Each student was asked a series of ten questions prepared beforehand and several other questions that emerged on the spot. In addition to the oral interview, each student was given a questionnaire and asked to answer the questions as honestly as possible. Data collection and Analysis I decided to use an ethnographic approach when conducting my observations. Whether you realize it or not, there is a hidden side of classroom life: everyday practices so ordinary and so routine that they often become invisible. The challenge to classroom observers is to understand and reveal these implicit patterns. (Carolyn Frank, 1999). I explained to both classrooms that I was gathering information for a graduate course project and that I would be observing them for five days. I also explained that the class sessions would be tape recorded during my observations. I further explained that on the fifth day I would randomly select seven students from each classroom to complete a question survey and participate in a brief verbal interview with me. I made it clear that our interview would be tape-recorded and that the conversation would be completely confidential. I later explained to each of the fourteen selected students that their participation was completely voluntary, and that if being selected to participate made them uncomfortable, they had the right to decline the selection. Findings “Can I borrow a pencil Mr. M porque I forgot mine en la casa”, explained Jose (pseudonym). These are the types of conversations I heard repeated over and over in the classroom of Mr. M, a Spanish speaking History teacher. Students frequently used a combination of Spanish and English, better known as Spanglish, when conversing with Mr. M and with each other in Mr. M’s classroom. Spanglish is a mix of Spanish and English spoken mostly by kids who hear and see both languages everyday. Though teachers do not normally like to hear Spanglish in the classroom, Mr. M seemed not to mind and would answer the question without pointing out to the student that they had just spoken in dual-language mode. When I questioned Mr. M about this he explained “If you live in a place where Spanish-speaking people and English-speaking people live side by side, conversing in this form of dialect is not uncommon. I encourage my student’s to use language to communicate meaningfully. This means allowing them to use their native language to ask or answer questions when they are unable to think of the word in English”. The student’s in Mr. M’s classroom answered questions and spoke freely when called upon using English and Spanish interchangeably. During one of my observations, Mr. M was randomly calling on students to answer questions from the previous nights reading assignment on the Civil War. He called on Maria (pseudonym) saying “Why did the southern states rebel against the Union?” When Maria seemed to hesitate, Mr. M realized that Maria may not have understood some of the terms used in his question. He quickly countered saying “rebelde”, (Spanish for rebel). This small verbal hint allowed Maria to understand the question and she quickly responded “because they wanted slaves”. The above two conversational exchanges were common practice in Mr. M’s classroom. In many of the classes that I observed with Mr. M, he and his students used English most of the time. The teacher and a few students occasionally used Spanish to facilitate communication and comprehension, a practice that fosters students language and cognitive development. In addition, I also observed students working in small groups using their native language to aid fellow students who were less proficient in English. By contrast, Student’s in Mr. J’s class, a history teacher of the same grade as Mr. M, conversed with the teacher and fellow student’s 33% less than the student’s in Mr. M’s class. They volunteered to answer questions 28% less than the student’s in Mr. M’s class and appeared more reserved when asking questions or requesting assistance from the teacher. “What’s the answer to number eight Pablo (pseudonym)?” asked Mr. J. “I don’t understand the question” said Pablo. These types of answers where a common pattern in Mr. J’s classroom, and often slowed down the communication process between teacher and student. Although Mr. J did his best to forge ahead with his lesson, it was apparent that a language disconnect between him and his student’s slowed the pace of the lecture. “Can you say what that means again”, was a repeated phrase in Mr. J’s classroom. When I asked Mr. J why he felt that his students asked this question repeatedly, he explained that “sometimes they don’t understand the terms I use so I change the wording to something simpler and they eventually get it”. In addition to the above observations, I interviewed seven students from each classroom to get a better understanding of the classroom dynamics from their perspective. One-on-One Interview with Maria (pseudonym) a bilingual student in Mr. M’s class. Interviewer: What do you like most about Mr. M’s class? Maria: That I can ask him questions and I know what he means. Interviewer: What do you feel Mr. M could improve in his classroom? Maria: I think he does everything ok. Interviewer: do you feel that it helps you that Mr. M can speak Spanish, or does it not make any difference to your learning? Maria: It makes I a big difference because I can ask him in Spanish when I don’t know the word in English. One-on-One Interview with Jose (pseudonym), a bilingual student in Mr. J’s class. Interviewer: What do you like most about Mr. J’s class? Jose: Mr. J’s he’s ok. Interviewer: What do you feel Mr. J could improve in his classroom? Jose: Sometimes I don’t understand everything he explains and I don’t like to ask too much. Interviewer: Do you thin it would help you if Mr. J spoke Spanish or do you think it would not make a difference to you? Jose: yeah, it would make a difference because sometimes I can think of what I want to ask in Spanish but not really good in English. Discussion of Findings Biculturalism refers to a process wherein individuals learn to function in two distinct socio-cultural environments: their primary culture, and that of the dominant mainstream culture of the society in which they live. Setting these two worlds apart is their language. Language barriers not only hinder or slow down the learning process, it also inhibits the child’s socializing capabilities. There is a sense of alienation that sets in, inside the classroom that manifests in myriad ways, like aggression, extreme shyness and the eventual drop out situation. As is seen in the classroom situations seen above, when the teacher understands the child’s first landuage he is able to overcome this barrier to communication, the child feels more accepted and therefore is more likely to make an effort to continue to communicate meaningfully. This in turn integrates the child in that ‘mini-universe’, namely the classroom. It is very likely that the teacher who does not share the language of the child, also has very little knowledge about his native culture. He is likely to overlook the differences in the perspectives of all the children in the classroom. By not acknowledging differences, this teacher may have denied the children’s cultural strengths. Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), passed in 2002, public schools have until 2014 to show adequate yearly progress for all students in math and English. NCLB is the latest federal legislation which enacts the theories of standards- based education reform, based on the belief that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals can improve individual outcomes in education. Districts that fail to make the required amount of progress are subject to sanctions, no matter how many students are unfamiliar with the language of the tests. Students who are limited in their English proficiency pose particularly daunting problems for schools. There are more than 4.4 million LEP children in public schools in the United States - twice the number of a decade ago, and nearly 10 percent of total enrollment. The reauthorized ESEA completes an effort started in 1994 to include all LEP students in state assessment programs. This is something that the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) has advocated for years, arguing that without such a requirement many LEP students were simply exempted from the tests and ignored. "The practice of exempting LEP students undermines accountability," Patricia Loera, legislative director of NABE told me. "Having them included is a key way we can ensure that all LEP students get the education they deserve." (http://www.rethinkingschools.org/special_reports/bushplan/Leav171.shtml) ( (Peterson, 2002) Conclusion One of the most difficult tasks we face as human being is communicating meaning across our individual differences, a task confounded immeasurably when we attempt to communicate across social lines, racial lines, and cultural lines (Delpit 1995). Hispanics (people of Spanish speaking origins) will constitute 30% of the nation’s population by 2050. (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Clearly, there is need to have a better understanding of these students and their teachers if these needs are to be met. In addition to being bound to thought, language is also bound to culture. According to Vygotsky (1978) language is the primary conduit by which one is enculturated. Language contributes to the formation of a community that adopts a somewhat different set of norms, beliefs, and practices. It is much more difficult to convey differing cultural concepts when the teacher does not have access to the students’ native language. The hypothesis that various disciplines have focused on recently is that language both expresses and creates categories of thought that are shared by members of a social group and that language is, in part, responsible for the attitudes and beliefs that constitute what we call “culture”. (Kramsch, 2005) A University of Queensland study has found cultural differences between teachers and students can hinder teaching and learning if not adequately addressed. (http://www.uq.edu.au/news/?article=1873). Language plays an important role in a child’s social development. Yet many school programs are moving towards a system that may isolate the English language learner, leaving them at risk for social and language problems. Even as the need for teachers who reflect the cultural diversity of the student population has grown, the percentage of culturally diverse teachers has declined (Saluja, Early, & Clifford 2002). As a result more number of minority students are taught by teachers who differ from their families in race, culture, and language. Classroom expectations and patterns of communication may also differ from those at home. Teachers who understand and appreciate culturally different strengths and funds of knowledge are more likely to provide enriching and responsive learning environments that celebrate and capitalize on children’s cultural differences. As students themselves, most teachers were socialized in mainstream schools for at least 12 years (Cuban 1993) and often attended teacher preparation programs grounded in the mainstream culture. Beginning the journey toward increased cultural competence (the ability to understand diverse perspectives and appropriately interact with members of other cultures in a variety of situations) requires teachers to rethink their assumptions and consider life’s issues through the lenses of people who come from cultural backgrounds different from their own. References Au, K. 1993. Literacy instruction in multicultural settings. Belmont, CA: Wordsworth. Colombo, M. 2005 Reflections from Teachers of Culturally Diverse Childrenhttp://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200511/ColomboBTJ1105.asp Cuban, L. 1993. How teachers taught: Constancy and change in American classrooms 1890– 1990. 2nd Ed. New York: Teachers College Press. DAmato, J. (1993). Resistance and compliance in minority classrooms. In E. Jacob & C.Jordan (Eds.) Mi­nority education: Anthropological perspectives (pp. 181-207). Norwood, NJ: Ablex. Darder. A.(1991) Culture and power in the classroom. 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