Culture and Self-Esteem - Assignment Example

Culture and Self-Esteem Introduction can differ from each other in many respects. Academically, they differ in their learning style, level, rate of learning, and performance, and their backgrounds could differ with respect to their gender, home language, culture, ethnicity and social class. There could also be other differences such as disabilities and due to some students having special gifts or talents. According to Slavin (2006, p. 98), these can have important implications for the school curriculum, instruction, policies and school practices. The focus of this paper is on differences due to culture and the need to improve the self-esteem of students. The objective is to describe ways to build the confidence of students with diverse backgrounds. A video clip related to culture and self-esteem was first observed and described as part of a series on Foundations of teaching pre-clinical experience videos. The content is then analysed and connections are made with other effective teaching practices. 1. Observation and description 1a. Group characteristics There appear to be about 30 students in the class and some of them are Spanish speakers. This is evident from the instruction the teacher gave in Spanish to one of the students in the front row. The students appear to be elementary grade students of mixed gender and mixed backgrounds. The teacher decides to hand out 3 pieces of paper to each student, one of each colour to make a book. New students were given a whole bundle of a particular colour to give out to other fellow students. The second classroom scene was only focused on a small group of students of at least six in number. They also appear to have different backgrounds, are of mixed gender and are from the elementary grades. 1b. The teachers tone during interaction The tone of the teacher is neutral. During the part of the short clip showing the actual classroom experience, the teacher only engages in explaining how to give out the pieces of paper. The tone of the second teacher during the second classroom scene is not clear because it the recording is dubbed over by the voice of the teacher discussing self-efficacy. Other observations The first teacher mentions that importance is attached to not only know about the American culture, but also to “not lose what you are and who you are”, i.e. to appreciate their own cultures as well. Self-esteem is about how the student feels; not to feel bad about who they are or to learn something new, but to share what they have and what they should be taught. The students learn about the American school and how to cope, but the teacher also learns in the process and strives to make a connection between what the teachers know and what the students know in order to make sure the students feel good about themselves. For example, it was observed the teacher conversed with one student in Spanish at the outset of the recording. The issue of self-esteem is also directly related to the academic studies of the students. Various tasks are given to them, and whatever the nature of the academic task, if accomplished successfully, the students develop self-confidence, i.e. self-efficacy for the particular task undertaken. In short, the teaching is done with a concern for individual students native culture and to make them feel valued. 2. Analysis, Exploration and Reasoning 2a. Strategy used for building confidence and level of engagement during the first classroom scene During the clip, the teachers engagement with the students is focused on the new students in the front row and explaining to them what to do, i.e. verbally telling them how to give out the pieces of paper. The pieces of coloured paper were quite likely given to the new students to hand out in order to help them settle in class and ensure they have self-confidence. It gave the new students an opportunity to do something useful and to participate in the class. Such a strategy is essential because new students, at least initially, have difficulties fitting in socially and therefore low self-esteem among them is common, which could make them suffer academically as well (Neighbour, 2002, p. 2). The engagement of the students in question was positive because they are shown to stand up and be cooperative in complying with the instructions and to begin to carry out the requested task. 2b. Strategy used for building confidence and level of engagement during the second classroom scene In the second classroom scene, the teacher is with the students all seated on the floor so the teacher-student interaction is direct and close. The proximity of the teacher in the first clip was also close, which was arranged by seating the new students in the front row. This strategy can be described as forming a cooperative learning group. Creating such an environment in which the group members work together, has been shown to raise intrinsic motivation and self-esteem and make the students like the school greater (Battistich et al., 1993). It is evident that the students were engaged during this time because they were actively participating in the discussion. In particular, the first student on the teachers right raises himself on his knees and then gets down to writing something on the floor, which shows he is actively engaged. The strategy of repetition was also mentioned and this helps in reinforcement. Importance of self-esteem Self-esteem is thus an important component of students confidence and motivation. But, building self-confidence and raising self-esteem in a class of students with diverse backgrounds is even more important because there is a greater possibility that they could feel inferior to students belonging to different cultures. Moreover, self-esteem is known to have an impact on the academic achievement of students (Grantham & Ford, 2003). It should not therefore be overlooked, and it can easily be facilitated socially without hindering higher priority goals such as a challenging school curriculum (Ferkany, 2008). 3. Connections to other effective teaching practices 3a. Connection of pedagogical strategy to building confidence One of the key strategies used in the clip was to involve the target students in some activity or academic task by giving them instructions to follow. This provides them with an opportunity to be engaged, to prove themselves that they understand the instructions and that they are responsible and useful students. Ultimately, this can lead to sustaining or building their confidence so that they can settle in easier and make academic progress. Attending to instruction is a productive activity that is associated with a higher level of efficacy for learning (Schunk, 1991, p. 10). In the first classroom scene, one student in the front row was spoken to in Spanish, i.e. in what was probably his own native language. This was done most likely to make him feel more comfortable because it could be that he can easily understand and identify with his own language better than if he was instructed in English. That this was the case can also be construed from the fact that the student next to him was instructed in English, though she was probably also of Spanish origin. In the second classroom scene, the classroom setting itself is made in such a way that the students in focus can feel that they are part of a group and that they have to work closely together. This is potentially a more comfortable setting and it supports greater interaction than the traditional arrangement as in the first classroom scene. It is suited for situations in which the students are required to interact in a group and work cooperatively. 4. Evaluation 4a. Effectiveness of the strategies to build confidence An assessment of the effectiveness of the strategies the observed teacher used to build the confidence of the students with diverse backgrounds cannot be made accurately because the clips were short. Moreover, effectiveness can be understood variously. If, for example, by effectiveness is meant the impact on their academic performance, then there is no quantitative information available from the clips alone to draw a conclusion. However, if effectiveness is understood generally as any positive response, then it can be seen that the above mentioned strategies did spur the target students to do as desired by the teacher. In this case, it can be said that the strategies were successful and therefore effective. 4b. Thinking process used to complete the evaluation This evaluation was made by first figuring out what the objective of the teacher must have been when applying the strategy and then seeing if that objective has been satisfied. As mentioned before, in the first scene, the teacher wanted the new students to give out the coloured paper. This was clearly understood by the students concerned and they duly carried out the instruction. Similarly, in the second scene, the objective was probably to make the students engaged in discussion and that is precisely what they did. In each case, the instructions seemed to be appropriate and given out in an appropriate manner. Repetition of the instruction, maintaining closeness, group formation, using the native language of the student, etc. were all strategies that were used appropriately in the circumstances. These can be borne in mind for my own future personal and professional experiences. I think the important point is for the teacher to be adaptable according to the needs of the situation and to focus particularly on the needs of the student so that he/she is made to feel comfortable and have sufficient confidence and self-esteem in a way that best supports his/her academic learning. References Battistich, Victor; Solomon, Daniel & Delucchi, Kevin. (1993). Interaction processes and student outcomes in cooperative learning groups. The Elementary School Journal, 94(1). Grantham, Tarek C. & Ford, Donna Y. (2003). Beyond self-concept and self-esteem: racial identity and gifted African American students. The High School Journal, 87(1). Ferkany, Matt. (2008). The educational importance of self-esteem. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 42(1): 119-132. Neighbour, Murray. (2002). A world wide problem to be faced by educators and those who hold the purse. New Zealand Principal, June 2002. Retrieved February 2012 from http://www.nzpf.ac.nz/publications/magazines-archive-2002. Schunk, Dale H. (1991). Self-efficacy and academic motivation. Educational Psychologist, 26: 207-231. Slavin. (2006). In university notes. Read More