30
by
Dr
Five Tips for Community Building in a Distance Learning Classroom
by
Angela Danley
“I may not understand the culture”
“I think the biggest challenge is when you don’t know their background. …it could be challenging because you don’t want to offend anyone of make them uncomfortable”
When invited to identify ways to communicate with families who do not speak English, an overwhelming majority of respondents (30) chose to ask for help from a translator. The remaining four stated that they would be proactive by learning some words in the other speaker’s language. Three people mentioned that they would use visual materials, technology, and applications. A few people mentioned using gestures and one suggested using American Sign Language (ASL). One person said, “Being ethnic myself (Hispanic), gesturing is a big part of the way I communicate with everyone.” Several TECs suggested using Class Dojo.TM.
The final research question invited respondents to describe how they would advocate for EL students and their family in the community. Almost all respondents had good intentions for advocating. These were also in the “open” dispositions category. Said one, “Making them feel accepted. Not making them feel like their culture should be put on the back burner and helping them out in any ways I can.” Another wrote, “Encourage others to get to know them for the person/people that they are, rather than what they are perceived to be”. This statement implicitly acknowledges that there may be a biased perception of the “other”. When it came to taking action, one teacher wrote, “I corrected one of my students today who remarked in our classroom ‘We only speak English in school’ in response to one of my students referring to her Abuelita. I do not like this “English only” idea, and do not support it.” Ten people opted for having a culture day and joining in social events. Sharing advocacy and community resources also helps. This fits into the most basic Level of Integration of Multicultural Content, which Banks (2004) calls the “Contributions approach” focusing on “heroes, holidays, and discrete cultural elements” (p. 15).
Respondents who are already classroom teachers noted that they would make sure other students are encouraging and include ELs daily. They said they would develop relevant projects that tied into the culture(s) of their students. Seven TECs believed in creating a welcoming, proactive class that includes student cultures. These data demonstrate what Banks calls The Additive Approach which “allows the teacher to put ethnic content into curriculum without restructuring it... [The] most important shortcoming is that it usually results in the viewing of ethnic content from the perspectives of mainstream historians, writers, artists, and scientists…” (p. 15)
Some respondents reported that they would do research and use modification and accommodations, so students can “thrive” in the classroom. They wanted to build relationships. One offered that s/he would not mind “Being their voice when they can’t or don’t know how to use their voice.” Two respondents mentioned home visits again.
Finally, respondents were again asked to rate themselves as cultural brokers.
____________________________________________
Pre-Survey Post Survey
Cultural broker 1 3
Intercultural connector 8 21
Cultural visitor 9 5
Orchestrator 4 2
Mediator 4 2
None of the above 11 1
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In the Pre-survey, three respondents selected multiple options. These respondents may have felt more confident about the roles and how they might overlap. The majority of respondents chose “none of the above”, perhaps not feeling certain what each role implied. In the post-survey, six respondents chose more than one option. The number of respondents who chose more than one option does suggest an increased confidence in understanding the multiple roles a cultural broker may have, but only three felt competent for the “full” role of cultural broker. Instead, TECs selected roles that imply an understanding of how such roles may overlap.
Discussion and Conclusion
The data show that respondents did not reach the Banks’s (2004) model for the two higher levels (The Transformative Approach and The Social Action Approach). The responses do indicate that students met the first two levels of the Banks model, Contributions and Additive, which may be seen as a developmental start.
level of practical (clinical) or classroom
.