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In my perspective, multicultural education should not focus only on minorities. All students are equally important, although different ...
Cinnamon Skin: Using Children’s Literature for Multicultural Education
by
Teri Pardue
workshop with a writer’s club and a community partnership. Mainstream students and their
parents could get together with English learners and their families to read and write stories,
and learn from each other. Diversity assemblies and culture nights would bridge the gap between
culture groups and languages. Everyone could have an equal say in the creative process, and learn academics from a literacy point of view as well as a social studies point of view. Equality is important of course, but so is equity. Equity can easily be accomplished through small accommodations or slight modifications such as the use of visuals, graphics, gesturing, total physical response, and restating or rephrasing for better comprehension. Hands-on manipulative use is very helpful as well for tactile activities involving abstract ideas. Iconology, the use of icons on a word wall can be tremendously aesthetic and fun to stimulate learning and discussion. All of these strategies are staples in English language learning and teaching, and could be modified for an ELL-focused writer’s workshop with a mainstream peer buddy club.
In conclusion, the articles mentioned here may seemingly deal with two separate topics—a writer’s workshop concept and family engagement for migrant and immigrant families; however, they can easily be connected in the fact that an after-school or early evening reading and writing clubs for mainstream peers and English language learning
friends can actually increase academic knowledge of English and reading literacy for both sides
and the scholastic spectrum. Trauma Sensitive Schools (TSS) Family (2007), revealed schools
functioned best when they act as partnership or open-door schools where parents and families
are welcomed to visit and inquire about students’ well-being and academic progress. The come-
if-we-call or fortress schools do not foster good relations with parents or students if they seem
unwilling to get to know families and the needs of the study body. Building relationships, sharing power, and addressing differences edify links to learning such as specialized workshops
that deal with reading, writing, and expanding comprehension in academic partnerships. Special
cultural events such as diversity assemblies and culture nights can increase ethnic and language
appreciation by connecting families and friends in schools and communities.
References
Breiseth, L, Lafond, S., & Robertson (2011). A guide for engaging ELL families: Twenty strategies for school leaders. ColorínColorado! https://www.colorincolorado.org/sites/default/files/Engaging_ELL_Families_FINAL.pdf
Columbia Public Schools (2020). Writer’s Notebook. Centricity.
Feinberg, B. (2020). The Lucy Calkins project: Parsing a self-proclaimed literacy guru. Education Next.
https://www.educationnext.org/the-lucy-calkins-project/
Kerns, W. & McCaleb, A. (2019). Writing workshop: A chance for literacy to come alive. Missouri Literacy Association/The Missouri Reader. https://view.joomag.com/the-missouri-reader-vol-43-issue-2/0068358001574051031?short
TSS Family (2007). Four versions of family partnerships. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. https://dpi.wi.gov./sites/default/files/imce/sspw/TSSFamily_FourVersionsof FamilyPartnerships.pdf
Matthew Freeman lives and works in Springfield, Missouri, where he is currently an English language learning (ELL) paraprofessional at Central High School. He completed his master's program in TESOL at Missouri State University to prepare him to be an ELL specialist, a Spanish teacher, or general education elementary co-teacher
.