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11 fantastic resources to promote elements of international mindedness...
Culture shock for new EAL students is more or less extreme depending on the extent of the difference between their old culture and new culture. During the period of transition, creating bridges is crucial to help students identify similarities and differences between their home culture and the new one as well as making them aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each culture. Stagg (2013) states, "there is every reason to place renewed emphasis on the moral and cultural dimensions of education, enabling each individual to grasp the individuality of other people."
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights promotes the universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, this means the recognition and appreciation of others, the ability to live together and to listen to others (presented in this link in child friendly format). As Stagg comments, "They focus on embracing and celebrating diversity, they leave a lasting impression and encourage shared understanding and enjoyment of different cultures within the school and around the world." They also engender community spirit and can create an interest in students transitioning between different cultures.
Every subject can be used to embrace international perspectives. Literature provides a great means of understanding a culture. The school library should embrace cultures from around the world, have books in different languages and special boxes of books for students in transition.
Some great resources for developing open-mindedness about different cultures:
By including different cultures, faiths and nationalities, one would hope that feelings of potential alienation would diminish, providing one aspect of creating a more unified but diverse society. To quote my daughter's headteacher at a school assembly, "although there are problems in some parts of the world, in this school we all get along - it doesn't matter where you are from, what colour or what religion you are".
The EAL teacher has a key role to play in developing this ideal in supporting the class teachers, and using their privilege of having the smaller groups to identify each EAL child's individual need for support, not only for language, but by showing an interest in their home culture and promoting their positive integration in the new country and school. This helps avoid feelings of isolation.
The importance of understanding each individual EAL student's transition should not be underestimated.
References:
García, O. and Kleifgen, J. (2010). Educating emergent bilinguals. New York: Teachers College Press.
Stagg, L. (2013). International Mindedness. Rochester: Urbane Publications Limited.
Effective teacher-parent collaboration has undoubtedly been found to be beneficial for a child’s wellbeing and academic performance with relevant research recently highlighting two distinct approaches to home-school partnerships associated with specific parent behaviours each (Epstein, 2001). Below we will attempt to shed light on the differences between ‘parent involvement’ and ‘parent engagement’ in an effort to help schools make more informed decisions on what really matters when it comes to promoting successful collaboration with parents.
All learners have times where they may become less engaged or motivated with their learning. This can be for a range of reasons but learners with additional needs may face even more challenges. It is important to get to know your learners well and learn what motivates and excites them. Try to incorporate this into your lesson planning and help them to progress and reach their full potential.
Learners with speech and language difficulties may find it difficult to order and sequence their ideas with a clear beginning, middle and end.
Tip or Idea: Ask your learner to tell you about something funny or exciting that they have done. Real life experiences may make it easier for them to describe.
Learning Village resource: Use the Adventure story dilemma flashcards and have fun making up a story together! You can add additional flashcards for settings and characters too!