By, Harshika Bhatt
Learning tends to spread its wings in an environment that is full of respect, is safe, inviting, and glows from inspiration. An environment where a student can be comfortable sharing his or her experiences, freely ask questions to get clarification, and be able to laugh at him or herself upon making a mistake is truly an environment set on the path of enrichment. Students will excel in this comfortable environment free of biases, negativity, and misconceptions. It is important to build an amiable setting to ensure students take advantage of the opportunities presented in such environments. Teachers must create a classroom climate that identifies, appreciates and celebrates its differences.
So how do we do that? Well, for one, you can have open dialogue that is respectful and nonjudgmental. This will encourage even the most bashful student to speak up and participate in the discussion. If a student feels as though their input doesn't make a difference, they will remain silent. They will tune you out and stop participating. Often times teachers forget that the students are not only picking up on verbal stimuli, but are more focused with non-verbal clues that are being sent. A little eye-rolling here, and little grunt there or maybe a turn of the back over here can send signals to the student indicating that they are not welcome, they are not being heard, they should just leave. Such negative signals should be avoided. Instead, greet the students by name at the door as they enter the classroom. Actively listen and acknowledge their point of view, or possibly seek their opinion on a particular topic. When you ask and engage in this type of communication, you are telling the student you care.
Another way to create a healthy classroom environment is to be consistent in your expectations about what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in the classroom. Don't show preferential treatment, be fair and be consistent. If you see a student bully or be mean to another student, jump in (every time) and make it known that such behavior and comments will not be tolerated. Be an ally to the victim and play the role of peacemaker. Listen to both sides and get all the facts before declaring a judgment. This intervention from teachers shows students that they are concerned and want to help. Often times bullying takes place due to social pressure to maintain a certain status or due to preconceptions. Instructors should help their students learn the meaning of stereotyping and conduct classroom activities that show its effects. For example, have the student write a reflection on student attitudes, interview an elder, collect and report on their history, or research how social policies or problems contribute to need. Many have made the choices they have due to the situation they were presented with and our students need to understand this. This will help the students not only learn the negative effects of stereotyping and bullying but also understand where the other person is coming from. It will give them an opportunity to not only learn about the diversity in the classroom but also appreciate its presence in the environment. Failure to develop this cultural awareness can lead to negative interactions (bullying, etc.) which will cause the students' to have decreased participation in class, low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence. Thus, it is crucial that everyone get together and build cultural awareness by adopting a perspectives approach to teaching and implementing a social and emotional learning curriculum along with differentiated instruction. Inclusions such as having a Cultural Foods Day, Cultural Dress Day, or even better a Share Your Culture Day can be very effective in showing the student how our differences actually bring us together as a community.
Cultural awareness combined with open dialogue in the classroom can help students better understand each other, effectively communicate with each other and help each other be successful on their path to education. But is this enough? Should the teachers do more? I myself come from a diverse background and have always been the odd one out in a classroom. Here is what I think a wonderful school day should be like:
It's Diwali! I wear my traditional attire and go to school while my mom cooks the best gourmet meal for the family to enjoy in the evening after our prayers. When I get off the school bus, I have friends and others that I don't even know come up to me and comment on how beautiful my dress is. They further the conversation by asking me where I am from, what is the special day today and where they too can get the dress. This interaction makes me feel special. When the bell rings, I go to class and my teacher welcomes me by name and comments on my beautiful dress. Instead of jumping right into our math lesson, my teacher draws a circle on the board, writes Diversity in the center and asks everyone to look around the classroom. He then asks everyone to turn to the person next to them and take five minutes to interview this person and ask them three things about their culture. After five minutes, one person from each team will go to the board and write down in the circle where they are from and what culture they belong to. Next, the other team member will verbally tell the entire class what they learned about the other culture. The teacher and students share a nice discussion about their learnings about the different cultures addressing any questions the students may have, clarifying any misconceptions and acknowledging how special diversity truly is. He continues on his inclusion of diversity in the classroom when he begins his math lesson by sharing how multiplication is done not only in America but also asking the students in class if they know how it is done in their country. A few "ah-ha" moments float across the room as students find other methods to be "easier" than the traditional taught in the U.S. It makes many of us, including me, happy to learn that it is okay for us to use any of the methods we learned today to do our homework. Yay! As we wrap up math and go into social studies, we begin by watching a video that talks about how the Native Americans value and survive on their land, how they communicate and how the code-talkers helped during the battles. After the video, we were able to ask questions. I asked abot the code-talkers and that led into a discussion about how our method of communication can really make a difference in various situations. Which led us into Language Arts where we read a few poems by Li Po, a chinese poet. Feeling inspired from the messages these poems gave out, one of the students asked if we can write a poem or a short story and share it with the class. The teacher loved the idea and said that if everyone can have it ready by Friday, we can spend some time sharing the poems and giving feedback. I was so excited! But the bell rings for lunch. In the cafeteria, I sat at a table, listening to my classmates share their ideas. All of a sudden my teachers shows up and asks if he can sit with us for lunch. He joins in on the conversation and asks me if how I felt about class today and if I have given any thought to what I want to write about. I share my ideas and everyone chimes in saying how wonderful it is and one even suggested that it would be better if we add a little twist to it. It was great! After lunch we continue the rest of our day learning about science, computers and sign language. When the bell rings to go home, the teacher says, "Have a great day Harshika! I loved your ideas, I can't wait to see your project on Friday!"
As you can see, the teacher did a wonderful job including diversity in the classroom, used differentiated instruction, have open dialogue and a safe atmosphere that included all the students and enticed their minds to learn and share. He made a personal connection with each student showing that he cares! Amazingly, he has created such a positive classroom setting that even his students want to create their own assignments and have the confidence to share it with the rest of the class. Learning is all about caring, collaborating, communicating and respecting.
It's Diwali! I wear my traditional attire and go to school while my mom cooks the best gourmet meal for the family to enjoy in the evening after our prayers. When I get off the school bus, I have friends and others that I don't even know come up to me and comment on how beautiful my dress is. They further the conversation by asking me where I am from, what is the special day today and where they too can get the dress. This interaction makes me feel special. When the bell rings, I go to class and my teacher welcomes me by name and comments on my beautiful dress. Instead of jumping right into our math lesson, my teacher draws a circle on the board, writes Diversity in the center and asks everyone to look around the classroom. He then asks everyone to turn to the person next to them and take five minutes to interview this person and ask them three things about their culture. After five minutes, one person from each team will go to the board and write down in the circle where they are from and what culture they belong to. Next, the other team member will verbally tell the entire class what they learned about the other culture. The teacher and students share a nice discussion about their learnings about the different cultures addressing any questions the students may have, clarifying any misconceptions and acknowledging how special diversity truly is. He continues on his inclusion of diversity in the classroom when he begins his math lesson by sharing how multiplication is done not only in America but also asking the students in class if they know how it is done in their country. A few "ah-ha" moments float across the room as students find other methods to be "easier" than the traditional taught in the U.S. It makes many of us, including me, happy to learn that it is okay for us to use any of the methods we learned today to do our homework. Yay! As we wrap up math and go into social studies, we begin by watching a video that talks about how the Native Americans value and survive on their land, how they communicate and how the code-talkers helped during the battles. After the video, we were able to ask questions. I asked abot the code-talkers and that led into a discussion about how our method of communication can really make a difference in various situations. Which led us into Language Arts where we read a few poems by Li Po, a chinese poet. Feeling inspired from the messages these poems gave out, one of the students asked if we can write a poem or a short story and share it with the class. The teacher loved the idea and said that if everyone can have it ready by Friday, we can spend some time sharing the poems and giving feedback. I was so excited! But the bell rings for lunch. In the cafeteria, I sat at a table, listening to my classmates share their ideas. All of a sudden my teachers shows up and asks if he can sit with us for lunch. He joins in on the conversation and asks me if how I felt about class today and if I have given any thought to what I want to write about. I share my ideas and everyone chimes in saying how wonderful it is and one even suggested that it would be better if we add a little twist to it. It was great! After lunch we continue the rest of our day learning about science, computers and sign language. When the bell rings to go home, the teacher says, "Have a great day Harshika! I loved your ideas, I can't wait to see your project on Friday!"
As you can see, the teacher did a wonderful job including diversity in the classroom, used differentiated instruction, have open dialogue and a safe atmosphere that included all the students and enticed their minds to learn and share. He made a personal connection with each student showing that he cares! Amazingly, he has created such a positive classroom setting that even his students want to create their own assignments and have the confidence to share it with the rest of the class. Learning is all about caring, collaborating, communicating and respecting.
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