Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Page 2 of 3
As a substitute teacher in a predominantly affluent, Caucasian school district where there are
only nine ELL students, I have the opportunity to educate students on multiculturalism. Whereas
I do not have cultural diversity in the classroom, I can teach it. I plan to incorporate a myriad of
books in my English classroom. From the required curriculum, I will choose authors from diverse
nationalities or subjects that reflect multiculturalism. If there are not many (and there aren't) I will
choose short stories or current articles reflecting a diverse nation. We will have discussions and
journal entries about tolerance and understanding, acceptance and respect. I will follow Dr.
Matthew Lynchs advice and incorporate his six ways to foster cultural awareness. Unlike my
Grandparents, who disassociated themselves with their Portuguese ancestry, I will incorporate
as much cultural awareness as possible in my classroom.
According to Dr. Matthew Lynch, there are six ways to foster cultural awareness in the
classroom:
1. Express interest in the ethnic background of your students
2. Redirect your role in the classroom from instructor to facilitator
3. Maintain a strict level of sensitivity to language concerns
4. Maintain high expectation for student performance
5. Incorporate methods for self-testing
6. Maintain an inclusive curriculum that remains respectful of differences
One thing I try to accomplish, even as a substitute teacher, is to correctly pronounce the names
of each of my students. Although our student population is not very diverse, student names can
be. I recognize this as being important; I respect someones name as part of their culture
therefore I do my best to learn it. A name is the first thing we know about a person and respect
should start from there.
I will have my students research and educate themselves on their own heritage, or of a culture
of their choosing, and I will incorporate that into the English curriculum. I have a strong belief in
learning about another background. I learned the French language and about French culture
from seventh grade through college. I studied abroad as a junior in college and to this day, feel it
is one of the most important aspects of my life. I wish that experience for every student. It taught
me not to be so egocentric! I learned that there can be better waysto eat. to dress. to
enjoy life! Ha! My world was small before learning another culture.
Per Lynchs second and third ways of fostering cultural awareness in the classroom, I plan to be
a facilitator with my kids, versus a dictator. There will be a lot of group work where students can
practice each role required to make a group function (i.e. recorder, reporter and leader). This
sense of belonging to a group and relying on each other to function is a true reflection of
America. One does not succeed alone. Not very well, anyway. Although I do disagree with
Lynch; I do not believe there should be native language materials available to ELLs. I believe
that there are other ways to help acquire the English language without providing help in the
native language. For example, use of pictures, storytelling, repetition and use of various
teaching methodologies can be more affective and reinforce the English language.
I completely agree with Lynch about his fifth and sixth ways to foster cultural awareness. It is
imperative for a person to learn to manage their own progress. One way I will do this is to test
students on their weekly vocabulary words; first within pairs and then as individuals. There will
be several ways to self-evaluate their progress before the actual test takes place at the end of
the week. Students will learn to practice on their own and judge where they are in learning the
new vocabulary skills.
Page 3 of 3
Most importantly I will foster a safe environment that enables each student to be confident,
tolerant, respectful, accepting, and multicultural. Although in my district, the likelihood of a
diverse student body falls more on sexual orientation than it does on race, I will follow these
rules to teach cultural awareness. Even if our little community is not diverse, we live in a
multicultural world and I feel it is my responsibility as a teacher, to prepare my students.
M.S. Rosenberg|D.L. Westling|J. McLeskey (2010, July 10). Retrieved February 26, 2016,
from http://www.education.com/reference/article/impact-culture-education/
Lynch Ed. D., Matthew (2015, February 8). 6 Ways Teachers Can Foster Cultural Awareness in the
Classroom. Retrieved February 28, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-lynchedd/6-ways-teachers-can-foste_b_6294328.html