Blog #3

Diversity in the Classroom

After reading the required information and reflecting on the diversity in my classroom, I was outraged by the opinions of the authors. In the article “Mississippi Burning: Race, White Nationalism, and American Culture”, T.J. Tobia implies that the white culture is almost extinct, and that our culture is being destroyed by minorities. He quotes other raciest as saying that in the future, white culture will no longer be the dominating force in American. He refers to an article from an Atlantic magazine titled “The End of White America.” The author states that minority celebrities such as Tiger Woods, Will Smith, and The Cheetah Girls are overtaking our culture.

I personally disagree with the views of T.J. Tobia. Our American culture is a mixture of all different races, cultures, and languages, and backgrounds. Tiger Woods is a famous golfer because he spent hours perfecting his swing. Tiger's nationally is not what made him a champion, it is his talent, persistence, and determination. Minority and white celebrates both have to work extremely hard to accomplish their goals and dreams. I feel that people of all races have helped shaped our culture. Our music still is influenced by artists like Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, and BB King. Gifted athletes such as Michael Jordan and Vince Young are excellent roll models for future athletes of any nationally.

This mixture of American culture is one of the reasons we can enjoy such diverse entertainment.

In the article from The Institute of Historical Review, Samuel Taylor sates that the curriculum taught in the American school system is abandoning a single identify and deliberate forcing multiple national identification. I totally agree that the curriculum has changed to show a multicultural society.

However, I think the new curriculum can help teach children to overcome obstacles in their lives. For example, we discuss how George Washington Carver had to walk eight miles to attend a school that accepted African Americans. He was also sent away from a college because of his skin color. Carver changed schools, and was the first African American to graduate with a Master's Degree. Through his experiences, he was able to help both black and white farmers and helped invent about 300 new products for peanuts.

There are many people from all nationalities in our country's history that helped develop our history. From Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth to Wilma Rudolph , America is shaped by these brave individuals who overcame numerous obstacles to accomplish their goals and dreams.

Blog #2

Blog #2

How do I help students learn the grammar they need?

Teaching grammar is a very important to help ESL students communicate. The depth of my instruction in grammar depends on the student's level of English proficiency. The ESL student must have a vocabulary level that enables the student to comprehend sentences and sentence structure of the English language before teaching grammar can be effective.

Once my students reach a certain level of English proficiency, I use both the deductive and inductive methods of teaching grammar. Deductive teaching is a rule-driven, top-down approach . I use a mini-lesson and slide presentation to explain the grammar rule in detail. During the lesson, I provide the students with many examples that we complete together as a group. The students then practice sample problems by themselves, and I ofter individual assistance when necessary. We then check the assignment together, and I explain the answers thoroughly.

Inductive teaching is a rule-discovery, bottom-up approach to teaching. After I feel the students have mastered a particular grammatical structure , I let them examine text using the grammatical rule. The students highlight the information that was presented . Then, the students participate in a group discussion about the concepts that were previously taught. The students explain why the grammatical

rule is important for comprehension. The inductive approach to teaching helps the students make their own explanation about the material presented.

Blog Entry #1

Definition of Multicultural Education
Multicultural Education is very important in our diverse population. Multicultural education is education chosen intentionally to help students appreciate the similarities and differences among cultures in an interdependent society.  It also allows students to step outside their every day routine and experience a new world through the eyes of someone from a different background.  Multicultural education can help students understand different ethnic, racial, religious, cultural,  and economic situations from many geographical areas.  Multicultural education can prepare students to deal with a large intercultural society.

I think one of the main challenges in multicultural education is overcoming the stereo types that are associated with certain ethnic groups. The students at my school have many preconceived ideas about any race other than white.  I teach in a school that is 95% white and until recently an all white staff.  Two years ago our principal hired a black music teacher.  Many parents complained, and I heard several students say that they did not want to go to music because the teacher was black.  However, he earned their respect and helped to change their mental image of African American culture.



The challenges facing classroom teachers are great, especially when striving to implement multicultural practices in their classroom.  Teachers must overcome social bias, cultural stereotypes,and language barriers while trying to explain numerous state standards and preparing students for standardized tests. 

One activity that I would recommend to help develop multicultural acceptance is to celebrate Christmas Around the World the week before Christmas break.  We always "visit" Mexico, Germany, China, and Japan.  We sample foods, make crafts, listen to music, and study their holiday traditions.  The students enjoy the experience, and it provides a safe opportunity to teach multicultural education. A great site for introducing holiday traditions around the world is http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Christmas_Around_the_World/index.shtml