Running Head: SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE CLASSROOM: A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM by Tonya L. Davis A Master’s Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Education Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Department of Education State University of New York at Fredonia Fredonia, New York July 2012 i SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Abstract There is a large and ever growing population of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the Buffalo Public School (BPS) system. The majority of ELLs in the BPS come from a Spanish language background, but there are students from approximately 56 other countries within the school system. In order to ensure the success of students, teachers must have cultural competency—knowledge about teaching a culturally diverse population of students. Mainstream or general education teachers may not have adequate training to work with this population of students. If teachers have not been trained in dealing with culturally diverse students, they may find themselves feeling uncomfortable or unqualified to work with this growing population of ELLs. Without this knowledge, these teachers are not able to provide the best service to students and generate high student achievement. My objective is to provide a document and recommendations for professional development training for Buffalo Public School teachers that will inform them about the growing population of students from Myanmar (Burma), which is one of the fastest growing groups of ELLs in the Buffalo Public Schools today. iii SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Terminology……………………………………………………………………………….2 Rationale…………………………………………………………………………………………..4 Literature Review………………………………………………………………………………….6 Introduction to the review………………………………………………………………....6 The current situation of English language learners……………………………………...7 Implications of increased numbers of ELLs………………………………………………8 Teacher preparation……………………………………………………………………...10 Cultural differences………………………………………………………………………11 Teacher’s awareness of own culture……………………………………………………..12 Cultural adjustment of ELLs……………………………………………………………..13 Parent involvement………………………………………………………………………14 Professional development………………………………………………………………..15 Methodology……………………………………………………………………………………..18 Proposed audience and location…………………………………………….……………19 Proposed workshop format and activities………………………………………………..19 Session 1…………………………………………………………………………19 Activity 1, Part 1. Language shock class………………………………..19 Activity 1, Part 2. Reflection and discussion…………………………….20 Activity 2. Introduction to the workshop………………………………...21 Session 2…………………………………………………………………………21 Activity 1. Review……………………………………………………….21 iv SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Activity 2. My cultural identity………………………………………….21 Activity 3. Identity web………………………………………………….22 Activity 4. Five social institutions of influence………………………….22 Session 3…………………………………………………………………………23 Activity 1. Cultural baggage discussion…………………………………23 Activity 2. Culture clashes……………………………………………….23 Session 4…………………………………………………………………………24 Activity 1. The benefits of including culture…………………………….24 Activity 2. Parent involvement…………………………………………..24 Session 5…………………………………………………………………………25 Activity 1. The Burmese…………………………………………………25 Activity 2. Wrap up………………………………………………………26 Proposed resources for workshop………………………………………………………..26 Proposed evaluation of workshop………………………………………………………..27 Discussion and conclusion……………………………………………………………………….27 References………………………………………………………………………………………..30 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………….36 Appendix A. Language shock class reflection questions...………………………………36 Appendix B. Two steps forward, one step back…………………………………………37 Appendix C. Identity web…………………..……………………………………………38 Appendix D. Five social institutions of influence…………….…………………………39 Appendix E. Culture Crossing…………………...………………………………………40 Appendix F. Burma fact sheet……...……………………………………………………41 v SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Appendix G. What have I learned………..………………………………………………46 Appendix I. Who are ELLs? PowerPoint presentation…………………………………..47 vi Running Head: SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Introduction   The  number  of  English  language  learners  (ELLs)  in  the  public  school  systems  of  the   United  States  has  increased  almost  exponentially  in  recent  years.  Because  of  the  quick  rise   in  the  ELL  population,  many  teachers  are  working  with  a  student  population  about  whom   they  may  have  very  little  knowledge  or  training  in  teaching.  If  the  number  of  ELLs  remains   as  high  as  it  is,  or  if  it  continues  to  increase,  teacher  education  will  likely  begin  to  include   strategies  for  teaching  ELLs,  but  now  many  of  the  teachers  who  are  encountering  ELLs  in   their  classroom  and  are  often  frustrated  by  a  lack  of  knowledge  regarding  how  to  interact   with  and  teach  students  who  have  different  background,  language  and  whose  grasp  of   English  is  still  limited.  Many  of  these  teachers  can  be  found  in  the  Buffalo  Public  School   system.  Future  teachers  will  have  ELL  strategies  incorporated  into  their  teacher  education   programs  due  to  new  federal  laws,  but  teacher  who  are  already  in  the  system  are  at  a  loss.     Currently, the Buffalo Public School system does not provide teachers with any formal training or information about the cultural backgrounds of the increasingly diverse population of ELLs. Teachers who have been certified and working for many years may not have had any training that deals with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students and newer teachers have probably had minimal training in their teacher education programs. Much of the information that teachers learn about ELLs focuses on students of Hispanic or Latin descent. Although this is valuable and necessary because the Latino population is growing so fast in America, the cultural differences and expectations found between mainstream Americans and Latinos (and even among different groups of Latinos) can be very different from those found between Americans and people of other backgrounds such as those from Asia or Africa. Buffalo teachers need information that is specific to the population of students within our school district. 1 SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES The fastest growing groups of ELLs are currently from Burma (Myanmar) and Nepal, but many teachers know little about these countries or the cultures of their people (Henry, 2010). Teachers who have some knowledge about the background of their students will be better able to respond to their students’ social and educational needs. Teachers who know nothing about their students’ cultural backgrounds might not be serving their students best because of misunderstandings due to cultural clashes. Terminology. There are some terms that are specific to the area of teaching English as a second language that may be used in this document. The following is a listing of some of those terms, their abbreviations and their meanings. AYP – Adequate Yearly Progress. According to the No Child Left Behind Act, schools must demonstrate that students are making AYP through the use of standardized tests. AYP means that students meet designated levels of proficiency on yearly math and reading standardized tests. Test scores are reported by subgroup of students (e.g., ELL, ethnicity, social economic status, and special education) therefore making schools accountable for each individual group of students (Moreno, 2010). If a school fails to make AYP for two or more years, the school is required to identify the areas that need improvement and implement a plan to raise achievement (Moreno, 2010). Any school that continues to fail to meet AYP can face restructuring, a change in staff, an extended school day/year, or even closure (Moreno, 2010). CLD – Culturally Diverse/Culturally and Linguistically Diverse – This term refers to populations of students who come from homes or communities where the primary language of communication is something other than English (Gonzalez, Pagan, Wendell, & Love, 2011). The term is often used to describe ELLs, but its meaning also encompasses the diverse cultural, 2 SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES economic and social backgrounds of students as opposed to ELL which refers only to language differences (Gonzalez, Pagan, Wendell, & Love, 2011). ELL (also sometimes abbreviated as EL) – English Language Learner (see LEP definition) ESL/ESOL- English as a Second Language/English for Speakers of Other Languages: Both of these terms refer to English language programs for ELLs and teacher certifications in New York State. ESL Program Models: Bilingual model– ELL students receive instruction in English while also using the student’s native language for support. Bilingual programs can be transitional or they can be two- way programs. Transitional bilingual education is that in which students are taught in their native language, but as their English improves, the ratio of English to Native language shifts from relying more heavily on the native language to relying primarily on English. Two-way bilingual programs include both students who are native speakers of the dominant language and students who come from another language group (e.g., Spanish.) Instruction occurs in both languages with the expected outcome of all students becoming fluent in both languages. Push-in model– The ESL teacher comes to the regular classroom to provide English language instruction/support. Sometimes in this model the ESL teacher co-teaches with the classroom teacher and other times the ESL teacher works one-on-one or in small groups with the ELLs in the classroom. Pull-out model –ELL students are taken out of their regular classes for a designated amount of time per week for instruction by the ESL teacher. LEP-Limited English Proficient – The New York State Educational Department defines LEP as: 3 SUPPORTING ELLS BY ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Students whose primary language is a language other than English are often referred to as Limited English Proficient students (LEP) or as English Language Learners (ELLs). In New York State, under Part 154 of the Commissioner's Regulations (CR Part 154) limited English proficient students are: a. Students with limited English proficiency shall mean students who by reason of foreign birth or ancestry, speak a language other than English, and 1. either understand and speak little or no English; or score below a state designated level of proficiency, on the Language Assessment Battery- Revised (LAB-R) or the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT). (New York State Education Department, 2012) LEP students keep this classification and must take a state mandated number of hours of English as a Second Language classes per day until they score at the proficient level on the NYSESLAT. NCLB (sometimes pronounced “nickel-be” stands for the No Child Left Behind Act, was drafted by the Department of State during the Bush administration and is the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. NEP – Non-English Proficient (see LEP definition) Target Language – The language that is being learned, in this case English, is sometimes referred to as the Target Language. Rationale. This  thesis  project  is  designed  as  an  emergency  intervention  for  classroom   teachers  who  are  working  with  ELLs  from  Burma/Myanmar  but  who  feel  they  lack  the   necessary  information  to  teach  them  effectively.    This  project  is  not  intended  to  be  a   4