C847 Task1 Revised. Fundamentals of Diversity, Inclusion, and Exceptional Learners

Fundamentals of Diversity, Inclusion, and Exceptional Learners C847 Task 1 Kelsie Castanon B1. Cultural Appropriateness In the video, case # 55, I observed a self-contained English Language Learners classroom. The classroom demographics consisted of students aged six or seven, and ninety-five percent of those students were second generation Hispanic American citizens. The other five percent of the students are new placements from Mexico. The teacher implemented the strategy of repetition and connection in this video. The teacher instructs the students in their native language as well as English, first saying the word in their native language followed by its English translation. To help form visual connections with the words, she uses a graphic organizer consisting of visual representations of each word. I believe the technique observed in this video is culturally appropriate because the teacher takes the students’ heritage, which is Hispanic and Mexican, and integrates it into her instruction. By doing this, she is helping the students maintain their culture, the native language, by incorporating it into their learning experience. BA1. The instructor shows her consideration of her students’ culture by interacting and instructing them in their native language and English. This is illustrated when she says the word in Spanish, followed by its English translation. She then has the students repeat after her. For example, when the students are learning “behind” and “in front”. The students can make a deeper connection between the words when the teacher points at the visual representation of the word shown on the graphic organizer but also when she physically demonstrates “behind” and “in front” using her pointer. B1B. A bilingual paraprofessional would be a useful resource for this teacher. I am currently working as a one-on-one paraprofessional in a self-contained special education classroom. In the classroom I currently work in, there is a second paraprofessional there to aid the primary teacher during instructional time as well as in other ways. This has demonstrated to me the benefits of having a paraprofessional aid. It not only helps the teacher with instruction, but also helps the students. The students’ needs are able to be met with more than one instructor available in the classroom. By having a bilingual paraprofessional in this classroom, the primary teacher would be able to implement small group learning. The students could be divided into groups based on their current learning level and abilities, and both instructors could work within the groups to enhance student learning. B1C. As mentioned above, I would use a paraprofessional because it would allow me, the primary teacher, to provide a more focused learning experience. A bilingual paraprofessional used in a culturally diverse classroom would have the added benefit of providing a feeling of comfort with their use of the students’ native language. Being bilingual would help the paraprofessional provide aid by helping the student express themselves, understand the topic, or their comprehension of an assignment. Having a bilingual paraprofessional would enable me to continue teaching while they aid a student who has either fallen behind or needs assistance without disrupting the lesson. I have personally experienced the benefits of a paraprofessional in a classroom, and that is why I would use one in my classroom if it were similar to the one shown in this video.1