Printer-friendly versionTeachers are often a young immigrant's first regular, ongoing contact with someone outside their home community and culture. It's a relationship that can provide the emotional scaffolding necessary to cross the linguistic and cultural divide between country of origin and country of residency.
With a hearty mix of creativity, cultural acumen, and professional expertise, teachers can help English language learners acquire language skills more rapidly — and foster inclusion in the school community.
Listen to elementary teacher, Diane Holtam, talk about bridging the gap between her newly arrived immigrant students' home language and English.
Look for:
- What techniques did Diane use to help her ELL students learn English more quickly?
- How might you replicate some of her strategies in your classroom? Even if you are a monolingual English speaker, what outreach or other work might you do?
Go Deeper:
Crossing Borders/Borders Crossing
The depth and clarity of a teacher's multicultural lens can make — or break — immigrant students' ability to learn.
Reflect On:
- What does the author mean by "multicultural lens" and what is its importance in working with students from backgrounds different from your own?
- What role does teacher attitude play in the development of linguistically inclusive classrooms? How is that attitude conveyed through teacher behavior in the article? In your school?
Ready Resources:
Diane's Flashcards (PDF)
Hear Korean vowel sounds like those on Diane's flashcards
Learn more about Spanish language vowel pronunciation
Creating ELL-friendly classrooms
Teaching through conversation
Additional Resources
Papers
Breaking the Prejudice Habit by Patricia G. Devine
Preparing for Culturally Relevant Teaching by Geneva Gay
Primer on Culturally Responsive Teaching from Brown University
Multicultural Education: Strategies for Linguistically Diverse Schools and Classrooms by Deborah Menkart
Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Early Grades
Books
Nene and the Horrible Math Monster ($16.95), by Marie Villanueva and Ria Unson, is about Nene, a Filipino girl who confronts the minority myth that all Asians excel at mathematics. Nene faces her fears about doing math and overcomes them. Polychrome Publishing Corporation. ISBN-13 9781879965027
Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research and practice. ($24.95) by Geneva Gay. New York: Teachers College Press, 2000. ISBN-10: 0807739545 ISBN-13: 978-0807739549
Teaching to change the world, 3rd Edition. ($66.25) by Jeannie Oakes and Marvin Lipton. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006. ISBN-10: 0072982004 ISBN-13: 978-0072982008
Unraveling the Model Minority Stereotype: Listening to Asian-American Youth. ($19.95) by Stacey J. Lee. New York: Teachers College Press, 1996. ISBN-10: 0807735094 ISBN-13: 978-0807735091
We can't teach what we don't know: White teachers, multiracial schools, 2nd Edition. ($13.95) by Gary Howard. New York: Teachers College Press, 2006. ISBN-10: 0807746657 ISBN-13: 978-0807746653
The Crosscultural Language and Academic Development Handbook: A Complete K-12 Reference Guide. ($69.60) by Lynne T. Diaz-Rico and Kathryn Z. Weed. Boston: Pearson, 2006. ISBN-10: 0205443257, ISBN-13: 978-0205443253
