Teaching Literacy in Reception Classes - Essay Example

Teaching Literacy in Reception es Section Introduction Background The American society at present has the highest rate of having a multicultural society. The advancement of the economic developments that globalization has opened to the American society has made it possible for people from all sections of the world come towards the so called ‘dream land’, the American territories. Some are coming in the country for the sake of employment, some for education and some for permanent residential. As a result, the students who are coming from different nations around the world meet a challenge of dealing with the difficulty of living and getting used to a the living that is accustomed for the foreign land that they ought to fit into. In this paper, a comprehensive set of lessons shall be discussed that would be directly applicable to any subject in general. The applicability of the said lessons is attested by the fact that in dealing with multicultural classes, there is a certain need of having a variety of approaches as to how the subjects are presented. Importance of the Lessons The lessons to be referred in this paper would mainly be focused on the ideal purpose of educating the students through the best possible way there is. Aside from this, it could be observed through the enlisted lessons herein that enjoyment while learning is one of the primary targets of the learning procedure that is strongly suggested by the author. Hence, through this the thinking abilities as well as the social connection of foreign students to the current society that they are living in would be more enhanced, thus making them more reliable and independent in terms of socialization amidst the cultural differences that they posses. Key Factors in Implementing the Lessons The arrangement of the lessons listed herein are to be subdivided into three parts, whereas each lesson is to be applied within the three divisions of the school year which the educator could decide upon. First will be on the introduction of the year, then the next would be on the mid-year of school days, then the third lesson could be applied before the school year ends. Since the lessons are designed to remind the students of the importance, the advantages and the disadvantages of the cultural differences that the students have throughout the year, it would be helpful to consider several factors that could be helpful in the implementation of the lessons. The said factors are as follows: Always be enthusiastic in opening the conversation that is needed before any lesson and activities should start. The lessons are accompanied by several activities that the students must complete while in the process of learning. It should then occur to the teacher or instructor of the class that every time the suggested lesson is to be presented to class, the enthusiasm that is seen in him must be present to be able to serve as an invitation to the students to participate in the activities. (Ariza, internet) Stay Motivated and listen to what the students have to say about the topic Most of the lessons encourage student participation. It could be verbal or physical acts that could be required from the students to do. This is the reason why listening to what they have to say regarding the lessons, maybe how or what they feel about it is an essential part in making the lessons work for the class. Create an environment that is open for opinions between the students One of the primary reasons behind the implementation of the suggested lessons I this paper is to encourage respect within the class of multicultural students and at least lessen the effect of discrimination between them. (Nieto, Internet)To be able to meet the said goal, it is then essential that the environment of the class [discussion environment that is] should be welcoming opinions from students of different cultures (Fish, internet). The opinions may pertain to what they question about the customs of other races and in reply, how they would defend themselves from the common accusations that may have caused discrimination of other people against their race. Be prepared to answer questions of students that are related to culture differences It could not be denied that alongside discussion and activities, there would be some questions that are expected to arise during the implementation of the lessons. It must be noted that the lessons are designed to sparkle the interest of the students with regards their classmate’s racial groups. Hence, when deep questions are asked regarding the lessons and the opinionated comments of the students, the teacher or instructor must be always ready in arranging any possible queries that are hard to answer for the students alone. Yes, preparation is necessary. With the primary factors of consideration listed herein, it could be noted that there are several responsibilities the instructor should take in applying the lessons. It should be noted that the interest upon the lesson should primarily come form the educators thus helping the students get the gist of the lesson, and why they should be implied in class. In the section that follows, the lesson suggestions shall be discussed in three parts. The lesson, the application method and the supposed result from the class discussion and activities. Section 2 Suggested Lessons Lesson 1: Introduction of Cultural Differences as presented by the students Lesson Implementation Expected Results A. The teacher This lesson shall be implemented during the introductory part of the school year [usually, this takes place during the first week of the class]. The instructor would ask the students of their names and the countries that they came from. After which, they would be asked to perform an activity pertaining to their culture. The teacher is expected to gain knowledge on who among his or her students came from certain parts of the world. By knowing so, the teacher is expected to make necessary adjustments on the lessons that would be taught to the students taking into consideration their cultural customs and traditions. This could help the teacher perform her task of educating the students in a manner that their culture is respected well. B. Students The class would be divided into groups whereas they would be joined with their classmates who belong to the same race as they do. Then they would pass a written work that shows their cultural origin and customs. Later on, after the written project is noted, the students shall do a class presentation of the information. The students are expected to develop respect for their peers as they learn about their roots of origin. It is expected that by knowing the roots of their classmates, they would learn to appreciate the presence of each other in the said ‘international class’. In this suggested lesson, it is proposed that the teacher would encourage the students to interact with their classmates who belong to their own race, to be able to have a sense of belongingness. It has been notes that students who are able to connect with other students who belong to the same race gain more confidence than with those others who do not. On the other hand, the lesson also encourages everyone else, including the educator to view other students from other cultures with respect and appreciation. Knowing their customs, and the traditions of their culture would help the entire class understand the social difference that they have from each other. (Ariza, internet) Lesson 2: Songs From Around the World Lesson Implementation Expected Results A. The teacher The teacher is supposed to ask the students to group with their classmates, some of which did not come form their original groups from the first lesson. Once the groups are formed, the students would be asked to decide on whose cultural song would be performed by the group in class. Once the groups have made the decision, the songs would be submitted to the teacher for approval to ensure that there are no groups that are the same. The teacher is expected to develop interest to the cultures of the students which will enhance the respect that he or she displays towards everyone in class. B. Students The students are expected to present songs from a foreign race that they would decide together as a group. The songs would naturally be of the local tongue of the race they would decide to present. Hence, it is the responsibility of the one who understands the lyrics to explain to the group mates what the song is all about. The appreciation of the arts and culture of other races shall be expected to be improved in this phase of the lesson suggestions. By being bale to understand the language of others, it is then expected by the instructor that the heightened respect towards everyone would be encouraged well. This lesson is mainly designed to help the students enjoy while they are learning the different artistic values of their classmates who come from different races. By having this lesson implemented in class at around the mid-year schedule of the school year, the students and the teachers are expected to have better knowledge of their peers’ racial associations and customs. Hence, the acknowledgement of the diverse characteristic of the class would then be well understood and realized by everyone else in class. Lesson 3: Discussions of “What students learned from each other’s culture through the past two activities done by the class” Lesson Implementation Expected Results A. The teacher The instructor shall pilot the beginning of the discussion. The activity in this lesson is based on oral discussion and verbal sharing between the students in the class. The teacher is expected to have been well prepared before the implementation of the application of this lesson. Since he or she already knows several notable characteristics of the races of the students, the educator should be able to answer other questions that are beyond the capability of the students to answer. B. Students The students shall continue the discussions whereas they are going to relate what they have learned about each other’s culture. There could be some questions regarding the queries of each other regarding other’s races and customs. This shall be the core source of the discussion. The students are expected to gain better knowledge of their classmates as the school year ends. This shall equip them with the right qualities that they need to have when they meet their classmates who are to come form other races as well as the next school year arrives. This lesson shall help the students realize the fact that their classmates come from different cultures. Moreover, although their cultures are different, there are some things that they are the similar with. One thing is that they are all students who have their own aims for the sake of the world’s and their own better future. (Beckman-Brito, Internet) It shall also help both the educator and the students to understand the fact that the differences among the numerous nationalities around the world are the ones that makes the world a better place to live at. The variety of the customs and traditions that the world hosts is what makes the entire humanity a notably exceptional creation among all others. These three major lessons that are suggested for actual classroom implementation could be considered as an ice breaker that would help the instructors revitalize the interest of the students especially on subjects that concerns world history, sociology, and other humanities subjects. Section 4 Recommended Activities for the Teachers or Educators It usually helps that the educators show enthusiasm towards the implementation of the subjects and the lessons as menti0oned earlier. To be able to instill effectiveness upon the lessons suggested herein, there are several extra activities for the teachers that are suggested to be taken into consideration. The said activities are as follows: Usage of audio based teaching aids Some part of the lessons would involve listening and presenting songs infront of the class. Hence, as an introduction to the lesson, it would help if the educator would be able to use audio-based aids that are to present the different songs to the class that would also help in the attraction of the teacher towards the interest of the students. (Fish, Internet) Usage of animation and computer aided materials for teaching In accordance with the advancement of technology, taking advantage of the provisions of the innovations of technology would help in better understanding of the students. Today, animation of the elements of learning would help in the better understanding of the students regarding the lessons especially regarding cultural knowledge. Usage of Visual aids Visual aids could help the students see the visionary value of the lesson. Using materials that would help the students understand the subject through visionary elements would result to better application with the student’s comprehension of the entire lesson. With the usage of the aids mentioned herein, the educators could expect that the application of the suggested lessons discussed above would become more effective for the students. The constant integration of the visual aids within lessons that are enlisted herein, the students along with the educators themselves are expected to develop a certain level of respect towards other people who come form other races which they would carry along with until their development towards adulthood. Section 5 Conclusion and Recommendations This paper directly refers to multiculturalism as an agent of interest among students in a certain class. As per mentioned herein, it could be noted that the lessons that are suggested for implementation in this paper are mainly focused in enhancing the respect that students have towards each other’s culture. There have also been other suggestions addressed to the instructors as to how they are supposed to deliver the lessons for better results for the class. Through the usage and application of the suggested aids and attitudes towards the subject or lesson implementation, it could be noted that the technological innovations would be much helpful in creating an environment that would be susceptible for everyone to understand the main reasons of the lesson implication. In an overall view, it could be observed that the entire paper gives a high regard for creating a peaceful environment for learning within a class that is composed of multicultural students. The success of the lessons suggested herein shall not only depend on the educators. Instead, it depends upon the cooperation of the students to work with the instructor’s enthusiasm in implying the designed lessons herein. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fish, L. Building Blocks: The First Steps of Creating a Multicultural Classroom. 2006. http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/buildingblocks.html. (December 6, 2008\) Beckman-brito, L. Classroom Etiquette: A Cross-cultural Study of Classroom Behaviors. http://w3.coh.arizona.edu/AWP/AWP%202003/Beckman.pdf. (December 6, 2008). Eileen Ariza. Coping with Cultures in the Classroom-What every teacher should know. http://www.hiceducation.org/Edu_Proceedings/Eileen%20N.%20Ariza2.pdf. (December 6, 2008). Nieto, S. Affirming (2003). Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education, Fourth Edition. Allyn & Bacon; 4 edition. Read More