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EFFECTIVE
SCHOOLS RESEARCH
Research
indicates that a child’s success in school is significantly influenced
by having:
TEACHERS
WHO UNDERSTAND DIFFERENT CULTURES AND BACKGROUNDS, RECOGNIZE STUDENT
DIFFERENCES, AND PROVIDE A SENSE OF INCLUSIVENESS FOR ALL STUDENTS.
Research on preparing
teachers to teach culturally diverse student populations shows strong
links between an educator’s understanding and sensitivity towards
a student’s cultural background and the successful academic performance
of that student. Using knowledge about student differences, teachers
can choose curricula and teaching strategies and design the most inclusive
classroom environments in meeting students’ learning needs and
abilities. Some research indicates the following:
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Many students
tend to learn successfully through approaching tasks visually rather
than verbally. Others respond well to inter-active learning methods
such as role-playing and dialogue. Others frequently use mental
images rather than word associations.
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The ways in which
people converse with one another can vary greatly from culture to
culture. For example, when a teacher asks a direct question, students
from some cultures may not immediately respond. To answer quickly
might be considered disrespectful and might indicate that not enough
thought had been given to the question. But if the teacher makes
a casual observation or comment, that student might feel more comfortable
about responding and joining in a discussion. Also, it helps to
remember that people from some minority groups find the challenging,
often coercive, conversational style of many North Americans to
be quite intimidating.
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Some students
perform better in groups when they are led by a teacher or student
whom they can relate to culturally as an elder.
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Students from
some cultures may have a different way of processing information
than other children who have been raised in the mainstream culture.
These students may prefer to first observe, reflect upon what they
have seen, and then practice it privately. Only when they feel confident
about their ability to perform the task do they attempt it publicly.
Some students also tend to learn more quickly when they see the
whole picture first rather than having that picture broken into
segments.
Sources:
Bert,
1992.
Butterfield,
1994.
Kaulback,
1984.
Kirkness,
1992.
Pepper and
Henry, 1986.
Stokes, 1997.
Turner, 1998.
Wang, 1998.
Wax, 1961.
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