Appendix Three

APPENDIX- SECTION THREE

“DIVERSITY”

SECTION C: DIVERSITY

1.  CLOSURE FRAMING STATEMENT
2.  PROJECT EXAMPLE

Closure Framework Statement

The mind is not a vessel to be  filled, but a fire to be kindled.” 

The development of this portfolio was a golden opportunity to put all my learnings together and make sense of them.  Although permanent reflection was a challenge at a certain point, the process of constructing gave me the opportunity to grow as a reflective teacher.  At this time, it is my belief that reflecting is a fundamental skill all committed and passionate teachers should practice on a daily basis.  In the same way, from my multiple reading material, writing requirements, field experience at Bergman Elementary School and personal reflections I have come to the understanding that Ecuadorian education needs to teach our children to think through meaningful learning.

From my experience I can say that most students of public schools in Ecuador exhibit low levels of thinking skills because they are not being exposed to challenging tasks which engage them in learning.  According to Bloom’s taxonomy, the thinking processes increase their complexity as students go beyond recalling and understanding information and start developing the ability to apply, analyze, evaluate and create.  This educational model together with Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences provide the scheme for implementing lessons which aim to develop students” cognitive skills at early ages. During my observations in the fifth grade of Bergman Elementary School, I could see these theories in authentic practice. The students are constantly being questioned, required to make decisions, create stories.  The result is independent learners with a high like for reading, and responsible for their actions. 

This understanding made me see the great responsibility teachers have in our hands.  Personally, I feel committed to tap into all the knowledge I have gained during this year to design lessons which make my students think, think, and think.  For a lesson to achieve this goal, it is necessary to follow the process of activation, connection, and affirmation. The knowledge I have regarding my students’ backgrounds and interests sheds light on strategies for the activation stage.  In the connection and affirmation stage, I have to be aware of my students’ place of learning to determine the level of complexity of activities so students do not get either bored or frustrated.  Other important elements are to believe in children and adolescents, value their opinions, and show them they are able to achieve great goals.    

The process of construction and completion of this portfolio gave me a clear view of how my teaching philosophy articulates my teaching practices.  It is my belief that every educator should have a strong understanding of these two elements which are the ground of effective teaching.  Thus, I feel willing to share my experience of creating this portfolio and the final outcome with my colleagues.  Furthermore, I strongly believe that not only EFL teachers but also content-area teachers especially those in charge of kindergarten and elementary school should be well prepared to awaken students’ desire to learn, read, and think in their native language first.  I think that children who learn self-direction are better equipped to succeed in any area including a second language.          

Project Example

CULTURE AND LANGUAGE IN CLASS

May 6^th, 2014

Soledad Parra

Final Exam

1.      How can I use each student’s culture, language, and social experiences to maximize their learning experiences in my classroom?

Recognizing and accepting the culture which students bring to school happens to be very helpful at the moment of developing daily lessons, making adaptations to the curriculum and dealing with behavioral problems.

To help my students to make sense of their learning, I plan to incorporate stories from their own reality to illustrate my daily lessons.  For example, I might choose to talk about topics that are currently bothering them instead of using the topics proposed by the textbook. In doing so, I have the opportunity to identify the diversity of students’ perspectives regarding social issues such as national identity, justice, sexual orientation, or racial differences.  The intention is to develop tolerance and acceptance within the classroom to assure students a safe place to make their school experience meaningful.

I can use students’ background as the basis to make curriculum adaptations.  One of my biggest concerns is the lack of national identity.  I think this is the reason why negative behaviors such as low self-esteem, aggressiveness, bullying among others are frequently exhibited in Ecuadorian schools.  Integrating cultural diversity issues into the curriculum will allow teachers from all content areas to fight these issues.  History, science, literature are subjects that offer great opportunities to help students discover the value in themselves and others.    

Having a vision of my students’ culture and experiences will allow me to understand the misbehavior of typical low achievers.  Students who misbehave in class are usually those who suffer from family abuse, alcohol abuse, economic or drugs issues. These students are more likely to have fewer opportunities to succeed in school and in life.  As teachers our first responsibility is to make sure that everyone in class has access to the same opportunities no matter their social economic status or family issues so that we can find better ways to address their individual needs to offer them more opportunities to achieve school      

2.      How can I broaden my personal lens to appreciate the perspective of others?   

I think that get to know others with an open mind is the key. So challenging myself to meet a new person a day, reading and learning about other cultures, going to new places, or joining groups might help me to broaden my horizons.  As human beings we can only appreciate people, things or places when we know them.  We cannot appreciate what we do not know.  I already experienced this while doing my class assignment regarding the uncomfortable zone project.  So, getting out of my comfort zone is going to be a daily practice in my life from now on.