Prompt V Goldenberg
Growing up as a child, I was always mad with my mom because she was too involved in my school. My teachers were also concerned about my school work and they had a special interest in my education. Now as a mother myself, I now appreciate all what she did for me, as I have seen the need for parent involvement in their child’s school.
Parent involvement in my classroom is very vital to the success of my students. Since all of then are behind academically, parents have to do their part to help their children achieve their goals. I have heard Mrs. D. saying that she sends notes home that are not returned, and some students do not get their homework done. I have heard her personally making phone calls to parents to schedule appointments, and saying that it is every difficult to get in touch with them.
Some of my student’s parents are from different cultures and English maybe a second language to them. This is sometimes a problem when it comes to communication. This goes along with Goldenberg argument that most children who are English learners or whose parents are immigrant will only hear the English language being spoken in the classroom. It would be difficult for them to compete with student whose primary language is English and most parents would not be able to help out with homework.
Knowing something about the student’s home life or their cultural background can also help in the classroom. As a teacher I should be able to relate some of my teachings to their cultural backgrounds to help them better understand the subject that is being taught. I would encourage parents to seek help through a local community that helps children out with their homework. There are churches and community centers that offer free tutoring. I would make sure to know the neighborhood of my students so I can refer parents to these centers. Helping out in the classroom, chaperoning on field trips, attending Parents Teachers Association meetings are other ways that parents can get involved. Having two parents volunteer together or working on a school project, like dances or fund raising,can help bring them together and they can learn from each other if they are from different culture.
Goldenberg also talked about “transfer” this is when information that is already learn is transfer to someone in another language. This is an education tool that can be use on parents with the help of the community. Some of the parents are educated in their language, but they are intimidated to communicate with the classroom teacher as they are not fluent in the English language. Transfer can be used to help them understand the information better in their own language and this can also make way for a better communication.
Hi Jackie!
ReplyDeleteI really like the connections and points that you are making in your blog! It's really cool that you are able to relate in some way to different cultural backgrounds. You can relate to moving to a different country and knowing more than one language, which is very important in a diverse classroom.
The point concerning "transfer" is extremely important. No one should expect a student to learn if they don't understand English. "Transfer" would not only help the children understand what the teacher is teaching, but it will help give the children an even greater understanding because now they understand the lesson in more than one language. As a result, those who understand more than one language can, in turn, help the other students who do not understand. It becomes a ripple effect until everyone knows what is going on, and, therefore, I believe "transfer" should be enacted into all schools.
This idea actually leads me to a connection about participatory classrooms. Instead of talking at the students, it would make much more sense if the children were able to interact with each other and participate in their learning. That way if someone doesn't understand something due language, another student who can make the "transfer" will be able to help. It will be a collaborative effort which is required in living. You don't just worry about yourself. Everything you do effects the larger society.