Session 2: Developing Understandings of Culture--Mine and My ELs

LA 2.1 (30 min.) Find and Share Cultural Artifacts. This activity serves two purposes. The first is to help teachers develop connections and relationships among each other. The second is to help teachers develop understandings that even if they are of white northern European heritage, they still have culture.  

The timing on this is tricky. Teachers will need to have displays set up at the beginning of class. They can begin looking at them as they are putting the displays together. Once their display is set up, they can immediately begin looking over each other’s displays. They only have 15 minutes to do this. Then in their groups, they have 10 minutes to talk about what they observed and share about themselves. Finally, you will have each group spend 1 min. (you may have to time them) to report out a wonder or an idea the group arrived at.  

 

LA 2.2 (25 min) Building Vocabulary.  You will need to make a copy of the Interactive Vocabulary Score Card (https://byu.box.com/s/szhvi1zt6v8l17fq64r4mzr93l5ni1ej) for each table. As they talk a person at their table will keep track of the score. You will need to bring a treat or reward to give the group that wins.   

 

LA 2.3 (30 min) Examining Definitions of Immigrants.  You will post one of the words in the next sentence one at a time—giving a minute between the listing of each word for teachers to respond. The words are pioneer, refugee, involuntary immigrants. illegal alien. Teachers will post their responses and you will identify these categories: conscious attitudes, unconscious beliefs, moral wrestling, thin-slicing and presence. Remind them that they will continue to score their use of vocabulary during the discussion. Also remind them that the scoring starts over and they can use a word they used before three times in this discussion. 

 

LA 2.4 (20 min) Using Vocabulary to Discuss Stereotypes and Culture. Teachers will engage in a further discussion of the article on thin-slicing for ten minutes. Remind them that they will continue to score their use of vocabulary during the discussion. Also remind them that the scoring starts over and they can use a word they used before three times in this discussion. After ten minutes, you will ask each group to share the most interesting idea or insight they gained with the whole group. Have groups report their scores on using vocabulary. 

 

LA 2.5 (40 min.) Articulating Cultural Misinterpretations. The class will watch a video segment. This is the link https://equitypress.org/-LRtq . You can start the video with Ramona Cutri at 29 sec. They will use the active viewing guide which is linked here. Remind them to   download the active viewing guide before you start.  (https://equitypress.org/-bBqC). After you watch the video, they will discuss what they learn. Remind them to continue to score their use of vocabulary for the discussion which is 10 or so minutes. At the end you will ask each group to share an idea.  

 

LA 2.6 (15 min.) Resolving Questions about the Major Project and Homework.  Before you begin to review questions, have each group report their tally. You will need to have a reward for the group like a bag of mini-candy bars or a large chocolate bar they can share or new pencils for all. Make sure you have reviewed the details on the major project. You will want to pull up or have accessible the assignment and the rubric and be prepared to answer questions.  You will also need to review the homework assigned. This week in (HW 2.4) they will select an EL student to interview. They will need access to the Inclusive Pedagogy Mini-Poster. If you have teachers who may not have an EL in their class or another school employee who is not a teacher, you may need to problem solve about that. For HW 2.2 teachers will watch two videos featuring Pam Perlich. They will all watch the first but you will need to assign or have them choose which of the segments they will watch. Here is the spread 

  1. 2:28—9:01 (Growth and Urbanization) and 9:01-12:20 (Migration) 
  2. 12:26—16:27 (Aging population/dependency) and 18:54—21:52--Utah/National Trends) 
  3. 21:52—32:46 (Generational shift and mixed heritage) 
  4. 32:46—38:32 (Neighborhood diversity) 

HW 2.1 Reflection Assignment. This follows a pattern that will be used in all the courses but sometimes there will be more guidance. Here are the directions  

  1. Think of what you learned this week. What action did you take after this session in your practice or how did your change in thinking impact your beliefs. Use the Reflection Model. You can begin with your experience, your wonder (questions) or the new idea that lead to your change and then include each of the elements: personal voice (I), description of an experience, link to knowledge, questions raised. Allow yourself to reveal your emotion. Review the documents linked to support you in your reflection. 
  2. Some helps include thinking about what event either before, during, or after some action you took in teaching sticks in your mind. Think about based on this session --What did you learn, unlearn, and relearn this week? 
  3. Consider as you complete your reflection what are the next steps you will take in your practice? What do you hope will result? 

Remind the teachers that at the end of this course they will construct portfolios and should save artifacts and explanations of aha’s (insights) as they go. They will need one for each characteristic of Inclusive Pedagogy Including the center question which is Who is this child? 

 

HW 2.2 The State’s Changing Demographics. Be sure you review the videos for the next segment. You might take notes so that if you are teaching this course multiplRe times you will have the details in your notes. Within the groups hopefully you will have assigned the teachers which segment of the second video they will watch. See LA 2.6 for the outline of the segments. Each teacher needs to answer the 3 questions on #4 for the part they watched.  They should also take notes on anything they find interesting.  Prepare yourself to lead the discussion in class in session 4.   

 

HW 2.3 The Danger of a Single Story. The link to the talk (with a summary document) and the viewing guide (a series of questions they are to respond to) are linked in that HW. You should watch the talk and make sure you can answer the questions in the viewing guide. One of the things we are trying to model is that when teachers ask students to watch a video, just like when they have students read, they should provide a document to guide their reading and note taking. This is an example of scaffolding. 

 

HW 2.4 Cultural Patterns of an EL. Teachers will identify an EL and interview them and bring notes to class next week reporting the interview.  

This content is provided to you freely by Equity Press.

Access it online or download it at https://equitypress.org/tell_facilitator_guide/session_2.