1. Cultural Diversity &
ELL
Joseph Giordano
Massiel Pitti
Julio Robles
Diana Uribe
2/25/13

2. Cultural Diversity
 How do we define Diverse Learners?
 Understanding Culture
 Social Vs Biological meaning
 Far from “Fixed” or “Monolithic” – constantly
changing
 Individualism and Collectivism
 Culture is adaptive
 Our classroom is a model of the global community

3. Diversity
 What is diversity?
 Essentialist thinking
 Defining cultural diversity by understanding
power relations.
 Minority/majority
 Why is cultural diversity important?
 Why diversity matters for schools and Education?
 Pedagogical responses to cultural diversity.

4. ELL Learners:
Examples of Language
Diversity
Madison School # 10.
Garfield, NJ
English
Spanish
Polish
Albanian
Arabic
Hungarian
Macedonian
Other

5. Types of Learners Type of Support
1.Newly Arrived with Adequate One or two
Schooling:
periods (middle
 Recent arrivals
and secondary
 Adequate schooling in native country
 Soon catch up academically
schools)
 May still score low on standardized tests given ESL pullout
in English.
(most common
2. Newly with Limited Formal Schooling
in elementary
 Recent arrivals
schools)
 Interrupted or limited schooling in native
country
ESL push-in
 Limited native language literacy
 Below grade level
 Long-Term English Learner in math
 Poor academic achievement
Paraprofessional
3. Long Term English Learner
 Seven or more years in the United States
 Have had ESL or bilingual instruction, but not
consistent
 Below grade level in reading and writing Mainstream
 Mismatch between student perception of teacher with
achievement and actual grades special training
 May get adequate grades but score low on tests

6. 3 Keys to Effective Teaching for ELLs
Key 1: Teach language through content
 Krashen’s Theory of Second Language Acquisition
 Benefits:
 ELLs get both language and content
 Language is kept in natural context
 Students have a purpose for learning the new language
 Students begin to acquire the vocabulary of different content areas
Key 2: Organize Curriculum Around Themes
 Benefits:
 Provides a context
 Helps students to make connections across subject areas
 Constant thinking and learning from subject to subject, class to class.
 Key vocabulary will be repeated naturally in the different sub areas
 Tiring to listen to someone speak in a language we do not understand well
 Teachers can tailor their instruction
 Themes based on big questions are universal
Key 3: Draw on Students’ Backgrounds—Their Experiences, Cultures, and Languages
 Culturally relevant books
 Preview, view, review