Challenge 7
Reflexion:
First of all we had to fulfill a comic, which showed a few munkeys who all looked alike, but one who had long legs and was therefore much bigger than the others. We wrote “Oh fuck guys- evolution”. Afterwards we divided the class into groups and compared our comics. Other groups wrote things like “What´s wrong with you did you get the wrong feet out of bed this morning?” or just “Whats wrong with him?” or “We trie to except him but he´s strange.” Just one group wrote something positive: “We can sit on top of him and reach the bananas.” The real comic said: “George we really have tried very hard to include you in our group, but you are just to different.”
The comic was supposed to symbolize diversity. It is important that the teacher organizes the class in diverse groups, so that they get mixed. They have to have a working relationship with everybody in class. Sure enough they can´t be friends with everybody but a working relationship is just necessary. Minorities must be included. He could do that by playing games, like telling fairy tales, discuss certain statements with the students. Everything should have the goal to make those children aware of their diversity. A teacher could also show the movie “Cinderella” with a black Cinderella or the “Princess and the frog”. He can show all kinds of cartoons and movies, to make the students aware of diversity. A reflextion on the movie is necessary afterwards. Another good idea would be to create an e-mail contact with other schools or in other countries. Furthermore you could do projectwork or motivate the students to go abroad. Other ways are to show them the city from a different perspective and to make them aware of cultural differences. You could also do a cultural evening. Further more you could invite foreigners into your class and let them talk about their culture. Important is also to invite the parents for an international evening and eat different food, show pictures let them talk in their mother tongue about their background and where they come from. This would also include identity and belonging. This can make them aware of their background and that they are all from different countries, where they live different lifestyles. They cook differently and play diverse kinds of music. As a teacher one should focus on these differences. A book “Multicultural classroom” was recommended to us. This includes even more games and activities. It is important that the teacher creates a positive learning environment for everybody.
Later we watchend a short film “New boy” and had to answer the questions “How does diversity play a role in that movie?”, “What does the teacher to include him?” and “What should she have done?” The teacher introduces the boy to the class and placed him somewhere. It would be good if she would have known more about him before. He remembers his school at home and has a traumata because his dad, who was his teacher, was shot by some guys while the boy was in the classroom.
When the boy arrives in the class the teacher makes him feel special right away from the beginning by telling him he doesn´t need to put up his hands like the rest of the class. He is the only black boy, there is just one more black girl. The teacher could also play a getting to know game with the class and prepare the class before he arrives. Another way would be to organise a tutor for him, which could be somebody who shows him around. There is diversity within the same culture, because there are different social classes who have different backgrounds. The boys respect for the teacher is different from the others towards the teacher, there is a different hirarchy between the kids. The problem with diversity in the classroom is shown by how the studens points the fingers at each other. The teacher punishes the student by picking him up in front and makes him to solve the question on the Blackboard. So there is always diversity in their background. The teacher tried to fit in the student in the class, she tried to immediatly introduce him to the way she teaches and to the rules in the class. She is doing that by just going on with her regular teaching.
Later we talked about the “Banks´s levels of Integration”. This model is based on reality in the classroom. The social Aciton Approach empowers the children to take action. The transformation approach develops a curriculum around the children. The Additive Approach gives the children a little more advanced. The Contributions Approach includes things from other groups. The curriculum is very open ended, you are able to meet the goals in different ways and you therefore let children use your own language in the classroom. Children would be proud to be able to present their own culture and their own language in the classroom. It is interessting to observe that people change their voice and their facial expressions when they speak in their own language.
We were introduced to arcticle 28, which basically says that children have a right to education. Article 29 says that education of the child shall be directed, it is very explicit and shows that diversity means also to respect each other. Article 30 says that we as teachers should help students to enjoy his or her own culture. I found that very interessting because I´ve never heard that before. Actually this is very important especially when you think of divers classes for example in Berlin schools, where you might hardly find any Germany but just Turkish guys.
To finish up this challenge we watchend a movie called “EAL- English as additional language”, we were supposed to choose one term from a checklist. Our group chosed the term “Prejudice Reduction”. But in the film all students were on the same leve. There were no stereotypes and you couldn´t find any differences between them. We didn´t see any misconceptions in the school. Everything seemed to be quite positive, therefore also the teacher was proactive because she gave every student attention. An Hindu student was even asked to talk in his mother tongue and later to translate what he had just said. This gives him a positive attitude and feeling about his origin. He can be proud of his culture that way. An open door school was offered to the parents, which gave them a chance to learn English with their kids as well. In countries like Belgium they have so called “reading moms”, who come and help the students learn to read and read stories out loud. They used the childrens language as a researche. The children used their L1 as part of the natural language learning. As a teacher you have to accept the different languages.
The classroom poster for the children on how to appreciate diversity was made by Sarah Kühn an me. It shows a tree, which symbolizes the class. Everybody is on the same stam, they all grow out of the same root. The students are presented by apples, which are all on the same tree, but in different positions. In one way they all look alike, but still they are different. To show this we would make the students write in their names in the apples and put a picture on the apple. On the apple you could write your name, your age, your religion, your hobbies, your favorite food, your favorite color, where you come from, what your parents work and so on. As a teacher you are free to decide on your own what to write in. The tree is supposed to symbolize the class as a whole. The apples are the fruits from the tree. This shows that the class and school strongly influences the students development and shows how different each student can become by using different education. Every apple (every student) is different or diverse in his form, color and taste- just like the students. The sun symbolizes the teacher, who shines on the students, supports them in their diversity and helps them to grow and be prepared for their lifes.
