The name of “your” family’s country of origin
The country I chose is Italy.
At least five ways in which you will prepare yourself to be culturally responsive towards this family
1. I would set my classroom up to welcome all countries.
2. I would try to find out more about the visiting families like, foods they eat, and how they dress.
3. I know that I an early educator, so I would research early childhood programs from all countries and try to incorporate literature from those countries.
4. I would prepare my other students to welcome our guess by teaching them something about all countries so that wherever the child is coming from my student will act accordingly.
5. I would prepare foods from different countries, this way I will have food from their country and foo from other countries to expose the family to different types of food to show the them the diversity of having a meal like they do in their country.
“Cultural responsiveness refers to the ability to take a person’s culture and help that person infuse it into another culture, making it uniquely one. To do this, one must allow for diverse ways of thinking and doing. Respect for the other person’s culture is ranked number one on Nueman’s (1999) list. Teachers must respect and recognize the need to build on what a child already knows about their own language, in order to incorporate the new knowledge. This premise is also supported in an article by Au (1998).”
“According to Au, students achieve better if bi-literacy is attainable. Students only need to learn to read and write once. This knowledge is then transferable from one language to another. In this way students build on their strengths in their home language and add it to what they are learning in the new language. ”
“The benefits of this approach are two- fold. First the student feels valued because their culture is acknowledged. They are able to show what they know. Self-confidence and self-esteem are kept intact. Parents of those students are more likely to get involved as well because they see that their culture is valued and that they too can contribute.” (Neuman,1999)
‘Secondly, with this approach students can maintain and extend literacy in their native language even after they are literate in English. This is a plus for all. Too often students learn English and neglect their native tongue to the detriment of being able to communicate effectively with parents, relatives and others from their culture. What research purports as truth; bi-literacy is best for students, (Au,1998) often doesn’t happen in classrooms throughout the United States. Children are taught English and then lose their native languages, especially in the area of writing. Therefore, a balance of instruction in English as well as the native language must be maintained in order for bi-literacy to become feasible.”
A brief statement describing in what ways you hope that these preparations will benefit both you and the family.
I would want the family to feel welcome and not miss their home before they have an opportunity to learn about my country so when they do return home they will have good memories about our teachers, our language, and early childhood programs.
Culturally Responsive retrieved from http://msit.gsu.edu/readingprograms/benchmark/analysis/cultural.htm
