Read the Driscoll chapter in Resources. It gives an overview of various kinds of social and situated learning. Skim it if necessary....
· You will be teaching students who are from many different cultures and backgrounds, with different assumptions about learning. Some cultures value (as intelligence) good storytelling rather than logical or mathematical capability. What potential cultural differences must you be most sensitive in your content area? (Are there any which might conflict with the values you have for your students?)
In teaching Spanish, I would need to be most sensitive to students who either have no previous experience with a Spanish speaking culture or to Hispanic students who do not understand grammar and the specifics within the language and only maybe know how to speak the language. A lot of students have had no previous experience with any other language, let alone a Spanish speaking culture, when they first start Spanish I classes. A lot of students do not know any other culture besides their own, so I cannot assume that students know even general things about the Spanish language and the culture that comes along with it when I teach my future students Spanish. Some students only know their culture, and might need to be explained things about other cultures more specifically than other students because they might find it odd because they only know their culture. The other type of students to be most sensitive to are the Hispanic students who already know how to at least speak Spanish, however a lot of times students only know how to speak the language, and do not know how to read it or write it. I would have to teach them very differently, and would in a way have to start from scratch (like when teaching a kindergarten or 1st grader how to read)when a student doesn’t know how to read the language.
· In your future teaching, you will be creating a classroom culture. This is a common culture among students (independent of all the of the other cultures in which they are a part). The culture which you create will determine what is valued as intelligence and learning within your classroom. What are the most important aspects of this culture to emphasize for your content area?
The culture in my future classroom I want to include several aspects including: comfortable asking questions, comfortable with me as their teacher and with other students, respect/equality for all students and teacher, and the yearning for more knowledge in the Spanish language so that students can become more fluent in the language. Students should always be comfortable asking questions, and even if not in front of the class, I want students to feel comfortable enough to ask me after class. No student can learn successfully if their questions cannot be answered. Students do better with teachers that they like I read in an article for my Communication in the Classroom class, and therefore I want my students to feel comfortable coming to me for help and for a classroom culture to become a true community, all students and the teacher should feel comfortable discussing topics and talking to each other. Respect is essential in any relationship, and is very important for all students to feel respected, even when other students disagree, they should let the student finish out what they are saying. All students should always be seen as equal in the teachers eyes, and I will make sure that my students say that I do not have favorites. Spanish should be fun, and for me it always has been, and I want it to be for my students because I think that if it is fun then there will always be a yearning for more knowledge so that students become more towards being fluent in Spanish.
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