Contextual Factors and Professional Knowledge in Multicultural Education

Introduction

The school that I went for my placement was situated in a geographical area with rich linguistic and ethnic diversity though, it was deemed as socially and economically disadvantaged.

My objective during the time of placement was to find out the knowledge that multi professionals educators had in teaching ‘Pupil 1’ –those children who had recently arrived from Bangladesh and perhaps, highlight the struggles within the school set up. To accomplish my objectives, I observed a year-5-teacher alongside a teacher assistant in the classroom, and a higher-level teacher assistant (HLTA) who I will classify as ‘More Knowledgeable Other’ as per Vygotsky (1974) classification when it comes to cultural awareness. The teacher’s contribution to the integration and teaching of children new to the English language was of prime importance as she was responsible for assessing EAL children on their entry to the school, teaching the new students in English Classes and working closely with the wider community such as the minority parents who had low to non-English competence. For students seeking education dissertation help, understanding the dynamics of cultural integration and language acquisition in educational settings is crucial.

Defining EAL

According to Cummins (2007), addressing the needs of students coming from diverse backgrounds education today. The study further claims that this is because of the complexity of minorities’ identity and characteristics. Therefore, English as an additional language, learners are not perceived as a homogenous group rather they are seen as a heterogeneous group. Some issues are very open in the teaching of English as a second language and as per my placement, I as well as other teachers observed that children have a diverse linguistic background, social and cultural differences. Some children who come from the second or third generation speak English fluently. In contrast, other children such as immigrant children have no competence in the English language.

The Higher-level teaching assistants had a view that it was more difficult for those new immigrant children, especially whose parents were illiterate with knowledge only in the native language to practice for exams or do their homework compared to other students.

The Importance of Leadership

Lewis and Demi (2010), argue that it takes strong leadership and management platforms to reassure multi-agency to work to promote a holistic agenda. In regard to minority children, the literature suggests that there are a lot of challenges if there is no diverse workforce implemented while leading with diversity implies inclusion (Di Tomaso & Hooijbrg, 1996). During the placement, the head teacher in a discussion recognized the diversity of our staff member who showed diversity in terms of experience, culture, and religion. He recognized that this was very important especially for learners who were new immigrants to the country as it conveys a sense of diversity which could help motivate the students.

Additionally, it was observed that children from the same linguistic background as the bilingual teacher assistant (BTA), showed a lot of interaction and experience sharing between the teacher and student compared to how the students interacted with the native speaking teachers.

Adapting To the Pressures of the Neoliberal Education System

Nevertheless, during my period of placement, I observed that bilingual assistants mostly supported children who had a low ability to learn. This does not, therefore, mean that higher ability groups were neglected. While speaking to a year-five-teacher, she explained that categorizing children into ability groups is normal in today’s education but most important not label them as ‘unfit’. This method allows for excellent teaching and achieving positive results in teaching. For instance, a student was given separate and non-related tasks to the class topic. He found it too easy for him. Krashen (1984) suggested that second language learners need to be given tasks that are slightly beyond his/her capability which he referred to as comprehensible input (i+1) and in which acquisition occurs. This approach was never witnessed during the time of my placement. In my observation, I noticed that "a" isolated to interact with other peers and “b” who had a comprehensible input (i+1) as per, Krashen (1984) was not stimulated.

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I also observed that teachers struggled to conform to the neoliberal Education system, which Focuses on the creation of curriculum Standards and “accountability.” (Mathison, 2004, pp. 13 14). this greatly affected teachers as the approach Emphases on the traditional and formal Schooling. This is because teachers had to Test for exam purposes and are given little to no Freedom to control their classrooms or curriculum or even a little space to explore the Pedagogy.

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Information Sharing

To optimize the attainment of EAL children, a robust ‘professional knowledge base' is required (Bell Foundation, 2). In order to acquire or develop a professional knowledge base, Wenger (1998) acknowledges that professionals have to construct their identities in shared practices and learning within multi-professional teams. Engestrom’s (1999) referred to this approach as an ‘expansive learning cycle’ where conflicts are voiced and debated freely to come up with new practices and knowledge.

Based on my observation and knowledge in the expansive learning cycle and as per Engestrom, (1999), this approach had been used among staff members and in this case within the teacher and the Higher-level TA. DCSF (2007) argue that, in this approach, information sharing is based on one area where teams are challenged.

Figure 2 shows how a teacher and the Higher-level inform each other of Pupil1’s progress using the EAL Assessment Framework provided by the Bell Foundation. The Higher-level TA and the Teacher would take turns to assess Pupil1’s progress each term.

However, based on my view, this assessment was partly inaccurate. As stated before, the bilingual TA was assisting learners most of the time and therefore, there was a little interaction between the teacher and the student. One of the most critical questions that arise is how the teacher could have improved the learner's academic skills if he was not under the (i+1) input (Krashen (1984)

One of the Higher-level TA stated that it was difficult for the teacher to see his progress because there were other children to teach and observe as well, and this was the main reason why they took turns in teaching (HLTA).

One of the Higher-level TA had earlier joined a two-year training programme called ‘EAL Champions’ run by the EAL consultants for the local authority. The training was very good and she found it useful and beneficial in the teaching of EAL. At one time, I raised a teacher’s concern regarding Pupil1’s disengagement in-class conversations. She showed extensive theoretical knowledge on the matter and went ahead to explain that the student was going through a silent phase which Bligh (2011) referred to as the ‘self-mediated learning’.

This phase is viewed to be essential for second language learners as it provides time to listen as others speak. It is meant to digest what the student hear and also help develop receptive vocabulary. It is characterized by observing other people's actions and repeating similar activities during the silent period (Krashen, 1985).

Integrating minority Parents within the school

Moreover, I noticed that the school had established a strong relationship with the surrounding community which as per Hendy & Toon (2001), helps develop a greater understanding of different cultural attitudes as long as learning is concerned. This relationship greatly fosters great partnerships between home and school (p243). To show diversity in culture, a Higher-level TA gave an example of some culture that encourages their children to take sugary items such as sweets which are perceived to be a good diet. Such community as per the teacher fail to understand the health effects of such sugary items. Based on me, I gauged the English classes as more than just learning the English language. It had a strong emphasis on how to support the child at home and how to have a healthy lifestyle for the benefit of the children. Figure 3 shows one activity where parents created a plate to show what they had for breakfast and for lunchtime. This was then shared with the group. Lastly but not the list, I observed that the Higher-level TA created a friendly atmosphere and respectful relations with parents.