EDUC 477/698O:Assistive Technology/Universal Design for the General Classroom SettingsSession 12: Universal Design Cultural1/18/07Responses Due January 25th, 2007AT Lab Campus Tour scheduled for 5PM 1-18-07 |
Reminder
|
|
Introduction: The last session you delved deeper into Universal Design. This week we will explore the impact of cultural differences/biases in UDZeichner (1995) emphasizes that teachers must respect the cultural backgrounds of their students: (old but still a strong statement often referenced) "In order for teachers to implement the principle of cultural congruence, they must have knowledge of and respect for the various cultural traditions and languages of students in their classrooms. Anything less ensures that many ethnic and language minority students will continue to fall short of meeting high academic standards. Teachers need general sociocultural knowledge about child and adolescent development; about second language acquisition (Leighton, et al., 1994); about the ways that socioeconomic circumstances, language and culture shape school performance (Cazden & Mehan, 1990; Comer, 1988; Hodge, 1990). Finally, according to some (Banks, 1991; Hollins, 1990), teachers need a clear sense of their own ethnic and cultural identities in order to be able to understand and appreciate those of their students. They also need to become more aware of how their own cultural biases may influence their judgments about student performance and obstruct their students' ability to learn (Bowers & Flinders, 1990). " In other words, (something I am sure you are all aware of) educators need to develop and demonstrate an understanding of individual and group differences in learning styles and working habits. They should incorporate cultural elements into their teaching and pay attention to nonverbal communication, values, and communication patterns. Classroom management strategies must consider cultural, socioeconomic and linguistic factors. Instructional activities should be organized to build on ways in which students participate in discourse in their own cultures. Educators must recognize and honor the values and norms of the students' home cultures, and should recognize the legitimacy of and use the language of the students. This is where UD allows for this flexibility. However, one can only be flexible in incorporating cultural insight if as Bowers & Flinders mention, educators have a clear sense of their own ethnic and cultural identities and become more aware of how their own cultural biases may influence their judgments about student performance and obstruct their students' ability to learn. This session’s readings and activities will help us explore our own ethnic and cultural identities and biases via technology resources, and will share additional resources that you might find helpful to use in your ESL classrooms. |
Readings
Skim through the resources that you find of most interest
You may have found that the information from this session has captured your attention and would like to read further. Here are additional resources: Educational Technology Research Journals and Educational Technology Organizations (reports, white papers and other publications) and CREDE and ETO Diversity resources, ETO AT/UD resources, ETO Family, School, & Community Resources. |
Asynchronous Postings:Please read the class summaries for the previous session’s threads
Post by Thursday January 25th, 2007. Also note the UMCP AT Lab tour is scheduled for 5PM on 1-18-07 |