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Comments
You did an excellent job on this assignment. Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful completing of this assignment.
You did an excellent job on this assignment. Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful completing of this assignment.
Henrietta Rema Sawyerr March 30th 2015
EDUC 804 Annotated Bibliography
Instructor: Dr. Vesely
Cardona, B., Jain, S., & Canfield-Davis, K. (2012). Home-school relationships: a qualitative study with diverse families. The Qualitative Report, 17(70), 1-20. Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR17/cardona.pdf
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how diverse families understand involvement in the context of home-school relationships, and what practices they use to enhance such involvement. Nine members from six families who had children enrolled in three early childhood care and education programs participated in the study. Interviews and observations were the two primary sources used for data collection. Findings revealed that the way families understood parental involvement is strongly influenced by issues of ethnicity, social class, level of education, and language. It was concluded that continued efforts for researching both similarities and differences of how families with different cultural values engage in their children’s development and learning would be beneficial to administrators (Cardona, Jain, & Canfield-Davis, 2012).
Reflective Note
It was interesting to know that studies on families and their interactions with schools has focused on family units and their involvement in school activities. This study provides an in-depth view of family involvement and points out that families from minority populations are not consulted about the issues related to their children's education and so there is the need for schools to consider the different perspectives of families from diverse cultural background. It seems that intersectionality is something that needs to be explored because the researchers suggested that more research should be done to explore how the issues of race, social class, and gender impacts family involvement practices. This suggests that it is possible that families from diverse cultural backgrounds who are classified as having low socio-economic status may face some challenges when it comes to being involved in their children's education because they might not have the financial means to access some of the resources that might be of benefit to their children. Some parents in the study complained of not having the opportunity to interact with others parents in their children’s school. How can schools create opportunities for parents to interact with each other in schools?
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The authors collected data using a variety of methods and this was a good way to examine different perceptions of family involvement practices. The authors also provided a sample of the transcripts used during the interview. This provided information on the views of families. However, an interview protocol was not included and therefore it was difficult to tell the kinds of questions the parents had to respond to. This research was limited to only nine participants and therefore the results cannot be generalized.
Chen, C. T., Kyle, D. W., & McIntyre, E. (2008). Helping teachers work effectively with English language learners and families. The School Community Journal, 18(1), 7-20.
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to introduce Kindergarten to twelfth grade teachers to effective strategies for enhancing the learning of English language learners. There were two cohorts of teachers involved in this study. Twenty teachers and three district level administrators completed cohort 1 and fifteen teachers completed cohort 2. At the beginning and end of the study, participant completed surveys about the type and frequency of their parent involvement strategies and activities. The results indicated changes in many teachers’ views and practices of family involvement. The teachers learned about research demonstrating the positive effects of family involvement on students’ academic achievement. The teachers described their intended goals for increasing family involvement. It was concluded that several teachers increased their efforts to contact, involve, and learn from student’s families, and they made modification in their teaching to connect and build from students’ background knowledge (Chen, Kyle, & McIntyre, 2008).
Reflective Note
This article focused on teacher’s perception of involving families from diverse cultures. The study also supported teachers by providing training to teachers on the importance of involving families in the education of their children in school and the strategies that teachers could use to involve parents of English language learners. The article also provide information about some challenges that families from diverse cultures face in their engagement as partners with schools. However, the teachers did not provide any information about some of the challenges that they, the teachers encounter when working with English language learners at school. It will be of great value if research could be conducted on families to find out effective strategies that families and teachers can use in supporting English language learners at home and at school. It was very interesting reading this article because most often students who are English language learners, even though they are included in the mainstream classroom, are often pulled out of the class for a certain period of time to work with ESOL teachers. The ESOL teachers are certified and trained to teach and work with English language learners. However, most general classroom teachers do not have any formal training on how to teach or involve families of English language learners. I wonder what resources are available to support classroom teachers in public schools and what schools are doing to encourage families of English language learners to be more involved and engaged in their childrens education.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The researchers provided examples of items parents had to respond to for the parent survey. This provides the reader with some information about survey. The researchers also used different methods (observation of teachers in the classroom and parent surveys) in collecting data. This ensured that the results were valid and reliable. Teachers who took part in the professional development provided different strategies and ways in which family knowledge could be incorporated into instruction. These ideas are beneficial and can be implemented in schools. This study also provided challenges that parents might face when it comes to being involved in their children’s education. Most research focus on challenges of teachers and students. In reading this article it made me realize that parents must be supported as they make efforts to involve themselves in the education of their children.
Daniel, J., & Friedman, S. (2005). Preparing teachers to work with culturally and linguistically diverse children. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web, 1-7 Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200511/DanielFriedmanBTJ1105.pdf
This online article suggest that there is a rise in the number of immigrant children who are enrolling in early childhood education programs. The article further provides information on how teachers are being prepared in institutions of higher education to meet the needs of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The authors note that teachers are unprepared when it comes to teaching children from diverse background and that it is important for teachers to have the skills and knowledge to effectively teach English language learners. The authors state that it is important for student teachers to enroll in internship programs that allow them to work with children from diverse backgrounds because student teachers will be able to identify some of the issues that teachers encounter when they teach English language learners. The authors also suggest that students in early childhood education programs at institutions of higher education must enroll in coursework that focuses on English as a second language.
Reflective Note
I think that all teacher education programs need to have coursework related to working with children for culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The coursework must be compulsory for students and should not just be restricted to students in early childhood education programs at the university level. In addition to this, I think that for teachers to be competent, they need to have opportunities to develop professionally and therefore training must be provided for teachers specifically with respect to diversity. I wonder what opportunities faculty members have at institutions of higher education when it comes to diversity because there are students enrolled in teacher education programs who are from diverse backgrounds and opportunities should be created for faculty to engage in meaningful interactions with those students.
DaSilva Iddings, A. C., & Katz, L. (2007). Integrating home and classroom practices. Journal of Language Identity, and Education, 6(4), 299-314. doi: 10.1080/15348450701542306
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study is to examine conditions within the classroom context and practices that may influence the negotiation of the children’s home and school identities. The participants included three immigrant Mexican students, their parents and siblings and a classroom teacher who had no background in the Spanish language. The students and their parents were observed and interviewed. The researcher also took field notes, and the sessions were videotaped. The findings revealed the need to provide opportunities for students to perform home and community roles in the classroom, and to allow students and their families to express their views as well as provide access to meaningful participation of students and their families in school activities. It was concluded that in order to facilitate the integration of home and school identities for English language learners, it is important to create occasions for family and community lives to intersect with school experiences, combine the use of the native language and English for instruction and to provide opportunities for Hispanic English language learners and their families to adopt identities of competence in the classroom (DaSilva & Katz, 2007).
Reflective Note
Most of the research that have been conducted on immigrant families have focused on the challenges that these families face, the challenges that teachers face as they teach English language learners, the strategies that teachers can use in teaching English language learners and role of diverse families in the education of their children. It was interesting reading this article because the researchers provided a different dimension to the studies conducted in this area. This article focused on the perceptions of parents and provided suggestions as to how teachers can integrate home and school identities for Hispanic English language learners. The researchers suggested that the language used in schools for instruction must be combined with the language used at home by the English language learners. Thus the need for bilingual education is schools. I agree that this might be the ideal way for supporting English language learners. However, I think that it depends on the resources available. Hiring a teacher who speaks for example, Spanish to co teach with a teacher who speaks only English might be costly for some school districts. Unless the school district makes it a point to hire teachers who are fluent in more than one language. I also think that teachers will be able to structure classroom activities to promote a multiplicity of perspectives if only they have the resources available to them. It will be necessary for teachers to attend professional development programs to enhance their skills as well.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article The researchers used a variety of sources (students, parents, and teachers) and a variety of methods (observations, questionnaires, and field notes) when collecting data. This was a good way to ensure that the results were valid and reliable. However, this study was limited to only three Hispanic students, their parents and their teachers and therefore the results of this study cannot be generalizable. It would have been great to include English language learner students and their parents from other cultures as well. The researchers did not provide an interview protocol, therefore it was difficult to tell what kinds of questions that parents had to respond to during the interview.
Eastern Connecticut State University (Producer). (2013). Supporting English language learners in the preschool classroom. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09PrmLppQ1A
Preschool teachers are faced with challenges when teaching English language learners. This video provides different strategies that teachers can use in the classroom to support the language development of English language learners and support their families as well. It was suggested that teachers did not have to speak the native language of English language learners in order to support their language development. Children in preschool who are now learning English are normally quiet in class and observe other children. Preschool teachers often find themselves asking children who are English language learners questions to elicit responses from them. Some of the strategies recommended was to parallel talk and self-talk as well as use other techniques such as total physical response technique by modeling to the child. Teachers are encouraged to learn a little about the children’s native language. The video stresses the importance of using gestures and pictures to help children understand concepts learned, and encourages parents use their native language at home because children can transfer the skills learned in their native language that helps in language development.
Reflective Note
There is this idea that children are able to learn multiple languages when they are younger than when they are older. However, it is interesting to know that it is not always true that this happens. I wonder what factors promote or hinder a child’s language development. This video focused on the instructional practices of teachers of English language learners and some strategies that teachers can use when teaching English language learners. In my opinion, I think that it would have been beneficial if the video had focused on how families of English language learners could be involved in school activities and how teachers are integrating cultural competence in their instructional practices when teaching preschool children.
Good, M. E., Masewicz, S., & Vogel, L. (2010). Latino English language learners: Bridging achievement and cultural gaps between schools and families. Journal of Latinos and Education, 9(4), 321-339. doi: 10.1080/15348431.2010.491048
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to explore barriers to academic achievemnent for Latino English language learners. Eight parents and five teachers took part in focus group interviews in this study. Results indicated barriers related to communication gaps, culture clashes, poorly articulated English language learner plans, lack of teacher preparation in multiculturalism, language acquisition, and English language learner instructional strategies, and a lack of support systems for families transitioning to a new environment and culture. It was concluded that there was the need for parent involvement, professional development for teachers and culturally responsive support for families (Good, Masewicz, & Vogel, 2010).
Reflective Note
Most research conducted on English language learners either focus on teachers or students. I enjoyed reading this article, because this study provided the opportunity for both teachers and parents to come together to provide different perspectives. This was a good way for teachers to understand the cultures of diverse families and the challenges that diverse families encounter when they move to a new environment. It was evident from the study that many immigrant families are faced with some challenges and did not have any support when they transitioned to a new environment and new culture. Their inability to communicate in English was one of the problems parents faced. I wonder if there are any programs, training or workshops as well as resources available to parents who are English language learners. Another problem was that the parents mentioned that most teachers lack preparation in multiculturalism, language acquisition and English language learner instructional strategies. I wonder what schools are doing to address this issue and whether teachers have opportunities to attend professional development in this area.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The researchers used focused group interviews to collect data. It would have been better if the researchers had used other data collection methods including surveys, questionnaires or observations in addition to the focused group interviews. The parents selected to participate in this study were mostly parents of Hispanic English language learners. It would have been better if the study had involved parents from other cultures as well. The results of this study is therefore specific to Hispanic population and generalizations cannot be made with respect to other cultures. An interview protocol for the focused group interviews was not included in the article and therefore I had no idea of the kinds of questions that the parents had to respond to with respect to this study.
Hardin, B. J., Lower, J. K., Smallwood, G. R., Chakravarthi, S., Li, L., & Jordan, C. (2010). Teachers, families, and communities supporting English language learners in inclusive pre-kindergartens: An evaluation of a professional development model. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 31, 20-36. doi: 10.1080/10901020903539580
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of the study was to implement and evaluate a sustainable model of high quality professional development focused on improving pre-kindergarten services for English language learners (ELL) and their families. Forty eight teachers and twenty four teaching assistants tool part in the professional development program. The professional development program consisted of three interactive training sessions and on-site classroom coaching visits. The results indicated that pre-kindergarten teachers who were supported by the professional development program were more responsive to English language learner children in their classrooms and with their families. It was concluded that if pre-kindergarten teachers are to work with linguistically and culturally diverse children and their families, then they needed to be supported (Hardin, et al., 2010).
Reflective Note
The implication of this study is that teachers and staff need to be trained if they are to work with culturally and linguistically diverse families. This study also stresses on the need for schools to provide some resources for the teachers and staff including coaches and strategies that they can use and to consider hiring teachers who are fluent in more than one language. In thinking about this study, it became clear that some schools might not have the funds to finance a project like especially when schools are faced with budget cuts. In situations like these, administrators must do their very best in using the resources available to them to help meet the needs of teachers. It is possible for schools to raise funds or to request that some organizations support the schools. Parents are also a valuable resource to schools. Schools can inform parents about during parent teacher association meetings and find ways to address this issue. Some teachers complained of needing additional information, knowledge and skills on a variety of cultures and languages to help them work with English language learners and their families. What are school systems doing to address this issue?
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
This study is relevant because by providing professional development to teachers, schools are able to monitor teacher’s growth and teachers are able to implement some of the strategies learned from the training they received. One thing that the researchers recommended was that future research needs to be done to get input from families to determine how well they feel their cultures are being represented in the classrooms. I think this will be a way of evaluating the cultural practices of classroom teachers and will provide teachers with valuable information as to how to incorporate diverse cultures in their instructional practices.
Harper, S. N., & Pelletier, J. (2010). Parent involvement in early childhood: A comparison of English language learners and English first language families. International Journal of Early Years Education, 18(2), 123-141. doi: 10.1080/09669760.2010.496162
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to evaluate parents’ communication, involvement and knowledge of their children’s ability in reading and mathematics among parents who spoke English as their first language and those who were English language learners. The participants of this study included forty two kindergarten children, their parents and teachers. The parents and teachers who took part in this study were asked to complete the ‘Parent Questionnaire’ and ‘Teacher Questionnaire’ respectively. The kindergarten children completed the Test of Early Reading Ability and The Number Knowledge Test. The results showed that there was a significant difference between how often parents of English language learners and parents of children whose first language is English communicated with their children’s teachers. The study revealed that parents of English language learners are involved in their children’s education even though they communicated less frequently than parents whose first language is English (Harper & Pelletier, 2010).
Reflective Note
The study revealed that parents of English language learners communicated less frequently that parents whose first language is English. This implies that English language learner parents who are not fluent in English might find it difficult to communicate with their children’s teacher since the teacher might be an English speaking teacher. This is a challenge for most immigrant families. I wonder if there are any resources available to families whose first language is not English. I wonder what kind of support these families have because in order for families to be involved in their children’s education there is the need for them to communicate and they will not be able to do so if they are unable to understand English. It also implies that there is the need for schools to have resource persons available to assist teachers and families. The resource person must be bilingual in that he or she should be able to serve as the liaison between the teacher and the parents and must be able to speak the local language spoken by the parents.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
This study focused on parents’ knowledge of their children abilities in reading and mathematics. This is a limitation for this study as suggested by the author. It is therefore important for future research to focus on the academic and social development of children as well. I agree that overall parents from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds might be faced with certain barriers such a language and this in turn has an effect on how they communicate with their children’s teacher and the level of involvement of such families. However, I think that when such families receive the right support, one will be amazed at how dedicated these parents are and the fact that they want the best for their children. In addition to this, I think that there are different ways in which families can be engaged and how they can be involved in schools. This study did not take into consideration how families from diverse cultural backgrounds can be involved in their children’s education.
Michael-Luna, S. (2013). What linguistically diverse parents know and how it can help early childhood educators: A case study of a dual language preschool community. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41, 447-455. doi: 10.1007/s10643-013-0574-9
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to explore what information linguistically diverse families hold about their bilingual children’s language development and use, and how this information can help teachers understand formal and informal assessment data, and create linguistically appropriate support for young bilinguals and their families. Eight lead teachers, five bilingual teaching assistants took part in this study. Sixty children (forty two families) enrolled in a dual language preschool program were studied over a two year period. Informal interviews and focus groups, home language surveys, classroom and administration ethnographic observation as well as formal and informal interviews with parents, teachers and administration were used for this study. The results indicated that parents can be careful observers of their children’s language development and are critical of the current preschool assessment system, parents can supply information on language support at home, and parents want or need to understand language development of their children. It was concluded that families are concerned that their child’s language is developing “normally” and that parents have a significant influence over a child’s academic success, and parents should be given the opportunity to provide input on the current culture of assessment (Michael-Luna, 2013).
Reflective note
This study demonstrated that teachers can strengthen their knowledge about bilingual development of children when they have a rich knowledge of bilingual children’s use of language outside the classroom. This study also focused on assessing bilingual children. The parents were concerned that the assessments used for monolingual children are the same assessments given to bilingual students and that there were very few assessment tools designed for bilingual children. The parents were concerned that the assessment only measured the children’s English and did not take into consideration what the children knew. This suggest the need for educators to design assessments specifically for bilingual children and also require teachers be cautious when interpreting data from tests. I wonder what kinds of assessment tools are used to assess bilingual students in public schools. How are these bilingual assessment tools different from assessments used for monolingual students?
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
I think that this article is relevant in that we often forget that families from diverse cultures can provide educators with firsthand information regarding their children’s language development. Diverse families can serve as valuable resources and therefore educators must make a conscious effort to communicate with diverse families. With respect to the quality of the article, the author used interviews, and surveys to collect data for the study. The author did not provide samples of the questions asked during the interview or the questions asked on the survey. It would have been better if the author had included his interview protocol in this study to give his readers an idea of the kinds of questions parents and teachers had to respond to.
Ngo, H. V. (2012). Cultural Competence in Alberta schools: Perceptions of ESL families in four major school boards. TESL Canada Journal, 29(6), 204-223.
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to examine from the perspective of English language learners and their parents, and how Alberta schools have responded to cultural diversity with respect to school environment, cultural representation, school practices, competence of school staff, school and student family interactions, family school communication, school community collaboration, and involvement of families in school activities. Two hundred and forty two English language learner students and their parents participated in this study. The participants responded to survey questionnaires. The results demonstrate that parent and student respondents provided mediocre assessments of school responses to cultural diversity in most areas except interactions with school personnel. It was concluded that in order to achieve cultural competence, schools need to embrace diverse ways of knowing, teaching and learning and support the development of all students intellectual, social and personal growth (Ngo, 2012).
Reflective Note
One thing that stood out for me as I read this article is that the school environment, and the cultural representation of staff members in the school were very important things to consider if we want to embrace cultural competence. It was clear from this study that some schools used in this study did not take into consideration diverse cultures when selecting textbooks. I wonder if there is any criteria or requirements used in the selection of textbooks used in schools today. This also makes me wonder about the procedures used by administrators in selecting and hiring teachers to work in schools and what administrators are doing to ensure that the teachers they hire are from diverse cultural backgrounds. How are institutions of higher education integrating cultural competence into educational leadership programs?
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The researcher included sample questions and responses from parents and students. This enabled the reader to gain understanding of the different perspectives of English language learners and their parents. This study is relevant it provided several ways of integrating cultural diversity into school practices and provided insight as to how families can be involved in school activities, the competence of teachers with respect to culture and interactions between families and school.
Shim, J. M. (2013). Involving the parents of English language learners in a rural area: Focus on the dynamics of teacher-parent interactions. Rural Educator, 34(3), 18-26
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to explore the dynamics of English language learner parents-teacher interactions. Six English language learner parents who participated in the qualitative study were interviewed. The results indicated that parents felt that the teachers were not willing to respond to the questions posed by parents. The parents felt that they could not influence the teacher’s decision making and were afraid that if they spoke up, their child will be penalized by the teacher.
Reflective Note
There are implications for this study. Teachers need to make an effort to respect and learn from the individual differences of English language learner parents. Teachers should be willing to listen and to respond to the questions that English language learner parents may have and to value the contributions that these parents make. It is also important to note that the proficiency level in English of children and parents should not be equated to the intelligence of the children and their parents. How can schools involve parents of English language learners in the decision making process?
Analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
This study was relevant because it gave parents the opportunity to talk about their feelings with respect to parent teacher interactions and how the issues raised by parents could be addressed. The author did not provide an interview protocol for this study. It was difficult to tell what kinds of questions that the parents in this study had to respond to. This study was also limited to only six parents, therefore the results of this study are not generalizable. This study focused on the perceptions of English language learner parents and did not focus on the perceptions of teachers.
Syrja, R. C. (2011). How to reach and teach English language learners: Practical strategies to ensure success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
This book offers practical strategies and tools for assessing and teaching English language learners, understanding how children acquire language, and how to connect with families of English language learners. The author identified some practices that foster parent and community partnerships including assisting parents with parenting skills, increasing opportunities for families to volunteer at school, and ensuring that families play a role in school decision making. This book serves as a resource for educators in that it provides guidelines that teachers and administrators can use in their schools and also offer suggestions on how to make our schools culturally inclusive.
Reflective Note
This book examined different strategies that schools can use to teach English language learners and to involve parents of English language learners in school. The information provided in this book are relevant because teachers can use this information to support English language learners and their families. This book focused more on instruction for English language learners. When we think of English language learners, the first thing that comes to mind is that due to the language barrier English language learners will automatically face certain challenges and might even struggle academically. What we fail to address is the fact that some English language learners are high achievers and are gifted. What are schools doing to ensure that those English language learners who have extraordinary abilities are being challenged academically? What kinds of enrichment programs are available in schools for these students?
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Early Head Start National Resource Center (2001). Linguistic diversity and early literacy: Serving culturally diverse families in Early Head Start (Technical Assistance Paper No. 5). Retrieved from http://www.wclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/resources/ECLKC.Bookstore/PDFs/TA5%5B1%5D.pdf
This paper focused on early language development in children from culturally and linguistically diverse families. This paper suggests that there are certain risks that bilingual children face as they develop language in their early years such as lack of continuity in language development, smaller vocabulary size in each language and limited literacy experiences in both languages. Information is presented on how educators can create a literacy rich environment in culturally diverse settings by actively involving parents in curriculum development, respecting and supporting the cultural values of families, and communicating with parents in a variety of ways using different language approaches and resources. The paper also suggest the need to build a strong foundation in early literacy development by creating an environment of acceptance that embraces cultural diversity and empowers families to identify their own literacy goals.
Reflective Note
The implication for early childhood education programs is help parents become advocates for their children. Research in the area of bilingual language acquisition for very young children is limited. Future research should focus on this area. It was interesting reading this paper because the paper provided some ways early childhood programs can involve parents in a literacy program. These include inviting parents to school and allowing parents to look through a variety of books while having breakfast with other parents, and giving parents the opportunity to interact with other parents at school. In my opinion, these activities are relevant in that they are practical activities that early childhood educators can do to involve parents from diverse family backgrounds.
Vesely, C. K., & Ginsberg, M. R. (2011). Strategies and practices for working with families in early education programs. Young Children, 66(1), 84-89.
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how early education programs engage immigrant families in the education of their children. The study also focuses on how programs are incorporating the cultures of immigrant families in the classroom and what programs are doing to ensure that staff are getting professional development related to working with immigrant children and families. Data was collected using interviews with teachers, parents, and program staff as well as observations in early childhood programs in the United States and in Eastern Europe. The results indicated that programs should focus on outreach in the community through play groups, door to door recruitment campaigns and encouraging immigrant families to refer friends who need high quality education. The results also suggest the need to train staff on how to work with culturally and linguistically diverse families as well as supporting the physical and mental health of staff and teachers in early education programs. It was concluded that there was a need to conduct more research related meeting the needs of immigrant families in different parts of the world (Vesely & Ginsberg, 2011).
Reflective Note
I really enjoyed reading this article because it provided different ways in which schools have incorporated cultural competent practices to form relationships with immigrant families. This was breathtaking because I found this study to be very practical and I think that educators who are able to read such articles will find this article very beneficial since the ideas presented in this article can be applied in other school settings. After reading this article, it is important for schools to provide teachers and staff with professional development programs in relation to cultural competence. This will provide teachers and staff with the skills and knowledge needed to ensure that they are able to implement cultural competent practices in instructing students. I agree with the fact that early childhood programs must consider the mental and physical health of their employees. I know that it is possible for programs to increase the number or length of break times for teachers. In schools today, some teachers use part of their lunch time to plan for classroom instruction. This takes away from the time they have available for themselves. I wonder if in reality this will work. I presume that some schools do not provide enough time for teachers to plan for instruction. It seems like there is so much going on in schools since emphasis is on instruction. I wonder if schools can extend the schools hours that way more time can be given to teachers to take a break.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The researchers used various sources of data and methods including observations of children, teachers and parents as well an inteviews with teachers, parents and staff. This ensured trustworthiness of results. The researchers included an interview protocols for parents, teachers and the directors of the programs that participated in this study. This gave the reader a good idea of the kinds of questions that participants responded to. The researchers provided recommendations for early childhood education programs working with immigrant families. This to me is very useful in that the recommendations provided guidelines for early childhood education programs. The study is very relevant and very beneficial because it can be implied that when schools have the resources available to them in addition to providing training for their teachers and staff, students will be able to gain from such programs. It can be inferred that the early childhood education programs that participated in this study had the resources available in that the teachers in those program were from diverse cultural backgrounds and so they could rely on each other for support with respect to integrating cultural elements in their classrooms. This seems like an ideal situation. However not all schools have the resources available to effectively incorporate cultural competence into their instructional practices.
EDUC 804 Annotated Bibliography
Instructor: Dr. Vesely
Cardona, B., Jain, S., & Canfield-Davis, K. (2012). Home-school relationships: a qualitative study with diverse families. The Qualitative Report, 17(70), 1-20. Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR17/cardona.pdf
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how diverse families understand involvement in the context of home-school relationships, and what practices they use to enhance such involvement. Nine members from six families who had children enrolled in three early childhood care and education programs participated in the study. Interviews and observations were the two primary sources used for data collection. Findings revealed that the way families understood parental involvement is strongly influenced by issues of ethnicity, social class, level of education, and language. It was concluded that continued efforts for researching both similarities and differences of how families with different cultural values engage in their children’s development and learning would be beneficial to administrators (Cardona, Jain, & Canfield-Davis, 2012).
Reflective Note
It was interesting to know that studies on families and their interactions with schools has focused on family units and their involvement in school activities. This study provides an in-depth view of family involvement and points out that families from minority populations are not consulted about the issues related to their children's education and so there is the need for schools to consider the different perspectives of families from diverse cultural background. It seems that intersectionality is something that needs to be explored because the researchers suggested that more research should be done to explore how the issues of race, social class, and gender impacts family involvement practices. This suggests that it is possible that families from diverse cultural backgrounds who are classified as having low socio-economic status may face some challenges when it comes to being involved in their children's education because they might not have the financial means to access some of the resources that might be of benefit to their children. Some parents in the study complained of not having the opportunity to interact with others parents in their children’s school. How can schools create opportunities for parents to interact with each other in schools?
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The authors collected data using a variety of methods and this was a good way to examine different perceptions of family involvement practices. The authors also provided a sample of the transcripts used during the interview. This provided information on the views of families. However, an interview protocol was not included and therefore it was difficult to tell the kinds of questions the parents had to respond to. This research was limited to only nine participants and therefore the results cannot be generalized.
Chen, C. T., Kyle, D. W., & McIntyre, E. (2008). Helping teachers work effectively with English language learners and families. The School Community Journal, 18(1), 7-20.
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to introduce Kindergarten to twelfth grade teachers to effective strategies for enhancing the learning of English language learners. There were two cohorts of teachers involved in this study. Twenty teachers and three district level administrators completed cohort 1 and fifteen teachers completed cohort 2. At the beginning and end of the study, participant completed surveys about the type and frequency of their parent involvement strategies and activities. The results indicated changes in many teachers’ views and practices of family involvement. The teachers learned about research demonstrating the positive effects of family involvement on students’ academic achievement. The teachers described their intended goals for increasing family involvement. It was concluded that several teachers increased their efforts to contact, involve, and learn from student’s families, and they made modification in their teaching to connect and build from students’ background knowledge (Chen, Kyle, & McIntyre, 2008).
Reflective Note
This article focused on teacher’s perception of involving families from diverse cultures. The study also supported teachers by providing training to teachers on the importance of involving families in the education of their children in school and the strategies that teachers could use to involve parents of English language learners. The article also provide information about some challenges that families from diverse cultures face in their engagement as partners with schools. However, the teachers did not provide any information about some of the challenges that they, the teachers encounter when working with English language learners at school. It will be of great value if research could be conducted on families to find out effective strategies that families and teachers can use in supporting English language learners at home and at school. It was very interesting reading this article because most often students who are English language learners, even though they are included in the mainstream classroom, are often pulled out of the class for a certain period of time to work with ESOL teachers. The ESOL teachers are certified and trained to teach and work with English language learners. However, most general classroom teachers do not have any formal training on how to teach or involve families of English language learners. I wonder what resources are available to support classroom teachers in public schools and what schools are doing to encourage families of English language learners to be more involved and engaged in their childrens education.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The researchers provided examples of items parents had to respond to for the parent survey. This provides the reader with some information about survey. The researchers also used different methods (observation of teachers in the classroom and parent surveys) in collecting data. This ensured that the results were valid and reliable. Teachers who took part in the professional development provided different strategies and ways in which family knowledge could be incorporated into instruction. These ideas are beneficial and can be implemented in schools. This study also provided challenges that parents might face when it comes to being involved in their children’s education. Most research focus on challenges of teachers and students. In reading this article it made me realize that parents must be supported as they make efforts to involve themselves in the education of their children.
Daniel, J., & Friedman, S. (2005). Preparing teachers to work with culturally and linguistically diverse children. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web, 1-7 Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200511/DanielFriedmanBTJ1105.pdf
This online article suggest that there is a rise in the number of immigrant children who are enrolling in early childhood education programs. The article further provides information on how teachers are being prepared in institutions of higher education to meet the needs of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The authors note that teachers are unprepared when it comes to teaching children from diverse background and that it is important for teachers to have the skills and knowledge to effectively teach English language learners. The authors state that it is important for student teachers to enroll in internship programs that allow them to work with children from diverse backgrounds because student teachers will be able to identify some of the issues that teachers encounter when they teach English language learners. The authors also suggest that students in early childhood education programs at institutions of higher education must enroll in coursework that focuses on English as a second language.
Reflective Note
I think that all teacher education programs need to have coursework related to working with children for culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The coursework must be compulsory for students and should not just be restricted to students in early childhood education programs at the university level. In addition to this, I think that for teachers to be competent, they need to have opportunities to develop professionally and therefore training must be provided for teachers specifically with respect to diversity. I wonder what opportunities faculty members have at institutions of higher education when it comes to diversity because there are students enrolled in teacher education programs who are from diverse backgrounds and opportunities should be created for faculty to engage in meaningful interactions with those students.
DaSilva Iddings, A. C., & Katz, L. (2007). Integrating home and classroom practices. Journal of Language Identity, and Education, 6(4), 299-314. doi: 10.1080/15348450701542306
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study is to examine conditions within the classroom context and practices that may influence the negotiation of the children’s home and school identities. The participants included three immigrant Mexican students, their parents and siblings and a classroom teacher who had no background in the Spanish language. The students and their parents were observed and interviewed. The researcher also took field notes, and the sessions were videotaped. The findings revealed the need to provide opportunities for students to perform home and community roles in the classroom, and to allow students and their families to express their views as well as provide access to meaningful participation of students and their families in school activities. It was concluded that in order to facilitate the integration of home and school identities for English language learners, it is important to create occasions for family and community lives to intersect with school experiences, combine the use of the native language and English for instruction and to provide opportunities for Hispanic English language learners and their families to adopt identities of competence in the classroom (DaSilva & Katz, 2007).
Reflective Note
Most of the research that have been conducted on immigrant families have focused on the challenges that these families face, the challenges that teachers face as they teach English language learners, the strategies that teachers can use in teaching English language learners and role of diverse families in the education of their children. It was interesting reading this article because the researchers provided a different dimension to the studies conducted in this area. This article focused on the perceptions of parents and provided suggestions as to how teachers can integrate home and school identities for Hispanic English language learners. The researchers suggested that the language used in schools for instruction must be combined with the language used at home by the English language learners. Thus the need for bilingual education is schools. I agree that this might be the ideal way for supporting English language learners. However, I think that it depends on the resources available. Hiring a teacher who speaks for example, Spanish to co teach with a teacher who speaks only English might be costly for some school districts. Unless the school district makes it a point to hire teachers who are fluent in more than one language. I also think that teachers will be able to structure classroom activities to promote a multiplicity of perspectives if only they have the resources available to them. It will be necessary for teachers to attend professional development programs to enhance their skills as well.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article The researchers used a variety of sources (students, parents, and teachers) and a variety of methods (observations, questionnaires, and field notes) when collecting data. This was a good way to ensure that the results were valid and reliable. However, this study was limited to only three Hispanic students, their parents and their teachers and therefore the results of this study cannot be generalizable. It would have been great to include English language learner students and their parents from other cultures as well. The researchers did not provide an interview protocol, therefore it was difficult to tell what kinds of questions that parents had to respond to during the interview.
Eastern Connecticut State University (Producer). (2013). Supporting English language learners in the preschool classroom. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09PrmLppQ1A
Preschool teachers are faced with challenges when teaching English language learners. This video provides different strategies that teachers can use in the classroom to support the language development of English language learners and support their families as well. It was suggested that teachers did not have to speak the native language of English language learners in order to support their language development. Children in preschool who are now learning English are normally quiet in class and observe other children. Preschool teachers often find themselves asking children who are English language learners questions to elicit responses from them. Some of the strategies recommended was to parallel talk and self-talk as well as use other techniques such as total physical response technique by modeling to the child. Teachers are encouraged to learn a little about the children’s native language. The video stresses the importance of using gestures and pictures to help children understand concepts learned, and encourages parents use their native language at home because children can transfer the skills learned in their native language that helps in language development.
Reflective Note
There is this idea that children are able to learn multiple languages when they are younger than when they are older. However, it is interesting to know that it is not always true that this happens. I wonder what factors promote or hinder a child’s language development. This video focused on the instructional practices of teachers of English language learners and some strategies that teachers can use when teaching English language learners. In my opinion, I think that it would have been beneficial if the video had focused on how families of English language learners could be involved in school activities and how teachers are integrating cultural competence in their instructional practices when teaching preschool children.
Good, M. E., Masewicz, S., & Vogel, L. (2010). Latino English language learners: Bridging achievement and cultural gaps between schools and families. Journal of Latinos and Education, 9(4), 321-339. doi: 10.1080/15348431.2010.491048
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to explore barriers to academic achievemnent for Latino English language learners. Eight parents and five teachers took part in focus group interviews in this study. Results indicated barriers related to communication gaps, culture clashes, poorly articulated English language learner plans, lack of teacher preparation in multiculturalism, language acquisition, and English language learner instructional strategies, and a lack of support systems for families transitioning to a new environment and culture. It was concluded that there was the need for parent involvement, professional development for teachers and culturally responsive support for families (Good, Masewicz, & Vogel, 2010).
Reflective Note
Most research conducted on English language learners either focus on teachers or students. I enjoyed reading this article, because this study provided the opportunity for both teachers and parents to come together to provide different perspectives. This was a good way for teachers to understand the cultures of diverse families and the challenges that diverse families encounter when they move to a new environment. It was evident from the study that many immigrant families are faced with some challenges and did not have any support when they transitioned to a new environment and new culture. Their inability to communicate in English was one of the problems parents faced. I wonder if there are any programs, training or workshops as well as resources available to parents who are English language learners. Another problem was that the parents mentioned that most teachers lack preparation in multiculturalism, language acquisition and English language learner instructional strategies. I wonder what schools are doing to address this issue and whether teachers have opportunities to attend professional development in this area.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The researchers used focused group interviews to collect data. It would have been better if the researchers had used other data collection methods including surveys, questionnaires or observations in addition to the focused group interviews. The parents selected to participate in this study were mostly parents of Hispanic English language learners. It would have been better if the study had involved parents from other cultures as well. The results of this study is therefore specific to Hispanic population and generalizations cannot be made with respect to other cultures. An interview protocol for the focused group interviews was not included in the article and therefore I had no idea of the kinds of questions that the parents had to respond to with respect to this study.
Hardin, B. J., Lower, J. K., Smallwood, G. R., Chakravarthi, S., Li, L., & Jordan, C. (2010). Teachers, families, and communities supporting English language learners in inclusive pre-kindergartens: An evaluation of a professional development model. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 31, 20-36. doi: 10.1080/10901020903539580
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of the study was to implement and evaluate a sustainable model of high quality professional development focused on improving pre-kindergarten services for English language learners (ELL) and their families. Forty eight teachers and twenty four teaching assistants tool part in the professional development program. The professional development program consisted of three interactive training sessions and on-site classroom coaching visits. The results indicated that pre-kindergarten teachers who were supported by the professional development program were more responsive to English language learner children in their classrooms and with their families. It was concluded that if pre-kindergarten teachers are to work with linguistically and culturally diverse children and their families, then they needed to be supported (Hardin, et al., 2010).
Reflective Note
The implication of this study is that teachers and staff need to be trained if they are to work with culturally and linguistically diverse families. This study also stresses on the need for schools to provide some resources for the teachers and staff including coaches and strategies that they can use and to consider hiring teachers who are fluent in more than one language. In thinking about this study, it became clear that some schools might not have the funds to finance a project like especially when schools are faced with budget cuts. In situations like these, administrators must do their very best in using the resources available to them to help meet the needs of teachers. It is possible for schools to raise funds or to request that some organizations support the schools. Parents are also a valuable resource to schools. Schools can inform parents about during parent teacher association meetings and find ways to address this issue. Some teachers complained of needing additional information, knowledge and skills on a variety of cultures and languages to help them work with English language learners and their families. What are school systems doing to address this issue?
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
This study is relevant because by providing professional development to teachers, schools are able to monitor teacher’s growth and teachers are able to implement some of the strategies learned from the training they received. One thing that the researchers recommended was that future research needs to be done to get input from families to determine how well they feel their cultures are being represented in the classrooms. I think this will be a way of evaluating the cultural practices of classroom teachers and will provide teachers with valuable information as to how to incorporate diverse cultures in their instructional practices.
Harper, S. N., & Pelletier, J. (2010). Parent involvement in early childhood: A comparison of English language learners and English first language families. International Journal of Early Years Education, 18(2), 123-141. doi: 10.1080/09669760.2010.496162
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to evaluate parents’ communication, involvement and knowledge of their children’s ability in reading and mathematics among parents who spoke English as their first language and those who were English language learners. The participants of this study included forty two kindergarten children, their parents and teachers. The parents and teachers who took part in this study were asked to complete the ‘Parent Questionnaire’ and ‘Teacher Questionnaire’ respectively. The kindergarten children completed the Test of Early Reading Ability and The Number Knowledge Test. The results showed that there was a significant difference between how often parents of English language learners and parents of children whose first language is English communicated with their children’s teachers. The study revealed that parents of English language learners are involved in their children’s education even though they communicated less frequently than parents whose first language is English (Harper & Pelletier, 2010).
Reflective Note
The study revealed that parents of English language learners communicated less frequently that parents whose first language is English. This implies that English language learner parents who are not fluent in English might find it difficult to communicate with their children’s teacher since the teacher might be an English speaking teacher. This is a challenge for most immigrant families. I wonder if there are any resources available to families whose first language is not English. I wonder what kind of support these families have because in order for families to be involved in their children’s education there is the need for them to communicate and they will not be able to do so if they are unable to understand English. It also implies that there is the need for schools to have resource persons available to assist teachers and families. The resource person must be bilingual in that he or she should be able to serve as the liaison between the teacher and the parents and must be able to speak the local language spoken by the parents.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
This study focused on parents’ knowledge of their children abilities in reading and mathematics. This is a limitation for this study as suggested by the author. It is therefore important for future research to focus on the academic and social development of children as well. I agree that overall parents from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds might be faced with certain barriers such a language and this in turn has an effect on how they communicate with their children’s teacher and the level of involvement of such families. However, I think that when such families receive the right support, one will be amazed at how dedicated these parents are and the fact that they want the best for their children. In addition to this, I think that there are different ways in which families can be engaged and how they can be involved in schools. This study did not take into consideration how families from diverse cultural backgrounds can be involved in their children’s education.
Michael-Luna, S. (2013). What linguistically diverse parents know and how it can help early childhood educators: A case study of a dual language preschool community. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41, 447-455. doi: 10.1007/s10643-013-0574-9
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to explore what information linguistically diverse families hold about their bilingual children’s language development and use, and how this information can help teachers understand formal and informal assessment data, and create linguistically appropriate support for young bilinguals and their families. Eight lead teachers, five bilingual teaching assistants took part in this study. Sixty children (forty two families) enrolled in a dual language preschool program were studied over a two year period. Informal interviews and focus groups, home language surveys, classroom and administration ethnographic observation as well as formal and informal interviews with parents, teachers and administration were used for this study. The results indicated that parents can be careful observers of their children’s language development and are critical of the current preschool assessment system, parents can supply information on language support at home, and parents want or need to understand language development of their children. It was concluded that families are concerned that their child’s language is developing “normally” and that parents have a significant influence over a child’s academic success, and parents should be given the opportunity to provide input on the current culture of assessment (Michael-Luna, 2013).
Reflective note
This study demonstrated that teachers can strengthen their knowledge about bilingual development of children when they have a rich knowledge of bilingual children’s use of language outside the classroom. This study also focused on assessing bilingual children. The parents were concerned that the assessments used for monolingual children are the same assessments given to bilingual students and that there were very few assessment tools designed for bilingual children. The parents were concerned that the assessment only measured the children’s English and did not take into consideration what the children knew. This suggest the need for educators to design assessments specifically for bilingual children and also require teachers be cautious when interpreting data from tests. I wonder what kinds of assessment tools are used to assess bilingual students in public schools. How are these bilingual assessment tools different from assessments used for monolingual students?
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
I think that this article is relevant in that we often forget that families from diverse cultures can provide educators with firsthand information regarding their children’s language development. Diverse families can serve as valuable resources and therefore educators must make a conscious effort to communicate with diverse families. With respect to the quality of the article, the author used interviews, and surveys to collect data for the study. The author did not provide samples of the questions asked during the interview or the questions asked on the survey. It would have been better if the author had included his interview protocol in this study to give his readers an idea of the kinds of questions parents and teachers had to respond to.
Ngo, H. V. (2012). Cultural Competence in Alberta schools: Perceptions of ESL families in four major school boards. TESL Canada Journal, 29(6), 204-223.
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to examine from the perspective of English language learners and their parents, and how Alberta schools have responded to cultural diversity with respect to school environment, cultural representation, school practices, competence of school staff, school and student family interactions, family school communication, school community collaboration, and involvement of families in school activities. Two hundred and forty two English language learner students and their parents participated in this study. The participants responded to survey questionnaires. The results demonstrate that parent and student respondents provided mediocre assessments of school responses to cultural diversity in most areas except interactions with school personnel. It was concluded that in order to achieve cultural competence, schools need to embrace diverse ways of knowing, teaching and learning and support the development of all students intellectual, social and personal growth (Ngo, 2012).
Reflective Note
One thing that stood out for me as I read this article is that the school environment, and the cultural representation of staff members in the school were very important things to consider if we want to embrace cultural competence. It was clear from this study that some schools used in this study did not take into consideration diverse cultures when selecting textbooks. I wonder if there is any criteria or requirements used in the selection of textbooks used in schools today. This also makes me wonder about the procedures used by administrators in selecting and hiring teachers to work in schools and what administrators are doing to ensure that the teachers they hire are from diverse cultural backgrounds. How are institutions of higher education integrating cultural competence into educational leadership programs?
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The researcher included sample questions and responses from parents and students. This enabled the reader to gain understanding of the different perspectives of English language learners and their parents. This study is relevant it provided several ways of integrating cultural diversity into school practices and provided insight as to how families can be involved in school activities, the competence of teachers with respect to culture and interactions between families and school.
Shim, J. M. (2013). Involving the parents of English language learners in a rural area: Focus on the dynamics of teacher-parent interactions. Rural Educator, 34(3), 18-26
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this study was to explore the dynamics of English language learner parents-teacher interactions. Six English language learner parents who participated in the qualitative study were interviewed. The results indicated that parents felt that the teachers were not willing to respond to the questions posed by parents. The parents felt that they could not influence the teacher’s decision making and were afraid that if they spoke up, their child will be penalized by the teacher.
Reflective Note
There are implications for this study. Teachers need to make an effort to respect and learn from the individual differences of English language learner parents. Teachers should be willing to listen and to respond to the questions that English language learner parents may have and to value the contributions that these parents make. It is also important to note that the proficiency level in English of children and parents should not be equated to the intelligence of the children and their parents. How can schools involve parents of English language learners in the decision making process?
Analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
This study was relevant because it gave parents the opportunity to talk about their feelings with respect to parent teacher interactions and how the issues raised by parents could be addressed. The author did not provide an interview protocol for this study. It was difficult to tell what kinds of questions that the parents in this study had to respond to. This study was also limited to only six parents, therefore the results of this study are not generalizable. This study focused on the perceptions of English language learner parents and did not focus on the perceptions of teachers.
Syrja, R. C. (2011). How to reach and teach English language learners: Practical strategies to ensure success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
This book offers practical strategies and tools for assessing and teaching English language learners, understanding how children acquire language, and how to connect with families of English language learners. The author identified some practices that foster parent and community partnerships including assisting parents with parenting skills, increasing opportunities for families to volunteer at school, and ensuring that families play a role in school decision making. This book serves as a resource for educators in that it provides guidelines that teachers and administrators can use in their schools and also offer suggestions on how to make our schools culturally inclusive.
Reflective Note
This book examined different strategies that schools can use to teach English language learners and to involve parents of English language learners in school. The information provided in this book are relevant because teachers can use this information to support English language learners and their families. This book focused more on instruction for English language learners. When we think of English language learners, the first thing that comes to mind is that due to the language barrier English language learners will automatically face certain challenges and might even struggle academically. What we fail to address is the fact that some English language learners are high achievers and are gifted. What are schools doing to ensure that those English language learners who have extraordinary abilities are being challenged academically? What kinds of enrichment programs are available in schools for these students?
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Early Head Start National Resource Center (2001). Linguistic diversity and early literacy: Serving culturally diverse families in Early Head Start (Technical Assistance Paper No. 5). Retrieved from http://www.wclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/resources/ECLKC.Bookstore/PDFs/TA5%5B1%5D.pdf
This paper focused on early language development in children from culturally and linguistically diverse families. This paper suggests that there are certain risks that bilingual children face as they develop language in their early years such as lack of continuity in language development, smaller vocabulary size in each language and limited literacy experiences in both languages. Information is presented on how educators can create a literacy rich environment in culturally diverse settings by actively involving parents in curriculum development, respecting and supporting the cultural values of families, and communicating with parents in a variety of ways using different language approaches and resources. The paper also suggest the need to build a strong foundation in early literacy development by creating an environment of acceptance that embraces cultural diversity and empowers families to identify their own literacy goals.
Reflective Note
The implication for early childhood education programs is help parents become advocates for their children. Research in the area of bilingual language acquisition for very young children is limited. Future research should focus on this area. It was interesting reading this paper because the paper provided some ways early childhood programs can involve parents in a literacy program. These include inviting parents to school and allowing parents to look through a variety of books while having breakfast with other parents, and giving parents the opportunity to interact with other parents at school. In my opinion, these activities are relevant in that they are practical activities that early childhood educators can do to involve parents from diverse family backgrounds.
Vesely, C. K., & Ginsberg, M. R. (2011). Strategies and practices for working with families in early education programs. Young Children, 66(1), 84-89.
Summary of the argument or thesis, the results, and the conclusions
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how early education programs engage immigrant families in the education of their children. The study also focuses on how programs are incorporating the cultures of immigrant families in the classroom and what programs are doing to ensure that staff are getting professional development related to working with immigrant children and families. Data was collected using interviews with teachers, parents, and program staff as well as observations in early childhood programs in the United States and in Eastern Europe. The results indicated that programs should focus on outreach in the community through play groups, door to door recruitment campaigns and encouraging immigrant families to refer friends who need high quality education. The results also suggest the need to train staff on how to work with culturally and linguistically diverse families as well as supporting the physical and mental health of staff and teachers in early education programs. It was concluded that there was a need to conduct more research related meeting the needs of immigrant families in different parts of the world (Vesely & Ginsberg, 2011).
Reflective Note
I really enjoyed reading this article because it provided different ways in which schools have incorporated cultural competent practices to form relationships with immigrant families. This was breathtaking because I found this study to be very practical and I think that educators who are able to read such articles will find this article very beneficial since the ideas presented in this article can be applied in other school settings. After reading this article, it is important for schools to provide teachers and staff with professional development programs in relation to cultural competence. This will provide teachers and staff with the skills and knowledge needed to ensure that they are able to implement cultural competent practices in instructing students. I agree with the fact that early childhood programs must consider the mental and physical health of their employees. I know that it is possible for programs to increase the number or length of break times for teachers. In schools today, some teachers use part of their lunch time to plan for classroom instruction. This takes away from the time they have available for themselves. I wonder if in reality this will work. I presume that some schools do not provide enough time for teachers to plan for instruction. It seems like there is so much going on in schools since emphasis is on instruction. I wonder if schools can extend the schools hours that way more time can be given to teachers to take a break.
An analysis of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the article
The researchers used various sources of data and methods including observations of children, teachers and parents as well an inteviews with teachers, parents and staff. This ensured trustworthiness of results. The researchers included an interview protocols for parents, teachers and the directors of the programs that participated in this study. This gave the reader a good idea of the kinds of questions that participants responded to. The researchers provided recommendations for early childhood education programs working with immigrant families. This to me is very useful in that the recommendations provided guidelines for early childhood education programs. The study is very relevant and very beneficial because it can be implied that when schools have the resources available to them in addition to providing training for their teachers and staff, students will be able to gain from such programs. It can be inferred that the early childhood education programs that participated in this study had the resources available in that the teachers in those program were from diverse cultural backgrounds and so they could rely on each other for support with respect to integrating cultural elements in their classrooms. This seems like an ideal situation. However not all schools have the resources available to effectively incorporate cultural competence into their instructional practices.