1. The percentage of students who are English Language Learners has mushroomed in the last two decades. The
majority of these ELL’s are Spanish-speaking (Lapkoff & Li, 2007). In 2020, more than 20% of U.S. children
will be of Latino origin (Martinez Aleman, 2006). Most ELLs spend the majority of their days in general
education classrooms (Pappamihiel, 2007). Unfortunately, the current teaching force in the United States is not
well prepared to help them succeed (Clair, 2000). In the United States, while 40% of teachers had ELLs in their
classrooms at the turn of the century, only 12.5% had received 8 or more hours of related training (Gruber, Wiley,
Broughman, Strizek, & Burian-Fitzgerald, 2002). Teacher education programs are trying a variety of strategies to
prepare pre-service teachers for this population. At a time of backlash against immigrants, particularly Latino
immigrants, encouraging students’ positive attitudes towards this population is at least as important as providing
them with teaching strategies.
2. The question of how to do this effectively is still being debated. Formal learning approaches have only limited
success in prejudice reduction unless supplemented by social contact according to Mabbut (1991). Weisman and
Garza (2002) concluded that one diversity class can make a difference but only if multicultural education is
infused prominently throughout the teacher education program. Haberman (1991) concluded that sensitivity to
issues of cultural diversity and multilingualism would require “more individualized and costly direct experiences,
and a change in philosophical commitment “(p. 25). Bradfield- Kreider (1999) had some success in opening
students’ minds to an acceptance of difference through sending them on brief excursions into groups in the U.S.
whose values and culture differed from their own. Wiest (1998) reported similar results. More recently, Ference
and Bell (2004) used a 2-week immersion experience in a Latino community with the specific outcome of greater
sensitivity to Hispanic students.
As the majority of preservice teachers are Caucasian, middle class females they typically have little experience with or understanding of English Language Learners (ELLs)(Wong, 2008). Coursework without a field component is inadequate preparation for future teachers of ELLs because it seldom alters underlying belief systems necessary to support effective teaching of ELLs (Pappamihiel, 2007). The negative stereotypes of immigrants and hostility towards non-English-speakers that is current in U.S. society needs to be counteracted by extended and supervised personal contact if future teachers are to embrace their responsibility to reach out to the ELLs that will inevitably be in their future classrooms. Service learning with diverse populations offers great potential for bringing about greater cultural awareness and sensitivity to ELLs. Pappamihiel (2007) had success in bringing preservice teachers to more accepting attitudes towards ELLs after involving them in 10 hours of tutoring in a community-based service-learning assignment. The sites included a local public school, a library, a community college and the university. The majority of the tutees were students at the K-12 level though a few were adults. She saw the preservice teachers progressing from an ethnocentric perspective of viewing intercultural experiences only from their own cultural perspective to an ethnorelative perspective of acceptance of differences and respect for those who tried to maintain their own cultural identity. Hale (2008) placed preservice teachers for 20 hours in schools with large Latino populations. She noted there was a breakdown of stereotypes, increased confidence in teaching ELLs and a developing sense of advocacy for Latino children. Griffith (2005) asked preservice teachers to spend 10 hours as tutors in an after school program for children in a homeless shelter. Among her findings were that the preservice teachers came to understand the impact of the home environment on the children’s behavior and learning and that effective teachers needed patience, respect and a willingness to individualize instruction for specific children. In addition, the participants admitted that they had had no previous experience with students outside of their own ethnicity or social class but acknowledged that they had held stereotypes that were challenged by the tutoring experience. They self-reported that they had come to understand that all children had the right to an equitable educational opportunity. Wong (2008) required preservice teachers to tutor an ELL 2-4 hours per week over the course of a semester in a school setting. After an analysis of their journals she classified 27% as transactional, 58% as transformational and 15% as transcendent. The transactional tutors maintained an impersonal relationship with the children and were preoccupied with what they themselves contributed to the tutoring. The transformational tutors saw the children as unique individuals with whom they had a personal relationship, saw themselves as learning as much or more from the tutoring relationship as the children, were aware of the challenges the ELLs faced and in some cases tried to incorporate the child’s first language in the instruction. The transcendent tutors acknowledged significant personal growth in their own beliefs and stereotypes, recognized how institutional structures may have disadvantaged ELLs and saw themselves as advocates for ELLs in their future classrooms
As the majority of preservice teachers are Caucasian, middle class females they typically have little experience with or understanding of English Language Learners (ELLs)(Wong, 2008). Coursework without a field component is inadequate preparation for future teachers of ELLs because it seldom alters underlying belief systems necessary to support effective teaching of ELLs (Pappamihiel, 2007). The negative stereotypes of immigrants and hostility towards non-English-speakers that is current in U.S. society needs to be counteracted by extended and supervised personal contact if future teachers are to embrace their responsibility to reach out to the ELLs that will inevitably be in their future classrooms. Service learning with diverse populations offers great potential for bringing about greater cultural awareness and sensitivity to ELLs. Pappamihiel (2007) had success in bringing preservice teachers to more accepting attitudes towards ELLs after involving them in 10 hours of tutoring in a community-based service-learning assignment. The sites included a local public school, a library, a community college and the university. The majority of the tutees were students at the K-12 level though a few were adults. She saw the preservice teachers progressing from an ethnocentric perspective of viewing intercultural experiences only from their own cultural perspective to an ethnorelative perspective of acceptance of differences and respect for those who tried to maintain their own cultural identity. Hale (2008) placed preservice teachers for 20 hours in schools with large Latino populations. She noted there was a breakdown of stereotypes, increased confidence in teaching ELLs and a developing sense of advocacy for Latino children. Griffith (2005) asked preservice teachers to spend 10 hours as tutors in an after school program for children in a homeless shelter. Among her findings were that the preservice teachers came to understand the impact of the home environment on the children’s behavior and learning and that effective teachers needed patience, respect and a willingness to individualize instruction for specific children. In addition, the participants admitted that they had had no previous experience with students outside of their own ethnicity or social class but acknowledged that they had held stereotypes that were challenged by the tutoring experience. They self-reported that they had come to understand that all children had the right to an equitable educational opportunity. Wong (2008) required preservice teachers to tutor an ELL 2-4 hours per week over the course of a semester in a school setting. After an analysis of their journals she classified 27% as transactional, 58% as transformational and 15% as transcendent. The transactional tutors maintained an impersonal relationship with the children and were preoccupied with what they themselves contributed to the tutoring. The transformational tutors saw the children as unique individuals with whom they had a personal relationship, saw themselves as learning as much or more from the tutoring relationship as the children, were aware of the challenges the ELLs faced and in some cases tried to incorporate the child’s first language in the instruction. The transcendent tutors acknowledged significant personal growth in their own beliefs and stereotypes, recognized how institutional structures may have disadvantaged ELLs and saw themselves as advocates for ELLs in their future classrooms
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