EDUC 251 - Teaching in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms

1. Students’ own stereotypes, biases and cultural socialization and their impact on student learning
2. The examination of the concept of culture: moving away from “trait-based” notions of culture toward a more dynamic view that foregrounds complexity and multivocality
3. The impact of multiple forms of exclusion and discrimination, including racism, sexism and classism, and how they play out in society and within interactions and expectations of others
4. Learning and acquiring English as a second language and the role of the native language in this process. The examination of bilingual and English as a second language education models and the application of theories and research to second-language learning process.
5. The interplay of these dimensions of the social (individual, cultural, linguistic, institutional and historical) in educational settings

Discussions and critical analysis will include how society and our own interactions marginalize and oppress certain groups, such as children from culturally, racially and linguistically different backgrounds, from low socioeconomic communities and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning). A field study is required in a bilingual or multilingual schooling context.

Candidates develop an awareness of their own stereotypes and biases, examine cultural identity processes and second-language acquisition, and explore what it is like to be a child from a non-dominant culture in U.S. classrooms. Candidates learn how to support all students in their classrooms.