Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Teaching Portfolio - Linda

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Teaching Portfolio

Linda Barragan TEED 5113

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MY ROLE

VISION

INTRODUCTION

ARTIFACT 3

LEARNING & GROWTH

ARTIFACT 2

ARTIFACT 4

ARTIFACT 5

ARTIFACT 1

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As an educator of color who has navigated barriers that come with my intersectionalities, I have made it my mission to provide an equitable education while continuing to dismantle the obstacles that society has placed on people from diverse backgrounds. I hope to do this by engaging my students in social justice issues and providing a safe, inclusive space that will celebrate various perspectives, cultural differences, and unique experiences. This portfolio will address my vision of teaching for social justice, my role as a teacher, and my continual growth toward this matter.

INTRODUCTION

VALUES

My Vision of Teaching for Social Justice

My vision of teaching for social justice encompasses an environment that both values diversity and encourages the skill of critical analysis on social justice issues, regardless of the subject being taught. This means my students will be able to openly address such issues in a way that challenges societal norms. Through this vision, I hope to empower my students to utilize their voices for change. I will be able to provide them with the tools necessary to continue to examine the world around them and stand against the inequities many unfortunately face. By providing a space that celebrates diversity and differing perspectives outside the white male-dominating narrative, my learning environment will enrich students and build cultural competence.

Vision

My Role as Ms. Barragan

My role as a socially just educator allows me to be an advocate, collaborator, facilitator, and lifelong learner. As an advocator, I will continue to fight for policies that support my vision as a teacher. I will prioritize my students and be their voice to ensure they have access to the necessary resources and support. I will embrace their needs as I continue my advocacy toward equitable practices and challenge the disparities that continue to plague our education system. As a collaborator, I will work with students, families, staff, and community members to address social justice issues that unfairly affect our students. Through this collaboration, I hope to build a network of support that will fight for students’ needs. In this effort, I hope to provide support for families that are not privileged in understanding the educational system with resources and guidance to ensure equal access to all. Finally, as a lifelong learner, I vow to continue to educate myself on social justice issues to best inform my educational practices and perspectives of my students. I will continue to build cultural competence in order to understand my students and be able to provide a learning environment that addresses their needs to the best of my ability. It is important for me to build relationships and provide a global perspective to my students which can only be done by taking it upon myself to learn about the various viewpoints around the world. I will further this effort by educating myself on culturally relevant pedagogy to ensure inclusive practices that will educate the whole person.

This portfolio will serve as evidence of the learning and growth I have done throughout TEED 5113. I will provide artifacts from this course that resonated with my learning and provide reflections on how those artifacts added to my teacher knowledge, skills, and/or dispositions. The artifacts I chose will demonstrate my commitment to being an advocator, collaborator, and life-long learner as I continue my journey toward being a socially just teacher.

Learning and Growth

Tree: Symbol of knowledge and growth.

ARTIFACT 1

Learning Outcome

Education: Culture Matters Video

Learning Outcome: Explain the roles of culture, language, and social context in how students learn

ARTIFACT 1: Caption

This video was a great introduction to the course as it established the importance of culture in the classroom. It demonstrated that education is the "vehicle in which you pass on cultural knowledge, norms, and practices" (1:55). When the culture of the education does not align with the culture in the classroom, it can create a disconnect between the knowledge presented and the students, making it difficult for some to learn. This taught me that a culture-based approach toward education has many benefits and creates a sense of belonging for students. This video in particular stood out to me as it showed the familial importance and love of Hawaiian culture through the care the teachers exhibited. As a Mexican educator, this motivated me to not only embrace my students' identities in the classroom but mine as well!

ARTIFACT 2

Learning Outcome

Define and explain teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students as political, multidimensional, and connecting to families and communities, and building community.

Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning

"It was no ordinary choir since most of its members had no previous experience in public singing... But more unusual was the fact that its members were a diverse group of people on the margins of society... Not surprisingly some people were initially skeptical... They were proved wrong!The choir has been a life-changing experience for its members and for all those connected with its development... But even more spoke about their experience of being a part of the choir community." (Gibbons p.3)

ARTIFACT 2: Caption

This specific passage from the reading stood out to me as it is something that I have been able to relate to my entire life. As I have grown up in a Title 1 school community, our performance as students has always been doubted -- from sports to test performance. If it weren't for the sense of community and support I had, stereotype threat would have greatly impacted my education and performance as a student. As educators, it is important to treat MLL as capable learners and provide them with adequate support and scaffolding. This sense of belonging and community can go a long way both socially and academically. By creating a community in the classroom, MLL students not only learn from others' experiences and multiple contexts, it humanizes the students and provides the support necessary to build confidence in a safe, learning environment. This reading cemented the idea of the importance of building a community in the classroom and has now made me ask myself how I want to do this with my students while still providing individualized support for others.

ARTIFACT 3

Learning Outcomes

2

Explain and synthesize foundational principles of culturally sustaining and linguistically responsive pedagogy, and use them to analyze the teaching and learning of culturally and linguistically diverse students.Reflect on and deepen your understanding of yourself as a sociocultural being, engaged in the process of becoming a transformational agent for justice who aims to help change the status quo for the common good in education.

1

Marcos de referencia Activity

ARTIFACT 3: Caption

This activity was influential in my learning as it provided me with the knowledge of how MLL speakers may feel in an academic setting. As the only Spanish speaker in my group, I found myself feeling frustrated that my message wasn't being understood by my group members. It was also quite isolating to be the only one who could understand what was going on but had no one to respond to and "see" my intelligence due to the language barrier. This challenge greatly shifted my perspective of how MLL students experience education in the United States and with that, brought upon empathy for those students. This prompted me to reflect on those feelings and find ways as an educator to provide a space where MLL students can express themselves and show their intelligence through other forms of communication while they continue to build their English language skills.

ARTIFACT 4

Learning Outcome

Explain basic principles of second language learning and how they are addressed in linguistically responsive teaching.

Scaffolding Review: Write-and-Pass Activity

ARTIFACT 4: Caption

Prior to this course, I had no idea what scaffolding meant. I wasn't aware that it was a term used in construction and even less aware of its use in education. After this activity, I finally felt like I could truly grasp the meaning of scaffolding and use it as a strategy to help MLL students.When learning a new language, MLL students must be provided with individualized support to promote the growth of their language proficiency. As their proficiency grows, those supports are lowered until they are no longer needed. However, this does not mean the content is "dumbed" down, it simply means that the language used by the educator is simplified or supported with visuals, hand motions, context, etc to convey the same lesson. This also requires educators to be culturally competent to provide relevant material to help support the growth of a new language. This artifact shows my attainment of a new teaching strategy that I will utilize for ALL my students!

ARTIFACT 5

Learning Outcome

Explain language variation, language register, linguistic repertoires, relationships between language, culture, and learning, and how all of these concepts are central to the teaching and learning of culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Dr. Jamila Lyiscott: 3 Ways to Speak English Discussion

ARTIFACT 5: Caption

Last, but definitely not least, is Artifact 5. Dr. Jamila Lysiscot did an incredible job providing the perspective that language variations are not symbols of one's intelligence but simply another form of communication. As Dr. Jamila switches between different variations of English, she promotes her cultural knowledge, intelligence, adaptability, and pride. This video allowed me to reflect on my own variations of language that I encompass and how I use them. This reflection brought a sense of pride that I want my students to feel. By recognizing and understanding those variations, it is my job as an educator to provide an environment that supports those differences to prevent their stigmatization. Those variations tell a story and can provide perspectives that can aid in learning and confidence.

Thank you!

MY ROLE

VISION

INTRODUCTION

ARTIFACT 3

LEARNING & GROWTH

ARTIFACT 2

ARTIFACT 4

ARTIFACT 5

ARTIFACT 1

Caption

Caption

Caption

Caption

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