Position Paper on Teaching ESL, Research Paper Example

Introduction

From a sociologicalperspective language is culture. English as a language in itself has influenced many socio-economic developments across the world. Due to its international prevalence it has gained immense popularity among entrepreneurs. Currently, there are an estimated 430 million English speaking people in the world who using this as their first language. As such, English language teaching has emerged from instructions catered to people who live or travel to countries that articulate English as their first language, but still are not proficient, to children thrust intosocial environments which are culturally incompatible. They experienceculture shock in adjusting to societies where there is isolation due to languagedifferences (Gaitan, 2012)

This cultural confusion has been intensified in the presence of technological developments, simultaneously forging the demand for industries’ alignment with business terminologies. Professional organizations have also lobbied for English literacy when cross country ventures are undertaken. Financing has been greatlyenhanced, especially, as it relates to promoting business relationships among countries. Consequently, educational institutions have expended millions towards English teaching and learning since it is essential to maximizing profits. As such, English language learning has become a priority in many industrializedsocieties, but cultural complexities have created immense difficulties for both teachers and learners of the Language(Gaitan, 2012).

This position paper explains the nature and role of culturaleffects onELLs’ language andacademic achievement; a comparison of   three educational features embedded in a specified cultural group and the United States of America social environment will be undertaken. Finallysuggestions pertaining to possible approaches teachers can take in addressing these issues discovered in the comparative analysiswill be outlined.

Use of three examples to explain how the nature and role of culture affects ELLs’ language and academic achievement.

It was advanced by the United States Department of Education that in order to perceive the significance of cultural factors influencing second language learners’academic attainment, culture must be conceived as being compatible with one’s language and psychological well-being. Precisely, culture must be recognized as a vital force impacting an individual’s belief systems, perception of acceptable and unacceptable performances; value paradigms, and social construction of ideas; which are vital to learning receptivity (United States Department of Education, 2014).

Ultimately, cultural factors influence people’s way of life as peculiaradaptation/survival skills. From a sociological perspective cultural factors impact ways in which  groups of people address issues of life according to their  generations, family or  as inhabitants of a particular geographic location (Untied States Department of Education (United States Department of Education, 2014).

As such, three examples of how the nature and role of culture affects ELLs’ language and academic achievement are through the cultural factors pertains to time interpretation. Another is the way in which gender and roles are interpreted among various cultures and thirdly are communicationstyles.

Time interpretation

According to an article presented by United States Department of Education reflecting‘Cultural Factors That Influence Learning for ELL Students,’ time interpretation and its severe  impact on ELL learners’ ability to assimilate dynamics of the language, ultimately, compromising academic achievement was emphasized.(United States Department of Education, 2014). Children and adults moving into a classroom where time is the essential element contained in completing tasks successfully this, becomes an issue. Many students fail because they could not finish items on their test sheet or classroom assignments within the allotted time (United States Department of Education, 2014).

United States Department of education views this discrepancy as inappropriate time management. However, ELL students are from another educational cultural environment where they may be given more time for the same tests. More importantly, United States multiple choice model imposes a difficulty on students from educational cultures where fewer multiple choice items were used.  Also, managing time in an education system where 95% of tests are in a second language and multiple choice poses immense challenges to student’s academic attainment. Distinctly, the educational culture pertaining to how time is interpreted during test taking is a great cultural dilemma.

Gender role classification

An ELL teacher in United States of America would relate to students based on their receptivity ability, irrespective of their gender or non-gender ascriptions. Immigrants form alternative cultures do not interpret male/female roles in the same way as the American culture. In someclassrooms across the world girls/women are perceived as being less vocal in an open environment where both genders occupy at the same time, such as a classroom setting.

Consequently, the ability to article the language vocally is inhibited from a gender perspective. This is also observed in children whose parents have socialized them into this belief paradigm. In the same way some cultures view women as having less cognitive abilities than men. Here again this belief system sabotages the academic attainment of women who are perceived as being a weaker sex and low achievers. Psychologists and educators have explored this belief system and have found it to be invalid(Williams, 2001).

Communication styles

People communicate both verbally and non-verbally. Language is the universal mode of relating ideas, irrespective of the tongue in which it is spoken. Even in cultures where the language is the same, non-verbal communication is dispensed differently. This is another way whereby ELL language culture can inhibit academic attainment. For example, body language communication during instruction can deter students’ learning ability. A teacher’s culture might be seriousness when before a class or while delivering instructions.  According to Joan Williams ( 2001) classroom communication present  valuable opportunities from ESL articulation . If students cannot communicate in comfort in that environment, after a while they would to respond to this communication as an attitude of non-acceptance. More than likely in their culture a serious face denotes anger or resentment. Students will not be open to expressing any concerns to this instructor and would subsequently miss valuable instructions due to fear of being rejected(Williams, 2001).

Alternatively, if the instructor always has a smile and appears to be too quiet,students can become disrespectful. From this communication pattern student could interpret the lesson as being unimportant and missing essential information related to learning the language dynamics. Ultimately, academic achievement levels would fall due to inadequate grasp of content shared by the instructor(Gaitan,   2012)

Comparison of three aspects of education of a cultural group and the US

Three aspects of education in Cuba and that of United States of America pertain that would be compared are religion, curriculum and political values (citizenship transmission).

Religion

As in United States of America religion is not taught as a subject within the curriculum. The religious education prohibition policy in public schools and acknowledgement is linked to the distinction between church and state protocol within American educational culture. It is based on the American constitution observance of human rights policies. While everyone has the right to practice his/herreligion of choice the belief system is that this must no infiltrate the public education process (Cline, 2014). The Cuban educational ideology for keeping religion out of schools is based on loyalty towards the political regime and fear that religion would thwart such devotion to Fidel Castro (Religion in Cuba, 2014).

Curriculum

Education is top priority in Cuba, but prior to 1995 there was no comprehensive curriculum for educating Cubans due to the ideological peculiarities within the political culture.. When one was developed the focus was towards providing the country with human resources that built self-sufficiency through self-reliance. Students are channeled into careers selected by the state fie economic development purposes (United States Department of Education, 2014).

Whileattempts are made by U.S educators and politicians to align curricula with needs of the society they are of a freerenterprise model curricula whereby students can choose their careers through guidance of experts.  More importantly U.S education curricula focus on preparing students for college level education. Cuban curricula operates as if students are beginning a college education as soon as they enter the school system (United States Department of Education, 2014).

Political values/citizenship transmission

Citizenshiptransmission encompasses teaching political allegiance through the educational institutions, especially, public schools. Provisions contained in the social studies curriculum emphasize allegiance to the America Flag, National Anthem, president of the United States of America and polices of government. Cuba has no private schools. Teaching political values is mandatory. Cubans are expected to be loyal to the dictatorship regime operative in Cuban politics. Students are taught to respect this culture of devotion to the political administration.

Suggestions and strategies for teachers based on the comparisons above.

The immediate comparisons are related to religious education in s public schools, curriculum development and structure along with the political culture of the school administration. Embodying the third comparison is teaching of citizenship transmission. In creating strategies references must be made to Sumaryono & Ortiz (2004) exposition relating the perceived of Preserving the Cultural Identity of the English Language Learner. This is an important strategy irrespective of where the English language learning (ELL) is occurring be it United States of America or Cuba. The authors contend that numerous forces affect classroom environment culture, which ultimately influence learning. However, the responsibility of ESL teacher is to preserve the cultural identity oflearner.  it is through appropriate cultural identification pertaining to country, values and beliefs that ESL would be most effective.  This means allowing students to be comfortable among classmate with who they are as social beings within the school/classroom structure(Sumaryono & Ortiz, 2004).

Similarly, Concha Delgado Gaitan (2012) contends that the time has come for educators to recognize the impact of culture, literacy, and power In Family–community–school–relationships. The author was lamenting the marginalization Latinos in the American school system due to cultural differences. A misconception is that parents who are not English proficient neglect participation in their children about their children academic process in an English speaking country, but they are very militant in this regard(Gaitan, 2012). Therefore, change of belief paradigms and becoming culturally compatible are two strategies that can be used in resolving religious, curriculum and political value differences among ELLs in America

Conclusion

The foregoing exposition described cultural factors that influence Ell’s academic attainment. Identification of three examples of how this process occurs were outlined after, which a comparison of Cuba and American education was undertaken. The three examples cited relating cultural factors’ influence were perception of time, gender roles interpretation and communication. Comparison made between Cuba and America related to religion, curriculum development and political values in education.

References

Cline, A. (2014).  Religion in Public Schools – Role & Place of Religion in Public Schools. Retrieved on October 2^nd 2014 from http://atheism.about.com/od/religioninschool/tp/ReligionPublicSchools.htm

Gaitan, C. (2012).Culture, Literacy, and Power Family–Community–School–Relationships.The Ohio State University

Religion in Cuba (2014). Religion in Cuba retrieved on October 2^nd from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/cuba/religion.htm

Sumaryono, K., & Ortiz, W (2004). | Preserving the Cultural Identity of the English Language Learner.Voices from the Middle, 11(4); 16 -22

United States Department of Education (2014).Cultural Factors That Influence Learning for ELL Students. Austin State University

Williams, J. (2001). Classroom Conversations: Opportunities to learn for ESL students in  Main stream Classroom