When I first started reading Ann M. Johns' article "Linguistic Diversity and Instructional Practices", I wondered why on earth was my teacher making me learn how to better understand linguistically diverse college students and how to best instruct them? After all, I am not planning on getting my Master's Degree in order to teach at a university. My certificate is only K-12. Soon I realized that the information that Johns provides is not reserved solely for college-aged students, but can be applied to most linguistically diverse students, no matter what their age.
This article started by defining who our linguistically diverse students really are and how extensive that diversity is within each specific linguistic group. Some native Spanish speaking students, for example, were born and raised in the U.S., but Spanish is spoken in their homes while others are a part of Generation 1.5, foreign born, but not very literate in their native tongue. They do not feel like they are truly American or truly Mexican/Colombian/Peruvian/etc. Obviously these students with different backgrounds need to be taught differently. Johns stresses that we teachers need to figure out who our students are and where they come from if we want to teach them to the best of our abilities. She suggests having the students fill out a questionaire about where they were born, what languages they can speak/write/read and how well they do so, how they would describe themselves, etc. Doing this allows us teachers to know more about out students so we can relate to and instruct them better.
As stated in the conclusion, it is easier to teach people that are culturally the same as us because we know how to relate to them and how to phrase things so that they can understand. When we add culturally diverse students into the classrooms, it also adds to the difficulty level of instruction. However, despite any extra work or thought it takes to instruct this group, it is undoubtedly worth it because it is necessary and beneficial for all. People in general-from all cultures, backgrounds, age and gender groups-deserve the best education we can offer and we should constantly be bettering ourselves as teachers in order to offer the very best.
I never really thought about how difficult it could be to teach students of a different culture until I started volunteerin at NCHS. In the ESL classroom I've become more self aware from just observing. Then when I actually walk around the room and help the students, it is instnantly brought to my attention when I am using a phrase or idiom they are unfamiliar with. I am really trying to work on this.
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