Professional Development Course on Catering for Diversity in English Language Teaching ENG5315 The Characteristics of Di

1. Professional Development Course on Catering for Diversity in English Language TeachingENG5315The Characteristics of Diversity Session 1 Introduction to the characteristics of diversity Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

2. What is diversity? Diversity means ‘differences’. Differences from what? Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 2

3. Challenges to diversity Prejudice and discrimination Stereotypes Ethnocentrism Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 3

4. Activity 1 - Mini-survey What is the racial/ethnic background of the students in your English class? Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 4 4

5. Important questions to consider Why cultural diversity matters for schools and education? Why is it important for teachers to be aware of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity? Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 5

6. Why cultural diversity matters for schools and education? • A more lasting rationale for cultural diversity in education is that educators can use this idea to promote equity. Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

7. How to become a culturally responsive educator? In order for teachers to provide an effective multicultural curriculum for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLDE) students, it is necessary for them to become culturally competent. Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 7

8. How to become a culturally responsive educator? Culturally competent teachers possess self-awareness and self-understanding, cultural awareness and understanding, and social responsiveness and responsibility and are able to provide appropriate teaching techniques and strategies. They recognize the differences between their students and themselves and strive to become non-judgmental (Cartledge, Gardner, & Ford, 2009). Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 8

9. How to become a culturally responsive educator? Culturally competent teachers develop meaningful relationships with their students of color. They demonstrate social responsiveness and responsibility by increasing racial harmony within their classrooms, decreasing the negative beliefs and attitudes toward minority students, and demanding respect for individual differences (Ford & Milner, 2005). Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 9

10. Storti’s model of cultural competence Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 10

11. Activity 2 - Storti’s model of cultural competence Which level of the model do you belong to? Compare it with the participant(s) sitting next to you. Is it the same or different? Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 11

12. Activity 3 - Discussion With our schools/classrooms become more culturally diverse than before, what challenges might we, as English teachers, face? What can teachers do to address cultural diversity? Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 12

13. Pedagogical responses to cultural diversity “Having all children together is better.” (Taylor, 1971, cited in Murillo & Smith, 2008) 13

14. Pedagogical responses to cultural diversity Assimilation 14 14

15. Pedagogical responses to cultural diversity Multicultural education Multicultural education incorporates the ideas that “all students – regardless of their gender, social class and their ethnic, racial or cultural characteristics – should have an equal opportunities to learn in school” (Banks, 2005, p. 3). One major dimension of multicultural education is content integration Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 15 15

16. Diverse learners with exceptionalities Exceptional learners include both special education students and gifted education students (Cartledge, Gardner, & Ford, 2009). Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 16

17. Scope of special education Special education includes all students who need specialized instruction. Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 17

18. Learning difficulties vs. specific learning disabilities (SLDs) • The term ‘learning difficulty’ is normally applied to pupils who are not making sufficient progress particularly in basic skills such as literacy and numeracy (Ayers, 2006). • The SEN Code of Practice defines children as having learning difficulties if they have difficulties in learning that are greater than most children in their age group, and if they have difficulties which prevent them from using educational facilities in a school. Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

19. Learning difficulties vs. specific learning disabilities (SLDs) A specific learning disability (SLD) is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations (Cartledge, Gardner, & Ford, 2009). A pupil has a specific learning difficulty in a particular curricular area but functions normally in other parts of the curriculum (Ayers, 2006). Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 19

20. Major types of learning disabilities • Disorders of spoken language (listening and speaking) • Aphasia / Dysphasia Loss or impairment of the ability to use language. • Dysarthria A speech impairment contributes to unintelligibility in that the quality of the vocal output is affected adversely (Myers & Hammill, 1990). Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

21. Major types of learning disabilities • Disorders of written language (reading and writing) • Dyslexia A reading disability • Dysgraphia Difficulty with writing Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

22. Major types of learning disabilities • Attention deficit disorders • Attention deficit disorder (ADD) / Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) According to DSM III, the criteria for the diagnosis of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity are: inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity (Myers & Hammill, 1990). Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

23. Major types of learning disabilities • Perceptual disorders • Perceptual and perceptual-motor disorders Impairments of discriminating or recognizing auditory and visual stimuli Poor time, space, or distance orientation Poor left-right orientation Poor eye-hand coordination (Myers & Hammill, 1990) Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

24. Major types of learning disabilities • Motor disorders • Dyspraxia Poor motor coordination Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

25. Major types of learning disabilities • Disorders of arithmetic • Dyscalculia Problems related to performing the various arithmetic functions or operations. Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

26. Some facts of learning disabilities Intelligence Generally speaking, people with learning disabilities are of average or above average intelligence. Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 26

27. Some facts of learning disabilities Gender Researchers and practitioners have noted a disproportionate number of boys identified as having learning disabilities (Hallahan, Lloyd, Kauffman, Weiss, & Martinez, 2005). Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education 27

28. Frequently displayed symptoms of learning disabilities • Short attention span • Poor memory • Difficulty following directions • Inability to discriminate between/among letters or sounds • Poor reading and/or writing ability • Eye-hand coordination problems; poorly coordinated • Difficulties with sequencing • Disorganization and other sensory difficulties (Learning Disabilities Association of America, 2004) Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

29. Other characteristics of students with learning disabilities • Low self-concept • Not socially accepted (Bender, 2008) Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

30. References Ayers, H. (2006). An A to Z practical guide to learning difficulties. London: David Fulton. Banks, J. A. (2005). Multicultural education: Characteristics and goals. In J. A. Banks & C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives (5th ed) (pp. 3-30). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Bender, W. N. (2008). Learning disabilities: Characteristics. identification, and teaching strategies. Boston, Mass.; Hong Kong: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Cartledge, G., Gardner, R., & Ford, D. Y. (2009). Diverse learners with exceptionalities: Culturally responsive teaching in the inclusive classroom. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall. Ford, D. Y. & Milner, H. R. (2005). Teaching culturally diverse gifted students. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. Hallahan, D. P., Lloyd, J. W., Kauffman, J. M., Weiss, M., & Martinez, E. A. (2005). Learning disabilities: Foundations, characteristics, and effective teaching. Boston, Mass.: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

31. References Learning Disabilities Association of America. (2004). Learning disabilities: Signs, symptoms and strategies. Retrieved March 28, 2008, from http://www.ldaamerica.org/ Manning, M. L. & Baruth, L. G. (2009). Multicultural education for children and adolescents (5th ed). Boston, Mass.; Hong Kong: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Murillo, L. A. & Smith, P. H. (2008). Cultural diversity: Why it matters in school and what teachers need to know. In Y. S. Freeman, D. E. Freeman, & R. Ramirez (Eds.), Diverse learners in the mainstream classroom: Strategies for supporting all students across content areas (pp. 3-30). Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann. Myers, P. I., & Hammill, D. D. (1990). Learning disabilities: Basic concepts, assessment practices, and instructional strategies. Austin, Tex.: PRO-ED. Rubalcava, M. (1991). Locating transformative teaching in multicultural education. Unpublished manuscript. Berkeley, University of California, Department of Anthropology, Special Project. Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

32. Activity 4 • Read the six cases given carefully. Try to identify the characteristics of learning difficulties of the six learners and determine their possible learning disabilities. Prepared by Ruby Yang, Department of English, The Hong Kong Institute of Education

33. Discussion • With the new MOI policy being implemented in Hong Kong schools, do you think if the problem of learner diversity can be solved? If not, what are the problems you, as an English teacher, are currently encountering?