As an ELL teacher, I must constantly speak up for the needs of my students. Often, teachers have cultural misunderstandings about the students. I have had many conversations with teachers about their students and the students' parents. Most teachers really want to reach their students, but they have a hard time doing that when they do not understand their culture.
A few years ago, one teacher I worked with thought that the quiet Korean boy who wouldn't look her in the eye was being rude and "pulling attitude." I had to explain to her about Asian cultures and how often children are told never to look an adult in the eye. In their culture, it is disrespectful. Once she understood, her demeanor towards the boy changed. She knew he was indeed being respectful towards her, in his own way.
I also have to advocate for my students and their culture in a group. Often newcomers do not mesh as well with students who have been in the US for most of their lives. I have had students who are new arrivals and beg for more homework, admonish the other children every time they talk out, and look scared when I scold the class. It took a writing activity where we talked about schools in other countries for the class to understand: In some countries, classes consist of 60 kids sitting on a bench, reciting lessons automatically. If the teacher gave you homework, he liked you and wanted you to do well. If you talked out, you were slapped with a large, hard ruler. When we talked about cultural differences, suddenly the other kids "got" why some students followed the rules to the letter. "I'd follow the rules, too," said one student to me, " if you were going to hit me with a ruler. You're not, are you?" I laughed and promised never to hit them with anything, especially not a ruler.
I spent my summer brainstorming ways that I can bring my students' cultures into their regular classrooms, for the benefit of both their classmates and especially their teachers. I found a way through an elective course I took at NLU about integrating technology to help English Language Learners. I designed a little movie of photos using a program called "Microsoft PhotoStory," and used my recent trip to Paris as a jumping off point. I compared life in Naperville to life in Paris. Using photographs and my own narration, I explained cultural differences and showed positive parts of the French culture. I also spoke a few words of French in demonstration.
I want to help each of my ELL students who are "new arrivals" produce their own PhotoStory to show to their class, showcasing their culture. I would like them to speak a few words in their native language, and show real pictures, so that everyone can see that their culture is something to be honored and understood. I want their classmates and their teachers to "get" what is different about their culture. I am hoping to ease the cultural shock that some of my students face. We always have students who are just arriving from other cultures, and if I can help them to adjust, I feel that I am fulfilling my role as an advocate for these students.
Description of video: I created a 4 minute Photostory about my trip to Paris and how I explored Parisian art, architecture, and especially culture. I edited and integrated photos, text, and my own narration to create the piece. I learned how to save it in multiple forms for editing, and how to teach it to children. This activity was educationally rich for me because it led me to analyze both my trip and the cultural differences that I noticed. It taught me more about photo editing and integrating multiple computer programs. I learned how to create powerpoint slides and import them into photostory when I wanted to use arrows or complex text. I also learned how to integrate music, but I chose not to use that because I felt it would distract from my text. I want my students to be able to read the text and focus on my words.
Benefit to my students: This project will have an almost immediate benefit for my students. Now that I know how to use PhotoStory, I want to try to to use it with my intermediate ELL students this fall, especially those who are new arrivals this year. I will show them my video and ask them to examine either their own culture or one they are interested in, and analyze differences. They will actually be able to create their own Photostory document, and we can even post them on the Internet. From an ELL standpoint, I like students to appreciate one another's cultures and feel proud of where they come from. Also, this activity should be fun for the students, because they get to make a movie and actually narrate it themselves. The writing and speaking can be tailored to the language learning levels of each student. It will also force them to brainstorm, research, and write. Finally, they will have to demonstrate speaking skills when they record their voices onto the computer.
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