Laura Gillett

Culture & Inclusion

Week 5 - Reflection 2

Reflection Prompt:​ Studies have emphasized the role of self-reflection and challenging internal beliefs as a necessary
component in becoming a culturally responsive teacher (Cochran-Smith, 1995; Merryfield, 2000). The reflections are in
place to challenge your thinking and develop your knowledge of the content we are exploring. The reflection will only be
read by me and will allow you a quick place to reflect on how the topics affect you as an educator. These do not need to
be longer than 600 words but may be as long as you need them to.
Choose a marginalized group of students you serve (ELL, low SES, LGBT, SPED) and reflect on what you currently do
and what you may do to better support their educational experience.

For this assignment, I have chosen to reflect on my students learning English as a second language. All of my
preschool students have unique needs and receive specialized academic instruction and related services, per
their IEPs. 80% of my students this year are also English language learners or exposed to another language in
addition to English. My students have a range of abilities and their needs range from mild to severe. My
students also have a range of language abilities, regardless of their ability to understand and speak English;
some of my students are non-verbal and others have nearly age-appropriate speech and language skills.

My staff and I do many things throughout the day to support our students who are learning English as a second
language. I also support my students’ families, many of whom are also learning English. In the classroom, we
first and foremost meet each student where he or she is, in regards to language ability. We scaffold language
through the use of GLGSP (General Language General Speech Patterns) language prompting to ensure that
each student is receiving appropriate language cueing, prompting, and support. We encourage, acknowledge,
and praise all language attempts and allow students to use their preferred mode of communication to
communicate throughout the day. We use speech and language modeling throughout the day to introduce new
language and practice language. We use many visual cues and supports in the school setting to support
language use and acquisition. We make sure to use visuals suited to each child’s need - objects, photos, or
symbols. We use visuals to support routine activities, instructions, and behavior, as well as to introduce and
practice new concepts and vocabulary. We have a language-rich environment - we use lots of repetition and
intentionally practice language during all parts of the school day. We also provide break down of language or
instruction as well as wait time to aid in language comprehension.

This course has also allowed me to reflect on the materials and languages I use in the classroom. Before
taking this course, I was mostly using English in the classroom. I also use a lot of sign language throughout the
day. As I have reflected on my practices, I have started to incorporate more words in my students’ home
languages during routine activities. I have also started to use more materials - books, songs, videos - in my
students’ home language and that reflect my students’ home cultures. I see my students’ faces light up when
they hear their home languages used in the classroom. After reading ​Learning Lakota​, I know that by using my
students’ home languages in the classroom, I am helping to “build meaningful bridges between what students
experience at home and what they’re taught in school.”

Since my students are ages three to five and have varying degrees of language abilities, I find it essential to
have open and frequent communication with my students’ families. I use a classroom app to communicate with
my families, as many of my families are also learning English along with their children. The app translates
messages into their home languages so I am able to have meaningful conversations with them, even though
we don’t speak the same language. I have also been working to find out as much as I can about my students’
and families’ cultures and customs.
As I reflect on my English learners and my own practices, I know there is still so much more I can do to
enhance the educational opportunities for all my students and their families. Though I have begun to learn
about my families and their cultures, I feel I have only scratched the surface. Knowing is one thing, but putting
that knowledge into practice and incorporating it into my lessons and classrooms is another thing entirely.
While I have begun to incorporate my students’ home languages into daily routines and have started to use
more culturally inclusive materials, I would like to find more ways to embed my students’ cultures into everyday
classroom routines. Through my lesson plan for this course, I focused on my Circle Time routine and I feel that
I have made strides towards cultural inclusion during that part of the school day. I feel that classroom routines
are a great way to incorporate culture in a meaningful way, on a daily basis. I would like to next focus on my
snack routine, as food and mealtime routines are often an important aspect in many cultures. Changing small
things can make a big impact for students, as well as for my staff and me. While I know that my focus on
classroom routines will play a big part in incorporating culturally inclusive practices into my classroom, I would
like to dive deeper into the curriculum as well. I teach through thematic units, which provide students with many
opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of the content. For example, almost every year, I include a
farm unit. I always teach the typical farm ideas - a red barn, green tractors, farm animals (cows, pigs, horses,
ducks, etc.), corn. As I get ready for my farm theme this year, I have done a lot of reflection on what a farm
might mean to my students. I grew up in the Midwest, so I have a very distinct idea of what a farm is. Farms in
California are different from farms in Iowa. Farms in China or Italy or India are different still. When thinking
about teaching a farm unit in a culturally inclusive way, I know I need to do more than just the red barn with
cows and pigs to tap into my students’ possible prior knowledge and to respect my students’ and families’
cultures.

Through my personal reflection, I know that I want to do what is best for not only my students learning English
as a second language, but for each and every one of my students. I would like to think that I have
characteristics of a ​Rida,​ however, I know I also still have characteristics and tendencies of a ​Wanksta.​ I know
that I have a lot of work to do and that I have to focus on Duncan-Andrade’s third Pillar - preparation. This
course has allowed me to broaden the scope of my reflection to more fully include cultural inclusivity.