The purpose of using cross-cultural strategies is to help students from
diverse backgrounds understand and value each others' perspectives.
*** A kindergarten teacher was going over colors. "What color is a
banana?" she asked a Hispanic student. Someone translated that into
'platano' for the student and the student answered, "Green". "No, that's
not right," said the teacher. Then she turned to an African-American
student. "Do you know what color a banana is?" The student
answered, "Brown." Again the teacher said, "No." Then she asked an
Anglo student, and the student responded, "Yellow." "That's right," said
the teacher. "A banana is yellow." Well, of course, a banana is green,
then yellow, then brown- it depends on the stage of ripeness that you
prefer. Also, a plantain (platano in Spanish) is a relative of the banana
that stays mostly green.***
General Backgrounds:
Curriculum Materials- Choose materials that reflect the perspectives
and contributions of a variety of cultural groups. Look for reading
material translated from different languages or written by members of
different cultural groups. Look for text and pictures that represent a
variety of cultures fairly.
Multiple Perspectives: Help students appreciate different ways of
interpreting information. Value the contriblutions of students from other
cultures even when they are different from the answers or
interpretations you expect.
Instructional Strategies: Adapt to students' learning styles, academic
skill levels and language proficiency levels. Try to present material
through a variey of media and styles. Provide open-ended practice
activities as well as those requiring one right answer.
Language Diversity: Promote multilingualism and its value. Let all
students learn something about a new language, not just your ESL
students.
Student Evaluation: Use informal/alternative assessment and
observation to guide instruction. Be aware of what your assessment
tools are really measuring--skill and knowledge mastery or English
proficiency.
Grouping Students: Value and implement samll group activities; be
flexible in grouping practices. Research shows that students who work
together to achieve a goal value each other more as partners.
Visuals: Consider and select visual displays fromn various
microcultures. Avoid visuals that show only one cultural point of view or
that show your students' cultures negatively.
Role Models: Provide students with a diversity of role models filling both
traditional and nontraditional roles.
Home-School Relationships: Build close relationships between family
and school by sending positive, informative messages. Invite parents
into your classroom as a rich source of cultural and linguistic
information.
Extracurricular Activities: Encourage student participation in activities
that reflect their interests, both personal and perhaps cultural.