Northwest Education Collaboration: Beyond Family Involvement

Creating a Culturally Safe Environment

Key to this approach is the assumption that diverse languages and ways of understanding and interpreting the world are an asset and a resource, not a liability. In order for children to construct a "knowledgeable, confident, self-identity" (Derman-Sparks, 1989), schools must stop requiring children to "subtract" their language and cultural identity and replace it with the language and culture of the dominant group, a process known as assimilation. Rather, they must acknowledge and build on cultural differences, while at the same time preparing children to live successfully in both worlds - their home culture and the larger society.
According to Rosegrant (1992), a teacher in a multilingual kindergarten, the first place to start is with the child's family. In order to create a "culturally safe" classroom, she finds out as much as possible about the family backgrounds and experiences of all the children, by surveying parents, by reading multiple books on the represented cultures, and by careful observation of children to "see what experiences seem to connect with them." She describes a little girl from Africa who had listened to many African stories before one in particular connected to her experience:
The story was Bringing in the Rain to Kapiti Plain, and in it a shepherd is depicted standing on one leg - "like a stork." The child brightened immediately and yelled out, "That's how people stand in my country!" Her enthusiasm communicated to me that she feels culturally safe in our classroom (p. 146).

In order to legitimize the contributions of all people, early childhood classrooms should include pictures, puppets, dolls, foods, and other objects for dramatic play that represent diverse cultures and people with disabilities. A wide variety of multi cultural learning activities ensures that all children see themselves and their families reflected in the classroom environment. "Children need to know that they can choose a book and find themselves in it," notes a teacher at a Northwest child development center. Literature is one of the best ways to learn about diverse cultures and ethnic groups:
Songs and literature from a variety of cultures, lifestyles, and income groups - especially those represented in the classroom - should be an integral part of the classroom environment. Children need to see "people like themselves" in the stories they read.
Creating a take-home library of children's books in diverse languages encourages parents to reinforce the heritage language as well as to read to their children (Rosegrant, 1992).
Books and tapes in diverse languages and from diverse cultural perspectives - rather than mere translations of English stories - are particularly salient for children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

The importance of language. For many years, educators have viewed children who speak languages other than English as deficient. Lack of English has been seen as the problem, and speaking other languages has been thought to interfere with the acquisition of English - the solution to the problem. As a 1918 superintendent noted, the objective for all immigrant children was "absolute forgetfulness of all obligations, or connections with other countries because of descent of birth" (Yzaguirre, 1999). This sentiment is illustrated by the following story: According to legend, Henry Ford periodically staged a ceremony to celebrate "the great American melting pot." In the ceremony, newly arrived immigrant employees, dressed in their ethnic attire, walked behind a large caldron. When they emerged on the other side, dressed in their new company-provided overalls, they symbolically disposed of their ethnic clothing in the caldron.
Schools have reflected this melting pot concept of America. The role of public education has been not only to produce future workers but to socialize students into the existing social, economic, and political ideologies by transmitting knowledge, skills, and social and moral rules of the culture (Kohlberg & Mayer, 1972). However, a number of studies have found that when children's language and culture are incorporated into the school program, widespread school failure does not occur. Cummins (1986) points out that the most successful bilingual programs appear to be those that emphasize and use children's primary (home) language. He suggests that "students' school success appears to reflect both the more solid cognitive/academic foundation developed through intensive primary language instruction and the reinforcement (rather than devaluation) of their cultural identity" (p. 25).
Research on bilingual education shows that most children can pick up conversational or "playground" English in a year or two, but may need more time to master academic English, regardless of whether they take part in bilingual education programs or learn in English-only classrooms. (see Handout 6 (pdf format)). Based on analysis of research on bilingual education, the Committee from the National Research Council (1998), suggest:
Whenever the resources are available, children should be taught to read in their first language while they are mastering oral English
When that is not possible, substantial levels of oral English competence should be in place before attempting to read in English

Even when teachers cannot speak the language of all children in the classroom, they can communicate to children and parents that their language and culture are valued within the context of the school (Cummins, 1986). For example, learning as many words as possible in a linguistically diverse child's language, encouraging children to teach the class a few words in their language, and providing bilingual signs around the classroom convey to children and their families that diverse languages are valued. Color-coding the signs with a different color for each language draws children's attention to the different languages used in labeling.
Stages of second language learning. Learning a new language is a huge task, for both children and adults. While many educators believe that young children learn a new language with little effort, studies of the process reveal that mastering a new language takes time, perseverance, and support from adults and peers. Patton Tabors, professor and researcher from Harvard University, points out that children are building the language system from scratch, and, in a busy classroom, they are primarily doing it themselves, without the one-on-one attention they enjoyed as infants.
Tabors and Snow (1994) argue that when children are learning a new language (after the first language is established), they go through four distinct stages. First, children use the home language. When it becomes clear that others do not understand him or her, children may enter a nonverbal period, a period in which they do not talk at all. While this can be frustrating for teachers, who may refer children for special educational services, or mistakenly interpret the silence as stubbornness or non-compliance, Tabors advises teachers to try to understand the child's point of view. She offers this analogy to help adults understand why a child might choose this option. "You have just won an all-expense paid trip to Tibet. You get off the plane and enter a crowded airport. You are surrounded by unfamiliar people, sights, and sounds. Congratulations, you have just entered the nonverbal phase!" (Workshop, April, 1999).
After considerable practice, data gathering, and sound experimentation (a period that may last as long as a year), children may be ready to go public with a few individual words and memorized common phrases, such as "my turn," and "give it to me." Finally, children reach the stage of productive language use. In this stage children move from using a few formulaic patterns, such as "I wanna" coupled with names of objects (e.g., I wanna paper), to an understanding of the syntactic system of the language. At any stage, a child may use the strategies of an earlier stage. Learning a second language is a cumulative process," explains Tabors. "It's highly volatile; at any point, a child might have it one minute and lose it the next. It's important for teachers to be aware of how a child feels, and provide lots of non-threatening opportunities for the child to talk with adults and peers (Workshop, April, 1999).
Including families. Developing strong family/school partnerships is essential to providing cultural continuity for children (Wolfe, 1992). Encouraging children to bring pictures of their families and share favorite stories or songs from home, and asking family members to share aspects of their culture, can help children feel secure and valued for who they are (Boutte & McCormick, 1992). Parents and other family and community members may be encouraged to visit the school to read, tell stories, and share oral traditions, beliefs and values, and knowledge of traditional celebrations, art, music, poetry, and dance (Wolfe, 1992). It is important to respect a family's beliefs about sharing their culture and language; some families may feel that this practice is intrusive. It is also important to help children be comfortable with their parents' visits. Because English is a high-status language, children may learn early that other languages are less valued, and feel ashamed of their home language and culture. A teacher in a Northwest Head Start classroom tells how she dealt with a tense situation in her diverse classroom:
Our children are used to diversity and tend to take most things in stride. But when Ruby, whose mother is deaf, entered our program, we noticed that she would ignore her mother, often going to the far end of the room to avoid her. We soon realized that Ruby was embarrassed by her mother's use of sign language in the classroom. So we began teaching sign in circle and using it throughout the day. We brought in books in sign language, and the children loved to study them. Over the next few weeks, we watched Ruby change from being ashamed of her mother to being proud of her and of her own ability to use sign language. They became the experts.

Structuring the language-learning environment. By understanding the way children learn a first language, teachers can apply these principles to help children learn English. While until recently English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) methods of teaching had a strong behavioristic skills orientation, current practices emphasize a whole language approach. ESL literature identifies attainment of communicative competence as the goal of instruction (Abramson, Seda & Johnson, 1990). With the recognition that language is best learned through actual use in a nonthreatening social context, language use is encouraged by focusing on meaning rather than correctness of form, regarding errors as part of the learning process (Abramson, et al., 1990). Like young children learning a first language, when children's communicative attempts are directly corrected, they may learn that it is better not to speak at all. Modeling the correct form and encouraging further communication help children gain proficiency without damaging their self-esteem.
Teachers can help children connect new words with meaning by using contextual cues, such as gestures, actions, pictures, and real objects. As Okagaki and Sternberg (1994) point out, for children with limited English skills, following teachers' directions and even "figuring out what to do to stay minimally out of trouble is an enormous task" (p. 18). While Anglo teachers typically value the decontextualized "text" over the context, Delpit (1995) observes that other groups, such as Native Alaskans, Native Americans and African Americans, place a far greater value on context. In a classroom setting, while an Anglo teacher frequently directs children to do something while he or she is engaged in a different task, other cultural groups typically match words with actions.
For example, if a Native American teacher says, "Copy the words," she is at the blackboard pointing. Delpit (1995) points out, "The Anglo teacher asks the children to attend to what he says, not what he does; the Native American teacher, on the other hand, supports her words in a related physical context. What gets done is at least as important as what gets said" (p. 98). To help linguistically diverse children feel secure and competent in the classroom setting, as well as to promote English proficiency, teachers should learn to provide as many cues as possible to aid understanding.
Rowe (1986) found that providing ample time for children to answer questions may increase the number and quality of responses for all children. Increasing the "wait time" from the usual one second or less to three or more seconds can provide needed time for children not only to reflect on their answers but also to form their words in a second language. Children may need to rehearse their response by first saying the words to themselves or in a low voice, before saying them out loud.
Using lots of poems, chants, and songs that include repetition of phrases helps children learn vocabulary and knowledge of story structure within enjoyable activities. Poetry and songs are fun to memorize and can last a lifetime. Unusual vocabulary and complex word structures are often taken in stride when they appear in songs and poetry. In Wally's Stores (1981), Paley describes a five-year-old Japanese girl who was not comfortable with the other children in her classroom and was afraid to speak English. But through memorizing lines from fairy tales, which she "carried around like gifts, bestowing them on children in generous doses," Akemi began to conquer English:
"I am the wishing bird," she said, flying gracefully into the doll corner. "I wish for a golden crown," Jill responded, whereupon Akemi delicately touched her head with an invisible wand.
Adults who go about quoting poetry seldom receive encouragement, but the children rewarded Akemi by repeating her phrases and motions. She correctly interpreted this as friendship. Whenever a child copied her, Akemi would say, "Okay. You friend of me" (p. 124).

Through the magic of fairy tales, Paley reports that Akemi progressed from memorizing phrases, to telling imaginative and complex stories, to acting out stories, in a remarkably short time. But it is not only learning new words that may be difficult. Cultural incongruities between the patterns of communication experienced by children in the home and at school can undermine successful learning. For example, many classrooms emphasize individual responsibility and achievement, competition, and teacher controlled learning. Other cultural groups - such as Native Americans and Alaska Natives - may be unaccustomed to this style of learning, and instead place a higher value on group work that fosters shared responsibility. A curriculum that emphasizes projects and joint inquiry can help children who share this cultural value feel comfortable in the school setting (Philips, 1983).
Projects that involve exploring the local community can help children understand the region they live in and can serve as the basis for integrating skills in math, science, art, history, and language arts (Rowe & Probst, 1995). Rowe and Probst (1995) describe an adventure in learning that began when a third-grade class in Alaska abandoned its traditional science text and participated in weekly projects and field trips to study their community in the Pribilof Islands. The authors report that the project gave the students opportunities to apply prior knowledge in ways that validated their thinking, to learn what it means to be an Aleut, and to value their heritage.
Summary. Research on resiliency has shown that schools that establish high expectations for all kids - and give them the support necessary to live up to the expectations - have high rates of academic success (Benard, 1993). In order for schools to build on the potential of all children, school staff must create a culturally sensitive environment that is both a responsive and demanding, an environment where children's multiple intelligences are recognized and nourished. Narrow, culturally biased definitions of "readiness," "giftedness," and school success track and label children; low expectations restrict their opportunities and ability to learn. Schools, informed by families and the community, can broaden their definitions of learning and expectations for school success, enhancing the quality of life for all concerned.
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