Reading Response- Week 3 (Ch.1-3 in Managing Diverse Classrooms)
- cannfitzgerald
- Aug 31, 2015
- 2 min read
After reading Chapters 1, 2, and 3 from Managing Diverse Classrooms by Carrie Rothstein-Fisch and Elise Trumbull, I now grasp the importance of teachers understanding the differences between individualistic cultures and collectivistic cultures. The authors emphasized the point that the individualistic culture is representative of the U.S. and the collectivistic culture is representative of many U.S. immigrants, such as Latino families (Rothstein-Fisch & Trumbull, 2008). Rothstein-Fisch and Trumbull explain that U.S. schools and teachers strive to teach children to be independent individuals, while immigrant families typically want their children to learn to be respectful team members in their society (p. 11-13).
This is extremely important for me to understand as a current intern in a community with many migrant worker families. I can imagine these very different cultural goals for children becoming a barrier between the teacher and parents, so it was eye-opening to read about parent-teacher conferences when the teacher says their child is outstanding, and a parent can be insulted because they teach their child not to stand out over others in a group. I have noticed that some of my students from Hispanic cultures are quiet during whole group lessons so I am making it a goal for myself to make observations during small group activities this week and pick my teacher’s brain about her knowledge of the different cultures in our classroom.
I have implemented morning meetings in my classroom to create a genuine classroom community among my students. Students feel comfortable sharing and they are able to connect to their classmates during this time. I plan to continue these morning meetings to teach my students about being aware and respectful with their peers. These chapters have helped me become more aware of bridging cultures and the importance of this in a classroom in order to provide a harmonious learning environment for all of my students.
Fisch, C., & Trumbull, E. (2008). Managing diverse classrooms how to build on students' cultural strengths. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
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