From: Angelica Garcia
Email:
Course: cd169:Motivating Children and Adolescents in Educational Settings
College: SJSU
Instructor: Eugene Matusov
ClassWeb: http://www.ematusov.com/cd169
ChildrenObservations: No
Date: 14 May 1997
Time: 15:21:47
Remote Name: otto.sjsu.edu
The purpose of this paper is to make people aware of the difficutlties Hispanic children need to overcome in order to achieve in school, and also to provide suggestions for teachers working with limited-English proficient (LEP) students. Based on the research on minorities and school, Hispanic children are the most at risk students for failure in school. It has also been found that there are simple steps that teachers can take that have been found to help this group of students improve and achieve in school. The implications of these findings are that teachers play a very important role in the school achievement of Hipanic children. Since Hispanic students are the fastest growing student population, this paper should be of interest to anyone planning on becoming a teacher, or to anyone planning on becoming a teacher, or to anyone already teaching in a culturally diverse school.
In our original paper my classmates (Sarah, Jessica, & Suzi) and I addressed the issue of minority motivation and school achievement. What we found was that black and Hispanic children were very positively motivated to achieve in school, unfortunately their actual achievement was much lower than their white peers (Stevenson, et al, 1996). We also found that the high school students motivation decreases. Perhaps this is a result of the repeated failure. Based on these findings, I believe that it is important to address the question of why these students achievement is so low, and what can be done to improve their performance.
From our class discussion many speculations emerged as to why black and Hipanic students achievement was so low. Some of these included, culturally-biased curriculum and assessment tests, and less access to resources. I think that another reason is that many Hispanic students have a language barrier that they need to overcome. Along with all the other obstacles that minority children face, not having a solid understanding of the language aggravates the low performance of Hispanic children.
One of the most serious concerns regarding limited-English proficient (LEP) students is the standards that they are expected to meet. According to Denise McKeon (1994) meeting content standards is much more difficult for LEP students. LEP students do not only face the task of learning the content, they also face the task of learining the language in order to understand what they are expected to learn, and to express what they have learned or already know (McKeon, 1994). For example, imagine that you are taking a class on CPR and first aid. You think that it won't be too difficult, but now imagine that the class will be taught in a language in which you only have a limited understanding of, and limited ability to speak it well. Now the class is twice as difficult as you thought it would be. McKeon (1994) is not suggesting that LEP students should have lower standards, in fact they should be held to the same high standards, but educators should be aware of the extra difficulty that LEP students have.
I think the most important thing to remember is that Hispanic, LEP students are not stupid, or less able to understand the content. A LEP student may in actuallity have a perfect understanding of the mathematical or historical content, but this knowledge can not be assessed by using tests in a language in which the student has only a limited proficiency.
Other reasons that LEP students have difficulty in improving school achievement are deficiencies in the programs and in teacher preparation. The deficiencies in the programs are that most LEP students do not receive the extra help they need, or if they do receive extra help it is not for long enough. Another deficiency is that in classes specifically for LEP and ESL students they are taught less content than regular classes. The teacher preparation deficiencies are that teachers are not required to have training or coursework on teaching second language learners.
According to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) (1992) their main priority has been to improve the educational success of all students, but their main effort has been to help the most at risk group of students, these being the LEP students. The CCSSO believes that in order for LEP students to achieve in school requires "access to effective second- language learning opportunities, and to a full educational program" (1992).
Based on the research there are several suggestions for educators working with LEP students. Based on his review of literature, Christopher Howe (1994) found the following steps to set high expectations for language-minority students. The teachers should encourage and support the students trying to succeed, and they should try to introduce the students to positive Hispanic role models. The third step is to help teachers and other staff serve LEP students more effectively. Teachers should be made aware of cultural dynamics and be taught strategies that have been found that work with Hispanic students. Fourth, the parents of LEP students should be encouraged to become involved in their children's education. Finally the fifth step is to build a strong commitment among school staff members to empower language-minority students through education. Howe (1994) states that teachers who are seen as caring for their students are the ones who make a greater impact on these students.
Other suggestions for teachers working with LEP students are given by Nancy Ridddlemoser (1995). These include, communicatin warmth and letting students know you are approachable and willing to work with them, and to be consistent and have the same standards of appropriate behavior for LEP students.
As I mentioned before, it is important to remember that these children are not stupid. They have all the same capabilities for learning as English speaking students. The only difference is that they have to work extra hard to show that they have learned. Therefore I believe that it is important for educators to be aware of what they can do to help LEP students achieve in school.
References
Howe, C. (1994). Improving the Achievement of Hispanic Students. Educational Leadership, 42-44.
McKeon, D. (1994). When Meeting "Common" Standards Is Uncommonly Difficult. Educational Leadership, 45-49.
Council of Chief State School Officers, (1992). Summary of Recommendations and Policy Implications for Improving the Assessment and Monitoring of Students With Limited English Proficiency. http://www.ccsso.org/leppol.htm
Riddlemoser, N. (1995). Tips for Teachers Working with LEP Students. http://www.nwrel.org/newsletters/equity-infoline/v2nl_dec94/lep.html