Prism Model:
Overcoming this problem is not as simple as it is as firstly, teacher must make sense of the elements of Prism Model to CLD students learning. If teacher fails to address the real issue, it will be out of focus. It is like the wrong prescription is given for students and it is dangerous. CLD students might have problem in language or linguistic, but immersing them into extensive programs of reading might not be a great help as the main concern for them is lack of motivation to attend the reading classes which is related to sociocultural challenges. He/She might be uncomfortable sitting in that reading class due to the fact that reading activities provided specifically focus on individual rather than group works. A sensitive teacher will provide activities that can fit into his/her students biography.
In order for teacher to use Prism Model in order to suit the need of CLD students, teacher can do focus on the aspect of :
Academic Challenges:
Teacher needs to realize that most of academic and concepts can be transferred to second language from CLD students’ first language. Teacher needs to techniques that can help to smoothen up this transfer during assessment, for example, providing para professional help or translator. It is important as well teacher knows previous education that students receive as teacher will not water down and make it easy too students. They will not be motivated as it is not challenging enough.
Cognitive Development:
Knowing the preferences on students types of intelligences are important as it will help teacher to provide teaching material or activities that can help them boost best their grasp of understanding of teacher’s lessons. For example, preparing lots of graphics and mind maps for virtual learners.
Language Development:
Knowing the language aspect of students in order to help them transferring L1 knowledge to L2 so that students will be able to learn better. For example, the phonemes or phonetics similarities, cognates and etc. I also realize knowing students level of second language acquisition is important too. For example, if the above students is in preproduction stage in his writing but intermediate fluency stage in his speaking skills, then the teacher must provide lessons/activities that suit his/her level of development.
Socio and Cultural Processes:
I am thinking using text/ assessment that is related to students sociocultural process can help to enhance learning. If students come from a culture that highly collective society might perform better in assessment that use performance based assessment with peer involvements or play based assessment.
Biopsychosial Approach:
Researching about Biopsychosocial Approach, it mentions that in order to understand patient, it is very important to understand the three aspects of them. Biological,Psychological and social aspects of a patient is interrelated and can lead to the wreckage of the whole beings. In relation to Biopsychosocial Approach towards CLD students, teacher will explore these three aspects in related to CLD students. For example:
a) Bio :
You notice students of yours always ask questions on whatever you write on whiteboard and it is only him rather than the whole class. You might suspect him having problem with his eyesight. First, you might want to ask him to sit in front to see either his eyesight improve or not. If it does not change, you might ask him to see you and interview him asking for clarification. If it is positive, then you might want him to go for a check up.
Anyway, this process of asking him to go to the treatment will involve other consideration or probability such as he might not see a optometrist if he comes from a poor family, or a single parent student that need to divide his/her time/money between studying and meeting other financial needs of his/her families.
b)Psych:
Let us take the same case as above, it will affect his performance in class thinking about his inability to follow lessons as he needs to get his eyes checked and it will cost/trouble his mother to find/get money for him. He will be stress and put him into anxiety and depression.
c) Socio:
Thinking about the problem above, teacher might want to know further by setting up a committee that can look into the student’s problem in order to gather help. A committee might have a social visit to the students house in order to get more information on questions such as:
- the depth /seriousness of the problem related to family financial capabilities
- help/aid that they might receive.
- Access to private practitioner/doctors.
It means both is used to understand what CLD students inside out, its like investigating in order to understand and help teacher to plan instructional design for CLD students.
Pre Assessment Tool: Mind Map of Self
The main idea of having pre assessment tool is to gather information as much as possible so that teacher can see below the iceberg. This can be done informally by asking them later to discuss and share whatever that they write/draw with classmates. While individual student presents, teacher will jot down the thoughts that students transfer such as their preferences, background knowledge, level of second language acquisition and etc. This can be used to make connection to students’ biography cards/mind maps.
Students will be put randomly in groups and will be given a piece of paper each, individually. It has a mind map that has few branches asking them to them out, information pertaining to themselves that they are willing to share. They are being told that they can draw pictures, or they can write anything that they like. They are given the ideas that they can add the branches by putting anything else that they like on their own. Later they are going to share this with their classmates.
References:
Herrera,S.G.,&Murry,K.G.,& Cabral,R.M Assessment and Accommodations For Classroom Teachers of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Boston, MA, Allyn and Bacon.
Herrera,S.G.,Perez,D.R&Escamilla,K. Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Differentiatied Literacies. Boston,MA, Allyn and Bacon.
Herrera,S.G & Murry,K.G Mastering ESL and Bilingual Methods: Differentiated Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse(CLD) Students. Boston,MA,Allyn and Bacon.
Tags: assessment, Biopsychosocial Approach, cld students, cognitive, english language, english language learners, research, Writing