BACK??97/02/05 12:40
by Dabid L. Adcock, Ph.D
(Principal, King School, Urbana, Illinois, USA)
# Thank you, Mr.Adcock for giving us the nice lecture at Saitama university. These are my subtle impression on your lecture. If you or the person concerned with King School read this page, please give me some comments, thank you.
"...............This year , we have sutdents from 59 different countries and 42 language backgrounds...this is the most diverse we have ever been. Up until a few years ago, I used to tell people that we generally have students from about 45 countries and 35 language backgrounds, so you can see even our very multicultural population continues to become even more diverse. I understand that some schools and cities in Japan are becoming more diverse as well, thus creating a need for more discussion among educators about how best to work with shis diversity."
# It's true in Japan recently some schools are becoming more diverse, but Japanese junior high schools are not so diverse(I'm a junior high teacher), if any, at most of them Japanese is still standard language. In Japanese diverse environment the demanded languages are Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Pilipino, Vietnamese, Iranian, and others but English. English is learned by Japanese as a foreign language, but they(foreigners in Japan) have to learn Japanese as a second language to lead a life. Despite of such environment Japanese schools for foreigners as a second language are very few ( especially for Asian people) , if any, it's managed by volunteers.
".........The continuing existance of war and changing politics and governments within certain countries has created a continuous flow of political and economic refugees who flee from their countries in search of better living conditions, freedoms, or in some instances, the very safety of their families. These families bring a wide range of personal, psychological, social, and educcational needs to the schools and communities they migrate to. They have brought with them a demand for chnging programs, chnging attitudes, and new materials and approaches to teaching--all of which demand more resources, money, and people."
# In Japan most of migrants are forced to assimilate into Japanese culture, unless they do they will be a perfect outsider. Please remember we are group-oriented people, but at the same time we've been Westernized since the Meiji Restoration(1868), so we hanker after the U.S. or European culture but Asian counterpart, I mean the assimilation of Asian foreigners but the U.S. or other European people. I think it's the biggest problem in "Internationalization" for Japan.
"Each of these societal changes have been factors in the growing diversity of King School. A brief overview of some of the programs and approaches that we have at King to address this deversity includes:
| * English as a Second Language services on a large
scale * Native Language support services in 20 languages * Cultural Enrichment activities such as: all-school assemblies for students to celebrate United Nations Day, Lunar New Year, and Martin Luther King Day, and all-family activities such as an annual International Dinner, and an International Fair every other year. * Second Language and culture classes beginning at the Kindergarden level for all students. English-speaking students can choose to study either Spanish, French, or Japanese. |
Principles of School Management in a Multicultural Society
The basic principles that guide the decision-making and educational programming for schools in multicultural settings come from a variety of levels including federal and state government laws and policies, individual school districts' philosophies, and individual school leaders' value.
In the U.S., national and state policies mandate that all students between the ages of 5 and 18 are eligible, and in fact mandated, to receive a free public education. Furthermore, the courts have ruled that if a student's language prevents him/her from understading what is taught, the school district must take some steps to make it more understandable. And even further, some states, including Illinois where I live, mandate that if there are 20 or more students from the same language background who are limited in English proficiency in English in any one school, that school must provide some support in the native language while the students are learning English."
# Replacing it for Japanese English education situations, we teachers give students some lessons in English. Even if some explanations of grammar or syntax are needed we dare to teach it in English, while in such a case mother tongue is more understandable. Instead of our usage of English speech differents Natives' speech should be used through some media. I think our Japanese teachers' unperfect speech is just for improving students' interest to speak out.
" Some of the basic personal principles that I believe are important to help guide decision-making and programming in a culturally diverse setting include:
1) EVERYONE should immediately feel welcome when coming into a school. New students and ther families make an immedeate impression when they enter a new school, and that impression is difficult to change later. Students need to feel comfortable and welcome in order to most effectively learn.
2) Diversity among people should not be seen as an obstacle, but as a strength, and we should celebrate our diversity, not fear it or try to hide it. Students should be able to come to school and be proud of who they are, and not have to lose their personal or cultural identity just to attend school. No matter what their age, students come to school with a well-developed language, a way of dressing, a diet of particular foods, and some degree of pride in themselves. As a school, we should have the goal of accepting these things with others that we imply are more important. Teaching students to appreciate our diversity should be one of our highest priorities.
# At King School Students should not have to lose their personal or cultural identity while Japanese students want to be Westernized even if they abandon their own culture. I think if we aim at the real Internationalization we have to take the first step that students learn their own culture and language then they realize what they are and "Individualism".
"3) Students cannot learn if they cannot understand what is being taught...........................effective learning in a multicultural setting depends on "compregensible input".....................using the student's native language, using visual supports such as gestures, pictures, maps, etc.....................it is crucial for students to understand what is being taught if they are expected to learn it.
4) Being proficient in more than one language will help a student understand her/his own language better. However, if a student is much stronger in one language, s/he will learn new concepts more quickly in that language, and it will be relatively simple later to learn the new vocabulary in the second language. Therefore, when possible, native language support is one of the best types of support available, and to develop multiple language proficiency in all students is desirable. I believe that the loss of a language by an individual or group of people is a terrible loss which for some people is not realized until later in life (sometimes too late), and for some groups of people, it is not realzed until generations have passed (again, sometimes too late)."
# I think as an English teacher we are very happy here in Japan because we never forget our language, so strongly it is input that we cannot acquire the second or foreign language easily. But thinking of it well, we are so prosperous that we can earn our lives without foreign investments. We have to thank this happy situations, and prepare for the adversity.
"5) Language, although a key part, is only one part of culture, and students learning a new language should also learn about the larger culture of the people who speak that language.................
6) Educators need to be aware that school calendars around the world are defferent, and so are the ways in which different coutries approach rurricular emphases (what is taught ), teaching methods( how it is taught), sequence(when and in what order it is taught), and instructional materials................................
7) The school should be a place to help students grow holistically--both academically, as well as physically, and emotionally...............................
8) People's behavior, and their response to our behavior, is culturally determined. What may seem strange, or sometimes offensive, to us is often perceived differently by others, and is a result of defferent child-rearing practices, problem-solving strategies, or generally just a different way of doing things which is perfectly acceptable in other cultures. Before reacting too quckly to a situation, we need to try to understand the situation from the others' point of view, and work together to try to reach an understanding. This can greatly affect both the parents' relationship with the school and the child's vehavior and success in school."
# This strategies are very important for us because our society will set into the diversity one mainly by many migrants from Asian countries. If we ignore the situation where many Asian people come into Japanese society we can't understand each other , live together happily and many crimes will take place. We have to prepare for the coming diversity society through our changing the old way of thinking into new perspective.
"9) Programs designed to meet the cultural and linguistic needs of students should be viewed as enrichment types of programs rather than being considered remedial....................
10) Teachers need specific training in all of the principles above and generally in specific ways that they can assist the students to learn and be welcomed into their classrooms............
Conclusion: Some "Hidden Benefits" of Multicultural School Settings
In spite of some of the problems (the DARE program/ the CAPP program/ economic poverty / religious difference .....etc.)and extra challenges we have due to our multicultural setting at King School, the rewards far outweigh the problems ! To see children from 59 nations of the world come together in our hallways and classed is a sight worth seeing. To hear students speaking in 30-40 languages a day while they also learn English as a common language is very exciting. To smell and taste foods from over 50 countries at our annual International dinner is a nouth-watering treat. To feel the excitement of 400 students celebrating their cultural diversity at our annual United Nations Day Program is spine-tingling, and it makes me optimistic about our future ! Indeed, I feel sure that some of our world's future leaders are there today..................................students from King School get along better and are much more tolerant of the differences in students as 1100 children come together from 6 elementary schools as they move to 6th grade........................"
# When we see our own culture, there is the big problem called "Bullying", even in the situation where the real diversity has not come yet we have the conflict between students. What the difference ? I think it comes from the difference of whether teaching "Individualism and responsibility" or not.
In Japan many students are protected in many ways, the law itself is good, but it's the problem that we never teach them independance out of indulgence. We have many two income families, so students' decipline is sometimes left to teachers' hands. That's why some teacher's violence are covered and on by them. If we teach them and their family "Individualism for diversity community" school curriculum will be less than now and we can eliminate "Bullying".
We teachers and students have a lot of things to do even after school, it results into our frustration. Frustration leads to many confrictions and violence. Now the time has come to do diversity education, we teachers don't want to discipline students, it should be owed to their family. We Japanese have to have more responsibility for our own personal behavior and thinking. What should we do as a teacher ? What should we do as a parent ? What should we do as a student ?
All of them depend on their responsibility and individualism.
We can see the keys and clues to solve many problems of school relative matters from "diversity education or global education". Don't take it wrong, all that we have to do first is to change our way of thinking not to be Westernized(I don't mean just the introduction and knowledge of global education but no actions). Global education is "Action-oriented" and "internal matter" for Japanese not external, I think.
BACK??