"What strategies or resources do you use to help your class/program be responsive to cultural diversity and English Language Learners?"
As teachers, no matter our background or where we end up teaching, we will encounter various students from varying cultural backgrounds and needs. As educators, we need to be adequately prepared to engage these students in our classes.
The main point that my virtual mentors were able to give me is that each student is unique. The phrase that has been stuck in my head a lot lately is Every student. Every Class. Every Day. It doesn't matter what the students background is or if they are learning English as a second language or not. All students should be treated with the same respect. Because of the scientific nature within our agriculture classes, ELL/ESL students may require more attention than others in terms of vocabulary and definitions.
The key is that each state, school, and program has differing resources for students who are ELL/ESL students. Our job as educators is to cater to our students needs in any way that we possibly can.
Kayla, the ag classroom has become a cultural melting pot as the field of agriculture evolves and changes along with student populations. Making the classroom welcoming and inclusive is key, and your mentors gave you some great advice for how to make this happen.
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