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Promoting the Success
of Immigrant Students
andFamilies
Critical Question
What do we need to know to promote the success of immigrant students?
Goals
• Strengthen cultural awareness and competence
• Deepen understanding of the challenges immigrant families face
• Provide classroom and school-wide strategies for working with immigrant students and parents.
Use the polling buttons to indicate yes (check) or no (X)
Were you born outside of Alberta?
WHO WE ARE
Were one or more of your parents born outside of Canada?
Do you speak more than one language?
Have you traveled outside of Canada?
Permanent Residents Admitted in 2011Rank Country of origin Number Percentage
1 Philippines 34,991 14.1%
2 People’s Republic of China 28,696 11.5%
3 India 24,965 10.0%
4 United States of America 8,829 3.5%
5 Iran 6,840 2.7%
6 United Kingdom and Colonies 6,550 2.6%
7 Haiti 6,208 2.5%
8 Pakistan 6,073 2.4%
9 France 5,867 2.4%
10 United Arab Emirates 5,223 2.1%
Total Top 10 134,242 54.0%
All Other Source Countries 114,506 46.0%
TOTAL 248,748 100%
Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Facts and Figures 2011.
Permanent Resident Immigrants 2012
Family class 64,901 25%
Economic Immigrants—Principal Applicants
68,208 62%
Economic Immigrants—Spouses and Dependants
92,409
Refugees 23,056 9%
Other Immigrants 8,936 3%
Total 257,515 100%
Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, RDM, Preliminary 2012 Data.
Permanent Immigrant by Class
Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
37,068 57,561 65,618 57,681 58,228
Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Temporary Foreign Workers in Alberta
2003 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Calgary 9,271 11,186 11,246 13,039 13,708 16,107 15,060
Edmonton 4,810 6,016 6,540 7,517 8,508 11,008 10,457
Medicine Hat 149 149 163 181 169 207 189
Lethbridge 169 228 279 298 483 556 509
Red Deer 203 322 567 676 537 586 759
Other Alberta 1,237 1,503 2,065 2,490 3,612 4,186 3,989
Alberta 15,839 19,404 20,860 24,201 27,017 32,650 30,963
Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Permanent Resident Immigrants
Positive Minus Interesting
WHAT WAS POSITIVE, MINUS OR INTERESTING?
• Language and Culture
• Climate
• Lack of social support
• Employment barriers
• Debt burden
• Discrimination
• Benefit waiting period
• Housing
• Psychological trauma experienced as a result of fleeing a conflict zone
New Immigrant Challenges
Language and Culture
Different foods, housing, clothing
Different way of life
Different rules and expectations
Culture shock
New Immigrant Challenges
What do you see ?
Employment barriers
No recognition of credentials
No Canadian experience, poor job network
Many live in poverty, in spite of holding two jobs
New Immigrant Challenges
Debt burden
Refugees have to repay government loans for medical exams and travel expenses
New Immigrant Challenges
Discrimination
• There are stories of exclusionary and discriminatory practices in the workplace and community such as:
Denied jobs for lacking Canadian work experience
Devaluation of foreign credentials
Denied rental accommodations, etc.
New Immigrant Challenges
Benefit waiting period
90 day wait for health care
Temporary Foreign Workers do not qualify
New Immigrant Challenges
Housing• Primary concern for new immigrants• May be unaware of their rights as renters• Landlords may require letters confirming employment
which may not be possible
New Immigrant Challenges
• Will have a major impact on both the student and his/her family and may impede a smooth transition into their new life
• Will impact all aspects of student’s well being including: academics, socialization, emotional health, etc
For support, CONTACT:• School guidance counsellor• District psychologist • Local Immigrant Services Agency
Psychological Trauma experienced as a result of fleeing a conflict zone
WHAT DID YOU FIND SURPRISING OR INTERESTING FROM THE INFORMATION THAT WAS JUST SHARED?
http://www.settlement.org/sys/library_detail.asp?k=ELEMSEC_SUCCEED&doc_id=1004928
New Moves: An Orientation Video For Newcomer Students
http://www.settlement.org
New Moves: An Orientation Video for Newcomer Students
What are we already doing well to support immigrant students?
The total range of activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the group.
The attitudes, feelings, values, and behaviours that characterize and inform society as a whole or any social group within it.
Define culture
• Surface Culture• LANGUAGE
• ARTS, LITERATURE
• RELIGIONS, MUSIC, DRESS
• DANCE, GAMES, SPORTS, COOKING
• Folk Culture //////// awareness level boundary/////\\\
• NOTIONS OF MODESTY CONCEPTS OF BEAUTY
• EDUCATION CHILD RAISING RULES OF DESCENT
• COSMOLOGY RELATIONSHIP TO THINGS, ANIMALS & PLANTS
• COURTSHIP PRACTICES CONCEPT OF JUSTICE MOTIVATION TO WORK
• CRITERIA FOR LEADERSHIP DECISION MAKING PROCESSES DEITIES DEATH
• IDEAS OF CLEANLINESS LOCUS OF CONTROL THEORY OF DISEASE PHYSICAL SPACE
• DEFINITION OF SANITY, FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, MURDER, LIFE, GENDER, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
• ROLES IN RELATION TO STATUS BY AGE, GENDER, CLASS, KINSHIP, OCCUPATION, RELIGION,
• CONVERSATIONAL PATTERNS IN VARIOUS SOCIAL CONTEXTS, CONCEPTION OF TIME & SPACE
• PREFERENCES FOR COMPETITION, COOPERATION, INDIVIDUALISM OR GROUP NORMS, SIN, GRACE
• NOTION OF ADULTHOOD, NOTION OF LOGIC AND VALIDITY, PHYSICAL SPACE ARRANGEMENTS, LIFE
Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg (Gary Weaver)
Scaffolding for Instructional Success
• Tap into prior knowledge
• Model what students are to do
• Give students time to process new ideas
• Pre-teach vocabulary
• Use visual aids
• Attend to your language
• Build and nurture learning community
Constructivist Scaffolding Strategies
Tap into prior knowledge
Relate topic to their own lives and experiences
Make connection to student background
Ask students to share their experiences (give hints and suggestions, if needed)
Scaffolding
Model what students are to do
Give an example of how final product should look
Provide criteria for evaluation
Demonstrate the process through think-aloud
Make goals explicit
Scaffolding
Give students time to process new ideas
Provide structured talking time
Students verbally make sense of the ideas and articulate that sense with their buddies
Scaffolding
Pre-teach vocabulary Introduce words in context
Have students develop illustrations
Use dictionary definitions last
Scaffolding
• Inside Story Flash Cardsprintable vocabulary flashcards with striking images and unforgettable definitions http://insidestoryflashcards.com/
Tech tricks!
• an online encyclopedia for "people with different needs, such as students, children, adults with learning difficulties and people who are trying to learn English"
• articles are usually shorter and present only basic information
Simple English Wikipedia
Use visual aids
Demonstrations, graphic organizers, photos, charts, films, manipulatives, timelines
Skim the chapter looking at photos and discussing, take a “picture walk” through the materials before reading the text
Scaffolding
Attend to your language
Not too fast, not too slow
Use body language
Be careful using humour, idioms, figures of speech
Use translation when necessary
Check if you are understood, paraphrase
Scaffolding
Build and nurture learning community
Work in groups whenever appropriate.
Scaffolding
What other scaffolding strategies have you used?
“Before teachers and administrators put expectations on parents regarding their involvement in the child’s education, they need to understand parents’ cultural backgrounds as it relates to education.
For example, it is unlikely that South Sudanese parents will expect to be involved as partners in the education of their child since in South Sudan, the responsibility for children’s education rests solely with the teacher.”
Working with South Sudanese Immigrant Students – Teachers Resources. Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation
How do we promote parental involvement in our schools?
Parents sometimes work two or three jobs to make ends meet when they immigrate to Canada.
When immigrants first arrive in Canada, like their children, they too are enrolled in school taking English lessons provided by the Canadian government.
Increase Awareness of Immigrant Challenges
• Find out about the family and be sensitive to their cultural practices.
• Reach out to families and invite parents to become involved. Initially, whenever possible, this should be done with the support of intercultural consultants and other community leaders.
(page 9 Teaching Somali Immigrant Children: Resources for Student Success. Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation and the Alberta Teachers Association)
Where To Begin? Connecting your School with the Immigrant Family
• Meetings for high school completion requirements• Student award nights, art exhibits, math & science fairs• Vision screening and dental checks• Car seat safety checks• Clothing exchanges• Heritage language clubs taught by volunteers• Haircuts and Styling• Help with reading bills, mail, junk mail, etc.
Teaching Somali Immigrant Children: Resources for Student Success. Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation and the Alberta Teachers Association
Reaching the Community through Programs, Meetings and Events
http://bit.ly/1cDwgjX
Working with Parents for Student Success For Our Kids
Settlement.org
WORKING WITH SOUTH SUDANESE AND SOMALI STUDENTS RESOURCES FROM ATA
School/Home Communication Handbook for Parents
ATA PublicationLearning Together— Public Education in
Alberta
STRATEGIES I WOULD LIKE TO TRY WITH MY IMMIGRANT STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
