Teaching Bhutanese Refugee ELLs

Cultural Sensitivity/Diversity

Training

Brianna Sims, Danielle Magee, Jani Lambert, and Breanna Staden

Harrington. (2012) Group of Bhutanese Children.

Canada’s Commitment to Resettling Bhutanese Refugees

•“In May 2007, the Government of Canada announced that it would resettle up to 5,000 Bhutanese refugees over the next three to five years.

•In June 2012, the Government announced that it would resettle up to 500 more refugees whose only family connections are in Canada.

•In total, Canada will resettle up to 5,500 Bhutanese refugees who have been living for nearly two decades in U.N. run camps.

•Canada operates a global resettlement program and resettles refugees from about 70 different nationalities.

•The Government is also increasing the number of refugees resettled from abroad by 20% or by 2,500 refugees. By 2013, Canada will resettle as many as 14,500 refugees a year.” (Government of Canada, 2010)

Canada’s Classrooms -A Cultural Mosaic-

UNHCR (photographer). Bhutanese Refugee Camps.

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“The Bhutanese refugees are very enthusiastic and optimistic about resettling in Canada. This is a very diverse group of men, women and children of all ages. They speak a variety of languages, and the adults have a range of employment skills. The first refugees to be resettled included the following:

•women at risk

•survivors of violence and torture

•refugees with medical needs such as speech and hearing impairments

While only a handful of people already have family living in Canada, many speak English and it is not uncommon for the young adults to have secondary, and even post-secondary education” (Government of Canada, 2010)

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What to Expect

UNHCR (photographer). Bhutanese Refugee Camps.

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Multiculturalism in the Classroom. (n.d)

Cultural Sensitivity, an Imperative to Teaching in Today’s Classrooms

How would you define cultural sensitivity?

Cultural Sensitivity•Cultural sensitivity begins with the understanding that there are differences among cultures. Furthermore, cultural sensitivity includes placing value on this diversity.•Knowing that cultural differences as well as similarities exist, without assigning values (ie. better or worse, right or wrong) to those cultural differences” (National Maternal and Child Health Centre on Cultural Competency, 1997)

A Eurocentric World View

•“Arguments have been made that the content and instructional practices in K-12 classrooms across North America promote a Eurocentric world view that is only responsive to White middle-class students.” (Faez, 2012)

•Students of diverse backgrounds bring unique cultural practices and norms that are often not acknowledged or valued in the school system (Teaching Diverse Learners (n.d.).

The Consequence•“Instruction that is not tailored to the needs of students from diverse backgrounds brings about negative academic outcomes” (Faez, 2012)

The Reality in Today’s Classrooms

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"In our multicultural society, culturally responsive teaching reflects democracy at its highest level. [It] means doing whatever it takes to ensure that every child is

achieving and ever moving toward realizing her or his potential." --Joyce Taylor-Gibson

A Democratic Responsibility

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Communication 4 All. (n.d.) Welcome.

• The success of all students means setting high expectations for everyone

• Moving towards a democratic classroom: an overarching application of respect, inclusion, tolerance, and critical thinking (Collins, n.d.)

• A “pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning” (Ladson-Billings, 1994)

• A “pedagogy [that] recognizes the varied value systems such as dress and appearance, work and play, health and hygiene, and school rituals that students of different cultural backgrounds bring to their education and addresses them effectively” (Faez, 2012)

• A pedagogy that demands cultural sensitivity from educators

The Result…Positive educational outcomes for ALL students

What is Needed?

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A Culturally Sensitive Pedagogy

8Teaching Diverse Learners (n.d.) Principles for Culturally Responsive Teaching. Retrieved from http://www.alliance.brown.edu/tdl/

• “Teachers’ perceptions of their capacity and preparedness to perform certain tasks are known to be a strong predictor of their classroom performance. This capacity has been referred to as teachers’ sense of self efficacy.

• Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs have a fundamental impact on their teaching practices and are context-dependent and task-specific.

• This is why it is essential to explore teachers’ efficacy beliefs and to examine them with regards to specific teaching tasks in specific contexts” (Faez, 2012)

Developing Teacher Efficacy

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Teacher Efficacy: the teacher’s belief in his or her capability to organize and execute courses of action required to successfully accomplish a specific teaching task in a particular context

A. Write one thing you know about teaching refugee students

B. Write one thing you would like to know about teaching refugee students

A. Interactive KWL Chart

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Our Perspective:

•A culturally responsive teaching approach will become the pedagogical philosophy to guide the rest of this presentation

•We believe that implementing a culturally responsive pedagogy within today’s classrooms will help better prepare educators in their efforts to support Bhutanese learners

The Big Idea

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Key Objective:Our audience will understand how to incorporate Bhutanese learners and their families into the classroom while still upholding the student’s cultural values

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• Majority of refugees are Lhotshampas.

• Until the 1980’s contact between the Druk in north and Lhotshampas was minimal and relatively conflict free.

• During the 80s, the Druk majority, worried about the growing population, began a series of policies aimed at unifying the Druk culture, religion, and language.

Background Information

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(Infoplease, n.d Bhutan Map. )

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• Protests led to violent clashes and mass arrests. Lhotshampas’ properties were destroyed and many were forced to sign “voluntary migration certificates” before being exiled from the country.

• In 1990 the government announced that Lhotshampas would be required to prove that they were residents of the country in 1958, otherwise they were forced to leave the country. Tens of thousands fled to Nepal and the Indian state of West Bengal.

Background information

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(Human Rights Watch (2003) Bhutan Map 2)

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• The population is very diverse: some have gone to university and worked outside the camps, others have never left the camps and have been dependent on aid organizations to meet their basic needs for many years.

• The caste system is very prevalent and complex – thus some families placed close to one another may not socialize.

• Moving one’s head from side to side can mean “yes” and “maybe,” this may cause confusion for some westerners.

(International Organization for Migration, 2008)

Social implications

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• Most of the population is Hindu, where festival days are very important – working and going to school on those days could be a challenge for some.

• Refugees typically eat two meals a day: lunch and dinner. Becoming accustomed to the western school eating schedule may cause some problems. Many children will not have eaten breakfast before school.

Cultural Implications

• Most refugees eat with their hands, eating with cutlery will be new for some.

• Some refugees will have little to no exposure to western amenities and appliances, thus attention should be given to using toilets, sinks, showers, and ovens.

• Spitting and belching out loud in public are very common.

• Littering is very common, they will need to be taught proper waste removal information, recycling will also be a new concept.

(International Organization for Migration, 2008)

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(Harrington. 2012. Bhutan)

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• Education is highly valued and education in the refugee camps is free until grade 10.

• The school system in the camps is very strict and hierarchical, teaching is old-fashioned and includes rote memorization and recitation practices.

• Some families may have chosen not to pay for their child’s 10-12 education if they believe they are leaving for Canada soon, thus there may be some gaps in education for some at that grade level.

• All students are also given a School Leaving Certificate from their school prior to resettlement, which may be useful for their future schools in Canada.

• All children raised in the camp have been taught English along with Dzongkha, the Bhutanese national language. The estimated rate of English speakers is 35%, but it is much higher among the youth.

(International Organization for Migration, 2008)

Education implications

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(Harrington. 2012. Bhutan)

• Play therapy is a great way to develop multicultural competencies in the classroom, and to improve the quality of social interaction in the classroom. Play therapists are urged to “gain an awareness of clients’ diverse backgrounds and life experiences” and to “actively pursue knowledge about clients and their families’ cultural identities from videos, classes, readings, lectures, and personal conversations” (Penn, 2012).

Play Therapy

Children from a minority group are expected to make up more than half of all children in the United States by 2050. Professionals must receive adequate training to effectively support these students (Penn, 2012).

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• “If play therapists were unable to understand their interactions between their own culture and their clients’ culture, the authenticity of the relationship was at risk” (Penn, 2012). If an educator or therapist lacks the knowledge to understand the “play patterns, cultural symbols, and cultural issues” of a client or student, there is a large margin for error when it comes to diagnosis and assessment (Penn, 2012).

Any interactions that mimic a play therapy session should be kept light, encouraging, and should have a lesson objective in mind.

• “Play therapists need to understand the generalizations regarding cultural groups and likewise look for the uniqueness within clients’ cultural identities” (Penn, 2012). Like play therapists, we as educators can use this premise to increase our own perception and to think critically and strategically about issues of culture within the classroom, social situations and play exercises.

Play Therapy continued...

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Creative Expression Workshops

• “The workshops aid in promoting children’s emotional well-being while simultaneously strengthening the link of the child to the group. They also transform the teacher’s perception of newcomers by placing an emphasis on their strengths and their resilience while not negating their vulnerabilities” (Rousseau, Singh, LaCroix, Bagilishya, and Measham, 2004).

• Creative Expression Workshops “always combine verbal and nonverbal means of expression (drawing or painting a picture and telling or writing a story)...” (Rousseau et al, 2004).

• By exploring themes though stories and meaningful interaction with others, topics such as migration, cultural identity, trauma, and self-expression can be experienced in a safe and fun atmosphere that encourages relationships, and helps the teacher to understand more about their lives.

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“Many teachers continue to teach from an ethnocentric perspective, working against

equal education” (Elicker, Thompson, Snell, and O’Malley, 2009).

Equal Education

Tools of instructional desegregation(Elicker et al, 2009)•Use examples from the lived experiences of your students. This helps make the academic and social material meaningful.•Seek out diversity training and culturally enriching experiences. •Include dialogue and multiple cultural perspectives in your instruction.•Include relevant material that inspires critical thinking processes (real world issues).•Use flexible methods of presenting the material.•Promote individuality and a classroom where diversity is valued and respected.

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“Examining personal cultural assumptions and biases (awareness), providing knowledge about various cultures (knowledge), and developing multicultural skills (skills) reduce discrimination and insensitive behaviors” (Rogers-Sirin, 2008).

BE CHOOSY! An overemphasis on awareness = overwhelmed/frustration

An overemphasis on knowledge = boredom/short-term

An overemphasis on skills = misuse/harmful outcomes

There should be a balance of these three areas

(awareness, knowledge, and skills)

Choosing Training

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“With colour-blind racial attitudes, people deny the significance of race and race-related issues in society” (Penn, 2012).

Universal Design for Learninghttp://www.cast.org/udl/

Universal Design for Learning (or UDL) is “a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individualsequal opportunities to learn”. It is important to

understand that culture is a significant part of people’s lives and should not be devalued or ignored.

Allowing students to express themselves on an individual level allows them to express their interests and preferences.

Embrace the funds of knowledge that each student brings into the classroom.

Provide flexibility in the “what”, “how”, and “why” of learning.

Many children will have “School Leaving Certificates” to explain their most recent educational achievement in the

Refugee camps (International Organization for Migration, 2008)

Previous Education

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AS A TEACHER: • Incorporate students prior learning

as a helpful starting point• Use assessments such as Compleat

Lexical Tutor to test recognition and production of English language

(http://www.lextutor.ca/tests/)

• Many of the students will be used to traditional teaching styles (International Organization for Migration, 2008)

• Followed a ‘strict’ teaching method

• Learning was individually based and students were assessed mainly based on memorization

• Formal relationship between students and teacher

Teaching Style

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AS A TEACHER:Encourage collaborative learning, creative and critical thinking, and a free expression of ideas

(International Organization for Migration, 2008).

• Parents were not typically included in the learning process in the refugee camps (International Organization for Migration, 2008)

• Use translators (or the students if available) at the beginning to explain that parents and family are welcomed in the school and the child’s learning

• Include home visits if available to help both the student and their parents/family feel welcomed and comfortable in their new home and community

• Be aware that not all family members want to be in Canada (Duncan, 2008)

It is very likely that they have family members still living in Bhutan

Parent Involvement

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AS A TEACHER:• Find out if there are other Bhutan newcomers in the

community and surrounding area

• Fellow Bhutanese refugees will help to provide comfort and support for both the student and their family

• Supporting students both in the classroom and community will help students and families feel more at ease

• Attend community events of the students and discuss the events with the students (Teaching Diverse Learners, n.d.)

Community Support

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• Language barrier• Formal relationship between previous

teacher(s) and the Bhutan students• Students are accustomed to individualized

learning

• Students are not accustomed to collaborative learning

• Students were taught rote memorization as a form of learning

• Critical and creative thinking will be a new concept to many of the students in the classroom

Barriers that Educators May Face

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Proactive Strategies

• Teach the whole class routines so students can anticipate directions without feeling lost or unable to comprehend

• Use cooperative groups to help ELLs become familiar with their classmates

Situational Strategies

• Teach the hidden curriculum when specific situations arise

• Eg. A teacher giving “thumbs up” is a sign of good job

Inclusive Strategies

• Ask students about their learning styles, preferences, and interview the parents if available

• Use culturally mediated instruction to encourage the student to “learn in different ways” (Teaching Diverse Learners, n.d.)

Strategies to Deal with Barriers

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A. Did your previous knowledge change

or remain the same?

A. Were your questions answered?

Time for Reflection

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Harrington (2012). Bhutan

References

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American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2004). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Issue . Creative Expression Workshops for Immigrant and Refugee Children. 43(2). pp 235-238. Copyright: Copyright 2004 © American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Retrieved from http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/sp-3.7.1b/ovidweb.cgi?&S=FKHFFPBIHJDDLFEINCPKAADCIGHJAA00&Link+Set=S.sh.42%7c42%7csl_10

CAST. (n.d.) Universal Design for Learning. CAST Website retrieved from http://www.cast.org/udl/

Collins, Steve. (n.d.). University of Iowa: Framing the Complexity of a Participatory Democracy in a Public Primary Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.education.uiowa.edu/archives/jrel/fall04/Collins_0309.htm

Communication 4 All. (n.d.) Resources to Support Inclusion. Retrieved from http://www.communication4all.co.uk/http/Literacy%20Extra.htm

Duncan, D. (2008, December 31). Nepal’s Refugee Camp [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/asia/nepal/slideshow/index.html?type=flash

Elicker, J., Thompson, M., Snell, A., O’Malley, A. (2009). Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. A Training Framework and Follow-up Observations for Multiculturally Inclusive Teaching: Is Believing That We Are Emphasizing Diversity Enough? Volume 2(2): p 63–77. Copyright: © 2009 by the American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/sp-3.7.1b/ovidweb.cgi?&S=FKHFFPBIHJDDLFEINCPKAADCIGHJAA00&Link+Set=S.sh.42%7c17%7csl_10

References continued...

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Faez, Farahnaz. (2012). Candian Journal of Education. Diverse Teachers for Diverse Students: Internationally Educated and Canadian-born Teachers’ Preparedness to Teach English Language Learners. (35,3): 64-84. Retrieved from ojs.vre.upei.ca/index.php/cje-rce/article/download/967/1323 Harrington, Blaine. (Photographer). Group of Bhutanese Children. Retrieved November 19, 2012, From URL: http://blaineharrington.photoshelter.com/image/I0000hE0u69Krj8U

Human Rights Watch (2003). Map 2: Location of Bhutanese Refugee Camps in Nepal. Retrieved from: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/nepal0903/2.htm.

Infoplease. (n.d.) Map: Bhutan.Retrieved from: http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/bhutan.html.

International Organization for Migration. (2008). The Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal: A Tool for Settlement Workers and Sponsors. Damak, Nepal.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing Co.

Multiculturalism in the Classroom. (n.d). Retrieved November 19, 2012 from http://www.piedmontparent.com/articlemain.php?Multiculturalism-in-the-Classroom-1090

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References continued...

National Maternal and Child Health Centre on Cultural Competency. (1997). Retrieved from http://nccc.georgetown.edu/

Penn, S., Post, B. (2012). International Journal of Play Therapy Issue. Investigating Various Dimensions of Play Therapists’ Self-Reported Multicultural Counseling Competence.Volume 21(1), p 14–29. Copyright: © 2012 by the American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/sp-3.7.1b/ovidweb.cgi?&S=FKHFFPBIHJDDLFEINCPKAADCIGHJAA00&Link+Set=S.sh.42%7c4%7csl_10

Ranard, Donald A. (2007). Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal. COR Center Refugee Backgrounder. (4:1-4).

Rogers-Sirin, L. (2008). Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Approaches to Multicultural Training for Professionals: A Guide for Choosing an Appropriate Program. Volume 39(3): p 313–319. Copyright: © 2008 by the American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/sp-3.7.1b/ovidweb.cgi?&S=FKHFFPBIHJDDLFEINCPKAADCIGHJAA00&Link+Set=S.sh.42%7c25%7csl_10

Teaching Diverse Learners (n.d.) Principles for Culturally Responsive Teaching. Retrieved from http://www.alliance.brown.edu/tdl/

The Government of Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Bhutanese Refugees – Update on Canada’s Commitment. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/outside/bhutanese.asp33