Abstract
Intercultural Education is a key feature in the development of inclusion strategies aimed at ethnically diverse students. Transformative approaches towards learning such as Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) are essential in order to answer the educative needs that arise due to the coexistence between ethnic minorities and mainstream society. Therefore, cultural and historical representation of these communities play an important role as gatekeepers in order to achieve positive results as far as inclusive education is concerned. This article explores research based on a case study carried out in a high school located in the North-West of Spain developing successful learning stories after implementing the CRT methodology within the teaching of English as a foreign language. For its development, this article examines the trajectory of education with Roma-Gypsy students and moves forward with previous studies that endorse the success of using this approach among ethnically diverse students for their inclusion within the educative system. Intercultural and Plurilingual Education is a key feature in the development of inclusion strategies aimed at ethnically diverse students. This article includes research based on a case study carried out in a high school located in the North-West of Spain. It is aimed at: 1. Engaging ethnically diverse students to become part of the mainstream classroom through the inclusion of their culture; 2. Improving their language skills and competencies in the learning of a foreign language; 3. Raising the attendance at schools of ethnically diverse students. To achieve these targets the Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) Methodology has been implemented. CRT is considered essential to answer the educative needs that arise due to the coexistence between ethnic minorities and conventional communities. After gathering and analyzing data, results show that: ethnically diverse students’ motivation has been increased; it also expanded their social skills among peers; they gained more visibility; and finally, both diverse and non-diverse learners improved their proficiency in the English language. The discussion section states that the use of CRT Methodology traditionally used with Afro-American and Native-American students is also relevant for the Roma-Gypsy students that took part in this study.
Highlights
This article discusses how including ethnically diverse students through the implementation of new educative approaches, such as Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT,) has contributed to overcoming the school struggles these students must face in their everyday mainstream school life
Some contributions have been made aiming at transforming the way in which intercultural education and inclusion are being faced in educative contexts and how, through these transformations, intercultural education can lead to social changes as erasing the existent stereotypes and misconceptions towards ethnic minorities
The research that supports this article is characterized by the interest that emerged regarding the inclusion of ethnically diverse students who tend to be at risk of social exclusion and how, through the implementation of CRT, it is possible for them to find their way to advance and develop successful educational trajectories
Summary
This article discusses how including ethnically diverse students through the implementation of new educative approaches, such as Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT,) has contributed to overcoming the school struggles these students must face in their everyday mainstream school life. This article is part of a larger research project investigating the inclusion of ethnically diverse students— Roma-Gypsies—to overcome the different inequalities they have to confront while being part of the educational systems when learning English as a foreign language. The research that supports this article is characterized by the interest that emerged regarding the inclusion of ethnically diverse students who tend to be at risk of social exclusion and how, through the implementation of CRT, it is possible for them to find their way to advance and develop successful educational trajectories. To engage ethnically diverse students to become part of the mainstream classroom through the inclusion of their culture; 2 To improve their language skills and competencies in the learning of a foreign language (academic performance); 3.
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