Bilingual / Cross-Cultural Checklist

for Multicultural Classrooms

 

The purpose of this all-inclusive checklist is to assist teachers in evaluating and improving each aspect of their bilingual / cross-cultural program. The following five major areas of multicultural classrooms are covered: Environment, Parent / Community Involvement, Instruction, Curriculum, and Race / Human Relations. This checklist is based on research and legal compliance. It is the result of a collaborative effort of the students in Carmen Sanchez Sadek's PLC 651 class at San Diego State University in the spring of 1994.

The names of the contributors are: Jaime Abarca, Theresa Basore, Sandy Bright, Susan Burdick, Jo Ann Doherty, Edelmira Gomez, Amy Hall, Amanda James, Jean Knittel, Dagny Lundt, Tracey McFarland, Esteban Navarro, Eva Oemick, Andros Parra, Gloria Parra, Carmen Sanchez Sadek, Kathy Schroers, Barbara Vensko, and Rocio Weiss.

 

OTHERS

To accept others without judging their differences;

To keep an open mind while getting to know others;

To celebrate the beauty of the diversity of others;

To treat all others as human beings;

To involve parents and the community in the education of others;

To eliminate the us-and-them viewpoint between ourselves and others;

To share the learning experience with others;

To evoke a sense of interconnectedness among ourselves and others;

To realize that all of us are others to others.

by Theresa Marie Basore

 

 

ENVIRONMENT

 

When I walk into my classroom, do I see the following:

1. Writing and projects displayed representing all students? Yes No
2. Bulletin boards reflecting cultural diversity?    
3. Students photos?    
4. Alphabet and language charts in different languages?    
5. Calendar of multicultural holidays?    
6. Local cultural events calendar?    
7. Multicultural media and technology?    
8. A seating arrangement that avoids sexism and racism?    
9. Maps flags, coins, and stamps of other countries?    
10. Photographs of various ethnic groups?    
11. Newspapers and magazines in different languages?    
12. Safe environments where rules are posted so students clearly understand what is and is not acceptable behavior?    
13. A classroom library that reflects cultural diversity?    
14. Composer/artist of the month from various parts of the world?    
15. Multicultural artifacts in a guessing display case?    
16. An international pen pal display?    
17. Multicultural art work?    
18. Posters from different cultures?    
19. A multicultural mural on the wall?    
20. Staff/volunteers that are speakers from diverse groups?    
21. A multicultural learning center?    

 

Am I actively trying to promote an environment that includes a more ethnically representative staff by:

1. Doing a background exchange among schools within the district, - teachers with different backgrounds as special guests? Yes No
2. Inviting various community teachers as experts in their fields?    
3. Suggesting a multicultural self-esteem program for teachers?    
4. Making an effort to recruit teachers within and without the neighborhood?    
5. Sharing multicultural units of instruction with other teachers?    
6. Inviting non-typical people to teach the languages and cultures of other groups (ex. a blonde American who knows Spanish)?    
7. Suggesting staff development concerning race relations among staff?    
8. Making a count of all ethnic/nationality backgrounds at school?    
9. Forming multi-ethnic partnerships between teachers?    
10. Suggesting a conflict resolution program for teachers?    

 

 

PARENT / COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

 

Am I encouraging parent involvement empowerment by:

1. Asking parents to be a primary language model for their child and reinforce key concepts to their child in their primary language? Yes No
2. Sending home information in the parents' primary language?    
3. Including parents in the curriculum as guest speakers?    
4. Having a tape in different languages on school phone recording?    
5. Publishing a parent newsletter?    
6. Having students interview parents?    
7. Asking parents to read to children?    
8. Providing childcare to enable parents to work in the classroom?    
9. Involving parents in assessment?    
10. Having a father/daughter science fair, or mother/son dance?    
11. Asking parents to complete a multicultural checklist?    
12. Training parent leaders to train other parents?    
13. Providing family outreach programs?    
14. Starting a transportation co-op to network parents with their cultural support group?    
15. Having holiday festivities?    
16. Having a career day?    
17. Setting up phone trees with primary language speakers for parents?    
18. Having family curriculum nights in primary languages?    
19. Giving parents training on working with children?    
20. Having a V.I.P. (Very Important Parent) program w/ V.I.P. buttons?    
21. Providing a parent checkout library of info in various languages?    
22. Making parents feel welcome in the classroom?    
23. Posting a welcome sign in many different languages?    
24. Training students to help raise their parents' self-esteem?    

 

Am I encouraging community involvement by:

1. Inviting positive role models from other cultures? Yes No
2. Forming and maintaining a human relations committee of parents, teachers, and community members?    
3. Finding a business to adopt-a-school?    
4. Inviting guest speakers to read literature reflective of their culture?    
5. Having a parent information board?    
6. Providing community outreach programs with participation from various language backgrounds?    
7. Inviting parents/community to an annual goal setting session?    
8. Inviting community members to school board meetings?    

 

 

INSTRUCTION

Am I interacting with my students in the following ways:

1. Reinforcing each student's self-esteem by giving sincere and specific-praise, using positive adjectives, and by showing respect, trues - understanding, acceptance and warmth? Yes No
2. Making sure each child experiences recognized success daily?    
3. Treating all students equitably and conveying my expectations and confidence that each student can accomplish work and learn?    
4. Including girls as well as boys in questioning and participation?    
5. Including all ethnic groups equally in questioning and participation?    
6. Arranging cooperative groups, which support many styles of learning?    
7. Learning to greet students in their primary languages?    
8. Accepting culturally varied responses in class?    
9. Showing interest in students as unique individuals by making eye contact and spending time with each student everyday?    
10. Showing different perspectives?    
11. Communicating with parents about their culture's discipline styles?    
12. Having each student say something positive about the next one?    
13. Serving as a role model by showing sensitivity and flexibility towards the special needs of others?    
14. Remembering the "silent period" in language acquisition and not pressuring students to verbalize if they are not ready?    
15. Teaching to different levels of language proficiency?    
16. Using the whole language approach (incorporating listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities)?    
17. Motivating students by showing excitement in the subject matter?    
18. Including inductive/deductive/scientific methods of teaching?    
19. Being aware of the learning styles of different cultures?    
20. Being courteous and listening to students to show their value worth?    
21. Permitting students to challenge my opinions?    
22. using a variety of grouping methods (cooperative, heterogeneous, homogeneous, expert grouping, pairing, whole group)    
23. Using a variety of teaching methods (complex instruction, skills, cooperative learning)?    
24. Avoiding unfair and ruthless competition in activities?    
25. Allowing a minimum of 5 seconds of "think time" for students to respond and helping students by rephrasing, or providing a clue?    
26. Asking questions which require students to evaluate/organize info.    
27. Allowing students to take risks and make mistakes without penalty?    

 

 

CURRICULUM

Am I infusing multicultural issues into my academic curriculum by:

1. Presenting famous people from a variety of cultures, including people with mixed backgrounds (ex. 1/2 African American & 1/2 Mexican )? Yes No
2. Comparing different cultures' versions of the same story?    
3. Including literature that accurately reflects various cultures?    
4. Looking at inventions/contributions/discoveries from other cultures?    
5. Looking at the contributions of both female and male role models?    
6. Looking at history from various perspectives?    
7. Incorporating multicultural music/songs/musicians/instruments?    
8. Discussing games and sports from around the world?    
9. Discussing the evolution of the English language/alphabet?    
10. Discussing the evolution of our math concepts/numerals?    
11. Incorporating multicultural art forms/artists/art projects?    
12. Sharing poetry in other primary languages, and lyrical literature from other cultures?    
13. Involving all students in planning learning activities?    
14. Simulating shopping, including exchanging foreign currency?    

 

Am I encouraging students to become more culturally aware by:

1. Looking at different home and family environments? Yes No
2. Looking at different political structures?    
3. Having students become pen pals with students in other countries?    
4. Presenting different cultures' styles of dress?    
5. Discussing/cooking/eating different cultures' foods?    
6. Having students speak as a person from another culture?    
7. Having students write what it would be like to live in other countries?    
8. Discussing different customs of interaction/manner?    
9. Introducing folk dances from other cultures?    
10. Introducing greetings from other languages?    
11. Introducing major religious doctrines?    
12. Discussing holidays from many cultures?    

 

Am I using materials that represent various cultures by:

1. Supplying students with free choice books that are multiculturally relevant and include a variety of languages? Yes No
2. Selecting supplemental texts that are multiculturally relevant?    
3. Supplying books in students' primary language?    
4. Displaying tools/artifacts from other countries?    
5. Showing videos of the home life of different cultures?    
6. Having students interview exchange students or adults from other cultures?    

 

RACE / HUMAN RELATIONS

Do I try to improve the race relations in my classroom by:

1. Having students do group work? Yes No
2. Having students perform drama that is set in different cultures to gain insight into how others are treated and feel as a result?    
3. Starting a multicultural buddy system?    
4. Stressing the similarities of different cultures?    
5. Having an international food fair?    
6. Having students study their culture and share about it in class?    
7. Having students bring something from their culture to share?    
8. Having field trips to ethnic communities?    
9. Having students and adults share or teach some of their languages?    
10. Discussing the role of the family in different cultures?    
11. Discussing the value of education in different cultures?    
12. Having students dress up in cultural attire?    
13. Encouraging the students to get along?    
14. Going on field trips to international affairs?    
15. Having a live United Nations lesson?    
16. Having students do group work on racial relations?    

 

Do I try to improve the human relations in my classroom by:

1. Making groups or "families" out of students across grade levels? Yes No
2. Teaching students self-respect?    
3. Discussing the jobs students can do to help the community?    
4. Teaching students about each other's gender role?    
5. Teaching students how they can channel their anger into something positive, such as finding solutions to the problems they see?    
6. Teaching meanings of gestures in different cultures?    
7. Teaching students about manners?    
8. Having students share their house rules?    
9. Celebrating each student's birthday in class?    
10. Introducing group games?    
11. Mixing up the class by gender?    
12. Teaching students not to put down other students?    
13. Having students share their own identity?    
14. Having a class camp-out?    
15. Discussing situations that may be considered right and wrong?    
16. Having students work with handicapped students?    
17. Encouraging students to do community service?    
18. Showing videos about how crime affects our human relationships?    
19. Discussing how differences in appearance, economic status, and speech can lead to discrimination?    

 

 

For more in-depth information, classroom demonstrations, and "coaching" of new and/or experienced teachers, Dr. CARMEN SANCHEZ SADEK offers:

1. Cognitive - Academic Language and Vocabulary Development
2. Cross Cultural Diversity - Multicultural Strategies
3. Effective Instruction for English Learners (L.E.P. students) Parts 1, 2, 3, 4
4. Promoting Academic Success in Language Minority Students
5. Cognitive - Academic Language and Vocabulary Development
6. Oral Language / Literacy Skills / Higher Order Thinking Skills
7. 50/50 Dual Language Programs: design, planning and implementation
8. The Structure of English / The Structure of Spanish
9. Transition: Introduction to English Reading

Web Site Programs for Teachers: Numbers 1, 5, 7, 8, and 9.
Web Site Programs for Paraprofessionals: Number 3.
Web Site Programs for New Teachers:
Enhanced Cultural Sensitivity - The Challenge of Students Diversity
Identifying / Responding to Students' Language Needs
Phonemic Awareness: Teaching English phonics to L.E.P. students
Relationship Between Reading, Writing and Spelling
Improving Reading Performance -- Building Oral Language Skills)

Write and e-mail any additional questions you may have, and Dr. CARMEN SANCHEZ SADEK will establish with you, your school or district a Technical Assistance Service Contract. Dr. CARMEN SANCHEZ SADEK will answer all your questions promptly and to your satisfaction.

 

For information and credentials please click on the link below or contact directly:

CARMEN SANCHEZ SADEK, Ph.D.

Educational Consultant, Program Evaluator

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Certification (12/2006)

3113 Malcolm Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90034-3406

Phone and Fax: (310) 474-5605

E-mail:  csssadek@gte.net