Directions: Please answer each discussion question using 150 words each (must use intext citation APA style for discussion questions. Please reply to responses in 100 words each. This is an ESL (English Immersions for Second Language) Course.

Discussion Question 1: How could being knowledgeable about your students’ backgrounds and cultures inform your instructional planning?

Response 1: Christopher wrote: The better you get to know your students, the diversity of their cultural backgrounds, their individual learning strengths and weaknesses, and their likes and dislikes, the better the teacher can adjust instruction to motivate students to learn and to meet the needs of the students on both academic and emotional levels (How to Use Students’ Diverse Cultural Backgrounds to Enhance Academic Achievement, 2008). Adjusting instructional approaches and/or curriculum to provide a more culturally relevant learning experience helps to build stronger relationships between teachers and students, makes learning more relevant to students’ lives, and helps draw upon students’ prior knowledge and experiences, which can increase engagement and make for more lively group discussions (Burnham, 2020)

Response 2: Stefanie wrote: When a teacher takes to time to learn about a student’s background and talk about the cultures and interests of that student, that student feels like they are important, and they matter. ELL students may struggle with the typical lesson because the context of the lesson is foreign to them because it may not exist in their culture. Students may find it difficult to grasp the content because they are coming at it from the perspective of their native culture (Robertson, 2019). Teachers that take the time to learn about their students’ backgrounds are able to find resources that are culturally relevant to their students by researching native countries, cultures and the education systems they came from (Robertson, 2019). Teachers may also ask students to contribute their own cultural experiences to the classroom by presenting the favorite parts of their culture or by having all students interview their parents to learn more about their memories and experiences and share with the rest of the class so everyone can learn about each other and better understand each other’s backgrounds.

Once a teacher has identified the different cultures present in their classroom, they can pick literatures, folktales, and stories from those cultures to encourage students to connect their own experiences to the texts they are reading (Robertson, 2019). Storytelling is very important to some cultures and is the basis of a rich tradition and can be used to have students read outload and act out, building their communication and presentation skills (Robertson, 2019).

Discussion Question 2: How can demonstrating compassion, care, and empathy to the family build healthy relationships? What effect will this have on student well-being and success?

Response 1: Jill wrote: Demonstrating empathy, care and concern for all involved within the school community, including students, staff and families, can have a positive impact on all involved. By increasing the circle of concern from simply the student to include families and caretakers, students and families are more inclined to have a positive outlook on education and have a sense of belonging within the community which lends itself to better academic outcomes. When demonstrating empathy for all, educators also set a great example of how to show care and concern for others. It is often assumed that young adults know how to demonstrate empathetic feelings for others in their lives; however, as stated in the article, “How to build empathy and strengthen your school community”, there can be an empathy-action gap where individuals do not take action to demonstrate their own care and concern for others. Educatos can encourage others to take action by setting an example for their students (Ditkowsky, 2020).