Prompt #3 - GOLDENBERG

The culturally competent teacher should be able to use a variety of assessment techniques appropriate to diverse learners and accommodate sociocultural differences that affect learning. How might the teacher be responsive to the linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural characteristics of the students in his or her assessment practices?



After doing some observing and tutoring in Mrs. Berna’s bilingual Kindergarten classroom, I have taken note of some techniques that prove that she is culturally competent. For one, she has a specific way of how the children write and learn their words, and I am in charge of doing this writing exercise with four children every Wednesday morning. The assignment is writing three short words seven times each. The words are in Spanish, of course. During my second visit, I was given a list of all the words the children need to practice. Each week I carefully choose 3 of the words to work with. I have my own technique of choosing the words. I usually choose by length, and I am careful not to pick all four- letter words in one day. First of all, I think it is too much writing in one sitting anyway, so I may choose one 4 letter word, one 3 letter word, and one 2 letter word. I also pay close attention to the order I teach the words. I do the longest word first because they have the more focus right at the beginning of the lesson. And I do the shortest word last because by then they are antsy and just want to be done with writing.

I will now describe the special method that Mrs. Berna has told me to use. First, I hold up the site word and we read it. Next, I show one letter at a time while covering the rest and together we do the sound of the letter. Next, I cover the entire word and the children must write it down from memory. When all 4 of the children are done, we revise. I hold the word up again and the children are allowed to correct any mistakes they have made. Finally, they must fold their paper to cover the word they have previously written and start the process all over again until the row is done and then continue the same method with the next words.

I will connect this experience with Claude Goldenberg. Goldenberg was a believer in transfer. Once proficient in your primary language, it be easier to learn the same information in English. Many words and letter sounds in Spanish, for example, are similar to English. Goldenberg uses the example of the word “elefante” which translated to “elephant” in English (15). If children learn to recognize and read and write these words in Spanish, they will begin to recognize, read, and write these words in English.

Mrs. Bernas bilingual kindergarten classroom is a great example of Goldenberg’s theory. All the children in the class speak Spanish. At this very young age, if they were placed in English speaking classrooms, they would not succeed. They would not be able to confidently communicate with their classmates or their teachers and therefore, would not build communication skills.

At first, I was a bit puzzled as to what would happen in first grade, when these kindergartners had to move up? Would they be placed in a non-bilingual classroom? This thought stuck with me for a few visits until I asked Dr. August. All she had to say was, "What did Goldenberg say?", and it immediately clicked. Although the children are learning everything in Spanish, there are many times I have witnessed then going over things in English as well, such as the months of the year.

We have all heard of "high frequency" kindergarten words. These are important site words that the children should learn. The "high frequency" in this classroom is the same as in an English speaking classroom, except they are in Spanish. These are the words that I am in charge of teaching my group, and thanks to Goldenberg, I understand the concept of transferring their skills. Once they learn the "high frequency" words in Spanish, they will learn them quicker in English. I am very thankful that I was placed in this bilgual classroom. It has opened my eyes and made me wore aware. We as teachers need to help these children learn. These children are the future and they need us so that they will succeed in life. If they are not taught early on, chances are they will get by throughout schooling and never learn proper English. More classrooms like this one need to exist across the country.