DESCRIPCIÓN ESTE NORTE

Overwhelmingly, the participants responded to this question with a new level of appreciation for diversity. Although Amanda had an extensive travel history prior to student teaching, she summarized the impressions of the diverse student body by stating, “Working at an international school has shown me a whole new definition of diversity.”

Exposure to multiple nationalities & unique perspectives

Exposure to multiple nationalities was unparalleled to anything that the participants had experienced in their home state. One participant remarked, “Never in Iowa had I worked with a group of 16 students representing nine separate nationalities”, while another

participant reiterated this point stating the following:

Now, depending on where one teaches in the United States, this could be part of life already, but as far as my experience goes, this is the first time that I have taught this many students in one class speaking English as a second language

Jacey, who addmittedly had limited expereinces with diverse cultures prior to student teaching, discussed the overwhelming impact that this new view has offered her:

During my semester abroad I encountered a lot of different perspectives in each of my classes as well as in my social life. All the different cultures and worldviews my students brought to each class really opened my eyes to the different points of view that students from all around the world may have. In any given class I would have questions thrown at me that I had never really considered because I was unaware of that perspective.

She further addressed the unique perspective this expereinces provided with the following description:

This is unique to my experience teaching in Singapore because had I stayed in Iowa I would have been in classes full of students with similar worldviews as myself. However, in saying this I'm not implying that those worldviews are necessarily narrow or close-minded, just that a student from India sharing their insights and perspectives in class will have a very different approach then a student from a small town in Iowa.

When reflecting on the various cultures, languages, social classes and other various dynamics impacting any diverse classroom, Alissa made a vaulable point; “As the classroom teacher, I had to find a way to lead all these students into a cohesive classroom community. Whether I am in Brasilia or Iowa, these are challenges that all schools face.”

An interesting final point in relation to exposure to diverse cultures was an increased cognizance of this worldview and its impact on personal judgments. As one participant became more aware of her previously limited scope on the world, she recognized that her judgments of situations may have also been limited in scope. She expressed that in future interactions she will be differently able to assess a situation based on increased life

experiences.

Second language speakers necessitated differentiated instruction

Participants gave extensive responses that revealed an increased ability to embrace and teach to diverse student needs within the classroom setting. They disclosed acquiring a

wider set of skills to accommodate the varying needs of their students. Amanda elaborated on the impact that such a diverse student population had on the culture of the classroom:

I have seen (and admire) the use of multiple languages in a classroom and many of the students have a very global perspective of the world due to their third culture upbringing. ESL students were very common, and it really helped me to improve my communication by using multiple ways to describe one item or process for the students to better understand, as well as visuals. While some participants expressed a new ability to incorporate multiple points of view due to the wide range of culture represented in the classroom, others discussed visual representations to accommodate second language learners. Although Janelle was student who taught on a different continent, her experience was remarkably similar to Amanda’s. Janelle described the impact that the multi-lingual students had on classroom dynamics as well as the modes of instruction:

I have gained the ability to alter the delivery of my speech to different students and different classes due to language barriers. In any one of the classes I taught, one could hear at least three different languages being spoken at one time. All students know English, but some students hold it as a second or third language, so altering the delivery of my lessons was a useful tool to capture the attention and allow for understanding of all students. I used many visuals and developed handouts to aid this. I showed the steps to every lesson I did, as part of producing visuals.

Darci expressed the importance of vocabulary when teaching students who do not speak English as a native lanugage. With an increased attention to language, Darci learned that there is a vast difference between asking a question which illicits a one-word response versus an open-ended question which requires a student to define or describe an idea or issue. This firsthand experience enabled her to recognize the confusion that can exist when using different dialects of the English language or when conversing with those who speak another primary language. This caused her to focus additional attention on vocabulary acquisition as a basis for understanding content knowledge.

Living in a foreign community, as well as teaching students of varying culutres, necessitates an ability to assimilate. This held true both in the neighborhoods in which these participants lived, as well as in the schools where they were student teaching. In addition to varying insructional techiniques, participants also discussed not only a need, but also a desire to adapt to the other cultures in unpredictable or unexpected situations:

Along with the readiness to accept all new things comes the ability to adapt quickly to your surroundings. Because of my teaching overseas I have

developed the ability to learn my environment and take the necessary steps to assimilate quickly. In terms of my school life and the teaching skills I've gained through this, I am now much more equipt to jump into a teaching team or curriculum, which may be new to me, and be successful in implementing myself as a part of the group.

When comparing her home culture and upbring with the student teaching location, Jacey explained her new persepective:

While this may be the case in all new schools or teams I join, I feel that being in Singapore has taught me how to do this successfully without putting labels on the experience (e.g. "good" or "bad"). Therefore, in my teaching this has helped me to look at new methods and strategies as different, not any better or worse than what I learned in college or in my field experiences.

Ultimately, the participants had direct contact and built meaningful relationships with students and colleagues from various cultures while expanding their understanding not only of the world but also of teaching. Amanda summed her experience up by stating, “I would say I learned just as much about the world from my students as they did from me.”