Classroom management in a Bilingual classroom setting
Hello Everyone:
I am a faculty director and we facilitate classes in a bilingual setting with multicultural environment. Therefore when I facilitate the class I have to be a guide as well as a bit of controller. This is caused by the cultural diversity that we have here at our campus. Nevertheless, maintaining the class of approximately 25 adult students engaged is not as easy as some may think.
We have to juggle between two languages and at the same time maintain the students active so that those that are not as fluent in the English language may at times define the flow of the class. So therefore, we have to be a combination of controller and guide. leaning heavily towards guide. Interesting enough , we can do it.
Chalie Colon,
Though challenging at times, this scenario enrichens the learning process in that it increases awareness among all students about the diversity they will encounter as schools, workplaces and communities become more multicultural. Both your experiences surely helped students to see the value of a "guide" approach as well as the positive contributions from their peers when instructors exhibit patience and cooperation -- and empathy, even.
Very interesting that you should mention this topic Charlie. I faced a challenge of waiting for a few seconds while another student translated into Spanish. The other students were respective and waited patiently during the translation. It occurred about three times in a three-hour class. Once, the translation was initiated by me. The reason I did this was to ensure the point was understood by the student. She was extremely grateful for the lesson that day.
