Today’s schools are more diverse than ever before. While this can enrich students’ educational experiences, it also presents new challenges to teachers.
The online Master of Education (M.Ed.) – English Language Learners program offered by Eastern Washington University (EWU) equips educators with skills to effectively incorporate biculturalism in their classrooms. Constructively acknowledging biculturalism gives educators a powerful framework on which students can build their academic, social and emotional goals.
What is Biculturalism?
While there are variations, one generally accepted definition of biculturalism is the “comfort and proficiency with both one’s heritage culture and the culture of the country or region in which one has settled.” The “bi” suggests recognizing two cultures, but many students relate to more, especially when each parent comes from a different cultural background.
People might assume immigrants are more affected by biculturalism. However, children who were born here and have never known the cultures of their parents may experience it as well.
How Does It Relate to the Classroom?
Experts encourage individuals to blend their heritage and the surrounding culture into a combination of them both. When this is done well, the result is a truly unique culture that is neither of the specific cultures but something distinct. The classroom provides an opportunity to create this new culture healthily while cognitive, emotional, and behavioral skills are being developed and refined.
Teachers facilitate this process through language, art, and communicating with writing or song. The classroom is naturally suited for exploration and acceptance of all the nuance biculturalism offers and can lead to students’ acceptance of their many-faceted identities. Educational professionals have an opportunity to create space for this exploration and offer healthy ways to incorporate identity into greater learning goals. A teacher’s influence can make acculturation — the assimilation of an entirely new culture — a more comfortable and positive journey.
Benefits of Biculturalism for Students
Although equality between cultural groups remains a challenge, implementing bicultural-focused classroom initiatives helps move society in the right direction. Teachers have found that an early introduction to new languages has made the most difference, especially in students with minimal exposure to their receiving culture before the move. Language mastery provides a strong academic outcome, but it also provides a deeper insight into the culture of the language being taught. Communication is key when developing meaningful relationships, and through language learning, these relationships can be more authentic and provide shared goals between the speakers.
In addition to deepened relationships and a perceived reduction in discrimination, biculturalism offers students benefits later in life. Studies reveal that adults who were raised to accept more than one culture show more creativity, especially in fluency, flexibility and novelty. They also experienced more professional gains; those who identify as “bicultural” achieved a higher promotion rate and were more likely to start a business than those who do not.
How Can Teachers Incorporate Biculturalism?
As an educator, you may already feel that resources are stretched thin, and this new mission may not easily fit inside existing lesson plans or classroom structures. That’s one reason bicultural classrooms are becoming more popular, particularly those with immersive language programs where students speak only the new language. Being bicultural in your profession may involve embracing new opportunities while still having the flexibility to grow within your current role.
Current Every Student Succeeds Act guidelines offer a framework for teaching students English while making time and allowance for children to speak their native language. Simply being open to listening and providing a safe space for children to wrestle with new cultural norms may be the biggest step toward promoting biculturalism today.
Additional training and more formal education, specifically with a Master’s of Education in ELL degree, will also prepare you to work with students from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Enroll in the M.Ed. – ELL online program from EWU and start your journey to improving classrooms and students’ learning experiences and lives.
Learn more about Eastern Washington University’s online Master of Education – English Language Learners program.
