Critical Reflection: Appropriate Programming For Refugee Students
Critical Reflection: Programming for Refugee Students
In the document entitled Building Hope: Appropriate Programming for Adolescent and Young Adult Newcomers of War-Affected Backgrounds and Manitoba Schools, released by MacKay and Tavares (2005) from Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth, MacKay and Tavares assert that: “there is a lack of programming for war affected children which leads to falling out of the school system and limits the long term educational and life opportunities of these learners… the stress and frustration that students experience because of inappropriate programming tends to accentuate the challenges they face …show more content…
in a new society and educational system, thereby contributing to the development of a sense of hopelessness (p.3)”.
The focus of this paper will be to examine three different articles that focus on identifying a variety of educational successes and failures as it pertains to programming for refugee students. Intent will be to expose positive and negative programming efforts in hope of further improving and supporting refugee students’ educational experiences in the future
In the article, Sudanese Refugee Youth in Foster Care, “Lost Boys” in America, Bates et al, look at the experiences of a group of high school aged boys and girls in foster care in America and trace their journey over several years (2001-2004). The Sudanese refugee children who were fostered by American families were resettled by the U.S government (Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program) after they were left without families in refugee camps. Bates, Baird, Johnson, Lee, Luster, and Rehegen follow 13 females and 76 males, and observe their experiences. The program is structured to place and support youth up to the age of 20 (Bates et al, 2005, p.632). Many of these youth suffer from PTSD but show incredible resilience as they begin the process of socialization and education in the United States. Bates et al employed African native translators when they interviewed the youths about their experiences. The findings showed that nearly all of the youths that were in school (91%) belonged to a church, and expected to graduate from a post secondary education (Bates et al, 2005, p.635). Despite their resilience, many of the youths reported suffering hardships when in foster care. The main issues stemmed from a dissonance of cultural values and behaviors (Bates et al, 2005,p.637). Some areas where the refugees settled with their foster families did not have schools that could support the ESL needs of the students. This was further complicated by the high school system of credits. The youths with lower skill levels who were placed in grades chronologically, struggled to succeed (Bates et al, 2005, p. 637). Social adjustments such as opening lockers, understanding slang, perceived lack of respect from American youths towards their teachers, female aggressiveness in male-female relationships, were several key areas of concern (Bates et al, 2005, p.638). Among the refugees, boys and girls received vastly different reactions in the area of sports. While refugee boys were celebrated because of their athletic abilities, girls were harassed, or teased. Racism became an issue after September 11, 2001 when it was believed that Osama Bin Laden was being harbored by the Sudanese government (Bates et al, 2005, p. 638). Cultural and familial expectations between the youths and their foster families also caused many tensions. While the foster families expected that the youths would become members of their families, the youths viewed their foster parents more as mentors than parents (Bates et al, 2005, p. 639). Many parents tried to teach the male youths about food, and food preparation. Culturally, the refugees saw ‘eating well” as being greedy and resisted learning to cook, because according to their traditions only women cooked food. From a cultural perspective, Sudanese youth did not feel comfortable making eye contact with their foster parents because for them this was a sign of disrespect. Additionally, the foster parents had difficulties accepting Sudanese youths’ displays of physical affection among youths of the same gender, and found it disturbing and inappropriate (Bates et al, 2005, p. 640). There were power struggles between foster parents and youths partly due to unresolved trauma coupled with normal teenage behavior (Bates et al, 2005, p. 641). Part of the problem arose because the oldest male in a Sudanese family is traditionally the head of the family. The American foster parents did not understand the reasoning behind this power struggle between the youth and the foster father. Some families saw the Sudanese youths’ behavior as resistive, self-centered and aggressive, not taking into consideration their previous traumatic experiences and cultural beliefs (Bates et al, 2005, p. 642). Upon review, the families which faired the best were ones that kept the lines of communication open and were willing to be supportive of the youths needs (Bates et al, 2005, p. 643). Suggestions made by Bates et al to ensure future success for families in similar situations consist of ensuring that a more intensive language program that addresses the needs of the youths upon their arrival include assessments of skills and basic skill remediation (Bates et al, 2005, p. 644). Ongoing programming as well as raising cultural awareness and sensitivity in schools, as well as for the receiving families would reduce the numbers of issues including harassment, and racism. Additionally, ongoing support for receiving families would aid in bridging cultural and linguistic issues (Bates et al, 2005, pp. 644-646). This study was a great resource to show the inadequacies of a system, which physically ‘rescued’ traumatized Sudanese youths from their life of desperation in a refugee camp, but did not have the sufficient structures in place once these youths were brought to the United States. The best intentions of the U.S Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program left both the youths and their receiving foster families with little resources to make the experience a positive and productive one for all involved. The program did not provide parents with cultural education, nor did it advise the receiving families of possible trauma related behaviors which might arise due to stress and miscommunication. The expectations and cultural morays of both sides were never addressed prior to bringing the youths to the U.S. Reading this study made me realize how precarious the experience of newcomers to North America is. They bring with them both physical and emotional baggage, expectations, and varied cultural morays. As receiving educators we must remember to be sensitive and receptive and try to introduce our students to new experiences, rather than foist our cultural beliefs and expectations on them. Acculturation to a new country, culture and language is trying enough without the negative experiences which some youths experience in North American schools. Division wide policies of tolerance and support need to be in place wherever new immigrants are accepted to enroll. Language programs and secondary education need to consider the skill levels of immigrant youths in order to best serve them. In the article, Educational Needs and Barriers for African Refugee Students in Mantitoba, Kanu investigates the educational needs and barriers for African refugee students by examining the experiences of African students within two inner-city high schools in Manitoba.
African refugee students, principals, teachers, parents and community members participated in the study. Data for the study was collected through various focus groups, interviews and observations.
Data shows that Canada continues to see unprecedented increases in the number of refugee students in their schools and the increase of refugee students has not been accompanied by appropriate educational or specialized support to assist the students (Kanu, 2008, p. 916). As a direct result of the lack of informed and targeted support within the African refugee students programming, resulting in a dramatic rate of drop-outs and social alienation (Kanu, 2008, p. 916). Many of the African refugees tend to suffer from multiple traumatic experiences and are most likely to have experienced larger periods of disrupted schooling, which often resulted in periods of difficulty integrating into new societies, slower acquisition of academic skills, and greater difficulty acquiring a new language. African refugee students are also prone to alarmingly high drop out rates and the engagement in anti-social behaviors such as gang activity, prostitution and drug use (Kanu, 2008, p. …show more content…
917). Data gathered from the research study was collected via various focus groups, school and classroom observations and individual interviews. The data was analyzed and clustered into three areas of challenges: academic, economic and psychosocial challenges. Despite the many challenges that so many African students experience, many students showed remarkable resiliency and compared their opportunity to live in Canada to winning the lottery (Kanu, 2008, p. 923). Some of the key academic challenges the students identified were: lack of support at home with academics, limited English language proficiency, academic gaps due to long periods of disrupted schooling, distrust towards authority figures such as teachers and the frustration of being placed in grades that are determined solely by their performance on language assessment tests as opposed to their academic ability (Kanu, 2008, p. 924). Many academic challenges that were identified amongst teachers and administrators focused on the lack of specialized programming and training for teachers to equip them with the adequate resources to meet the incredibly diverse needs of the students. Teachers expressed the need for extended opportunities for professional development within the area of EAL programs and multi-cultural education. Administrators noted that many successful initiatives designed to support African refugee students has been only made possible due to strenuous resource re-allocations. Both teachers and administrators referenced that the lack of funding by provincial governments continue to be major contributing factors resulting in the lack of appropriate resources made available to equip refugee students with quality educational programming. The lack of systemic resources coupled by the lack of economic resources made available for refugee students and families combine to result in severe challenges of social integration and educational success for refugee students (Kanu, 2008, p. 929). Teachers and students agreed that a direct correlation occurs between the poor academic performance of African students and the long hours that refugee students often spend working in attempt to improve their personal and family economic conditions (Kanu, 2008, p. 930). The direct link between poverty and the lack of academic success of refugee students is further examined when looking at the living situations of refugee families, which are often in government-subsidized housing in rough inner city neighborhoods which are often riddled with criminal activity, gangs and drugs. African students are often easy prey for gang members who offer the reality of quick and easy money and a sense of belonging (Kanu, 2008, pp. 930-931).
Psychosocial stresses are commonly shared by many of the refugee students. Emphasis on the lack of programs that provide therapeutic treatment for students and families to deal with traumatic experiences they may have suffered in their country. Another area of stress pertains to cultural and familial expectations between refugee students and their families. Cultural differences in gender role expectations; perceived loss of authority for parents have also led to many strained relationships and added new stresses to refugee families (Kanu, 2008, p. 933).
Despite the academic, economic and psychosocial challenges that many African refugee students face in their attempt to successfully acculturate, all of the students in the study demonstrated incredible resilience by maintaining a positive outlook and mindset by stating that none of them were considering dropping out of school before completing high school. The students were determined to avoid what researchers Portes and Zhou describe as a downward spiral (Kanu, 2008, p. 934). Much of the refugee students’ resilience came from their own personal resources; such as their maturity, faith and passion to be successful. When the African refugee students were asked to provide their insight into what can be done in school to make their experiences more successful, their suggestions included; slower pace of instruction in all areas especially math and science, exposure to more culturally appropriate sports, access to psychological counseling, patience and support from teachers, peer-coaching from capable African students, extended ELA support, less racism from teachers and administration and Canadian students and better practices with regard to grade placement (Kanu, 2008, p. 934). The study provides a tremendous framework as to what improvement need to be made at both the micro and macro level to better support African refugee students. Funding at the micro level will better equip teachers who are the front line leaders in education with greater resources and professional development which will better equip the African students with the knowledge, skill sets and confidence. Psychological treatment programs must also be a priority for schools and supporting agencies to provide students and families the support needed for their successful acculturation to the school and communities at large. EAL programs must also continue to receive the support and funding required to provide quality assessments, programming and language acquisition. Successful experiences of individual student(s) and school accounts must be documented, celebrated and shared across our province to improve the likelihood of the effective practices being recognized and replicated. Division wide practices and policies must be identified and supported by local, provincial and federally funded initiatives to raise the profile of EAL programming that meets the needs identified by refugee students, teachers, administration and family members. Kanu (2009) examines different features that influence the way teachers deal with and look at minority students. Their studies have shown that any authentic learning of teachers on how to deal with minority students goes beyond the confines of a university classroom and is deeply rooted in the experiences they have with people of different cultures.
In her study, Kanu (2009) provided vignettes of four high school teachers and examined their teaching philosophies when it came to meeting the needs of the changing student body. Through her study, Kanu (2009) concluded that in order for teachers to change their ideas and ways of dealing with the growing diversity in their classrooms it “clearly went beyond knowledge of cultural diversity” (p.38). Rather, teachers who had “a dynamic conception of subject matter, multiple goals, supportive school context and healthy personal relationships with students” (Kanu, 2009, p.38) were more likely to adapt their teaching practices.
Kanu suggests that simply having knowledge of cultural diversity does not equate to teacher preparedness in dealing with the changing diversity found in the modern day classroom. This article examines a number of critical elements of effective teaching with diverse students. Specifically, it looks at the willingness and ability of two high school English and two high school Math teachers’ willingness and ability to adapt their teaching practices to meet the needs of a rapidly changing student demographic (Kanu, 2009, p. 23). The focus on adaptation is the central point in the article, in the sense of examining why individual teachers do or do not alter their teaching practices in response to a changing student African refugee student population.
The four different teachers in the article are compared and contrasted in relation to their attitudes, beliefs and teaching styles as it pertains to how they teach African refugee students. English teacher Shirley Jones and Math teacher Jim Paris make conscious and deliberate efforts to adapt their curricula and teaching practices to meet the needs of the African refugee students in their classes, while English teacher Mark Thompson and Math teacher Elizabeth Polsky make minimal adaptations within their classrooms to support the refugee students, despite the fact that research strongly supports the fact that the number of adolescent and young learners with ESL needs and refugee and war affected experiences and interrupted schooling in our schools and communities are growing and will continue to grow.
The conceptual framework used to describe a teachers’ willingness and ability to adapt their practices draws upon the model by Grossman & Stodalsky, who identify three factors that shape and influence a teachers’ willingness and ability to adapt their teaching practices. The factors that Grossman and Stodalsky identify are: subject matter context, individual teacher characteristics and local school contexts (Kanu, 2009, p. 24).
Conceptions of subject matter in Engligh and Math lead to many different views about how teachers within these subject areas perceive how much flexibility they have within their content areas to adapt their instruction, materials and assessment practices. Traditionally, Math teachers see their subject as well defined, sequential and with non-negotiable content, while English teachers often feel that they have a greater flexibility within their content area to adapt instruction and to promote learning environments more conducive to adaptations ( Kanu, 2009, p. 37).
Contextual factors such as the subject department of teachers, professional development opportunities, collegial support and workload strongly influence a teachers ability and willingness to make adaptations and change their teaching practices to support students within a changing student population ( Kanu, 2009, p. 38).
The sharp contrast in attitudes and beliefs between the teachers in the article as it pertained to the adaptations that they were or were not providing the refugee students was startling. As an educator, I find it imperative that in a country such as Canada, we have the moral obligation to ensure that the schools within our divisions consciously strive towards the development of programs that will support the influx of new immigrants and to structure our schools to promote the integration, socialization and education for immigrant students. Regardless of content area, the importance of building positive relationships with all students is a critical starting point. Shirley Jones and Jim Paris demonstrate the importance of building personal connections with refugee students. Both Jones and Paris truly adopt an early years philosophy of incorporating a holistic approach within their classrooms. A key contextual factor that supports teachers is the establishment of professional learning communities (PLC’s) within their school. PLC’s encourage and support teachers by providing time to collaboratively plan, discuss and share ideas and strategies to support refugee students. The Literacy and teaching for diversity groups that Shirley Jones participated in are concrete examples of PLC’s within her school that provided opportunity that encourages and supports professional dialogue and shared programming initiatives between teachers.
By examining the key factors that result in changing attitudes/beliefs of teachers it can be concluded that many of these factors cannot be taught without intensive professional development for teachers, caring and supportive administrators and commitment from local, provincial and federal governments to provide adequate funding to fund programs aimed to provide appropriate programming for refugee students.
It is the belief that through rich and varied experiences teachers will develop dynamic conceptions of subject supportive of the needs of immigrant students, and develop healthy relationships with their students, all of the critical features pointed out by Kanu
(2009). Conclusion In a recent Manitoba Department of Labour and Immigration publication entitled “Manitoba immigration facts – 2009 statistical report,” the report states the growing population of the province through immigration and indicates that the growing population is part of the province’s economic growth plan. In 2009 alone, there were 13 520 immigrants who entered Manitoba and within the last decade 85 000 immigrants have settled in the province ( Manitoba Labour and Immigration, 2010). Data shows that refugee’s make up between 6 and 7 percent of this total population, which strongly suggests that in order to provide educational opportunities that ensures that refugee students who have been affected by war or who have experienced interrupted schooling must be supported after they immigrate to Canada. Many recommendations have been made by researchers to improve programming for refugee students so that they will not lose hope and become hopelessness in their efforts to successfully transition into our educational system. It is the ethical and moral obligation of teachers, administrators, local school divisions, provincial and federal government to ensure that appropriate resources are utilized to protect, nurture and educate refugee students so that they can prosper and succeed in our communities, schools, province and country.
References
Bates, Laura, Diane Baird, Deborah J. Johnson, Robert E. Lee, Tom Luster, Christine Rehegen (2005). Sudanese Refugee Youth in Foster Care: The “Lost Boys” in America. Child Welfare, Vol. LXXXIV, (5), 631-648.
Kanu, Y. (2008). Educational Needs and Barriers for African Refugee Students in Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Education, 31, (4), 915 – 940.
Kanu, Y. (2009). Changing students, changing teaching: Understanding the dynamics of adaptation to a changing student population. Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry , 1 (1), 22 - 39.
MacKay, T. & Tavares, T. (2005, October 20). Building hope: appropriate programming for adolescent and young adult newcomers of war affected backgrounds and Manitoba schools. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth.
Manitoba Labour and immigration. (2010). Manitoba immigration facts – 2009 statistical report, Immigration Division. Manitoba Labour and Immigration.
In the document entitled Building Hope: Appropriate Programming for Adolescent and Young Adult Newcomers of War-Affected Backgrounds and Manitoba Schools, released by MacKay and Tavares (2005) from Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth, MacKay and Tavares assert that: “there is a lack of programming for war affected children which leads to falling out of the school system and limits the long term educational and life opportunities of these learners… the stress and frustration that students experience because of inappropriate programming tends to accentuate the challenges they face …show more content…
in a new society and educational system, thereby contributing to the development of a sense of hopelessness (p.3)”.
The focus of this paper will be to examine three different articles that focus on identifying a variety of educational successes and failures as it pertains to programming for refugee students. Intent will be to expose positive and negative programming efforts in hope of further improving and supporting refugee students’ educational experiences in the future
In the article, Sudanese Refugee Youth in Foster Care, “Lost Boys” in America, Bates et al, look at the experiences of a group of high school aged boys and girls in foster care in America and trace their journey over several years (2001-2004). The Sudanese refugee children who were fostered by American families were resettled by the U.S government (Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program) after they were left without families in refugee camps. Bates, Baird, Johnson, Lee, Luster, and Rehegen follow 13 females and 76 males, and observe their experiences. The program is structured to place and support youth up to the age of 20 (Bates et al, 2005, p.632). Many of these youth suffer from PTSD but show incredible resilience as they begin the process of socialization and education in the United States. Bates et al employed African native translators when they interviewed the youths about their experiences. The findings showed that nearly all of the youths that were in school (91%) belonged to a church, and expected to graduate from a post secondary education (Bates et al, 2005, p.635). Despite their resilience, many of the youths reported suffering hardships when in foster care. The main issues stemmed from a dissonance of cultural values and behaviors (Bates et al, 2005,p.637). Some areas where the refugees settled with their foster families did not have schools that could support the ESL needs of the students. This was further complicated by the high school system of credits. The youths with lower skill levels who were placed in grades chronologically, struggled to succeed (Bates et al, 2005, p. 637). Social adjustments such as opening lockers, understanding slang, perceived lack of respect from American youths towards their teachers, female aggressiveness in male-female relationships, were several key areas of concern (Bates et al, 2005, p.638). Among the refugees, boys and girls received vastly different reactions in the area of sports. While refugee boys were celebrated because of their athletic abilities, girls were harassed, or teased. Racism became an issue after September 11, 2001 when it was believed that Osama Bin Laden was being harbored by the Sudanese government (Bates et al, 2005, p. 638). Cultural and familial expectations between the youths and their foster families also caused many tensions. While the foster families expected that the youths would become members of their families, the youths viewed their foster parents more as mentors than parents (Bates et al, 2005, p. 639). Many parents tried to teach the male youths about food, and food preparation. Culturally, the refugees saw ‘eating well” as being greedy and resisted learning to cook, because according to their traditions only women cooked food. From a cultural perspective, Sudanese youth did not feel comfortable making eye contact with their foster parents because for them this was a sign of disrespect. Additionally, the foster parents had difficulties accepting Sudanese youths’ displays of physical affection among youths of the same gender, and found it disturbing and inappropriate (Bates et al, 2005, p. 640). There were power struggles between foster parents and youths partly due to unresolved trauma coupled with normal teenage behavior (Bates et al, 2005, p. 641). Part of the problem arose because the oldest male in a Sudanese family is traditionally the head of the family. The American foster parents did not understand the reasoning behind this power struggle between the youth and the foster father. Some families saw the Sudanese youths’ behavior as resistive, self-centered and aggressive, not taking into consideration their previous traumatic experiences and cultural beliefs (Bates et al, 2005, p. 642). Upon review, the families which faired the best were ones that kept the lines of communication open and were willing to be supportive of the youths needs (Bates et al, 2005, p. 643). Suggestions made by Bates et al to ensure future success for families in similar situations consist of ensuring that a more intensive language program that addresses the needs of the youths upon their arrival include assessments of skills and basic skill remediation (Bates et al, 2005, p. 644). Ongoing programming as well as raising cultural awareness and sensitivity in schools, as well as for the receiving families would reduce the numbers of issues including harassment, and racism. Additionally, ongoing support for receiving families would aid in bridging cultural and linguistic issues (Bates et al, 2005, pp. 644-646). This study was a great resource to show the inadequacies of a system, which physically ‘rescued’ traumatized Sudanese youths from their life of desperation in a refugee camp, but did not have the sufficient structures in place once these youths were brought to the United States. The best intentions of the U.S Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program left both the youths and their receiving foster families with little resources to make the experience a positive and productive one for all involved. The program did not provide parents with cultural education, nor did it advise the receiving families of possible trauma related behaviors which might arise due to stress and miscommunication. The expectations and cultural morays of both sides were never addressed prior to bringing the youths to the U.S. Reading this study made me realize how precarious the experience of newcomers to North America is. They bring with them both physical and emotional baggage, expectations, and varied cultural morays. As receiving educators we must remember to be sensitive and receptive and try to introduce our students to new experiences, rather than foist our cultural beliefs and expectations on them. Acculturation to a new country, culture and language is trying enough without the negative experiences which some youths experience in North American schools. Division wide policies of tolerance and support need to be in place wherever new immigrants are accepted to enroll. Language programs and secondary education need to consider the skill levels of immigrant youths in order to best serve them. In the article, Educational Needs and Barriers for African Refugee Students in Mantitoba, Kanu investigates the educational needs and barriers for African refugee students by examining the experiences of African students within two inner-city high schools in Manitoba.
African refugee students, principals, teachers, parents and community members participated in the study. Data for the study was collected through various focus groups, interviews and observations.
Data shows that Canada continues to see unprecedented increases in the number of refugee students in their schools and the increase of refugee students has not been accompanied by appropriate educational or specialized support to assist the students (Kanu, 2008, p. 916). As a direct result of the lack of informed and targeted support within the African refugee students programming, resulting in a dramatic rate of drop-outs and social alienation (Kanu, 2008, p. 916). Many of the African refugees tend to suffer from multiple traumatic experiences and are most likely to have experienced larger periods of disrupted schooling, which often resulted in periods of difficulty integrating into new societies, slower acquisition of academic skills, and greater difficulty acquiring a new language. African refugee students are also prone to alarmingly high drop out rates and the engagement in anti-social behaviors such as gang activity, prostitution and drug use (Kanu, 2008, p. …show more content…
917). Data gathered from the research study was collected via various focus groups, school and classroom observations and individual interviews. The data was analyzed and clustered into three areas of challenges: academic, economic and psychosocial challenges. Despite the many challenges that so many African students experience, many students showed remarkable resiliency and compared their opportunity to live in Canada to winning the lottery (Kanu, 2008, p. 923). Some of the key academic challenges the students identified were: lack of support at home with academics, limited English language proficiency, academic gaps due to long periods of disrupted schooling, distrust towards authority figures such as teachers and the frustration of being placed in grades that are determined solely by their performance on language assessment tests as opposed to their academic ability (Kanu, 2008, p. 924). Many academic challenges that were identified amongst teachers and administrators focused on the lack of specialized programming and training for teachers to equip them with the adequate resources to meet the incredibly diverse needs of the students. Teachers expressed the need for extended opportunities for professional development within the area of EAL programs and multi-cultural education. Administrators noted that many successful initiatives designed to support African refugee students has been only made possible due to strenuous resource re-allocations. Both teachers and administrators referenced that the lack of funding by provincial governments continue to be major contributing factors resulting in the lack of appropriate resources made available to equip refugee students with quality educational programming. The lack of systemic resources coupled by the lack of economic resources made available for refugee students and families combine to result in severe challenges of social integration and educational success for refugee students (Kanu, 2008, p. 929). Teachers and students agreed that a direct correlation occurs between the poor academic performance of African students and the long hours that refugee students often spend working in attempt to improve their personal and family economic conditions (Kanu, 2008, p. 930). The direct link between poverty and the lack of academic success of refugee students is further examined when looking at the living situations of refugee families, which are often in government-subsidized housing in rough inner city neighborhoods which are often riddled with criminal activity, gangs and drugs. African students are often easy prey for gang members who offer the reality of quick and easy money and a sense of belonging (Kanu, 2008, pp. 930-931).
Psychosocial stresses are commonly shared by many of the refugee students. Emphasis on the lack of programs that provide therapeutic treatment for students and families to deal with traumatic experiences they may have suffered in their country. Another area of stress pertains to cultural and familial expectations between refugee students and their families. Cultural differences in gender role expectations; perceived loss of authority for parents have also led to many strained relationships and added new stresses to refugee families (Kanu, 2008, p. 933).
Despite the academic, economic and psychosocial challenges that many African refugee students face in their attempt to successfully acculturate, all of the students in the study demonstrated incredible resilience by maintaining a positive outlook and mindset by stating that none of them were considering dropping out of school before completing high school. The students were determined to avoid what researchers Portes and Zhou describe as a downward spiral (Kanu, 2008, p. 934). Much of the refugee students’ resilience came from their own personal resources; such as their maturity, faith and passion to be successful. When the African refugee students were asked to provide their insight into what can be done in school to make their experiences more successful, their suggestions included; slower pace of instruction in all areas especially math and science, exposure to more culturally appropriate sports, access to psychological counseling, patience and support from teachers, peer-coaching from capable African students, extended ELA support, less racism from teachers and administration and Canadian students and better practices with regard to grade placement (Kanu, 2008, p. 934). The study provides a tremendous framework as to what improvement need to be made at both the micro and macro level to better support African refugee students. Funding at the micro level will better equip teachers who are the front line leaders in education with greater resources and professional development which will better equip the African students with the knowledge, skill sets and confidence. Psychological treatment programs must also be a priority for schools and supporting agencies to provide students and families the support needed for their successful acculturation to the school and communities at large. EAL programs must also continue to receive the support and funding required to provide quality assessments, programming and language acquisition. Successful experiences of individual student(s) and school accounts must be documented, celebrated and shared across our province to improve the likelihood of the effective practices being recognized and replicated. Division wide practices and policies must be identified and supported by local, provincial and federally funded initiatives to raise the profile of EAL programming that meets the needs identified by refugee students, teachers, administration and family members. Kanu (2009) examines different features that influence the way teachers deal with and look at minority students. Their studies have shown that any authentic learning of teachers on how to deal with minority students goes beyond the confines of a university classroom and is deeply rooted in the experiences they have with people of different cultures.
In her study, Kanu (2009) provided vignettes of four high school teachers and examined their teaching philosophies when it came to meeting the needs of the changing student body. Through her study, Kanu (2009) concluded that in order for teachers to change their ideas and ways of dealing with the growing diversity in their classrooms it “clearly went beyond knowledge of cultural diversity” (p.38). Rather, teachers who had “a dynamic conception of subject matter, multiple goals, supportive school context and healthy personal relationships with students” (Kanu, 2009, p.38) were more likely to adapt their teaching practices.
Kanu suggests that simply having knowledge of cultural diversity does not equate to teacher preparedness in dealing with the changing diversity found in the modern day classroom. This article examines a number of critical elements of effective teaching with diverse students. Specifically, it looks at the willingness and ability of two high school English and two high school Math teachers’ willingness and ability to adapt their teaching practices to meet the needs of a rapidly changing student demographic (Kanu, 2009, p. 23). The focus on adaptation is the central point in the article, in the sense of examining why individual teachers do or do not alter their teaching practices in response to a changing student African refugee student population.
The four different teachers in the article are compared and contrasted in relation to their attitudes, beliefs and teaching styles as it pertains to how they teach African refugee students. English teacher Shirley Jones and Math teacher Jim Paris make conscious and deliberate efforts to adapt their curricula and teaching practices to meet the needs of the African refugee students in their classes, while English teacher Mark Thompson and Math teacher Elizabeth Polsky make minimal adaptations within their classrooms to support the refugee students, despite the fact that research strongly supports the fact that the number of adolescent and young learners with ESL needs and refugee and war affected experiences and interrupted schooling in our schools and communities are growing and will continue to grow.
The conceptual framework used to describe a teachers’ willingness and ability to adapt their practices draws upon the model by Grossman & Stodalsky, who identify three factors that shape and influence a teachers’ willingness and ability to adapt their teaching practices. The factors that Grossman and Stodalsky identify are: subject matter context, individual teacher characteristics and local school contexts (Kanu, 2009, p. 24).
Conceptions of subject matter in Engligh and Math lead to many different views about how teachers within these subject areas perceive how much flexibility they have within their content areas to adapt their instruction, materials and assessment practices. Traditionally, Math teachers see their subject as well defined, sequential and with non-negotiable content, while English teachers often feel that they have a greater flexibility within their content area to adapt instruction and to promote learning environments more conducive to adaptations ( Kanu, 2009, p. 37).
Contextual factors such as the subject department of teachers, professional development opportunities, collegial support and workload strongly influence a teachers ability and willingness to make adaptations and change their teaching practices to support students within a changing student population ( Kanu, 2009, p. 38).
The sharp contrast in attitudes and beliefs between the teachers in the article as it pertained to the adaptations that they were or were not providing the refugee students was startling. As an educator, I find it imperative that in a country such as Canada, we have the moral obligation to ensure that the schools within our divisions consciously strive towards the development of programs that will support the influx of new immigrants and to structure our schools to promote the integration, socialization and education for immigrant students. Regardless of content area, the importance of building positive relationships with all students is a critical starting point. Shirley Jones and Jim Paris demonstrate the importance of building personal connections with refugee students. Both Jones and Paris truly adopt an early years philosophy of incorporating a holistic approach within their classrooms. A key contextual factor that supports teachers is the establishment of professional learning communities (PLC’s) within their school. PLC’s encourage and support teachers by providing time to collaboratively plan, discuss and share ideas and strategies to support refugee students. The Literacy and teaching for diversity groups that Shirley Jones participated in are concrete examples of PLC’s within her school that provided opportunity that encourages and supports professional dialogue and shared programming initiatives between teachers.
By examining the key factors that result in changing attitudes/beliefs of teachers it can be concluded that many of these factors cannot be taught without intensive professional development for teachers, caring and supportive administrators and commitment from local, provincial and federal governments to provide adequate funding to fund programs aimed to provide appropriate programming for refugee students.
It is the belief that through rich and varied experiences teachers will develop dynamic conceptions of subject supportive of the needs of immigrant students, and develop healthy relationships with their students, all of the critical features pointed out by Kanu
(2009). Conclusion In a recent Manitoba Department of Labour and Immigration publication entitled “Manitoba immigration facts – 2009 statistical report,” the report states the growing population of the province through immigration and indicates that the growing population is part of the province’s economic growth plan. In 2009 alone, there were 13 520 immigrants who entered Manitoba and within the last decade 85 000 immigrants have settled in the province ( Manitoba Labour and Immigration, 2010). Data shows that refugee’s make up between 6 and 7 percent of this total population, which strongly suggests that in order to provide educational opportunities that ensures that refugee students who have been affected by war or who have experienced interrupted schooling must be supported after they immigrate to Canada. Many recommendations have been made by researchers to improve programming for refugee students so that they will not lose hope and become hopelessness in their efforts to successfully transition into our educational system. It is the ethical and moral obligation of teachers, administrators, local school divisions, provincial and federal government to ensure that appropriate resources are utilized to protect, nurture and educate refugee students so that they can prosper and succeed in our communities, schools, province and country.
References
Bates, Laura, Diane Baird, Deborah J. Johnson, Robert E. Lee, Tom Luster, Christine Rehegen (2005). Sudanese Refugee Youth in Foster Care: The “Lost Boys” in America. Child Welfare, Vol. LXXXIV, (5), 631-648.
Kanu, Y. (2008). Educational Needs and Barriers for African Refugee Students in Manitoba. Canadian Journal of Education, 31, (4), 915 – 940.
Kanu, Y. (2009). Changing students, changing teaching: Understanding the dynamics of adaptation to a changing student population. Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry , 1 (1), 22 - 39.
MacKay, T. & Tavares, T. (2005, October 20). Building hope: appropriate programming for adolescent and young adult newcomers of war affected backgrounds and Manitoba schools. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth.
Manitoba Labour and immigration. (2010). Manitoba immigration facts – 2009 statistical report, Immigration Division. Manitoba Labour and Immigration.