My guiding questions were driven by my belief in, and practice of, culturally responsive teaching. I was curious about the instructional practices in Peru, and how teachers approach student engagement.
Here are questions that I had hoped to find evidence for, through observations and conversations during the field experience:
1. How do teachers in Peru engage their students?
2. What methods or approach to instruction do teachers tend to follow?
3. What do Peruvian students recognize as authentic engagement strategies in their learning?
4. How is a student's culture validated and affirmed in the classroom?
How do teachers in Peru engage their students? To engage all students is a challenge for any classroom in the world! Because there are so many different cultural backgrounds, personalities, strengths, and interests of children, educators need to be creative in how all of these variables are addressed to draw all of the students in. I think it is safe to say that it is every teacher's desire to engage all students.
Some students are intrinsically motivated, while others seem to lack that internal motivation. As a result, the levels of engagement vary among students, subject areas, and specific content or activities. When observing, what I interpret as engagement could be simply compliance without much thought about the content or process. On the contrary, what looks to be a disengaged student, could be a student who is completely invested, but who does not present like a traditionally engaged student. Because engagement is hard to observe, I decided to interview both students and teachers to get a deeper perspective than just my observation alone.
Classrooms in Peru, are like those of the USA, and other countries throughout the world. Not all students were engaged in every classroom I visited. Despite this, teachers are using a variety of techniques to approach learning and present content, in hopes that students will be more than just compliant. So what does engagement look like in the eyes of Peruvian teachers and students?
What methods or approach to instruction do teachers tend to follow? Teachers recognize the need for students to work with their peers and interact with technology. Unfortunately, technology can be hard to offer. Resources are not equitable from one school to the next. That is another commonality with schools and districts thoughout the USA.
We attended both public and private schools which used interactive white boards and projectors to connect students with the world. Students were able to experience people, places and things virtually using the Internet. At one school, students had the opportunity to create presentations that I had the privilege to observe. Using technology is definitely motivating for students, and is also an authentic means for gaining information. Cell phones are used throughout Peru and children have so much information at their fingertips. In most Peruvian schools, students were more likely to have a cell phone to use, or share with a friend, than access to a computer. However, the rural school experience did not show any evidence of technology being implemented into classroom instruction.
Children, and teens especially, are often motivated by working with their peers. In both the private and public schools, students were given opportunity at times to work interdependently. In addition, some projects students were given choice. Students were able to work with others, or independently. Student choice can be highly motivating because it allows a student's preference to be honored.
In most classroom observations, the instructional practices were traditional lecture style. Students were seated, listened to the teacher, and followed along and by copying notes from the front board. Much care was given to drawing diagrams and recording notes. Students used rulers to make straight lines, colored pencils to organize information, and cursive writing to clearly copy the content.
What do Peruvian students recognize as authentic engagement strategies in their learning? How do teachers make learning engaging for all students? I asked students this question in both the public and private school settings. The student responses were similar to what I expected, their non-traditional experiences: integration of technology in lessons and opportunities for group work. Students expressed an appreciation for non-traditional learning opportunities. They enjoyed a break from lectures and wanted more time to learn by doing, building, creating, and discovering. One student at Carlos Wiesse said that she wishes that she could learn more through games. She did not mean video games, but interactive activities in which she could investigate and come to a conclusion on her own.
Students at Santa Ana expressed appreciation for activities and projects in which they used technology in group work. The secondary students were able to explain the importance of being able to feel confident while using technology, because they will need these skills in the future-for higher education or in their careers. The primary students at Santa Ana also had opportunities to create projects with technology. Santa Ana school has a focus on technology and students are grateful for this.
I made some observations of the engagement of preschool students at Santa Ana. One amazing English teacher had a vocabulary lesson on different fruits. The three and four year old students were engaged in so many ways! First, she used music and dance to introduce the lesson. Then, there was a matching game to review past vocabulary. She used call and response to introduce new vocabulary. Finally, the kids were able to move while playing a "fruit monster" game. For this game, the teacher had pictures of different fruits on blocks. She would say the fruit name in English, and the students would have to run and find the matching fruit and bring it back to her. It was an incredible lesson to observe. The attention span of these preschoolers were appropriately addressed by having so many different activities in the 30 minute lesson. I was impressed!
How is a student's culture validated and affirmed in the classroom? When referring to a student's culture, I am referring to multiple elements. In fact, I interpret one's culture as the many rings that make up that individual. The Rings of Culture include people's identity in terms of their ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, and family. So how do schools in Peru address these rings of culture? First, I would like to loosely define some of the rings of culture.
Ethnicity: ancestry, heritage, language, and sometimes religion
Nationality: location on a map were a person is born
Age: age group, generation, state of mind
Gender: masculine and feminine roles, gender assignment, behavior, activities, attributes
Orientation: sexual orientation, behaviors, preferences and attributes
Religion: belief system by which people live
Socioeconomic status: wealth, income, education, occupation
Family: unique way that a family forms itself in terms of rules, roles, habits, beliefs, etc.
I recognized the strong influence of Peru's history in the school systems. In both the public and private schools, Spanish was the spoken language. In the rural school I visited, Quechua was the first language used, and Spanish was also being taught as a second language. Students in every school visited were familiar with the traditions of the Peruvian people from that region. Song and dance were embraced as a way to keep these traditions alive. In this way, I would say that students' ethnic ring of culture was validated and affirmed.
In addition, I immediately noticed that the dominate religion, Catholicism, was emphasized in both public and private schools. There is no separation of church and state, like in the USA, so there were often crosses hung in classrooms. I also noted the saints who were honored in the naming of schools, and the places of worship that public and private schools provided. So, students who identify as Catholic were defintely validated and affirmed. The students who were not, were not.
Educational practices were age appropriate. However, the older the students were, the less likely they were to have opportunities for movement. Also, teenagers who tend to be sociocentric and appreciate interpersonal learning, only had opportunities to work with others occasionally. Teens were likely to attend lectures and to be asked to complete work independently.
As far as gender roles are concerned, there are some obvious norms. Gender roles seem to be static. It is prevalent in the careers in Peru, and also in the educational opportunity gap between males and females. Gender roles seem to determine what level of education females pursue, and also the occupations pursued. At one public school, the administration noted that only about 40% of the female students will go on to higher education. Those who do, will train for traditionally female dominated jobs like hospitality or office administration.
A person's orientation was validated and affirmed only if that person was heterosexual. I realize that the strong religious infuence is likely to account for it. There was no talk of homosexuality, or evidence for support for anyone who was not heterosexual. I thought I saw many PRIDE flags, but learned later that it is actually the Quechua flag. I am not sure if or how LGBTQIA students are supported in Peru.
I was able to see how institutions accounted for students' socioeconomic ring of culture. Two of the public schools I visited offered multiple sessions for school. Students were able to attend at a time that worked for them, and their families. Many students worked in addition to attending school. Also, some students needed extra time to be able to walk from great distances to attend school. It was an intentional measure taken to encourage education for all students.
At the rural school that I visited, the community was supported by Catholic nuns. We met two nuns who were overseeing five communities' educational programs. They covered a vast area in the Andes Mountains, and resources were scarce for the families and students in those areas. If the nuns were not assigned to the area, I am not sure how or if children would have had the chance for an education.
If I had more time in Peru, I would have liked to have had an opportunity to lead professional development to support teachers in culturally responsive teaching protocols. I was able to implement some protocols in my few lessons at Santa Ana, but would appreciate the opportunity to provide background knowledge for teachers in the cultural elements and behaviors that show up in the classroom, and how teachers can validate and affirm those behaviors by using culturally responsive response, discussion and movement protocols.
I am concluding my reflection with the next series of guiding questions that I seek to answer:
1. How receptive would schools in Peru be to professional development around culturally responsive teaching?
2. Who would the target audience be? Primary educators? Secondary educators? Private schools? Public Schools?
3. How could culturally responsive teaching impact the current educational system, especially the gender gap in Peru?
Here are questions that I had hoped to find evidence for, through observations and conversations during the field experience:
1. How do teachers in Peru engage their students?
2. What methods or approach to instruction do teachers tend to follow?
3. What do Peruvian students recognize as authentic engagement strategies in their learning?
4. How is a student's culture validated and affirmed in the classroom?
How do teachers in Peru engage their students? To engage all students is a challenge for any classroom in the world! Because there are so many different cultural backgrounds, personalities, strengths, and interests of children, educators need to be creative in how all of these variables are addressed to draw all of the students in. I think it is safe to say that it is every teacher's desire to engage all students.
Some students are intrinsically motivated, while others seem to lack that internal motivation. As a result, the levels of engagement vary among students, subject areas, and specific content or activities. When observing, what I interpret as engagement could be simply compliance without much thought about the content or process. On the contrary, what looks to be a disengaged student, could be a student who is completely invested, but who does not present like a traditionally engaged student. Because engagement is hard to observe, I decided to interview both students and teachers to get a deeper perspective than just my observation alone.
Classrooms in Peru, are like those of the USA, and other countries throughout the world. Not all students were engaged in every classroom I visited. Despite this, teachers are using a variety of techniques to approach learning and present content, in hopes that students will be more than just compliant. So what does engagement look like in the eyes of Peruvian teachers and students?
What methods or approach to instruction do teachers tend to follow? Teachers recognize the need for students to work with their peers and interact with technology. Unfortunately, technology can be hard to offer. Resources are not equitable from one school to the next. That is another commonality with schools and districts thoughout the USA.
We attended both public and private schools which used interactive white boards and projectors to connect students with the world. Students were able to experience people, places and things virtually using the Internet. At one school, students had the opportunity to create presentations that I had the privilege to observe. Using technology is definitely motivating for students, and is also an authentic means for gaining information. Cell phones are used throughout Peru and children have so much information at their fingertips. In most Peruvian schools, students were more likely to have a cell phone to use, or share with a friend, than access to a computer. However, the rural school experience did not show any evidence of technology being implemented into classroom instruction.
Children, and teens especially, are often motivated by working with their peers. In both the private and public schools, students were given opportunity at times to work interdependently. In addition, some projects students were given choice. Students were able to work with others, or independently. Student choice can be highly motivating because it allows a student's preference to be honored.
In most classroom observations, the instructional practices were traditional lecture style. Students were seated, listened to the teacher, and followed along and by copying notes from the front board. Much care was given to drawing diagrams and recording notes. Students used rulers to make straight lines, colored pencils to organize information, and cursive writing to clearly copy the content.
What do Peruvian students recognize as authentic engagement strategies in their learning? How do teachers make learning engaging for all students? I asked students this question in both the public and private school settings. The student responses were similar to what I expected, their non-traditional experiences: integration of technology in lessons and opportunities for group work. Students expressed an appreciation for non-traditional learning opportunities. They enjoyed a break from lectures and wanted more time to learn by doing, building, creating, and discovering. One student at Carlos Wiesse said that she wishes that she could learn more through games. She did not mean video games, but interactive activities in which she could investigate and come to a conclusion on her own.
Students at Santa Ana expressed appreciation for activities and projects in which they used technology in group work. The secondary students were able to explain the importance of being able to feel confident while using technology, because they will need these skills in the future-for higher education or in their careers. The primary students at Santa Ana also had opportunities to create projects with technology. Santa Ana school has a focus on technology and students are grateful for this.
I made some observations of the engagement of preschool students at Santa Ana. One amazing English teacher had a vocabulary lesson on different fruits. The three and four year old students were engaged in so many ways! First, she used music and dance to introduce the lesson. Then, there was a matching game to review past vocabulary. She used call and response to introduce new vocabulary. Finally, the kids were able to move while playing a "fruit monster" game. For this game, the teacher had pictures of different fruits on blocks. She would say the fruit name in English, and the students would have to run and find the matching fruit and bring it back to her. It was an incredible lesson to observe. The attention span of these preschoolers were appropriately addressed by having so many different activities in the 30 minute lesson. I was impressed!
How is a student's culture validated and affirmed in the classroom? When referring to a student's culture, I am referring to multiple elements. In fact, I interpret one's culture as the many rings that make up that individual. The Rings of Culture include people's identity in terms of their ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, and family. So how do schools in Peru address these rings of culture? First, I would like to loosely define some of the rings of culture.
Ethnicity: ancestry, heritage, language, and sometimes religion
Nationality: location on a map were a person is born
Age: age group, generation, state of mind
Gender: masculine and feminine roles, gender assignment, behavior, activities, attributes
Orientation: sexual orientation, behaviors, preferences and attributes
Religion: belief system by which people live
Socioeconomic status: wealth, income, education, occupation
Family: unique way that a family forms itself in terms of rules, roles, habits, beliefs, etc.
I recognized the strong influence of Peru's history in the school systems. In both the public and private schools, Spanish was the spoken language. In the rural school I visited, Quechua was the first language used, and Spanish was also being taught as a second language. Students in every school visited were familiar with the traditions of the Peruvian people from that region. Song and dance were embraced as a way to keep these traditions alive. In this way, I would say that students' ethnic ring of culture was validated and affirmed.
In addition, I immediately noticed that the dominate religion, Catholicism, was emphasized in both public and private schools. There is no separation of church and state, like in the USA, so there were often crosses hung in classrooms. I also noted the saints who were honored in the naming of schools, and the places of worship that public and private schools provided. So, students who identify as Catholic were defintely validated and affirmed. The students who were not, were not.
Educational practices were age appropriate. However, the older the students were, the less likely they were to have opportunities for movement. Also, teenagers who tend to be sociocentric and appreciate interpersonal learning, only had opportunities to work with others occasionally. Teens were likely to attend lectures and to be asked to complete work independently.
As far as gender roles are concerned, there are some obvious norms. Gender roles seem to be static. It is prevalent in the careers in Peru, and also in the educational opportunity gap between males and females. Gender roles seem to determine what level of education females pursue, and also the occupations pursued. At one public school, the administration noted that only about 40% of the female students will go on to higher education. Those who do, will train for traditionally female dominated jobs like hospitality or office administration.
A person's orientation was validated and affirmed only if that person was heterosexual. I realize that the strong religious infuence is likely to account for it. There was no talk of homosexuality, or evidence for support for anyone who was not heterosexual. I thought I saw many PRIDE flags, but learned later that it is actually the Quechua flag. I am not sure if or how LGBTQIA students are supported in Peru.
I was able to see how institutions accounted for students' socioeconomic ring of culture. Two of the public schools I visited offered multiple sessions for school. Students were able to attend at a time that worked for them, and their families. Many students worked in addition to attending school. Also, some students needed extra time to be able to walk from great distances to attend school. It was an intentional measure taken to encourage education for all students.
At the rural school that I visited, the community was supported by Catholic nuns. We met two nuns who were overseeing five communities' educational programs. They covered a vast area in the Andes Mountains, and resources were scarce for the families and students in those areas. If the nuns were not assigned to the area, I am not sure how or if children would have had the chance for an education.
If I had more time in Peru, I would have liked to have had an opportunity to lead professional development to support teachers in culturally responsive teaching protocols. I was able to implement some protocols in my few lessons at Santa Ana, but would appreciate the opportunity to provide background knowledge for teachers in the cultural elements and behaviors that show up in the classroom, and how teachers can validate and affirm those behaviors by using culturally responsive response, discussion and movement protocols.
I am concluding my reflection with the next series of guiding questions that I seek to answer:
1. How receptive would schools in Peru be to professional development around culturally responsive teaching?
2. Who would the target audience be? Primary educators? Secondary educators? Private schools? Public Schools?
3. How could culturally responsive teaching impact the current educational system, especially the gender gap in Peru?