Exposure to culture/religion in the classroom

The recognition of different Cultures/Religions is an intervention that can be used to help foster social inclusion for pupils of a different religious or cultural background than the majority of the class. It is an intervention that supports the Individual learning needs of an EAL learner (English as an Additional Language).

When a child’s first language is not that of the learning environment s/he is in, the child not only has to learn the target language but they also have the added pressure of adapting to the new predominant culture.

It is important to have parents or (guest speakers) come into class to share the particular language, religion or culture of the specific child with the whole class. Not only does it benefit the child as it increases their self-esteem and sense of self-worth. It generates positive reinforcement of the value of their religion or culture which in turn promotes the confidence and motivation of the child to learn independently. It also benefits the other class members as they are increasing their knowledge of other cultures and religions.

“If a bilingual learner feels valued, has a positive sense of identity and is engaged cognitively in activities that are challenging, interactive and instructive, then learning takes place.”
www.naldic.org.uk assessed (2010)

Child B is in Year 1 he is from Iraq and his first language is Arabic and he is a Muslim. His mother was invited in to class to speak to the class about Islam. Child B sat in front of the class with his mother and recited a prayer in Arabic which his mother then translated. He showed the class some calligraphy in Arabic which he translated. He finished by showing his Dish Dash (traditional clothing from the Middle East.) The children then asked general questions about Islam and his country of origin.

The children’s topic at the time was actually Islam and the class were looking at how Allah’s name was written in Arabic. The whole class then wrote Allah (God’s name in Arabic) in a beautiful Calligraphy and coloured it in. Child B was able to collaborate on an equal level with his peers and help other children on his table to write in Arabic correctly. The other children were also looking to Child B for his assistance. The intervention supported the boy by empowering him to have the confidence to actually take ownership of his learning and actually lead the learning within his small group. It is interesting to note that throughout this activity he did not require the help of the teacher or TA. He took responsibility for his learning instead of being dependent on the teacher/TA to do it for him.

He was confident in his knowledge and engaged and motivated throughout the activity. Through the correct choice of intervention and subsequent follow on activity Child B had a positive independent learning experience. The foundation has been laid to build a confident self-motivated independent learner.

S. Shobbrook