Know students and how they learn

1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds

Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. 

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Within the Mary MacKillop school community, there are a diverse range of students with an ESL background mainly from the Vietnamese culture. These students sometimes come to school speaking limited English and require support with developing a broader vocabulary as well as understanding and following simple instructions. Due to the diverse linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic needs of these students, certain strategies were put in place to further the students English skills and help them feel more able to communicate with their teachers and peers. 

These include: 

• During Term One and Two, each student is screened by a Speech Therapist and Occupational Therapist to determine if there are any underlying issues that need to be addressed. These therapists work with the educators to ensure that even if the services are not accessed, experiences can be completed in the classroom to support the students. There is also an interpreter for families to use so that the information can be understood by all those involved. 

• Whilst working in the Kindergarten at Mary MacKillop, I was able to implement a small group oral language program (Diana Rigg) that help some of the students to navigate tricky English words and give them the confidence to use a wider range of words in daily conversations. They were given various picture scenes and were promoted to name the items that they could see and slowly begin to add attributes to the items. We focussed on extending vocabulary, articulation of single sounds and pronunciation of 1 and 2 syllable words. 

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• In the Kindergarten class there is an Indigenous Australian student who works closely with an AIEO. We worked together with this student to ensure that she felt safe and welcome in our classroom and able to complete activities and investigations with confidence. This student participated in our phonics activities and built on her home language as well as building her English vocabulary.

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• ​All students are invited to participate in whole class mat sessions. These include singing songs, repeating rhymes and interacting with literacy, numeracy, music and finger gym warm ups. The students encouraged to join in if they are able or feel comfortable to and due to the whole class nature of the experiences, they are able to copy, listen, mimic, watch and touch in a way that is appropriate to their needs. 

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EYLF Outcomes: 1.1.8, 1.3.5, 5.1.1, 5.1.3, 5.1.6

NQS Quality Areas: 1, 5 & 6

Domains: Personal, social, emotional, linguistic, cognitive.