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MULTI-CULTURAL WEAKNESSES
1. Lesson packets contain only one white, male character and all the Arabs look the same.
We all know that there
is a hugely diverse population in America, but there is a large diversity within the
global Arab population as well. I promise all Arabs do not look like Sadaam
Hussein! Our class material, originally published in the late 1970’s, is
an additive approach to the Arabic Language curriculum and does not meet the required standards of Brown and Kysilka (pp 113,
121-124) or Gorski (1999, Online Reading Section 1) for course materials evaluation.
2.
No posters, flags, maps, signs or presentations of student work in the classroom.
Even though these items
would really liven up our aesthetic environment and improve students’ pride in their work and catalyze motivation, the
building management will not allow us to display anything on the walls in the classroom or in the hallway since we have to
share classrooms with other universities and classes.
(Brown and Kysilka, Chapter
4, The Classroom Environment, pp 89-100)
3. Faculty consists of White, Straight, Middle-Class Americans.
Despite our vast array of experiences with
the language and culture and our gender differences and military experience, we are all white Americans that derive from a
Middle Class upbringing. This hurts us multi-culturally because we may not be
able to effectively relate to our students that are not of our same background due to our lack of experience with their situations. We have to really be aware of our ethnocentrisms and make sure we practice conscious
openness, postpone judgment and practice appropriate verbal and non-verbal behaviors both in and out of class. (Brown and
Kysilka, pp 31-53; Online Reading 2.18 and 2.19)
4. Student coursework is generally unauthentic in nature and does not
address multiple modalities / learning styles.
This is an understatement. The packet consists of one conversation between an American and a Saudi, some vocabulary, a couple of speaking
exercises, and a CD or two of the Saudi pronouncing the conversation and the vocabulary items in the speaking exercises. It is so bad I could not listen to the CDs without cringing! All tests are twenty multiple choice questions, with a speaking test that requires the student to respond
to an English word, phrase, or scenario. BORING!!!! Definitely not representative of the much needed authentic tasks and assessments presented
in Brown and Kysilka’s Chapter Seven, The Assessment.
5. No formal special needs assistance is available (Exceptional, Gifted
& Talented, or ESL)
None that I have been able to find. Comparatively, we do not have many of these types of students. But if the occasion
arises, it would be nice to know who we can go to if we have a student that needs assistance.
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