Discussions

Your Name and Title: Pamela Young, Ph.D., Consultant and Project Manager

School, Library, or Organization Name: Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation

Co-Presenter Name(s):

Country from Which You Will Present: Canada

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience (such as primary school teachers, high school administrators, students, etc.): Teachers and administrators of all grade levels

Short Session Description (one line): This session will give practical ideas for establishing a project in which teachers and members of immigrant communities collaborate to build understanding of each group's educational assumptions and expectations.

Full Session Description (one paragraph minimum): As North American classrooms have become increasingly diverse, teachers and administrators are often challenged to understand and meet the needs of immigrant students, especially when these students belong to cultural groups in which educational  assumptions and expectations are highly divergent from those found in North American schools. In a project sponsored by the Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation and the Alberta Teachers' Association, teachers of Somali and South Sudanese students collaborated with Somali and South Sudanese community members  to build understanding of each group's educational assumptions and expectations. The group then wrote and published resources that would assist students, teachers, administrators, and community members to establish a climate of mutual respect and communicate more effectively.  As the project manager, I will discuss the project's logistics, challenges, and successful outcomes, and assist the session participants to consider how they might implement a similar project.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:
www. cmef.ca