Outline of presentation (Multicultural Education)

1. Introduction 

1.1 EDB’s policy for ethnic minorities students1.2 Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) stance and view towards EDB's

policy1.3 Studies conducted by the Centre for Social Policy Studies(PolyU) and

Unison Hong Kong （融樂會）

2. Case study: to show what the students really need or lack of3. Role of teachers in catering for students' diverse learning needs4. Conclusion 

 

Introduction No. of Ethnic minority (EM) students :10,000 (3 years ago) 12,000 (now)

learning of Chinese is the greatest problem for EM students.

EM students are often rejected by local universities: (a) lesser proficiency in Chinese (b) It can limit their opportunities for advancement in education and career

EOC has launched a report in 11 July 2011

EOC urged EDB to offer more support to EM students.

Controversial point: Is it fair to set the same Chinese proficiency requirement for them without adequate and appropriate support ?

Statistics of  Educated Ethnic Minority Population

       

Source:2006 Population By-census

Education Level The % of EM students attained

Pre-primary level 3.2%

Upper Secondary level

1.1%

Post-secondary level

0.59%

TVB News Report Summary11.July.2011

EOC ‘s viewpoint Lack of Chinese language support: • Failure for EM students to learn

Chinese well enough to catch up with the curriculum.

• Failure in the public exam• The difference in level is huge: GCSE Chinese exam vs

mainstream Chinese Language tests

• Employers often dismiss the qualifications as “not good enough”

Source : Youtube.com http://youtu.be/e5OwF19c0

EOC ‘s Suggestion

• An alternative curriculum should be in place for EM students

• The government should provide language programmes at kindergarten level

EOC'S stance and view towards EDB's policy

 • Provide language and cultural programmes for EM students

at pre-primary level • Offer intensive language courses • Provide expert guidance and support to individual schools in

curriculum design • Adaptation of teaching material in Chinese language for EM

students • An alternative Chinese curriculum should be developed • The unfair Chinese proficiency requirement=indirect

discrimination• Huge gap (level): GCSE Chinese (up to P.3 level) vs. local

mainstream Chinese curriculum

Source: 1. EOC’s Report on the Working Group on Education for Ethnic Minorities

 

A Research Report on the Education of South Asian Ethnic Minority Groups in Hong

Kong Studies conducted by the Centre for

Social Policy Studies(PolyU) and Unison Hong Kong （融樂會）

Research based on questionnaire survey on the views of EM students

Data Analysis for students':

1. Profile of Respondents

2. Education and School Life

3. Aspirations

4. Home environment

5. Language

6. Sense of Belonging to HK

A Research Report on the Education of South Asian Ethnic Minority Groups in Hong Kong Social Policy Recommendations were made regarding the following

aspects: 1. Improving education opportunities

school choices/ using Cantonese which they don't understand/ less chances after F.5 level/ IVE & VTC running courses in Chinese

2. Improving teachers' attitude13% EM students: think that some teachers dislike them

27%: teachers may punish EM students more severely

30%: teachers care more for Chinese students

30%: teachers dislike teaching EM students 3. Social Work: from remedial to development

promote cultural exchange between Chinese and EM students through activities

A Research Report on the Education of South Asian Ethnic Minority Groups in Hong Kong 4. Flexible cirriculum: responding to cultural differences

Nepalese students: Maths much easier in HK/ Filipino: Maths harder/ Science easier

5. Developing Chinese curriculum for non-Chinese students

Students expressed that their Chinese teachers did not take their Chinese classes seriously.

6. Mother-tongue: multicultural language policy

difficult to provide EM students with mother-tongues as academic subjects

=>Provide their mother-tongues as extra curricular activities 7. Toward cultural sensitive practice

respect cultural religious practices: 56% students: not allowed to wear scarves and salwar/ 66.5%: not allowed to grow beard/ 69%: not allowed to put on religious signs

Case 1: Hena’s sistersKey problem: Low self-confidence

• Hena’s three sisters: studying in one designated secondary school.

• All subjects are taught in Chinese except English.

• They feel frustrated because:• They scored the highest marks in English;• Other chinese-medium subjects are almost totally failed.• Asha do not have confidence to further studies after F.4

& local university.• Asha plan to be an airhostess after graduate in

secondary school.

Source: ATV 時事追擊 25.8.2011 《少數族裔的教育》 Part 1: 10:18”-12:09”http://youtu.be/sOd1uyb5Ras

Case 2: Dil’s brotherKey problem: Policy confused

• Dil’s brother, a Nepalese, wants to study F.1 in a designated secondary school

Barrier in finding school:• His brother can’t speak Chinese• Designated school refuse to give chance to his brother

to study• EDB’s suggestion: go to international school • They don’t have enough money to pay school fees

Source: ATV Inside Story 23.8.2011 Part2: 2:05”-3:35”

Case 3: IquaKey problem: GCSE should be amended

• Iqua is studying in a local secondary school.• She wants to works as a doctor after graduation • She work hard to learn Chinese together with his father• She find that: GCSE is too easy (up to Primary 3 level)• The local Chinese exam is too difficult• She wants EDB to up-grade the level of GCSE • The level can be set between GCSE and local Chinese exam

(i.e. the medium level)

Source: ATV Inside Story 23.8.2011 Part2: 4:52”-7:31”

Role of teachers in catering for students' diverse learning needs

TOWARD A CONCEPTION OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT(CRCM)

Ballenger: 5 Components of CRCM1. Recognition of One’s Own Ethnocentrism and Biases

– White teachers consider their cultural norms: European, middleclass stuctures programs and discourse to be neutral and universal/ accept as normal and right=>cultural awareness: examination on the issue

2. Knowledge of Students’ Cultural Backgrounds

– Teachers should know about students cultural backgrounds, experiences, norms and values:a. Family background and structure/ b. Education/c. Interpersonal relationship styles/ d. Discipline/e. Time and space/ f. Religion/ g. Foodh. Health and hygiene/ i. History, traditions, and holidays

Role of teachers in catering for students' diverse learning needs

TOWARD A CONCEPTION OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT(CRCM)

Ballenger: 5 Components of CRCM1. Recognition of One’s Own Ethnocentrism and Biases

– White teachers consider their cultural norms: European, middleclass stuctures programs and discourse to be neutral and universal/ accept as normal and right=>cultural awareness

2. Knowledge of Students’ Cultural Backgrounds

– Teachers should know about students cultural backgrounds, experiences, norms and values:a. Family background and structure/ b. Education/c. Interpersonal relationship styles/ d. Discipline/e. Time and space/ f. Religion/ g. Foodh. Health and hygiene/ i. History, traditions, and holidays

5 Components of CRCM

3. Awareness of the Broader Social, Economic, and Political Context current practices and policies may reinforce institutional

discrimination e.g. Banning Spanish use in school4. Ability and Willingness to Use Culturally Appropriate Management Strategies

Monitor our behavior in terms of equitable treatmente.g. Are we patient and encouraging for all students? Do we use hairstyle and dress to form stereotypical judgements on students

Find mismatches between conventional management strategies and students' cultural backgrounds.e.g. Chastising Filipino students' lack of independence: futile

5. Commitment to Building Caring Classroom Communities Rogers and Renard (1999) : “students are motivated when they

believe that teachers treat them like people and care about them personally and educationally”

Culturally Responsive Classroom Management: Awareness Into Action

Strategies for Enacting Culturally Responsive Classroom Management:

1. Organizing the physical environment bring cultural diversity to the classroom

e.g. using a map of the world/ poster depicting people of various cultural groups/ children's individual photograph to create a jigsaw puzzle/ desk arranged in clusters to let students share together.

2. Establishing expectations for behavior sit quietly and listen vs. more active, participatory (“call-response”)

pattern? more collectivist vs. work independently?

3. Communicating with students in culturally consistent ways using straight-forward directives (“sit down and get to work”) vs.

politeness formulas (“Would you like to sit down?”).

Strategies for Enacting Culturally Responsive Classroom Management:

4. Creating caring, inclusive classrooms planned efforts to cross social borders and develop caring, respectful

relationships

e.g. teachers can greet students with students' native language/ sharing stories about students' lives, interests and activities, inviting them to make choices and decisions

5. Working with families e.g. a Pakistan father doesn't allow his daughter to sit next to a boy.

=>arrange student to interact with boys in small group activities instead6. Dealing with problem behaviors

Teachers from dominant culture find students "rude and disruptive" and respond with anger.

=> should remain calm and non-defensive discuss norms with classmates like taking-turns for classroom activities

  Appendix I

 Secondary schools Admitting Greater Number of Non-Chinese Speaking Children

Government

Sir Ellis Kadoorie Secondary School (West Kowloon)Yaumati, Co-Educational Aided 

Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial CollegeEastern, Co-Educational

Caritas Tuen Mun Marden Foundation Secondary SchoolTuen Mun, Co-Educational

Bethel High SchoolYuen Long, Co-Educational

Salesians of Don Bosco Ng Siu Mui Secondary SchoolKwai Chung & Tsing Yi, Boys

Source: Education Bureau web sitehttp://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?nodeid=2&langno=2

Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS)

• Delia Memorial School (Hip Wo)Kwun Tong, Co-Educational

Delia Memorial School (Broadway)Sham Shui Po, Co-Educational

Pak Kau CollegeYuen Long, Co-Educational

St Margaret's Girls' College, Hong KongCentral & Western, Girls

Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial CollegeIsland, Co-Educational

Source of TV News Story

• http://youtu.be/e5OwF19c0cg (TVB news report)

• http://www.hkatvnews.com/v5/world.php?id=97591&p=3000005 (ATV: Inside Story)

• http://youtu.be/sOd1uyb5Ras ( 時事追撃 )• http://youtu.be/gxK7Dy5NH4w ( 時事追撃 )