Impacts of Culture and Cultural Identity on Education: A Lesson Plan for Year 9 English Students

This lesson plan for year 9 English students focuses on the impacts of culture and cultural identity on education. It includes culturally inclusive teaching practices and encourages students to participate in the learning process. The lesson plan recognizes the importance of respecting cultural identity and linguistic background of students in education.

Masters of teaching
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Table of Contents
Planning of the lessons................................................................................................................................2
Impacts of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on education..............................................4
Reflection on the success of the planning....................................................................................................5
Summary of the experience.........................................................................................................................6
References...................................................................................................................................................8
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Planning of the lessons
The five lessons are developed focusing on the syllabus developed by BOSTES and ACARA for
the fifth stage, especially for year 9 (Home - Board of Studies Teaching and Educational
Standards NSW, (2018). According to the learning theories, a student can learn the topic in
various ways, so it is important to plan the lessons using these theories. The first lesson is
developed focusing on the behaviorism theory of learning. The material used for this lesson is
“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. For teaching a specific module of English, this
lesson plans to use behaviorist model is used in the classroom. A student will be recognized and
appraised when they will be able to perform better. The law of exercise will be implemented in
the classroom so that the students can gain knowledge about the subject very easily (Myles &
Mitchell, 2014). The purpose of this lesson is that the student should be able to develop
contextual knowledge in the subject and personally engage with the texts. The lesson is
conducted using direct instruction strategies in which the academic content of the syllabus is
presented to the students by the teacher.
The information is conveyed to the students through presentation and the students are
encouraged to get involved with the module. Using ICT in the classroom, the content can be
conveyed efficiently to the students and increase the learning ability of the students. Indigenous
culture of the country, cultural identity and linguistic background of the students play a vital role
in the learning process of the students (Entwistle & Ramsden, 2015). These factors can cause
isolation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from the course, if not handled
properly. These lessons are planned to focus on integrating the social and cultural experiences of
the learners into the lesson. The second lesson is developed using the cognitive theory of
learning (Olson, 2015). The materials used for this lesson is “Watership Down” by Richard
Adams. This lesson is planned to encourage the students to increase their curiosity and they are
provided with opportunities to increase their understanding of the subject. The purpose of
developing this lesson is to enable the students to develop an understanding of the subject and
transfer the knowledge gained into new and different contexts. The curiosity of the students will
be encouraged to increase their curiosity about the subject, and the lesson will be divided into
smaller divisions.
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The content of the academics will be conveyed to them using instructional approaches in this
lesson. Using this approach, the students are encouraged to become independent learners (Kay &
Kibble, 2016). The impact of cultural identity is crucial in the learning process, and the lesson is
designed to improve the learning of the aboriginal students and decrease the level of a
disadvantage with a transfer of knowledge. The third lesson plan is planned is design so that the
students will be able to evaluate the cultural meanings of the text and question it (Nicholas &
Wells, 2017). The material which will be used in this lesson is “Little Women” by Louisa May
Alcott. The theory of learning applied while planning the lesson is behaviorism theory, and the
content is conveyed to the students using direct instruction strategy by the teacher. This method
enables the teachers to educate their students a specific skill, which is to increase their
understanding of the subject English. Along with direct instruction strategy, indirect teaching
approach can also be used to increase the understanding of the subject and their engagement in
the course (Gee, 2014). The fourth lesson is planned to encourage the students to think creatively
and interpret the text and develop critical ideas about the subject. Texts from Roald Dahl and J M
Barrie are used as materials. This lesson will also be based on the learning theory of cognitivism.
The role of teachers is crucial to encourage the students to participate in the learning process.
The cultural identity of the Aboriginal students and the students from Torres Strait Islander
background play a significant role in their education. While the lessons are planned, respect is
given to their culture and focus is given to building the trust between the student and the
teachers.
The fifth lesson is planned to encourage the students to increase their reflective skills and their
independence (Banks, 2015). “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier is chosen for this lesson as the
material for this lesson. Both cognitive and behavioral theory will be used while implementing
this lesson in the classroom. The students are encouraged to participate in the course and they are
praised when they are able to perform well in the academics. The lesson will be lecture based
and highly structured, and the teacher will convey the content to the students. The teacher will
be mainly responsible for their students and their achievements (Nelson & Guerra, 2014).
However, this approach cannot fit the needs of all the students, so the teacher must develop
innovative strategies to teach their students. So the theory of cognitivism is also applied in the
classroom. In this method, the students are encouraged to inquire about the subject through a
series of questions. However, this approach to is not sufficient to meet the needs of all the
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students in the classroom. Direct teaching methods are beneficial for the students so that they can
understand the subject clearly from their teachers. This why the teachers need to create an
environment of trust among their students. The teacher also needs to respect the culture of the
Aboriginal students and the students from Torres Strait Island. The teachers are responsible to
promote an environment within the classroom free of racism.
Impacts of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on education
These lessons will include culturally inclusive teaching practices, which will be sensible and
respectful towards the culture of these students. Thus it would ensure positive interaction from
the students of these communities. The subject will be explained to the students in an easy
manner, so that they can learn the subject at their own pace. As the values, culture and cultural
identity of the student will be closely linked, it is important to provide a safe environment to the
students (Delamont, 2016). When these students come to school to learn new things, they have to
understand another culture. Respecting the culture of these students will allow the teachers to
increase the efficiency of their teaching skills. Otherwise, the student will not be able to cope
with the lesson in the classroom. The cultural identity of these students should not be denied, as
it can reflect badly on their self-esteem. This is why, focus has been given on respecting the
culture of these students, and implementing the lessons within the classroom (Luke, 2018).
These students comes from a history of oppression and resistance, so a level of trust must be
established before conveying the content of the course. This is due to the reason that they belong
from a culture with strong oral traditions. These cultures believe in creating and maintaining
relationships. So it is important that, the teachers must try to create and maintain relationships
with the students.
The identity of a person depends on the culture they are belonging, and they have a great
influence on the learning process of the individual. The lesson is developed to recognize that
cultural identity of the students as a part of their living (Apple, 2017). The lesson plan reinforces
the cultural knowledge that these students brings to the classroom. The lesson also recognizes the
impacts of culture, cultural identity and linguistics on their education. So the lesson will also
include their language as a foundation of the course before moving to teaching other details of
the program. It will help the students to understand and recognize their own cultural beliefs as
well as the cultural belief of others. The lesson is also developed to create a positive environment
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for students from different cultures in the classroom. With the help of these lessons, the teacher
will be able to encourage the students to participate in the learning process of the course. A
balance will be maintained in these lessons for both the Aboriginal and other students in the
classroom. Proper implementation of these lessons will result in creating a proper environment in
the classroom (Cummins, Hu, Markus & Kristiina Montero, 2015). The teachers will be able to
prevent negative behaviors of the student by recognizing the cultural differences in the
classroom. A culturally responsive lesson will increase the participation of the students in the
course, thus increasing their learning in the process. The lessons are planned to educate the
student on the relevance of learning another language and the importance of it. It will also help
the students to increase their understanding about various texts, articles and the meaning they
convey. The teacher is responsible to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the students, and
modify their lesson plan according to that. They are also responsible to provide a safe
environment to the students, which would be free from any racism, or other forms of
discrimination.
Reflection on the success of the planning
The five lessons are planned carefully by considering the learning theories of the student, the
direct teaching strategies etc. Additional focus is given to the impacts of culture, cultural identity
of the students coming from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds (Chapman,
Wright & Pascoe, 2018). The lessons are planned to teach a small group of students belonging to
stage five. During the implementation of the lessons, I have given clear instructions to the
students, so that they can understand the course requirements. The students are also encouraged
to participate in the course as well. Both cognitive and behaviorism theory of learning is
implemented in the classroom. These lessons are well developed and structured so that the
lessons can be taught properly in the class. The students are encouraged to participate in the
course, thus increasing the effectiveness of their learning. The students inquired about the course,
which enabled me to increase my teaching skills as well. With the help of these lessons, I am
able to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the students, as well my own. In the
classroom, I have given respect to the cultures of the students coming from different
backgrounds, thus building a relationship of trust with my students. This step plays a vital role in
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the successful implementation of the lessons, as building a relationship is considered crucial in
their cultures. As a result, these students are encouraged to freely participate in the course.
The implementation of the lessons in the classroom is a success, drawing more students towards
the course. With the help of these lessons, the students are encouraged to actively participate in
the learning process. The students followed the instructions and enquired in case of any doubts,
thus increasing their level of knowledge. The students are able to achieve the outcomes of these
lessons in effective manner. These students are able to understand why they are learning a
foreign subject like English and its application in the world. As a teacher, I am able to reinforce
the knowledge they bring with them in the class. I have incorporated their language in the
classroom, along with using English as a medium of communication. This has helped the
students to learn the language effectively and efficiently. It also helped me to develop strategies
to overcome weaknesses of my teaching skills and help the students achieve their learning
outcomes. A lesson which is encouraging students to participate in the learning process, can be
considered as an effective one. The lessons developed by me allows the students to increase their
curiosity about a topic. It also enabled them to fulfill their curiosity by enquiring about their
doubts. Thus I am able to teach them about the subject using both behaviorism theory of learning
and cognitive theory. I have implemented both these theories to facilitate the learning of the
students irrespective of their background. The number of students is less in the classroom, thus
allowing me to spend more time with the students and recognize their individual strengths and
weaknesses.
Summary of the experience
While developing and implementing the lessons, I am able to understand the importance of
culture, cultural identity and the linguistic background of the student in education. The lessons
are given to a small group of students to increase the efficiency of these lessons (Lindemann,
2016). The overall experience has helped me to increase my teaching skills. It also helped me to
understand the strengths and weaknesses associated with them. I was also able to identify the
strengths and weaknesses of my students and is able to modify the course according to that. I
also understood, that a culturally responsive teacher will not try to isolate the cultural identity of
the students from them. Rather, it can be used to increase the level of learning of the students
(Daniels & Gustafson, 2016). It is necessary to understand the values, cultures, beliefs of the
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students, so that they can feel comfortable in the classroom. The class teacher appraised me for
the first and fourth lesson, but said my second, third and fifth lesson was unable to meet the
mark. There are several advantages applying a Christian worldview and faith-based orientation
to planning and teaching. The students are encouraged to interact to with people of all religious
and cultural belief with same mentality (Glanzer & Alleman, 2015). It also allow the teachers to
encourage the students to remain faithful to their beliefs and faiths. The students are encouraged
to understand the world in a new way and increase the level of their thinking to global standard.
It also helps teachers to incorporate a deep understanding among the students about living with
their own convictions.
This approach encourages the students to share their feelings with others in an inviting manner,
among the people with other beliefs (Tran, 2017). The class size is small, so the teachers are
able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their students. They will be abler to modify
their courses according to these issues. It also creates a sense of spirituality among the students
and thus allowing them to create a closer relationship with their God. They will be able to behave
in a positive manner, as they will model their behavior based on the behavior of their teachers
(Parkay, Anctil, & Hass, 2014). However, there are some disadvantages associated with this
worldview approach to planning and teaching. There are lesser options to choose from for the
students, so they may not able to perform well in the real world. The worldview may not be
applicable to all the issues of the world. The students applying the worldview approach to these
issues may not be able to perform well in a better way. They may not be able to handle the fact,
not all people will believe in the same things as they do (Moore, 2015). Thus they can be
discouraged in certain ways to maintain their own beliefs and values. The teachers may not be
able to encourage their students to find a practical solution to their existing problems. The
students might not be able to face conflict in different aspects of their life if they try to use this
worldview.
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References
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ideology and the state (Vol. 53). Routledge.
Banks, J. A. (2015). Cultural diversity and education. Routledge.
Chapman, S., Wright, P., & Pascoe, R. (2018). Arts curriculum implementation:“Adopt and
adapt” as policy translation. Arts Education Policy Review, 119(1), 12-24.
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achievement: Connecting the dots in multilingual school contexts. Tesol Quarterly, 49(3), 555-
581.
Daniels, J. R., & Gustafson, J. N. (2016). Faith-based institutions, institutional mission, and the
public good. Higher Learning Research Communications, 6(2), 90.
Delamont, S. (2016). Fieldwork in educational settings: Methods, pitfalls, and perspectives.
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