Abstract
The paper explains that culture is a learned system of beliefs that are personalized and that affect every aspect of a student's life. The paper further explains that culture is expressed through language, which is often particular to the societal group and requires a complete understanding of cultural values to comprehend. The paper shows how these two factors work hand-in-hand to shape the individual's learning and so concludes that both factors must be supported in the classroom.

From the Paper
"Culture impacts every child that enters the school system because culture impacts how the child thinks, learns and becomes socialized in the educational community. Because the influences of culture on children begin from the time of birth, the information that affects the child's development is significant and so is the potential for conflict to arise within the classroom. This is because the student has learned to value his or her cultural ideas, which often become completely separate from the social norms expected in schools. Therefore, how culture is embraced or denied in the classroom has the potential to have long term affects on the manner in which the student continues a relationship with learning."

Tags:socialization, communication, beliefs, values, experience, history, ideology

Abstract
This paper explores the impact of culture for children in the school system. It further addresses how culture influences how the child thinks, learns and becomes socialized in the educational community. The paper also notes that because the influences of culture on children begin from the time of birth, the information that affects the child's development is significant and so is the potential for conflict to arise within the classroom.

From the Paper
"Culture impacts every child that enters the school system because culture impacts how the child thinks, learns and becomes socialized in the educational community. Because the influences of culture on children begin from the time of birth, the information that affects the child's development is significant and so is the potential for conflict to arise within the classroom. This is because the student has learned to value his or her cultural ideas, which often become completely separate from the social norms expected in schools. Therefore, how culture is embraced or denied in the classroom has the potential to have long term affects on the..."

Tags:culture, language, education

Abstract
This paper examines the various strategies that school systems have employed to better integrate native languages and cultures into educational strategies in order to improve the efficacy of these strategies.

From the Paper
"This document discusses the impact of language and culture on education. Particularly it examines the various strategies that school systems have employed to better integrate native languages and cultures into educational strategies in order to improve the efficacy of these strategies.
"The importance of understanding the impact that a student's native language and culture has on his or her ability to learn is critical in the..."

Tags:language, learning, native

Abstract
The paper discusses the various strategies that school systems have employed to better integrate native languages and cultures into their curriculum. The paper emphasizes the need for educational systems to develop an integrated learning system which addresses the learning needs and styles of all students rather than just the majority culture.

From the Paper
"The importance of understanding the impact that a student's native language and culture has on his or her ability to learn is critical in the success of the educational program the student is in. Zehler touches upon the importance and complexity of language and culture on educational success when she states that English language learners (ELL) have specific needs: "...they need to build their oral English skills. They also need to acquire reading and writing skills in English. And they must...maintain a learning continuum in the content areas (e.g., mathematics, science, and social studies)"(1994). Thus, educational programs and, indeed, systems must account for not simply for the ELL student's target language acquisition but the ELL student's entire curriculum base."

Tags:dual-immersion, bilingual, curriculum, minorities, diversity

Abstract
In this article, the writer looks at portfolio project and endorsing portfolio projects for teachers and students. The writer discusses the need for teacher reflection, aims of promoting Bottom Up reading and basic skills but above all, student curiosity that will greatly promote further language acquisition if needed, or general language skills. The writer uses various U.K. and U.S. references in addition to Canadian and a particular focus on Ontario.

From the Paper
"This paper owes to different formal and individual explorations of language arts approaches and methods including work towards a language arts portfolio, an exercise helping to recognize the vast range of materials available to Canadian teachers, at large, in relation to their adopted philosophies of teaching. A guiding study that has promoted much thought on the overall goals of language arts instruction has been Think Literacy Success, a Government of Ontario report on approaches to promoting literacy at the Grades 7 to 12 levels which emphasizes gaps in ..."

Tags:language, arts, reflection, philosophy

Abstract
The paper discusses how the government of Wales has specifically engaged its constituents in learning Welsh in order to influence their sense of self and identity. The paper looks at how the Social Identity and Social Action in Wales (SISAW) research group (2009) notes that, since the Welsh Language Act in 1997, the implementation of Welsh education in elementary and high schools has been deployed strategically in what they call identity management resources.

From the Paper
"Over the last few years, the use of the Welsh language has risen significantly. From an all-time low in 1981 of 18 percent, the government of the United Kingdom (2009) notes that the language now counts over 21% of Welsh speakers as fluent and daily users, with up to 38% of children under 15 fluent for the first time in over thirty years. Why is this relevant for the semiotic anthropology of Wales? It is important because the government of Wales has specifically engaged its constituents in learning Welsh in order to influence their sense of self and identity. The Social Identity and Social Action in Wales (SISAW)..."

Tags:linguistics, anthropology, language

Abstract
This paper discusses the effects of Hispanic culture on Southern California public education and ways a classroom teacher can accommodate language. It argues that although official bilingual programs are a thing of the past, educators must focus on this growing minority group.

From the Paper
"According to the U S Bureau of the Census there are million persons of Hispanic or Spanish origin in the U S representing about ..."

Tags:Hispanic-Americans, California

bilingual education

Abstract
This paper owes to different formal and individual explorations of language arts approaches and methods including work towards a language arts portfolio, an exercise helping to recognize the vast range of materials available to Canadian teachers, at large, in relation to their adopted philosophies of teaching. The writer maintains that a guiding study that has promoted much thought on the overall goals of language arts instruction has been Think Literacy Success, a Government of Ontario report on approaches to promoting literacy at the Grades 7 to 12 levels which emphasizes gaps in abilities and opportunities, student groups especially at risk, and the overall role of language arts in seeing that students are prepared to communicate well in society. The writer notes that it seems important to think through the environment in which one will teach with central Canada offering unique challenges of diversity less pronounced in regions beyond the main cities. In the same spirit, The writer discusses that teachers serving isolated impoverished or otherwise limited communities of less heterogeneity need to find approaches to an overall ideal of instilling interest and skill.

Outline:
Introduction
Portfolio Tasks
Reflection on Professional Development
Mechanics of Portfolio and Teaching Development
Bottom Up Model of Reading
Professional Development Goals
Future Activities
Concluding Remarks

From the Paper
"Various course and seminar offerings now exist that are geared to language arts teachers. In addition, there is an ever-growing literature of research on the subjects of literacy, factors impeding literacy and language development, curriculum design and teaching pedagogy. However, one needs to aim to for practical experience which should be diverse. For example, attending classes for second language learners in a Board of Education setting is different from tutoring adult learners in basic literacy having been involved in the criminal justice system. When watching very experienced language arts teachers at work one sees the results of perhaps many years given to students of different kinds, in perhaps several school systems, and more than one country. Teachers can appreciate to varying degrees what colleagues educated elsewhere can impart, especially those having served abroad and perhaps in educational systems requiring English-medium instruction for students of diverse first languages. Education does seem a profession in which the teacher is forever meeting individuals from whom learning is possible. The same can be said of students, and what is suddenly discovered in some in terms of a hidden ability, another language spoken, or the ability to illustrate written work."

Tags:teaching, students, exercise, literacy

Abstract
This paper explains that, beginning in the 18th century, the British missionaries and their establishing institutions of learning, which initiated much of the early education of the Indians, thought that if English was intrinsically healthy, it stood to reason that the Indian languages were the opposite. The author points out that, to find employment in a civil service position, an individual needed to pass an English qualifying exam and receive a "western degree"; therefore, it is no surprise that the educated class, in some cases, became more English than the English. The paper relates that, with the leadership of Gandhi, who was once an avid Anglophile, the many Indian languages came to be favored over English; however, even today, English is used as a kind of national language for affairs of state because India is multi-lingual and having a unifying language is seen as important. Several long quotes.

From the Paper
"The group that benefited possibly the most was the Bengalis.
The Bengalis developed a vigorous Westernized culture quite independent of their British neighbors. Education became a mark of social distinction as well as a means for advancement. Competition in the schools and universities was (and is) fierce by Western standards. The highly educated and literate populace gave rise to a great demand for books. A few blocks south of the Marble Palace is the College Street Market where, adjacent to the dignified buildings of Calcutta University, there exists a prodigious collection of publishers and booksellers. The market is an intellectual phenomenon in itself, probably the largest book market in the world. Books on every conceivable subject are published both in English and Bengali. The Bengali authors have a marvelous facility with the English language and at its best the quality of literature in Calcutta ranks with that of any center in the world."

Tags:macaulay, gandi, public, western, social

Abstract
This paper explains that, although critics of the American system point out that there are too many poor, uninsured Americans and claim that national health care would eliminate this problems while providing better service at a lower cost, evidence shows that taxes would skyrocket and healthcare services would deteriorate under national healthcare. The author relates that critics of the U.S. education system attack the deficit model of education for reinforcing negative stereotypes about minority and urban youth and want to replace it with an asset model that builds learning strategies around the personal skills, interests, language and culture of individual students. The paper stresses that implementation of the asset model would call for additional funding to add teachers, but budget reductions is the current educational trend in at least 29 states.

From the Paper
"Four minority groups, Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans, dominate the population of 185 counties and 2,000 towns and cities. And, there's increasing immigration from Central and South America, the Caribbean Islands, East Asia, and Slavic countries such as Russia. Given this diversity and the student to teacher ratios, it's difficult to imagine how teachers could possibly understand the dynamic and diverse social relationships of family, friendship and community that are unique to each group and incorporate them into their teaching."

Tags:budget, quality, tax, model, skyrocket