Our students come from all over the world to DuPage
County. According to the U.S. Census,
 From 1990 to 2004, Asian population increased 129%. The Hispanic
population increased 189%.
 20.8 % of county residents speak a language other than English.
9.8% report they speak English "less than very well."
 Immigration provided over 50% of the population growth in the
county.
 Top five places of birth: Mexico, India, Philippines, Poland, China
 DuPage school districts have the second highest participation in TPI
and bilingual education programs in the state. (ISBE)
 2,400 African immigrants and refugees lived in DuPage County in
2000.
The poverty rate in DuPage doubled between 2000 and
2003.
 32,163 in 2000 to 48,827 in 2003
 Almost half of Latino immigrants live below 200% of the federal
poverty level.
 Many families lack transportation.
 Housing situation is unstable.
 Parents are working long hours.
o 82 hours a week at minimum wage to rent a studio apartment.
 Children are hungry.
o Food pantries are running out of food.
o Schools do not qualify for free breakfast program.
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
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Learning and the Four Dimensions of National Culture
High

Power
Distance



Uncertainty
avoidance



Individualist



Masculine


Teachers are expected to
take all the initiatives in
class.
Teachers are gurus who
transfer personal wisdom.
Students treat teachers with
respect.
Students are comfortable in
structured learning
situations and concerned
with the right answers.
Teachers are supposed to
have all the answers.
Low-context
communication.
Purpose of education is
learning how to learn.
Diplomas increase
economic worth and/or selfrespect.
Best student is the norm.
Failing in school is a
disaster.
Brilliance in teachers is
appreciated.
Boys and girls study
different subjects.
Low












Teachers expect students to
take initiatives.
Teachers are experts who
transfer impersonal truths.
Student treat teachers as
equals
Students are comfortable with
open-ended learning situations
and concerned with good
discussions.
Teachers may say 'I don't
know'.
High-context communication.
Purpose for education is
learning how to do.
Diplomas provide entry into
higher status groups.
Average student is the norm.
Failing in school is a minor
accident.
Friendliness in teachers is
appreciated.
Boys and girls study the same
subjects.
Hofstede, 1991
From Canada Centre for Remote Sensing
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
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The Vital Importance of Parental Involvement
Immigrant parents are the teacher's biggest ally. Generally, they are interested
in their child, respectful and supportive in disciplinary matters.
These parents are often the invisible force. If they work long hours, they
have no time for school events and fundraisers, but the parental influence
on student motivation is huge. Even if parents have not had the
opportunity to go to school, most stress the importance of education to
their children on a daily basis.
Parental respect for teachers has its advantages and disadvantages.
They respect your decisions when it comes to discipline. However, their
respect for you reduces parental input at conferences, IEP meetings, etc.,
especially if they are less educated than you. They are nervous attending
meetings full of professionals. Draw them out; ask them to describe their
child and their hopes for their child's future. The answers may surprise
you!
Do not use a child to translate or interpret for you if the parent's English
skills are limited. The school should provide someone to translate--a staff
member or screened volunteer. This is required for IEP conferences. If
no one is available to translate for an informal meeting, ask the child or
parent if another adult in the family or a neighbor can help.
Calling home is the most effective form of discipline. You will see quick
results. Consider taking conversational Spanish classes at COD or the
Illinois Resource Center's Mexico program.
Notes home are not effective if the parent's reading level is low. Notes are
often lost, forgotten, or discarded with fundraising forms. Put a big star on
important papers you send home.
Use a smiley/sad face chart to inform parents about daily behavior issues.
Have them sign and return it nightly. They will discuss the behavior with
the child.
Call or mail home good news about the student occasionally!
Encourage parents to speak the native language at home. The larger the
student's vocabulary in their native language, the larger their vocabulary
will be in English. If they don't know "liberty" in L1, they won't know
"liberty" in English.
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
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Ways to Involve Parents in Learning
1. Have students interview their parents about their life growing up in their native land.
Because of work schedules, give them a full week to complete the interview.
Students and parents can make a simple picture book together with the answers,
contrasting their life here with their homeland. (Compare school buildings, favorite
activities, lunches, discipline techniques, sports, apparel, transportation, teachers,
etc.)
2. Older students may benefit from interviewing their parents about their first job or their
grandparents' work experience. A further discussion of their dreams, lost and
realized, may be revealing.
3. Invite parents to come to school and observe your class. They may be very
surprised at what the students' daily routine is like. It will help them understand why
their child comes home tired at the end of the day.
4. Schedule a meeting with the parents of a new immigrant student shortly after
enrollment. This is a valuable opportunity to ask about any special needs the
student may have, how long they have lived in this country, how often they move,
what type of student they were in their native country, what ESL or bilingual classes
were provided by the previous U.S. school, strengths and weaknesses, difficulties
siblings have had in school, if the student wears glasses, future academic plans, etc.
Also ask the parent if you may have their cell phone number.
5. Invite parents to tell a story to the class related to the subject you are studying. They
bring a new perspective to old subjects such as "snakes" when they lived where
snakes were a daily threat. How did they keep their children safe from snakes when
they were sleeping?
6. Ask parents to chaperone field trips. First find out if younger siblings may come
along. Plan on meeting with chaperones in advance to discuss school rules.
Arrange more chaperones than required in case of last-minute cancellations due to
work schedule changes.
7. Include parents of high schoolers in academic counseling, choosing courses and
determining a career goal. Explain test results to them in terms they can understand.
Is their child showing talent in one area? Are uneven results a cause for concern?
Are ACT preparation classes needed before retaking the exam?
8. Organize workshops for high school students and their parents to discuss postsecondary educational opportunities, the outlook for various careers, and financial
aid throughout the high school years. It is not possible to educate immigrant families
about the whole college/financial aid process in one evening. The idea of their child
going away to school is particularly difficult for some cultures. Discussion with
parents who have been through the process will help. Alternatives to college need to
be outlined as well: union apprenticeships, vocational schools, entrepreneurship,
etc. Keep in mind that undocumented students are not eligible for government
financial aid. They are eligible for some scholarships. Most colleges are helpful.
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
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Social-emotional Needs of
Immigrant Students
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
 Safety from prejudice, discrimination, poverty, gangs,
immigration
 Trust: necessary to learn, risk failure
 Relationships with peers, teacher, opposite sex
 Self-esteem: being bilingual is an asset, not a deficit.
 Hope for the future: career goals, role models, college
information
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
-5-
Activity Behaviors for Levels of English Language Learners
Developed by Dr. Susan Duron
Level of English Production
Silent/Receptive
Early Production
Speech Emergence
(listen, not ready to speak)
(use a few words,
memorized phrases)
(speak in sentences, halting
at times)
Intermediate
Fluency (conversational,
still learning academic
vocabulary)
What types of activities can the student handle? How can you assess their learning?
 Listen
 Name
 Describe
 Give opinion
 Point
 List
 Define
 Justify
 Move
 Categorize
 Explain
 Debate
 Choose
 Label
 Recall
 Analyze
 Match
 Respond with 1-2
words
 Summarize
 Write
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
-6-
Word Sorts
Word sorts are an effective way to get small groups of 3-4 students talking about
vocabulary or concepts and negotiating meaning. Sorts can be closed, with categories
provided by the teacher, or open, with no suggestions given for categories. Open sorts
generate more discussion. There is no right or wrong way to categorize but students
explain to the teacher their reasoning for the categories they choose. Sorts can be used
at many different points.

At the beginning of a unit to activate prior knowledge or to determine which
words are unfamiliar

Pre-teach new vocabulary from a story or textbook. Do open word sort. Then
read the text and regroup the words.

To review for a test
For example, students reviewing for a history test on the American Revolution could
group important people according to their roles or colonies according to their resources
or products. In science, students could categorize types of plants or animals as they
wish, perhaps according to habitat, size, or food source.
Alternative Assessment
Students who are learning English can better demonstrate their
understanding of the material covered if allowed to tell the teacher what they learned or
draw a diagram or picture of the material. Creating alternative assessments need not be
time consuming. Providing a blank sheet of paper for a drawing or a familiar graphic
organizer for a student to complete is simple. See the page labeled “Activity Behaviors
for Levels of English Language Learners” for more ideas.



A child in the silent period could point when the teacher shows him photos in the
textbook and asks which one is Abraham Lincoln. He could also label a map or
match animals and the foods they eat.
A student who produces a few words of English could list five things a country
produces or write the steps in the water cycle on a graphic organizer. She could
also answer simple oral questions with yes or no or one word answers. Or she
could do a word sort by herself.
An intermediate English learner could define vocabulary or give reasons for a
war. He could write a paragraph summarizing a story read in class. He could
orally describe the main character in a story.
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
-7-
Recommended for Teachers of Immigrants
The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea (2004) Little, Brown, & Co. The gripping true
story of a group of immigrants trying to cross the Mexican border in the blistering hot
Arizona desert. Some of your students may have lived this horrendous journey.
We Can't Teach What We Don't Know by Gary R. Howard (1999) Teachers College
Press. Powerful look at how white teachers must grow to be effective in multicultural
schools.
The Color of Success: Race and High-Achieving Urban Youth by Gilberto Q.
Conchas (2006) Teachers College Press. Sociological study of a successful urban high
school where minority and immigrant students work together to reach their goals of
careers and college. A model worth imitating.
El Norte Classic movie about immigration from Mexico to U.S.
Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to
Harvard by Mawi Asgedom (2002) Megan Tingley Pub. Short touching autobiography
of an Ethiopian boy who left a refugee camp in Sudan, grew up in Wheaton, and
graduated cum laude from Harvard. Note: Mawi is now a motivational speaker and
has written another book called The Code: The Five Secrets of Teen Success.
Invite him to your school to share his advice. See www.mawispeaks.com.
New Kids on the Block: Oral Histories of Immigrant Teens by Janet Bode (1989)
Franklin Watts Pub. Eleven teens tell why their families came to America and how they
handled the ridicule and hostility they faced in school.
Reflections on Design Principles by Emily Cousins (1998) Kendall/Hunt Publishing A
profound little (71 pgs.) book which inspires teachers to reflect on the process of learning
and the need for community in education.
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paolo Freire (1970, 1993) Continuum. Required
reading in teacher education programs around the world, this book will challenge you to
rethink the purpose of education, the life of the poor, and the structure of society.
A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne (2001)
www.ahaProcess.com Fascinating book explains the rules of poverty, middle class and
wealth. Dr. Payne believes that relationships and education are the keys to moving out
of poverty. Practical advice on teaching children in poverty.
Cooperative Learning by Spencer Kagan (1994) www.KaganOnline.com Quick
reference guide to cooperative learning structures. Grouped by need, such as Teambuilding, Thinking Skills, Review for Test. Best money I ever spent.
The Power of Reading by Stephen Krashen (1993, 2004) Heinemann. Research on the
importance of quantity and variety in reading for all age levels. Advocates free voluntary
reading in schools.
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
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Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom by Lisa Delpit (1995)
The New Press. Addresses the differences in learning styles found in various cultures,
especially African-American, and the need for teachers of color in American schools.
Dangerous Minds (1994) (also a movie), The Girls in the Back of the Class (1995)
by LouAnne Johnson, St. Martin’s. True stories of a petite ex-Marine teaching the
toughest kids in Los Angeles. Her class was the last chance for the Latino kids. She
fought drugs, gangs, and prejudice to give them every chance to succeed.
Spanish for Gringos by William C. Harvey. Fun and easy way to learn basic Spanish.
Available w/CD's.
Note: All these books are available on Amazon.com. If you reach Amazon through the library button on
www.migrant.net, a small donation will be made to support migrant education, serving the children of migrant
farm workers.
Ways to Learn about the Cultures of Your Students
Visit culturally rich places in the Chicago area and talk to people in:
 Little Village
 Pilsen
 Damen Avenue stores
 Uptown
 Chinatown
 Hindu temple on Lemont Rd. or BAPS Hindu mandir on Rt. 59 in
Barrington http://www.hindumandir.us/mid-west.html#IL
 Muslim mosque (many in our area--call for tour info)
http://www.garamchai.com/mosques.htm#ILLINOIS
Talk to World Relief staff about refugee families from Somalia, Liberia, Turkistan,
etc.
Read a book written by a young person from the target culture.
Make a home visit or attend a birthday party for a student you wish to understand
better.
Ask your students to bring in photos of their family or home in their native land, if
possible. If none are available, ask them to draw a picture of their village or
school.
Go to dinner in a family-owned authentic Asian or Mexican restaurant and
engage the server in conversation about life in their native country.
Attend a service at a house of worship where your students belong. Talk to the
minister about their values and beliefs.
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
-9-
Action Steps
To make myself more culturally sensitive, I plan to:
To make my teaching meet the needs of my immigrant students, I plan to:
Please give me your contact info so I can follow up with you in two months.
Name ___________________________________________________________
School __________________________________________________________
Subject/Grade_____________________________________________________
Email ___________________________________________________________
Phone and best time to call___________________________________________
Barbara Linek University of Illinois Extension
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