Diversity and Language. In my 3rd year of QTS, we were asked as a group to produce a book or text which can be used in a primary setting to meet the learning and language needs of all pupils, including learners of EAL. After a lot of thought we decided to

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Bullock Report (1975);

‘No child should be expected to caste off the language and culture of the home as he crosses the school threshold, nor to live and act as though school and home represent two totally separate and different cultures which have to be kept firmly apart.’ (DES, 1975)    

Responding to the Bullock report should not be a problem in today’s multicultural Britain, which consists of diverse culture and colourful languages. These diverse communities allow the occupies of Britain to become knowledgeable of different societies in the world. According to Blackledge (2000, p.1) one of the major tasks for schools in the twenty-first century is to teach all students to be literate. But what does it mean to be literate, in a society that consists of many cultures and much diverse literacies which hold different meanings for different groups and individuals. The National Curriculum cited in McWilliam (1998,p.1)  explains that in order for children to participate in public, cultural and working life, pupils need to speak, write and read standard English fluently and accurately. But what the curriculum fails to address is the importance of maintaining the home language in order to succeed in effective acquisition of the dominant host language.

 Coming from an Asian background, the different meanings regarding literacy is something which I can understand and relate to. I came to Britain at the age of 5, I had no knowledge of the English language but was unconsciously aware that it was important to learn and understand the English language  if I was to accepted by the wider British society. To become fluent in English I had to do what the Bullock report condemns, and that is to leave my home language and at the threshold because the teachers were all predominantly white and could not understand what I was saying when tried to communicate in my home language. These language barriers according to Chomsky (1987) cited in Cummins (2000, p.10) occur when schools and individual educators refuse to play their preordained part in the social order. I felt my home language was something to be ashamed of and which had no value in the school system.  Conteh (2003, p.32) explains that this cultural and linguistic divide between teacher and pupils was one of the main underlying causes of the underachievement of the children. Until educators recognise and accept that every child is unique, their home language, culture and social class are part of the package, only then can real teaching and learning take place. But recognising  and removing these barriers is a challenge for any teacher let alone white teachers because in British education and the care systems being bilingual is still often perceived as something the children should grow out of(Siraj-Blatchford and Clarke 2000,p.117).  

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In my 3rd year of QTS, we were asked as a group to produce a book or text which can be used in a primary setting to meet the learning and language needs of all pupils, including learners of EAL. After a lot of thought we decided to produce a book which will raise awareness of Domestic Violence (from here on D.V.) because there is not enough educational awareness in story  books within primary schools which provide support to young children. The problems faced by these children is that, they are unsure of what is happening to them and therefore do ...

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