Diversity in the classroom

One of the aspects that can be drawn from Johns' article "Linguist Diversity and Instructional Practices" is that peer learning is one of the ways to encourage an inclusive environment in college classrooms, although as we saw last week, in Heath's Ways with Words there was also an example of peer learning in a lower educational level. As an international student myself, I find collaborative work and peer learning very useful although sometimes it is hard to make yourself understood by the others, specially with issues related to content that does not fit into "expected" content in a particular context (this is actually hard to explain). What I am referring to here is intimately linked to the idea that critical thinking is a social construct, as well (142). The way we learn how to think critically about all sort of things is cultural in most cases. However, I also believe that multicultural students have developed the skill to go beyond two "cultural thinking" as they usually have to simultaneously manage two ways of thinking. I have heard many times, not only among people who study languages or  any other discipline in the humanities field but also among engineers who study abroad things like "I speak German in the company I am doing an internship for, but when I have to talk to my boss sometimes we communicate in English to clarify things and I also think in Spanish at the same time, so my mind jumps from one language to another and to the social conventions of each culture as well". So , in my opinion, there is something else apart from cultural-critical thinking for multicultural people and that would be something like "multicultural critical thinking" and it consists of the ability to communicate and to engage in social interactions in which several cultures-languages are involved with the conscious awareness that you are also switching social and cultural norms.

Johns categorizes Hispanos is three groups, which I found simplistic in some way. I don't think I fully identify myself with any of the groups proposed. The only fact of categorizing students is sort of unfair because that limits the students' identities. Are these categories really necessary? I think biodatas are a good way for educators to get to know their students, who do not necessarily have to fit into this typology.

After having read Lovejoy and Delpit we can affirm that students need to know that there are different varieties of English they can employ in their writing compositions and oral tasks and that one of them is gonna lead them or not to "success" , namely Standard English. However, if they are aware of the fact that they can use different varieties for different purposes, that it is up to them whether or not they want to make the efforts to have linguistic competence in these varieties and to master Standard English in particular, their instructors will have succeed in their teaching roles. In my opinion, it is a matter of promoting cultural-sensitiveness as well as teaching linguistic, pragmatic and sociolinguistic issues.