How Can We Culturally Support Our Newcomer Learners?

Because "people who are new to a culture feel like they are caught between two worlds", our role as educators is to

to make their learning experience as inclusive and pleasant as possible to help them adapt to their new country and communities. ( Stewart, 2009, p. 241)

Here are some suggested activities to engage your learners:

Bridging the Connection activity

ABC activity

concept for I am, embracing both the neg

Ask your learners to reflect on their own lives by answering the following questions:

Who are they?
What were their lives like before coming to Canada?
What are their dreams?
What do they wish to forget?
How are their lives in Canada like?
What kind of support do they need?

One-Day Ideas Calendar

To achieve success, it is important to stay focused and keep track of your trials, what you did well and your actual accomplishments. Invite your learners to record their achievement in a chart showing the following:

Attempts: things they have tried whether liked or not regardless of success
Achievements: things they have earned
Accomplishments: things they have earned

Assign the following tasks to your learners to complete outside class time and discuss in class:

Attempt: Attempt doing one thing that makes you feel good about yourself in a day.

Believe: Believe you can accomplish anything you want to if you put your mind to it.

Celebrate: Celebrate your achievements and your successes by rewarding yourself with something you enjoy doing.

Performance Mask- Group Setting

The use of masks has different meanings in different cultures. It "denotes power and mystery" and it plays an important role is theatre as

well ( Stewart, 2009, p. 257).

In group classes, learners can create or bring their own masks to:

discuss a topic to one of the challenges they faced after coming to Canada
discuss a success they or someone they know accomplished to overcome a challenge
share a story from their culture using the mask they have
The last step could be a presentation that each group can give related to a preferred festival of choice related to their own culture.

Poems and Music

Music and poetry are two excellent ways to express culture and communicate feelings. Learners can be encouraged to talk about their feelings related to a piece of certain music or poem from their culture they like. What words come to their minds as a result of these feelings. Invite learners to share their piece of art with the rest of the class.

(activities adapted from Stewart, 2009)