Having read the second chapter “Cognitive and Academic Dimensions of Methods for CLD Students” from the book Mastering ESL and bilingual methods: differentiated instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students by Socorro Guadalupe Herrera and Kevin G. Murry, it is possible to reflect on the book with some critical notes which deserve attention.
Considering the structure of a chapter, it should be mentioned that there are two big parts which dwell upon different points. The first part considers cognitive dimensions, while the second part casts light on academic dimensions related to the CLD students’ biographies.
It should be highlighted that the chapter of the book is full of different examples which help understand the problem. Some students may think that there is no any problem which may exist within the concept of CLD students’ biographies. Thus, it is not really so. Living in the United States of America, many students know much only from the books and TV programs. The appearance of a student with some specific knowledge about another country may be a great success.
But, in a couple of days it may appear that a student who knows more about some specific problem (there is a possibility that general knowledge of the students may be on the same level) may become arrogant. The book under discussion offers some specific methods which may help a teacher cope with the challenges which may appear within cognitive and academic processes influenced by the CLD students’ biographies.
The author of the book in this chapters states that students have a number of cognitive challenges they should overcome. The biography, especially if another cultural and linguistic diverse is considered, influences students as this imprint may never be eliminated from students’ mind.
Students who have been brought up in different cultural spheres should remember that it will be difficult for them to cooperate with others. The difficulties may appear when a teacher gives a task to identify the major themes in some books. Different background may give students absolutely different answers.
The book is extremely important as it provides the readers not only with the information about CLD students and the challenges they face while learning English as a second language, but also with the implications for classroom and school practice which should be used in learning process. The authors do not just offer the information and the examples about the problems in teaching CLD students, but also provide readers with the ways how those problems should be solved.
The real examples are important as well. They show the dimension of the problem. It is rather difficult to teach students for whom English is not just a second language, but who have been treated absolutely differently, who have been living in another country with a different culture for many years. The author tries to explain the reader the main problem.
It is extremely interesting to consider the real examples which help the readers to understand the problem in the whole extend. It is not enough just to talk about specific knowledge a student may have, it is important to show it by the example, as the authors do (e.g. Costa Rica and a rain forest). Thus, the book is really useful for those who deal with students whose cultural and academic background differs greatly from the US one and who learn English as a second language.