CLAD Through CTEL Portfolio

Hi!

Welcome to my CLAD Through CTEL Portfolio!

I am Phil Saraspe. I'm a middle school Math teacher in a charter school in Oakland, California. This portfolio is a compilation of my academic works at the University of California, San Diego Division of Extended Studies. Through this portfolio, I hope to resonate my journey towards becoming an authorized CLAD Through CTEL Certificate Program.  

This is my first year of teaching in California and in the United States but I have previously worked as High School Math teacher and school administrator in the Philippines and as Math and English as Foreign Language (EFL) teacher in Thailand. For the past 15 years, I have been immersed in multicultural classrooms and in very diverse learning ecosystems but as a teacher, I have always felt the need to learn more about managing multicultural learning environments and creating a more inclusive classroom culture. Recently, my research interests have revolved around understanding the role of culture in learning mathematics.

Three years ago, I presented a paper exploring the cross-cultural learning experiences in Mathematics among Korean High School students in the Philippines which, apart from investigating the cultural variations that the students experience in learning Mathematics in different contexts, also reviewed several literature and related studies that investigated the role that culture plays in Mathematics learning. Several studies have suggested how national culture played an important role in shaping mathematics achievement. Cultural factors such as the collective belief and values of the society towards mathematics were found to be influential in mathematics learning. 

Reading the course description and the course objectives and the expected outcomes, I am hoping to finish this course with a deeper understanding of the relationship between culture and cultural diversity and academic achievement by examining context-rich cases and studies relevant to the course.  I am also looking forward to collaborating with fellow educators here through thoughtful discussions on culture and inclusion. 

EDUC31300: Orientation: CLAD through CTEL

EDUC31217: Culture and Inclusion

EDUC31218: Language and Language Development

EDUC31219: Assessment of English Learners

EDUC31220: Foundations and Methods of English Language/ Literacy Development and Content Instruction

EDUC31221: CLAD Through CTEL Portfolio