CULTURES - HMONG

Classroom Implications for Teaching Hmong Students

• Hmong students are typically shy especially the girls. Teachers therefore need to use methods such as name games and icebreaker activities to encourage Hmong students to participate in class.
• Many Hmong students are visual learners and prefer tactile learning thus teachers should make sure that they use different instructional modalities like hands-on activities, graphic organizers, and visuals to try and reach these students.
• Teachers should be aware that when a Hmong student laughs he/she might be trying to cover their embarrassment rather than trying to disrupt the class. This embarrassment could be because they didn't understand what the teacher was asking. It would truly benefit the teacher and the student if the question was reframed.
• Teachers must try to help Hmong students realize the value of forming their own opinions and not always agreeing with what the teacher says. A teacher could do this by asking the student about an issue that is very important to him/her, seeing if this sparks creativity and thinking that is their own.
• Teachers need to help Hmong students understand the grading system in the U.S., so that they aren't bewildered and terrified by it. A game could work to make it fun for them.
• Teachers must stress the importance of tests, but also note that it is not the end of the world if they do poorly.
• Teachers need to help comfort Hmong when it comes to taking tests. They could do this by giving them a mock test prior to the real one, as a means of making them feel more at ease.
• Teachers need to make it clear that boys and girls can interact. Boys and girls can be friends and sit next to each other. Creating male/female games and skits for the children can reinforce this.
• Teachers must remember that many parents of the Hmong students are not well educated and may not speak English. As a result, most Hmong students do not receive educational help at home.
• Since families typically stress survival and coping, the teacher must realize that he/she needs to instill in the child the long term benefits and the importance of education.
• The teacher should also teach the child certain study skills that he/she will most likely not learn at home.
• Teachers should also understand that the Hmong written language is a new phenomenon and thus many students and their families are unfamiliar with this mode of communication.
• The refugee mentality is especially important to consider when working with Hmong students. Many of these children have been traumatized by the hardships they had to endure while living in Southeast Asia.

Typical Challenges for Hmong Students Learning English

• Pronunciation, especially articulation is often a challenge for Hmong students because the pronunciations systems are different.
• Endings including the plural form of words as in walks or walked are often difficult for Hmong students.
• Hmong does not have the short vowel sounds for /I/ as in sit, /U/ as in crumb, /E/ as in get, or /A/ as in tap.
• Tense distinctions are defined by adverbs such as yesterday or tomorrow rather than the English method of indicating tense by changing the verb as well.

Click here for more information about working with Hmong students.

Resources
Park, C. C., & Chi, M. M. (1999). Asian-American Education: Prospects and Challenges. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.