Luz
Ortega
Class:
EDBL603
Professor:
Zahra Saleh-Johnson
October
26, 2018
Culturally Responsive
Teaching
Culturally Responsive Teaching is a pedagogy
that recognizes the importance of students' cultural identity as a source of
information to improve all aspects of learning for all students, especially English
Language Learners (ELLs) (Ladson-Billings, 1994). The pedagogues who
acknowledge students cultures, will be more successful because they teach the
students in a way that the scholar embraces learning as they see themselves
reflected in content they can relate to. For far too long have children grown
up with books that have only white children with blond hair. Students have to
feel like there is a point to the learning, with a reflection of themselves in
the material that allows them to make connections and see that it involves them
as well.
A person’s
culture plays an important role in how they communicate and receive information
and shaping the thinking process of groups and individuals as well (Ladson
–Billings, 1994).The cultural diversity in a classroom and school community can
be considered as students’ strengths and they can be used as resource to help
the students learn about other cultures. For instance, English Language
Learners students from Mexico may have vast information about Cinco de Mayo’s
event. This particular student not only can improve his/her learning in the
social studies content area, but also can provide important information that
he/she can share with his classmate. Not to mention the feeling of
accomplishment and pride serving as an expert on a topic. ELLs are rich in
cultural experiences and information about their home countries, culturally
responsive pedagogy directs that plethora of information into the classroom so
students can learn from each other.
A
teacher knowing about a students’ culture can help them change certain
expectations, such as a student’s gaze while an adult is speaking to them, while
in America a sign of respect would be looking the person that’s talking to you
in the eyes, for a student from a Chinese culture looking adults in the eyes
would be seen as a sign of disrespect.
One way to be culturally responsive is
to allow all languages be spoken freely. Language is often an important part of
a person’s cultural identity. This is why I believe that ELL student must be
assessed in their home language to measure his/her skills in all aspect of
learning in order to provide the right setting and mindset for the students’
learning (Mahoney, 2017).
Some
other strategies that teachers may use to incorporate cultural responsiveness
in their classroom can include: classroom decorations, special guests, and
thematic units. Classroom decorations can include things like self-portraits,
family photos, flags, maps, and drawings or posters relating to students’
cultural background. Teachers can invite successful people from their community
from different careers, or even parents to come and talk to the class about
their success. Students seeing people that look like them be successful is a
very important motivator. Thematic units are also a great way to incorporate student’s
culture in their learning. Consider, the effect of changing the books and names
in a unit to those that the students can identify with and relate too. This
gives students the message that this has to do with them too.
Aside
from speaking to the class, there are other ways parent involvement can be used
in a culturally responsive classroom. Parents know their children best, and
also tend to have resources and knowledge about their culture. Parent’s
volunteerism can have a huge impact in students learning. Parents can be great
resources, whether they: make a food that is special to their culture, tell a
story that has been passed down for generations, translate for a new student
and their family, and even provide information about available resources in the
community. Inviting parents into the classroom to share their culture,
expertise, or even just time with students can have lasting results in it of
itself. Students having exposure to people of different cultures can negate
prejudices and stereotypes they may have been exposed to. Also, the person
being invited feels valued and feels like the school values their culture,
leading to more parental involvement. A parent feeling valued and feeling like
contributors to the school community can only help moral and student confidence
as a whole (Otto,2015).
Reference
Chenowith,
N (2014) Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Cultural Scaffolding Education. Ohio:
ProQuest Central Pg. 35-40
Laher,
S (2017) Moving From Culturally Biased to culturally Responsive Assessment
Practices in Low-Resources, Multicultural Setting. South Africa: America
Psychological Association
Mahoney,
2017).Content and Language. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
The Assessment of Emergent Bilinguals Supporting English Language Learners
(chapter 5Pg.81) Bristol, UK
Ladson-Billings,
G. (1994). The dream keepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing Co
(Otto,
2015).The Four Spokes of the Second Language Learning wheel. Edited by Otto
Santa Ana. Tongue Tied The Lives of Multilingual Children in Public Edcation (pg.
219) Lanham. Boulder, New York, Toronto and Oxford
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