Culturally Responsive Teaching

Reflection

After reading the articles on language and how it affects the students, I realized that many teachers go about teaching their students the wrong way. Because there are many stereotypes of the Appalachian English and its people, many teachers set out to correct the dialect and the way the children speak.  However, at home and in their surroundings, they continue to use their English instead of Proper English. This is known as the Culture Deficit Theory. I believe that children first learning experiences could shape the way they learn language later in life. Purcell-Gates had a similar thought in her anthropology.

"First, and most obvious, teachers and schools must accept, believe and act upon the belief that children of poverty are learners, have been learning since birth, and are ready to learn at any time, and will learn" (Purcell-Gates, 2002).

Many teachers believe children will only succeed if they use Proper English. The instructors have a cultural deficit perspective of the children. In many situations, that’s what children know and have been taught since and early age. Instead of forcing a student to learn Standard English, embrace a cultural difference perspective and help them write down their ideas in their language and translate into Proper English.

“When teachers ‘correct’ a child’s English, they must be aware that the correction goes deeper than just the child’s speech.” (Rowland & Marrow, 2010)

Once a teacher embraces the student’s background and where they come from, success will come easier. To overcome cultural deficit perspectives of students, include the community and build on the knowledge of the people. This will allow students to gain a better understanding of the materials and prove that they can overcome the cultural deficit and exceed the goals set.

“When teachers and schools seek out and use these funds of knowledge, Moll expects there will be rewards; They will have a better chance of helping bilingual and minority children achieve authentic literacy; they will foster a sense of community; and they will bestow a much richer education than most working-class kids enjoy” (Gonzalez, Greenberg & Velex, 1994).

There are some strategies that can be used to help students succeed. To improve literacy instruction for speakers of non-standard English, allow the children to use their informal speech or first language in the classroom and know that it is who they are and not wrong. The funds of knowledge of the students help the classroom be more inclusive. The teacher can embrace their knowledge and allow the students to gain cultural capital. Allowing students to write or speak in their language and then translate to Proper English is another strategy. In this instance, students are able to make more sense of what is being taught. 

“By using their own words to describe these patterns, students move from what they intuitively know about language to an understanding of language variation and how it works in different settings and with different audiences." (Epstien & Herring-Harris, 2011)

Having done the Where I Am From project helped support culturally responsive teaching. Many teachers do not know much about the background their students come from. The videos help teachers, students, and peers acknowledge their own and each others’ cultural heritage. You might not know that a student grew up on a farm, or is adopted, all making up a person’s personality. This also helps build bridges of meaningfulness between home and school experiences.

I believe that I can incorporate culturally responsive teaching in my classroom. Instead of having a cultural deficit, I will view my student’s cultural differences and cultural capital. I will include the community in the classroom by looking at a student’s background and their funds of knowledge. I will accept their language and lifestyles instead of correcting them and making them feel as if they are wrong. Each student is different and should be treated as so.

 

Works Cited:

Purcell-Gates,V. (2002). “…As soon as she opened her mouth!” In L. Delpit and J.K. Dowdy (Eds.), The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language, culture and power.

Rowland, J. $ Marrow, D. (2010). Dialect Awareness Education: The Importance of Watching Our Words. USC Undergraduate Research Journal vol 3.

Gonzalez, N.,  Greenberg, J. & Velez, C. Thanks Funds of Knowledge: A Look at Luis Moll's Research Into Hidden Family Resources. CITYSCHOOLS, 1 (1), 19-21, 1994.

Epstein, P. &  Herring-Harris, L (2011).Honoring Dialect and increasing Student Performance in Standard English. Retrieved October 12, 2012: http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3655