The article, "Honoring Dialect and Increasing Student performance in Standard English", had a lot of quality information when it comes to accepting students' cultural experiences and backgrounds. I learned that honoring a dialect that is different is important to not only that student but to their fellow classmates as well. For a long time there has been an unspoken (sometimes spoken) prejudice towards children who come from regions such as Appalachia. It would be easy for teachers to hear this dialect and give in to stereotypes which lead to a cultural deficit type of mindset. The reality may just be a cultural difference. Acknowledging and Incorporating the different backgrounds of each student will create a classroom climate of acceptance and understanding. Many times the prejudices that people hold are simply out of ignorance. The key to resolving this in the classroom is to celebrate each unique student and their family's heritage. This was emphasized in the article through activities such as the family interviews where the children were responsible for talking with their grandparents about how their dialect has changed over time. Activities like this one are so important because the student realize where they come from and it's nothing to be ashamed of, but celebrated. I experienced this feeling when working on the "Where I am From" video. When you see the lives your ancestors made for themselves you gain a love for your heritage. By allowing students to work together and spend time getting to know each other, there will be a respect that replaces misconceptions and that is fulfilling the idea of culturally responsive teaching.
When I was in third grade I remember I had class with a boy who looked different from anyone else I had ever had class with. The school I went to was not very diverse and this boy stood out to me and everyone else. He was from an Asian country. I always wondered about him. I wondered where his family was from, how did he end up in West Virginia, how was his life different from mine? All of these questions surfaced in my mind but I would have never asked. My third grade self knew what respect was and I never wanted to offend anyone, especially someone who looked so different from me. I look back now and I think how wonderful it would have been if my teacher would have incorporated his culture into her lessons. I'm sure I wasn't the only third grader with questions about this boy's life. So much could have been done in terms of culturally responsive teaching but nothing was. I know to correct this as a future teacher. I want my students to be aware of how wonderfully unique each student is.
The following video is an example of culturally responsive teaching in a fourth grade classroom.
Citations:
Herring-Harris, L., & Epstein, P. (2011, september 15).Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3655
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