The Where I’m From project is a great example of a culturally responsive strategy. It helps us understand the differences between people. We need to use projects like these to get to know people and where they come from. A person’s background has a lot to do with who you are and can affect how you learn.
Language is the main focus on literacy instruction in schools today. Unfortunately teachers are more focused on students speaking and writing in what is known to be the correct way, “Standard English.” Educators need to focus more on using students backgrounds and dialect. They can do this by researching where their students come from and how their family’s dialects and cultures come through into the students language. Teachers need to show more acceptance to those who way speak differently than what they think is “correct.” Teaching who have students from the Appalachia region specially need to keep these things in mind. Student’s life experiences before school shapes how they learn and are perceived in school, so if their past experiences are incorporated and appreciated by their teachers they will be more successful in literacy development. Quote: “In fact, all children do not behave in ways that let us know that they have learned and are learning about written language when they are very young. That is because not all students learn about written language to the same extent during their pre-formal instruction years.”
There are many successful ways that teachers can overcome cultural deficits in their classrooms. First teachers need to have an open mind. They need to be able to work collaboratively with fellow teachers, students, families, and other people in the community. Luis Moll’s research is a perfect example of this. His “sociocultural” approach to literacy instruction seems to be a successful way to teach literacy in a diverse classroom. Quoted in the article, “Moll believes that the secret to literacy instruction is for schools to investigate and tap into the hidden home and community resources of their students.”
Teachers and schools have contributed to poor literacy instruction by not giving students a chance to write about or discuss things they are actually interested in or know something about. Students have constantly been corrected for using what is known as “improper english.” Instead of teachers thinking in a cultural deficit perspective by setting lower standards for students who come from diverse backgrounds, they need to base their teachings on more of a cultural difference perspective. Students need more freedom to express themselves and what they are all about during literacy instruction. In a study by Shirley Brice Heath, teachers, parents, and students all gained progress in working together.
There are successful strategies available for educators to use for literacy instruction of speakers of non-standard English. These strategies use cultural capital by providing every students with the same expectations of success and
The Where I Am From project supports culturally responsive teaching in many ways. It allows for students to express themselves and share with others their home experiences, culture, and family values. By sharing these within a classroom it teachers students to know and praise their own cultures as well as their classmates. I plan on using all of the strategies I have learned through readings and activities to make my classroom more culturally responsive. I plan on collaborating with my fellow teachers and using community and family resources to learn more about where my students come from. I would love to be able to allow my students to express themselves by sharing their backgrounds and letting them write about what they are interested in. Students working together in groups and discussing with one another freely is another strategy I will use.
Purcell-Gates, V. (2002). “...As soon as she opened her mouth!” In L. Delpit & J.K. Dowdy (Eds.), The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language, culture and power.
Adolescent literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/Chron0907ResearchBrief.pdf
Bolima, D. (n.d.). Contexts for understanding: Educational learning theories. Retrieved from http://staff.washington.edu/saki/strategies/101/new_page_5.htm
Epstein, P., & Harring-Harris, L. (2011, September 15). Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print
Funds of knowledge: A look at luis moll's research into hidden family resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B38BSV_Zo7aHSGVoMWEtOFRGMVE/edit
O'brien, J. (2003, May 10). Tall tales of Appalachia. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html
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