Abstract
This chapter highlights the ways in which preservice teachers incorporate culturally responsive literacy lessons by integrating academic language supports while working with elementary-school students after engaging in multicultural literature circles. The authors sought to prepare teacher candidates for the demands of today's classrooms by using literature circles—a small group of individuals who gather to discuss and analyze a specific piece of literature, fostering collaborative exploration and understanding of the text—that were culturally responsive and incorporated academic language supports as a teaching strategy. Twenty-five junior year teacher candidates were evaluated during a semester-long literacy methods course conducted in southeastern, United States. The findings highlight the importance of supporting preservice teachers as they cultivate the ability to foster learning in culturally and linguistically diverse students.
TopIntroduction
Discussions of cultural competency and sensitivity, inclusion, and diversity abound in today’s political climate. Furthermore, schools are often the first place in which children are introduced to differences. However, much of the learning process does not reflect children’s diverse experiences (Paris & Alim, 2014). With the goal of analyzing the origins of the lack of preparation for such cultural diversity, it is imperative to examine educators and the training they undergo prior to entering the classroom. edTPA, a performance-based, subject-specific assessment, is designed to underscore, reinforce, and assess the competencies and knowledge required by teacher candidates, henceforth referred to as preservice teachers, for achieving success in 21st-century classrooms. This assessment has proven to be a catalyst responsible for significant transformations in educator preparation (AACTE, 2017). Its application extends beyond merely teacher certification; it encompasses support for state- and national-program accreditation, as well as program-renewal initiatives (AACTE, 2017).
The edTPA defines academic language as:
Oral and written language used for academic purposes. Academic language is the means by which students develop and express content understandings. Academic language represents the language of the discipline that students need to learn and use to participate and engage in the content area in meaningful ways. (SCALE, 2018, p. 45)
Preservice teachers consistently note that one of edTPA’s most formidable challenges is conceptualizing academic language (Cone & Jackson, 2021). Preservice teachers encounter difficulties in the areas of planning for academic language integration, providing support for students' utilization of academic language, and analyzing students' proficiency at employing academic language (Cone & Jackson,2021). Students bring a variety of social experiences, cultural customs, thought patterns, and communication styles to school (Chuang, 2016). As a result, students are often equipped with strong but difficult-to-see learning foundations. Furthermore, children are frequently raised to learn and think differently from the ways that are typically appreciated by mainstream educators, school cultures, and test designers (Ladson-Billings, 2014).
Due to a curricular mismatch between their native language and the academic language of schools, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students continue to struggle with academic language demands for organizing and interpreting information (Ucelli, 2014). Academic language is not as naturally and as easily developed as other types of social language (Flanigan, Templeton, & Hayes, 2012). Culturally and linguistically diverse students must be invited to participate in the “language of school”(Zwiers, 2014). Therefore, CLD students may benefit from explicit and structured academic language instruction (Friedburg, Mitchel, & Brooke, 2017).
Explicitly teaching academic language helps students identify academic language in written materials, when it is used, when it is valued, and how to begin using it in their reading, writing, and speaking (Townsend, Filippini, Collins, & Biancarosa, 2012). Teachers must work with students to build on the foundations of their home language in meaningful and authentic ways; acknowledging, valuing, and leveraging students’ existing cultural assets, including those related to languages and dialects (SCALE, 2018), is a foundation of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) and engaged learning. Doing so is also essential to supporting students’ academic success given that language has the “power to separate, marginalize, and oppress” (Zwiers, 2014).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Scaffolding: instructional support and guidance provided by a teacher to help learners acquire new knowledge or skills. It involves breaking down a complex task into smaller mor manageable steps, offering assistance as needed, and gradually reducing support as students develop independence and proficiency.
Realia: the use of real objects, artifacts, or materials from everyday life in the classroom to enhance and illustrate the learning experience, providing students with tangible and authentic examples related to the subject being taught.
Culturally Responsive Teaching: a teaching approach that recognizes and values the diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences of students and integrate these cultural elements into the teaching process to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment that promotes academic success for all learners.
Literature Circles: a small group of individuals who gather to discuss and analyze a specific piece of literature, fostering collaborative exploration and understanding of the text
Academic Language: Oral and written language used for academic purposes.
Multicultural Books: literature that reflects and celebrates the diversity of various cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and perspectives often featuring characters, settings, and themes that represent a range of cultures to promote understanding, tolerance, and appreciation among readers.
Anchor Chart: a visual learning tool usually created by teachers to support instruction and serve as a reference for students featuring key concepts, information, or strategies related to the lesson topic.
Graphic Organizer: a visual tool or diagram that helps organize and represent information, ideas assisting students in comprehending and structuring written and oral information effectively.