Abstract
In this chapter, the authors aim to offer practical guidelines for implementing culturally and linguistically responsive teaching (CLRT) practices for educators working with emergent bilinguals (EBs) with and without disabilities. This chapter begins by defining CLRT and contextualizing the need for CLRT practices through a review of current research at the interface of bilingual and special education. Then, the authors offer practical examples of how teachers can use CLRT to support EBs with or without disabilities. The chapter concludes with an articulation of the authors' vision for the potential of CLRT to support this population of students in dual language bilingual (DLB) classrooms.
TopIntroduction
This chapter provides practical tools for the implementation of Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching (CLRT) in bilingual settings with a spotlight on supporting Emergent Bilinguals1 (EBs) with disabilities. The first part of the chapter provides a definition of CLRT and a brief review of recent literature on CLRT at the intersection of bilingual and special education in the United States. In particular, this first section explores empirical evidence with a focus on how a commitment to CLRT promotes the development of Emergent Bilinguals with Disabilities’ (EBwDs) academic potential, while being attentive to students' dynamic cultural and linguistic practices.
The second portion of the chapter offers specific classroom examples of promising CLRT pedagogies that provide equitable educational programs and outcomes for EBwDs enrolled in Dual Language Bilingual (DLB) program models. The examples are drawn from a yearlong case study conducted in a DLB inclusion literacy classroom and highlight three critical interrelated pedagogical elements crucial for teachers engaging in CLRT pedagogies: an integration of multicultural texts, a commitment to positive ethnic identity construction and an enactment of a dynamic bilingual perspective. Below, each of these themes are defined in order to guide the reader in understanding how they were woven together to support EBwDs.
Multicultural Texts
The first critical element described is the practice of incorporating multicultural texts, including examples of “counter-stories,” which teachers can use as tools for challenging the dominant discourse (Solórzano & Yosso 2002, p. 32). Multicultural texts can be defined as texts that present the perspective and experiences of individuals who do not fall within the dominant narrative of white, European, and monolingual. The texts may highlight how various identity markers (e.g., race, ethnicity, ability, language, gender) shape individuals’ experiences and cultural practices. As Sims Bishop (1990) describes, multicultural texts can be seen as “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors” sometimes allowing students to view other worlds different from their lived experiences and at other times reflecting for students their own lived experiences (pp. ix).
Within the genre of multicultural texts, counter-stories are “stories of those people whose experiences are not often told” (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002, p. 26). The integration of multicultural texts that present counter-stories is particularly important for the development of a positive ethnic identity for EBwDs whose identities are already marginalized due to how their intersectional identities often position their existence as deviating from the “norm” (Cioè-Peña, 2017). Given that “disability and bilingualism are both considered to be atypical characteristics within the North American education system” (Cioè-Peña, 2017, pp. 141), the intentional use of multicultural texts can be extremely powerful in providing high quality CLRT for EBwDs.
Ethnic Identity Development
The second critical element described is active engagement in the positive construction of ethnic identity (e.g., Clark & Flores, 2001). Clark and Flores (2001) define ethnic identity development as a process that, “starts with understanding others and their identity and looking within to formulate our own identity” (p. 78). This example demonstrates how incorporating multicultural texts like the ones described earlier — in which diverse cultures are portrayed realistically and positively— can have a beneficial impact on identity development among EBwDs (Naidoo & Quiroa, 2016). This chapter provides examples of how a classroom teacher built in lessons that met language and learning goals, while simultaneously providing the opportunity for students to develop positive identities that celebrated who they are.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Emergent Bilinguals With Disabilities (EBwDs): Students in the United States that have the federal designation of “English Learner” and “Student with a disability.” The students receive language support due to their designation as EBs and also receive special education services due to their designation of one of the thirteen disability categories that is acknowledged under federal law through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Ethnic Identity Development: The process through which an individual begins to recognize and appreciate others’ ethnic identity, while simultaneously reflecting, developing and appreciating their own identity (Clark & Flores, 2001).
Culturally Responsive Teaching: An approach to teaching that centers on the cultures, backgrounds and lived experiences of students (Ladson-Billings, 1995).
Emergent Bilingual (EB): A student who speaks a language other than English at home and has the potential for bilingualism and biliteracy when supported in their immediate environment (Gort, 2012), rather than the federal term of “English Learner.”
Counter-Story: Narratives that challenge dominant discourses about individuals and/or communities that are often marginalized (Solórzano & Yosso 2002).
Multicultural Texts: Texts that present the perspective and experiences of individuals who do not fall within the dominant narrative of white, European, and monolingual. The texts may highlight how various identity markers (e.g., race, ethnicity, ability, language, gender) shape individuals experiences and cultural practices.
Dynamic Bilingualism: A view of bilingualism that acknowledges that bilingualism is fluid and constantly changing. That bilingual individual's linguistic practices interact and are shaped by their communities (García & Kleifgen, 2010).
Linguistically Responsive: Instruction for Emergent Bilingual students (EBs) that fosters sociolinguistic consciousness, values linguistic diversity, and advocates for EBs. This pedagogical approach acknowledges the intersectional nature of language and culture and the importance of valuing, honoring, and sustaining the development of students' home language practices (Lucas & Villegas, 2011; 2013).