Abstract

Our nation is rapidly becoming increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse. The surge in diversity poses educational challenges for our schools. As such, there is a critical need for culturally responsive and empowering pedagogical practices in education that reflect cultural awareness and understanding of a diverse student population. Schools are confronted with working toward preparing students to be more competitive in this globalized world and there is increased support for implementing pedagogical practices that are founded on the Sociocultural Literacy Theory. This theory is founded on the positive impact that participation in social interactions around culturally organized activities have to further drive the academic and linguistic development and success of diverse bilingual learners. This is of critical importance as we re(examine) the power for bilingual learners to learn across cultures about literacy and language through a culturally empowering and sustaining teaching and learning framework. There are many parallels that exist between Mexican American and Native Hawaiian cultures and each bring strong cultural components such as language that is ethnically tied to their respective culture and heritage and that harnesses a volume of academic and linguistic capital that can be channeled into their literacy development both in and out of formal school spaces. Emphasis is on the language and literacy skills that Mexican American and Native Hawaiian English learners contribute to their learning experiences from both their educational experiences and their literacies of life and how these resources are used to mediate their learning. These opportunities catapult students as global scholars.

Presenters

Isela Almaguer
Professor and Endowed Chair in Education, Education, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Literacies Learning

KEYWORDS

Literacy, Culture, Language, Learning, Bilingual Learners, Culturally Relevant Pedagogical Practices

Digital Media

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