Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the academic and social challenges that adolescents—particularly those of immigrant-origin backgrounds—are facing upon returning to school due to the traumatic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For students that come from historically marginalized communities, it is particularly important that educators thoughtfully consider how to provide opportunities for students to develop their ideas and express them freely and then respond with culturally relevant literacy (Muhammad, 2020). An essential part of culturally relevant literacy is creating a supportive, respectful and caring environment where teacher-student interactions foster positive learning experiences. This process is critical as it centers value on historically silenced voices centered and nurtures their lived experiences as central to improving pedagogical practices that are responsive and inclusive (Lomelí, 2020; Ladson-Billings, 1994; Paris & Alim, 2017). Research demonstrates that standardized and scripted conceptualizations of “worthy” literacy practices are often raced, classed, cultured, and linguistically biased and as a result are likely to exclude the narratives of linguistically and culturally diverse students (Nieto, 2000; Valdés, 1996). Often the teaching of immigrant-origin students de-centers their lived experiences and does not facilitate supporting them as they try and make sense of the trauma they have experienced in various contexts.This work centers the experiences of immigrant-origin adolescent and inform their educators about their experiences with the hope that inclusive pedagogical implications will emerge.
Presenters
Karla Lomelí LomeliAssistant Professor, Teacher Education, Santa Clara University, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Adolescent literacy, Trauma informed teaching practices, Immigrant-origin youth, Pandemic impact
