Dialects in the Classroom

Culturally Responsive pedagogy is a student-centered approach to teaching in which the students’ unique cultural strengths are identified and nurtured to promote student achievement and a sense of well-being about their place in the world.  Culturally responsive pedagogy is divided into three functional dimensions: the institutional dimension, the personal dimension, and the instructional dimension. 

• The institutional dimension emphasizes the need to reform the cultural factors affecting the organization of schools, school policies and procedures (including allocation of funds and resources), and community involvement.  

• The personal dimension refers to how teachers learn to become culturally responsive.  

• The instructional dimension refers to practices and challenges associated with implementing cultural responsiveness in the classroom. 

Bennet,1  in a study of developing preservice teachers’ understanding of CRP, and merging Culturally Relevant and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy as two sides of the same coin, elaborates this division, explaining that:

“The first belief [i.e. the institutional dimension] suggests teachers consider teaching as an art by understanding and empathizing with students; teachers do not use a set script or technique to teach. Culturally relevant teachers hold high expectations and believe all students can succeed.  

The second principle [i.e. the personal dimension] suggests that teachers develop connections and sustain meaningful relationships with the students. Culturally relevant teachers appreciate the value of community and social interaction within the classroom for students’ success, a community of learners.2 The last belief [i.e. the instructional dimension] suggests teachers consider the conception of knowledge. Culturally relevant teachers connect learning to the students’ lives to facilitate and scaffold development from personal schema, knowledge, and skills to more difficult and more bigger ideas. Through learning communities, culturally influenced instructional techniques develop for diverse student populations, and positive teacher connections, students develop empowerment, and culturally responsive teaching is achieved.

With this document we advocate the use of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy as conceived and elaborated by Bennet; as we’ve noted, dialectal variation can be an excellent entry to positive student-teacher interactions.  We will return to this point after a quick review of the five components (or pillars) of reading instruction.

1 Bennet 2013: 382

2 Ladson-Billings 1992

Bennett, Susan V.  2012.  “Field Experience That Contributed to Eight Preservice Teachers’ Developing Understandings About Culturally Responsive Teaching.”  Urban Education 48(3): 380-419. 

Ladson-Billings, Gloria. 2009. The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers for African-American children. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-

Bass.