Cultivating Culturally Relevant Classrooms

Authors

  • Joanna Greer Koch College of Education North Carolina State University
  • Micha Jeffries College of Education North Carolina State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30617/dialogues1.1.7

Abstract

We explain how a short-term cultural immersion experience in Mexico helped prepare pre-service teachers to better gauge and empathize with the needs of English language learners. We outline our pedagogical goals and the activities they organized prior to departure, such as inviting the Consulate General of Mexico in Raleigh, N.C., to present an overview of the social, economic, and political ties between Mexico and the U.S. The article covers our full agenda in Mexico, including highlights such as the students’ first-hand experience teaching English in local elementary schools.

Author Biography

Micha Jeffries, College of Education North Carolina State University

Teaching Assistant Professor

References

American Immigration Council. (2015). New Americans in North Carolina. Fact Sheet. Retrieved from

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/new-americans-north-carolina

Diller, J.V., & Moule, J. (2005). Cultural competence: A primer for educators. Belmont, CA: Thomas Wadsworth.

Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research and practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Irvine, J.J. (2003). Educating teachers for a diverse society: Seeing with the cultural eye. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Ladson-Billings, G. (2001). Crossing over to Canaan: The journey of new teachers in diverse classrooms. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The Dreamkeepers: Successful teaching for African-American students. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mexico’s Ministry of the Economy. (2016). US-Mexico economic relations: Job creation starts with trade.

NAFTA Works. Retrieved from http://www.naftamexico.net/us-mexico-economic-relations/

National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). English language learners in public schools. The Condition of Education Report. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgf.asp

National Center for Education Statistics. (2014). Table 204.20: Number and percentage of public school students participating in programs for English language learners, by state: Selected years, 2002-2003 through 2011-2012. Digest of Education Statistics. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_204.20.asp

Pew Research Center. (2012). Labor force growth slows, Hispanic share grows. Social & Demographic Trends. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/02/13/labor-force-growth-slows-hispanicshare-grows-2/

Slapac, A., & Navarro, V. (2013). Fledgling steps to global self-awareness for preservice teachers abroad. The Journal of Meaning-Centered Education, 1(3). Retrieved from

http://www.meaningcentered.org/fledgling-steps-to-global-self-awareness-for-preservice-teachersabroad/

Downloads

Published

2017-02-09

How to Cite

Koch, J. G., & Jeffries, M. (2017). Cultivating Culturally Relevant Classrooms. Dialogues: An Interdisciplinary Journal of English Language Teaching and Research, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.30617/dialogues1.1.7

Issue

Section

Spotlight