Acknowledging the Multidimensional Implications of Bilingual Students' Cultural Empowerment in Their Learning, Language, and Literacy

• In Event: 64.087 - MTCC Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: 64.087-5 - Cultural Empowerment of Indigenous Students Through Indigenous-Based Learning Modalities

Abstract

Our nation is increasingly more culturally and linguistically diverse. This is concurrent with integrating culturally empowering teaching and learning frameworks that encompass social justice. As such, parallels exist in literacy development across diverse people and diverse cultures, specifically the Mexican American culture and the Native Hawaiian culture. Both cultures channel their language and literacy through their cultural and traditional practices and are woven together by social justice philosophical underpinnings. This necessitates culturally responsive pedagogical practices in education that reflect cultural acknowledgment and cultural sensitivity of a global student population. There is support for implementing culturally empowering pedagogical practices that manifest the principles of the sociocultural theory and focus on socializing learning and increasing student engagement to develop cognitive skills.

Author

• Isela Almaguer, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley