10.3: Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate

Create language and literacy learning experience plans that promote child development and learning for children.

Course Competency Criteria plan is developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate for the group aligns with:

the Developmentally Appropriate Practice Area of Knowledge number 3. Social- and Cultural-Appropriateness – using what is known about the social and cultural context in which children live[1].

This means: Knowledge of the social and cultural contexts in which children live: [Necessary] to ensure that learning experiences are meaningful, relevant, and respectful for the participating children and their families. (Bredekamp & Copple 1997, 8–9)

It aligns with the following Head Start Guiding Principles:

3. Families are children’s first and most important caregivers, teachers, and advocates.

7. Every child has diverse strengths rooted in their family’s culture, background, language, and beliefs.[2

Curriculum in Multicultural Classrooms

The term culturally responsive practices has been used to refer to the implementation of effective teaching practices in diverse early education settings. Culturally responsive practices are teaching to the individual needs of children who are culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse. This term implies the integration of assessment and curriculum practices: program staff must learn about the individual abilities and preferences of each of the children enrolled in their program, and then find ways to plan and implement a curriculum that is based upon each individual child’s needs and interests. For example, teachers can use home visits to learn about the child, to observe ways that families interact with their child, and to begin a dialogue with families about their goals for the child.

Classroom Materials

In her 1995 book, The Right Stuff for Children Birth to 8, Martha Bronson offers detailed suggestions for selecting play materials that are safe, appropriate, and supportive of play and development. It is relevant to note here that classroom materials can potentially depict people in stereotypical ways or only contain simplified or inaccurate images of culturally diverse people. Therefore, the challenge is to provide classroom materials that reflect all children, families, and adults in the program, and to eliminate stereotypical or inaccurate materials from daily use. For example, books and dramatic play materials should reflect diversity of gender roles, racial and cultural backgrounds, special needs and abilities, and a range of occupations and ages. Books and environmental print should also represent the different languages of children in the classroom.

Figure 10.3.1: What diversity is represented in this image of children and dolls? ^[50]

The challenge for programs is to establish systems and procedures that take the cultural and linguistic contexts of the children into account. Once in place, these classroom materials should be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that the classrooms reflect all enrolled children without stereotyping. Programs are encouraged to seek information from families and knowledgeable members of the community for their input in equipping classrooms to reflect cultures and languages in respectful ways.

Finally, encouraging children’s language and cognitive growth does not preclude the responsibility to support each child’s sense of wellbeing, the formation of his or her identity, and feelings of security. A consensus within the research is that effective environments for children support all domains of development, and that environments associated with learning outcomes should also provide strong support for social–emotional development (Hart & Risley 1995, 1999; National Research Council and Institute of Medicine 2000; Snow, Burns, & Griffin 1998).

With this in mind, the developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate environment mirrors the ideas, values, attitudes, and cultures of the children it serves (Gestwicki 1995). The following are some specific strategies suggested by Derman Sparks (1989):

Suggested Strategies

1. Use images in abundance that represent all children, families, and staff in your program.
2. Use images of children and adults from the major ethnic groups in your community and in U.S. society.
3. Use images that accurately reflect people’s current daily lives in the U.S. during work and recreational activities.
4. Offer a balance among different cultural and ethnic groups.
5. Provide a fair balance of images of women and men doing “jobs at home” and “jobs outside home.” Provide images of older people of various backgrounds doing different activities.
6. Provide images of differently abled people of various backgrounds at work and with their families.
7. Use images of diversity in family styles, such as single mothers and fathers, and extended families that are multiracial and multiethnic.
8. Use images of important individuals, past and present, and that reflect diversity.
9. Exhibit artwork—prints, sculpture, and textiles—by artists of various background

Vignette

Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Read-Aloud in Preschool – "Animals in Our Neighborhood"

Setting: A preschool classroom in a multicultural neighborhood where children come from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Context: It’s storytime, and Mr. Kim, the preschool teacher, has chosen a book called "Animals in Our Neighborhood." The book features illustrations of different animals commonly found in urban, suburban, and rural areas, along with descriptions in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and Korean.

Activity: Mr. Kim gathers the children on the rug, holding up the book so everyone can see the cover. "Today, we’re going to read about the animals we might see around where we live," he begins. "But this book is special because it includes words in different languages, just like how we all speak different languages at home."

He opens the book to the first page, which features a squirrel sitting on a tree branch. The text reads, “This is a squirrel. It’s called ‘ardilla’ in Spanish and ‘다람쥐’ (daramjwi) in Korean.” Mr. Kim reads the English text first, then pauses and repeats the words in Spanish and Korean.

"Does anyone here know what we call a squirrel in another language?" he asks. A boy named Mateo raises his hand and says, "In Spanish, we say 'ardilla'!" Mr. Kim nods approvingly, "That’s right, Mateo! And in Korean, it’s '다람쥐' (daramjwi). Let's all try saying these words together."

The children repeat the words after Mr. Kim, some giggling as they practice pronouncing "daramjwi." Mr. Kim smiles and encourages them, saying, "It’s fun to learn new words, isn’t it?"

As they move on to the next animal, a raccoon, Mr. Kim points out that raccoons are common in many neighborhoods, and he asks if anyone has ever seen one. A girl named Amara shares, "I saw one in my backyard last night!" Mr. Kim asks if anyone knows another name for a raccoon, and Amara adds, "My grandma calls it 'mapache' in Spanish."

Mr. Kim reads the description in the book, highlighting that "mapache" is the Spanish word for raccoon. He then asks if anyone knows what it’s called in another language. A child named Jisoo says, "In Korean, it’s '너구리' (neoguri)."

Throughout the read-aloud, Mr. Kim integrates these multilingual connections, inviting children to share the names of animals in their home languages. When they come across a deer in the book, a child named Fatima eagerly shares that in Arabic, it’s called "غزال" (ghazal). Mr. Kim appreciates each contribution, helping the children feel proud of their linguistic heritage.

Reflection: After finishing the book, Mr. Kim leads a discussion about the animals in their own neighborhoods. He asks, "Which animals have you seen near your home? What do you call them in your language?"

The children take turns sharing their experiences, with Mr. Kim making sure to include and validate each child’s language. He also encourages the children to ask their families about more animal names in their home languages and bring them back to share with the class.

Outcome: The read-aloud not only helps the children learn about the animals in their neighborhood but also celebrates the linguistic diversity in the classroom. By incorporating multiple languages and encouraging children to share their own, Mr. Kim fosters an inclusive environment where every child’s culture and language are valued. The children leave storytime with a sense of belonging and excitement to learn more about their peers' languages and experiences.

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/c/09df4c43-f4d5-...1-8a828d822ff7