One dimension of learner differences that is important to consider is the cultural/ethnicity factor. Higher level reading comprehension (or even basic meaning development) relies on a person’s background knowledge. As we discussed in the Week 1 videos, for someone to construct meaning, that person typically needs a starting point to relate the new ideas to. A person’s culture can often impact their background knowledge; therefore, it is easy to recognize that a person’s ability to construct meaning is often associated with their cultural experiences and norms. For example, if a student from Florida was reading a story about mangroves, he/she is perhaps more likely to construct meaning as they have seen a mangrove before (as there many mangroves in Florida). However, if a student from urban Rochester, New York reads that passage, and he/she has never seen a mangrove (there are no mangroves in Rochester, NY), then he/she could be a disadvantage in constructing meaning. This simple example reflects just how important it is to consider a student’s culture as we support his/her ability to construct meaning and develop literacy skills.

One emerging strategy to help navigate through cultural differences and literacy instruction is the Culturally Responsive Educational movement. In short, the movement is rooted in research out of NYU (link at the bottom of this post). As stated by the NYU Metro Center’s, Culturally Responsive Education is “(1) validating students’ experiences and values, (2) disrupting power dynamics that privilege dominant groups, and (3) empowering students.” Early reports suggest that CRE increases student performance, attendance, and even graduation rates.

What does a culturally responsive strategy look like? Consider this example of a strategy called “Centering multiple perspectives.” Centering multiple perspectives is defined as “affirming, valuing, and sustaining the worldviews of historically underrepresented peoples as the central focus in educational materials or curricula.” Here is an assignment that uses this strategy:

Please select and read one nonfiction book (or play or collection of poetry) that captures the story of an underrepresented American voice. For the purpose of the assignment, we will adopt a flexible definition of the word “underrepresented,” but please strive to pick a story that broadens your understanding of the American experience. As you read, please complete a dialectical journal with at least 50 responses (details regarding the journal are on the back of this paper).

As you can see, this strategy encourages students to access ideas and voices that they can either relate to OR will expand their understanding of the different experiences in our world. The hope is that these literacy strategies can empower students, and acknowledge how background knowledge can impact a his/her ability and comfort with constructing knowledge.

There is no magical spell that can fix how cultural factors can impact learning, but CRE at least acknowledges the realtiies of culture and education. Using CRE strategies could help to empower students from all different backgrounds. 

Click the link below for more info on CRE. 

https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/media/users/atn293/ejroc/CRE-Rubric-2018-190211.pdf