Culturally Responsive Practices in a Diverse Elementary Classroom: A Case Study

Abstract

The population in the US continues to grow more diverse leaving schools to face the challenge of meeting the needs of students from varied linguistic backgrounds. In order to create successful learning experiences for English learners from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, teachers need to be educated in culturally responsive pedagogy including understanding their students’ backgrounds, creating positive learning environment, using culturally relevant strategies, and fostering positive home school relations. This article presents a single participant case study as described by Merriam (2009), where one teacher provides her experience implementing culturally responsive practices in her classroom after participating in a TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) professional development program.