Culturally Responsive Teaching: Cultural Diversity in

Argentinian ESL contexts

Sheila B. Mignolet
INRODUCTION

During my teaching practice, I have come to realize that cultural diversity is

an issue that is often dismissed in the curriculum in general and lesson planning in
particular in Argentinian secondary schools. Due to the recent developments in
new technologies for communication and migration out of and within the country,
students are constantly in contact with a wide range of cultures and the
particularities that come with them. However, it seems that these issues have been
left aside when thinking about secondary school contexts, which may be the result
of a lack of support or a lack of training as to how to include cultural diversity in
our classrooms. Because of this, the key question I pose in this proposal is: What
can teachers do to include culture in their English lessons in a methodological
manner? After reviewing some scholarly articles on the matter, such as Raymond J.
Wlodkowski and Margery B. Ginsbergs A Framework for Culturally Responsive
Teaching and investigating the lineaments of the Universal Declaration on
Cultural Diversity adopted by UNESCO in 2001, I have discovered that even
though there has been a lot of discussion about Cultural Diversity per se, there
has been little research on the more practical side of the matter, especially if we
only take into account Argentinian ESL contexts. Therefore, I would like to conduct
research that shows how the overt or covert inclusion of cultural diversity by ESL
teachers can help to improve the teaching and learning experience in ESL
classrooms. I would also like to map out those methods that prove to have a greater
impact on the students learning experience.

LITERATURE REVIEW

As Argentina is a country where different languages and cultures converge, it

is by its very nature, diverse. It is a place where people from different cultural,
ethnic and religious backgrounds, men and women with different sexual
orientations, individuals with and without physical and mental disabilities
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pursuing widely differing lifestyles and inhabiting different economic milieus all
live together. Thus, diversity and more specifically, cultural diversity is both a
fact and a project to be pursued for the future. However, culture is often left on the
margins of lesson planning and curriculum design.
UNESCOs Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001) states that
culture takes diverse forms across time and space. This diversity is embodied in
the uniqueness and plurality of the identities of the groups and societies making up
humankind. As a source of exchange, innovation and creativity, cultural diversity is
as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature. In this sense, it is the
common heritage of humanity and should be recognized and affirmed for the
benefit of present and future generations. Moreover, this declaration places
education as one of the main pillars for the promotion and protection of cultural
diversity, expressing that involving it in the teaching-learning processes will
improve both curriculum design and teacher education.
As Wlodkowski and Ginsberg (1995) state, a key element to bear in mind
when revising and proposing cultural teaching-learning practices is motivation.
Following Deci and Ryan (1985, 1991), motivations visible outcome is engagement,
that is, the natural capacity to direct energy in the pursuit of a goal. Our emotions
influence our motivation. In turn, our emotions are socialized through culturethe
deeply learned confluence of language, beliefs, values, and behaviors that pervades
every aspect of our lives.
Furthermore, intrinsic motivation has been regarded as the self-desire to
seek out new things and new challenges, to analyze one's capacity, to observe and
to gain knowledge. It is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and
exists within the individual rather than relying on external pressures or a desire for
consideration (Deci and Ryan, 1985). What is more, when students are intrinsically
motivated, they are more likely to eagerly engage in the tasks and activities
proposed by the teacher and to willingly work on improving their skills and
capabilities.
On the basis of this information, Wlodkowski and Ginsberg (1995) propose
the Intrinsic Motivational Framework, which seeks to provide teachers with a
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holistic view on language teaching as well as catering for culturally diverse students
by promoting a common classroom culture. The framework names four
motivational conditions that the teacher and students continuously create or
enhance. They are:
1. Establishing inclusioncreating a learning atmosphere in which students and
teachers feel respected by and connected to one another.
2. Developing attitudecreating a favorable disposition toward the learning
experience through personal relevance and choice.
3. Enhancing meaningcreating challenging, thoughtful learning experiences
that include student perspectives and values.
4. Engendering competencecreating an understanding that students are
effective in learning something they value.
These conditions are essential to developing intrinsic motivation. Moreover,
they are sensitive to cultural differences and they can be adapted to the ESL
classroom to cater for different aspects, cultural diversity being one of these.
Wlodkowski and Ginsberg (1995) propose a set of procedures and structures
aimed at implementing the previously discussed framework. These have been
retrieved and encompassed in the following chart:
Figure 1. Four Conditions Necessary for Culturally Responsive Teaching
1. Establish Inclusion
Norms:
Emphasize the human purpose of what is being learned and its relationship to the students' experience.
Share the ownership of knowing with all students.
Collaborate and cooperate. The class assumes a hopeful view of people and their capacity to change.
Treat all students equitably. Invite them to point out behaviors or practices that discriminate.

Procedures: Collaborative learning approaches; cooperative learning; writing groups; peer teaching; multi-dimensional sharing; focus groups; and reframing.
Structures: Ground rules, learning communities; and cooperative base groups.

2. Develop Positive Attitude

Norms:

Relate teaching and learning activities to students' experience or previous knowledge.

Encourage students to make choices in content and assessment methods based on their experiences, values, needs, and strengths.

Procedures: Clear learning goals; problem solving goals; fair and clear criteria of evaluation; relevant learning models; learning contracts; approaches based on
multiple intelligences theory, pedagogical flexibility based on style, and experiential learning.
Structure: Culturally responsive teacher/student/parent conferences.

3. Enhance Meaning
Norms:

Provide challenging learning experiences involving higher order thinking and critical inquiry. Address relevant, real-world issues in an action-oriented
manner.

Encourage discussion of relevant experiences. Incorporate student dialect into classroom dialogue.

Procedures: Critical questioning; guided reciprocal peer questioning; posing problems; decision making; investigation of definitions; historical investigations;
experimental inquiry; invention; art; simulations; and case study methods.
Structures: Projects and the problem-posing model.

4. Engender Competence
Norms:

Connect the assessment process to the students' world, frames of reference, and values.

Include multiple ways to represent knowledge and skills and allow for attainment of outcomes at different points in time.

Encourage self-assessment.

Procedures: Feedback; contextualized assessment; authentic assessment tasks; portfolios and process-folios; tests and testing formats critiqued for bias; and selfassessment.
Structures: Narrative evaluations; credit/no credit systems; and contracts for grades.

Based on Wlodkowski, R. J., and M. B. Ginsberg. (1995). Diversity and Motivation: Culturally Responsive Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Taking into account these contributions, the following chart has been
designed to aid and encourage teachers to work with culture diversity within their
classrooms.
Figure 2. Implementing Culturally Responsive Teaching
1. Establish Inclusion
Working in groups with different cultures: European countries and the USA (England, France, Italy)
Are these cultures similar? Why/ Why not?
Compare these countries on the basis of food, traditional clothes, language and music.
How do Argentinian people treat people from these countries?
Working in groups with different cultures: limiting countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay)
Are these cultures similar? Why/ Why not?
Compare these countries on the basis of food, traditional clothes, language and music.
How do Argentinian people treat people from these countries?
Working in groups with different cultures: native people (Mapuche people, Guarani people)
Are these cultures similar? Why/ Why not?
Compare these cultures on the basis of food, traditional clothes, language and music.

How do Argentinian people treat people from these cultures?

Arriving at general conclusions about cultures and how Argentinian people view them. Emphasizing on the problem of
discrimination and exclusion.
2.

Develop Positive Attitude

Working in pairs to exchange views on culture, language and discrimination. Exchanging personal experiences.
Are there superior cultures? Why/why not?
Is there a superior language? Why/why not?
Does acknowledging other cultures involve negating your own culture?
Working in groups to determine the possible ways to tackle culture diversity.
Creating an informative poster as regards the misconceptions of cultural diversity
3.

Enhance Meaning

Working in groups with news articles about culture diversity (both positive news and negative news)
How is culture treated by the media?
Do cultures influence the media?
What do you think of the information presented in the news articles?
Drawing conclusions as regards how the media treat and view culture diversity.
Is culture given the same importance all around the world? Why/ why not?
4.

Engender Competence

Creating portfolios that include all the work related to culture diversity.

PROPOSED THEORETICAL MODEL AND RESEARCH METHOD

This study will base its analysis on students of first year at C.E.M N 1,
General Roca, Ro Negro, Argentina. This school is located in the city center and it
welcomes students from different neighborhoods. This implies that the student
body has diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. In particular, this study will work
with the group of students in 1 5. Twenty-three 13-year-old students are part of
this GPE course in which they are required to attend English lessons twice a week
(one module of 40 minutes and another of 80 minutes).
The data collection process will consist of a pre-designed questionnaire
aimed at gathering qualitative information as regards the current methods used in
ESL classrooms. This information will be later processed and contrasted to the
information gathered with a second questionnaire after having applied the
proposed methods as regards cultural diversity.
Moreover, a scale will be administered during the implementation of the
methods so as to keep record of students progress. The information from these
scales will be later analyzed and encompassed in graphics so as to have an overall
view on the effectiveness of the method.
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DATA ANALYSIS AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES

In order to implement the methods discussed in this research, a series of
steps will be proposed. At a first stage, a questionnaire will be administered to
students and teachers of two different class divisions. Once these answers have
been taken into account to further adjust the proposed methods for the
achievement of a positive culturally diverse classroom, the teacher from one of the
class divisions will be selected and instructed on how to work with these methods.
The following step is for teachers to start implementing the designed activities and
procedures. In order to keep track of the progress students may or may not be
making, a scale will have to be completed every two or three weeks. Finally, after a
period of approximately three months, the students and the teacher of the chosen
course and the students and teacher of the comparison group (who have not
followed the method) will have to complete a second questionnaire in order to
compare the obtained results to those of an ideal culturally-inclusive approach and
to those of a non-culturally inclusive approach.
Some challenges I might find while carrying out this research are getting
teachers to find time in their schedules to arrange meetings in order to understand
how to work with the proposed methods, and monitoring the application of these
since this can vary from teacher to teacher. Moreover, students may be unwilling
to initially take part in these new lesson modalities since it will mean to disturb
their usual working routine.
Having had a limited experience with ESL secondary classrooms, I believe
that the main findings this research will provide will be related to the fact that
engaging culture and a positive cultural view on difference in the ESL classroom
will generate positive academic and socio-affective responses from students.
Furthermore, I believe that the selected group of study will end up getting a more
holistic view on language and language use while they are consciously and
unconsciously made aware of different social realities and the consequences of not
respecting them. I also believe that this research will give me some further ideas on
how to improve the proposed methods and activities on the basis of the
eventualities that may occur.
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All in all, I believe that the results will determine that a Culturally
Responsive Teaching approach on language learning will benefit both teachers and
students as regards creating an inclusive classroom and a positive learningexperience.

TIMELINE
The proposed research will be carried out by following the planned timeline.
TIMELINE
MONTHS
Activity
1

Administration of
questionnaires to
teachers and
students
Retrieval of
questionnaires
and analysis
Design of
activities for the
chosen course
Administration of
proposed
methods
Regular feedback
questionnaires (in
the form of a
scale)
Administration of
questionnaires to
teachers and
students
Analysis of final
results

X
X

X
X

Bibliography
Deci, E. L., and R. M. Ryan. (1991). A Motivational Approach to Self: Integration
in Personality. In Nebraska Symposium on Motivation: Vol. 38. Perspectives on
Motivation, edited by R. Dienstbier. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Deci, E. L. and Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in

Human Behavior. New York: Plenum.
Deci, E. L., Vallerand, R. J., Pelletier, L. C. and Ryan, R. M. (1991). Motivation and
Education: The Self-Determination Perspective. Educational Psychologist (pp.
325346).
Wlodkowski, R. J. and Ginsberg, M. B. (1995). Diversity and Motivation:
Culturally Responsive Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO.
(2001).

Universal

Declaration

on

Cultural

Diversity.

Retrieved

from:

http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.phpURL_ID=13179&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL
_SECTION=201.html

ANNEX
QUESTIONNAIRE 1
Teachers
Establish
1. What social topics do you include in your classroom? Why?
inclusion
2. How do you address the human component of the learning
experience?
3. Have you worked with cultural diversity in your classroom?
Why/ why not?
4. Do you believe you treat your students equitably? Why /why
not?
Develop
5. Are your students aware of the learning goals they are
positive
pursuing?
attitude
6. Are your students aware of the criteria of evaluation? And
assessment?
7. Do you take into account multiple intelligences and learning
styles theories for the choosing of your teaching methods?
Enhance
8. Do you encourage students to be exposed to critical
Meaning
questioning or guided reciprocal peer questioning?
9. Do you use invention, art, simulations and case study
methods in your classroom?
Engender
10. How do you carry out assessment?
competence
11. Do you take into account multiple ways to represent
knowledge and skills?
12. Do you use ongoing feedback to improve on their work?
13. Do your students make use of self-assessment?
Students
Establish
1. Does your teacher include social topics in your classroom?
inclusion
2. Do you feel everybody in your classroom is appropriately
addressed?
3. Do you feel your teacher treats all the students equitably?
Develop
positive
attitude
Enhance
Meaning
Engender
competence

4. Are you aware of the learning goals of this subject?

5. Are you aware of the evaluation criteria?
6. Do you feel that you are motivated to learn the subject?
Why/ why not?
7. Do you resort to critical thinking to solve some of the tasks
proposed by the teacher?
8. Does your teacher use invention, art, simulations and case
study methods in the lesson?
9. Does your teacher give you regular feedback on your
performance?
10. Do you carry out tasks to reflect on your own performance?

SCALE: WEEK ________

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Always

Usually Rarely

Never

1. Social topics are included

2. Inclusion, discrimination and cultural
diversity are addressed
3. I know the goals and objectives of the
lessons.
4. I feel motivated to complete the
proposed tasks.
5. I like the tasks proposed by the
teacher.
6. I critically reflect upon the presented
topics.
7. Art, inventions and case study
methods are used
8. My teacher gives me feedback
QUESTIONNAIRE 2
Teachers
Establish
1. What social topics have you included in your lesson that you
inclusion
had not addressed before?
2. How has inclusion, discrimination and cultural diversity
been addressed?
3. How have you addressed the human component of the
learning experience?
Develop
positive
attitude

Enhance
Meaning

Engender
competence

Students
Establish
inclusion

4. Are your students aware of the learning goals they are

pursuing?
5. Are your students aware of the criteria of evaluation? And
assessment?
6. Do you feel you have taken into account multiple
intelligences and learning styles theories for the choosing of
your teaching methods?
7. Do you believe your students have been exposed to critical
questioning or guided reciprocal peer questioning?
8. Have you used invention, art, simulations and case study
methods in your classroom? If so, are there any benefits of
having done so?
9. How have you carried out assessment?
10. Have you taken into account multiple ways to represent
knowledge and skills?
11. Have you used ongoing feedback to improve on their work?
12. Have your students made use of self-assessment?
13. Has your teacher include social topics in your classroom?
14. Do you feel everybody in your classroom has been
appropriately addressed?
15. Do you feel your teacher has treated all the students
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equitably?
Develop
positive
attitude

Enhance
Meaning
Engender
competence

16. Are you aware of the learning goals of this subject?

17. Are you aware of the evaluation criteria?
18. Do you feel that you are motivated to learn the subject?
Why/ why not?
19. Do you like the activities proposed by the teacher?
Why/why not?
20. Have you resorted to critical thinking to solve some of the
tasks proposed by the teacher?
21. Has your teacher used invention, art, simulations and case
study methods in the lesson?
22. Has your teacher given you regular feedback on your
performance?
23. Have you carried out tasks to reflect on your own
performance?

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