Empowering English learners in the classroom through culturally responsive social-emotional teaching practices

• Published in: Journal of multilingual and multicultural development 2024-08, Vol.45 (7), p.2880-2897
• Main Authors: Lau, Wing Shuen, Shea, Munyi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Classroom learning; Classroom practice; Classrooms; Cultural identity; Cultural instruction; Cultural sensitivity; culturally responsive teaching; Curricula; Efficacy; Emotions; Empathy; English as a second language learning; English language learners; English language teaching; English learners; Inclusive education; Learning environment; Literacy; social-emotional learning; Teaching; Teaching methods; Well being; Worldview
• ISSN: 0143-4632; 1747-7557
• DOI: 10.1080/01434632.2022.2078337

School systems in North America have widely adopted social-emotional learning (SEL) to promote students' well-being and academic development over the last few decades. Despite the abundant evidence supporting the efficacy of content-specific, standalone SEL interventions, there is little knowledge about how to infuse SEL practices into regular academic curriculum or how to leverage SEL as a strategy for systemic improvement. The research is especially lacking among English learners, a rapidly growing population in U.S. schools. Literacy classrooms framed with an equity lens can play a pivotal role in shaping students to become critically reflective, deeply empathetic, and socially responsible individuals. This paper integrates a discussion of effective social-emotional curriculum and relevance of culturally responsive teaching. We propose a new pedagogical approach CULTURE that emphasises inclusive classroom practices. The goal is to create a meaningful and equitable classroom learning environment for English learners, where they could actively reflect on and integrate their worldviews, lived experiences, values, identities, strengths, and cultural assets into various aspects of their literacy development so that they could feel empowered to navigate their own social and emotional learning, and contribute to their schools and communities.