Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners

Sydney Snyder, PhD, is a principal associate at SupportEd. In this role, Dr. Snyder coaches ML educators and develops and facilitates interactive professional development for teachers of MLs. She also works with the SupportEd team to offer technical assistance to school districts and educational organizations. Dr. Snyder has extensive instructional experience and has worked in the field of English language development for over 25 years. She started her teaching career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea, West Africa. This experience ignited her passion for language teaching, culturally responsive instruction, and ML advocacy. Dr. Snyder is coauthor of Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity and contributing author to Breaking Down the Monolingual Wall. She served as an English Teaching Fellow at Gadja Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She earned her PhD in Multilingual/ Multicultural Education at George Mason University and her MAT in TESOL at the School for International Training. You can connect with her by email at Sydney@SupportEd.com or on Twitter at @SydneySupportEd. Diane Staehr Fenner, PhD, is the president of SupportEd (SupportEd.com), a woman-owned small business located in the Washington, DC, metro area that she founded in 2011. SupportEd is dedicated to empowering multilingual learners and their educators. Dr. Staehr Fenner leads her team to provide ML professional development, coaching, technical assistance, and curriculum and assessment support to school districts, states, organizations, and the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to forming SupportEd, Dr. Staehr Fenner was an English language development (ELD) teacher, dual language assessment teacher, and ELD assessment specialist in Fairfax County Public Schools, VA. She speaks German and Spanish and has taught in Berlin, Germany, and Veracruz, Mexico. Dr. Staehr Fenner grew up on a dairy farm in central New York and is a proud first- generation college graduate. She has written eight books on ML education (and counting), including coauthoring Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity and authoring Advocating for English Learners: A Guide for Educators. She is a frequent keynote speaker on ML education at conferences across North America. She earned her PhD in Multilingual/Multicultural Education at George Mason University and her MAT in TESOL at the School for International Training. You can connect with her by email at Diane@SupportEd.com or on Twitter at @DStaehrFenner.

Foreword Why We Wrote This Book Acknowledgments About the Authors How to Approach This Book Chapter Overview CHAPTER 1. WHY CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING MATTERS CHAPTER 2. BUILDING CULTURAL COMPETENCY CHAPTER 3. OPERATING FROM AN ASSETS-BASED APPROACH CHAPTER 4. SIMULTANEOUSLY SUPPORTING AND CHALLENGING STUDENTS CHAPTER 5. PLACING STUDENTS AT THE CENTER OF THE LEARNING CHAPTER 6. LEVERAGING STUDENTS' LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS CHAPTER 7. UNITING STUDENTS' SCHOOLS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES CHAPTER 8. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Appendices Index

"It is not like me to finish a book in one sitting. I did with this book! I could see these activities in action with my staff. A value to staff and creating a multi-cultural school environment and culture of acceptance." -- Tricia Pena, Ed D., Professor, Northern Arizona University, Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education "Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners is a must read for anyone in the field of education. The authors have done an outstanding job of helping the reader to recognize cultural bias as well as demonstrating how to overcome this bias so that all students can achieve success, regardless of their background. I highly recommend this book!" -- Melissa Miller, NBCT-EAScience, NGSS Writer, 6th Grade Science Instructor "Given the growing anti-immigration and Black Lives Matter Movements in the USA, I cannot imagine a better time to seriously consider the role of culture in our classrooms and how culture and teacher beliefs about their students and families ultimately hold the key to success for our multilingual learners. This book goes to the heart of these crucial issues and effectively advocates for assets-based approaches in our schools. This book has something for everyone: teachers, future teachers, and teacher leaders." -- Tim Boals, Ph.D., WIDA Founder and Director "For far too long, MLs have felt pressure to assimilate to the dominant culture in the US, and learning English also meant learning how to be a good American. While we have gotten rid of the infamous 'Melting Pot,' this book asks us to go farther in truly realizing the American Dream of equity for all. Written clearly and organized in a logical fashion, this excellent addition to the field takes readers through each important topic asking them to engage in critical thinking and self-reflection. Each chapter includes an excellent review of the relevant literature and theoretical constructs, but more importantly, each chapter also includes thought-provoking questions that help the reader grow and directly apply those theories to helping build more equitable school and classroom communities." -- Dr. N. Eleni Pappamihiel, Professor "Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners is a crucial resource for educators who are searching for ways to empower students by honoring, acknowledging, and infusing who they are into our classrooms. Drawing from their expertise in and experts from the field, this powerful duo has written another completely accessible book filled with authentic examples, sketchnotes, student portraits, and printable tools. High praise to Snyder and Staehr Fenner for bringing this contribution to us all." -- Dr. Debbie Zacarian "A relevant and research-based interactive text that guides educators through the process of becoming culturally responsive with multilingual learners. Using practical strategies such as case studies, video clips, and sketch notes, educators will be led through exercises inspiring them to become more reflective about their own culturally responsive teaching." -- Ivannia Soto, Ph.D. "With an unflinching focus on equity, Snyder and Staehr Fenner offer an asset-focused, forward-looking, and nuanced text in service of multilingual learners, drawing from the most relevant and up-to-date sources. Intended for a broad and inclusive audience, Snyder and Staehr Fenner address the tensions and competing issues within the field, and offer pragmatic, attainable steps forward, with accessible explanations, interactive questions and planning guides, as well as video clips to highlight key constructs. This text is an outstanding resource for all those engaged in the education of multilingual learners." -- Dr. Anita Bright, Associate Professor "And they have done it again...another invaluable resource for all educators. As an ESL teacher, coach, and teacher educator, this is going to be a go-to book for workshops, pre-service educators, and for professional development. This text is mindful and intentional in how it addresses so many aspects of culturally-responsive teaching, and the reflection questions are a beautiful addition for educators to self-examine their own practices. Ta bluh doh mah (thank you very much)." -- Dr. Amy Hewett-Olatunde, ESL Teacher, Teacher Educator, Professor "Sydney Snyder and Diane Staehr Fenner have succeeded in exploring the complex intersectionality of culture, equity and language. The result is this thoughtful, insightful book that gives educators real step-by-step tools and strategies to increase their professional learning and sensitivity. We are in a volatile time in our history, when the need for cross-cultural understanding and healing could not be greater. Snyder and Staehr Fenner meet educators where they are and guide them expertly and with understanding through the process of becoming self-aware and culturally-responsive." -- Giselle Lundy-Ponce, Manager, Educational Rights and Social Justice Initiatives and Policy "This book fills a critical niche. All too often, literature about culturally relevant pedagogy lacks application and leaves multilingual learners out of the discussion. Snyder and Staehr Fenner delivered exactly what the field of TESOL has needed for quite some time. This practical guide to culturally responsive instruction for teachers of multilingual learners will be a must for teachers of MLs to have on their shelves as well as for teacher-educators to include in their methods courses. It is timely, thoughtful, and user-friendly. I look forward to using it in my courses!" -- Michelle Benegas, Assistant Professor "Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners is the gift that keeps on giving for school leaders and teachers alike. More than just an engaging and informative text, the book informs well-rounded programming for multilingual learners from soup to nuts and inspires a reflective look at what we are currently doing versus what we should be doing to advance multilingual learner success in schools. Each chapter could be the source of personal goal setting for educators, material for a professional learning community, the focus of school or district professional development sessions, or a reference for use when evaluating a school's program for multilingual learners. Regardless of its use, Snyder and Fenner have set up space through a literary medium for educators to overcome feelings of ill-preparedness or uncertainty to program, plan instruction, and deliver instruction for multilingual learners as well as to engage their families." -- Anika E. Harris, Professional Development Specialist - English Language Acquisition Programs (K-12) "Sometimes turning principles and theories into practice can feel like grasping at smoke. However, in this book, Sydney Snyder and Diane Staehr Fenner provide solid examples and strategies of how to intentionally teach with multilinguals' assets as the center of our instruction. Their book will celebrate what we are already doing to be culturally responsive and expand our skill sets." -- Tan Huynh, Language Specialist, Blogger, Podcaster "Sydney Snyder and Diane Staehr Fenner have provided a great and humbling multifaceted learning resource with something for everyone to dive into and explore personally and professionally. Videos, student portraits, downloadable tools, and fun graphics provide the opportunity to self-reflect or learn as a group, but more importantly to continue that uncomfortable and necessary never-ending cultural journey." -- Shawn Slakk, CLO/Founder "Sydney Snyder and Diane Staehr Fenner teamed up for yet another much-needed resource: Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity is timelier than ever, research-informed, and practitioner-oriented, chuck-full of tools and resources that add help educators navigate the multiple cultures that are present in their classrooms. A must have for all!" -- Andrea Honigsfeld, Associate Dean, Ed.D. Program Director