When Immigrant Is Synonymous with Terrorist: Culturally Responsive Teaching with English Learners

Abstract

The authors examined the effects of inquiry-based teaching by undergraduate preservice teachers in an elementary school composed of low-income Hispanic children for whom English was a second language. Initially, focus was an analysis of preservice teachers’ use of best practices for teaching social studies content to English Learners (ELs). The study explored the impact of a diverse field setting on interns’ willingness to adopt culturally relevant pedagogy techniques in social studies teaching. This study ultimately examined the impact of culturally responsive teaching among preservice teachers with limited exposure to multicultural ideals or critical pedagogies working with English Learners. Future direction in social studies methods courses to emphasize greater inclusion of global interconnectedness is also discussed.

Keywords:

• culturally relevant pedagogy
• English Learners
• inquiry-based teaching