EXPLORING NARRATIVES AND IDEOLOGIES OF CLD STUDENTS ​ 1

Written Assignment

Unit 6 - Issues of Identity and Belonging in a Global Community and Implications for
Educating CLD Learners in Our Schools

University of the People

EDUC 5810
EXPLORING NARRATIVES AND IDEOLOGIES OF CLD STUDENTS ​ 2

It is not unusual to have students from all around the world in our classrooms.

Students who speak multiple languages, have different cultures, celebrate different traditions,

hold different values and beliefs, and have different understandings of the world. Educators

today are faced with the enormous and complex responsibility of educating and instructing

diverse students who speak numerous different languages (Gonzalez et al, 2011). There are

many different terminologies used to describe and categorise students whose mother

language is not English, for example, English as a second language (ESL), English as an

additional language (EAL), English learner (EL), and Culturally and linguistically diverse

(CLD) students (Wang, 2016). According to Brisk et al (2002), the term CLD is the “most

holistically descriptive of a student whose culture and/or language are assets for learning, but

nonetheless different, from that of the dominant culture and/or language” (p. 2). This paper

will be presenting Book studies as a strategy that is aimed at exploring the narratives and

ideologies of CLD learners. It will also examine the impacts of students learning and the

promotion of linguistic and socio-cultural spaces.

Strategy: Book studies

A book study is a structured series of lessons and activities, in which students are

grouped together to read, explore and discuss stories. “As culturally responsive educators

embrace the diversity of their students, they should work to incorporate their cultures and

backgrounds into the curriculum through examples in geography, literature, world cultures,

the arts, thematic units, or even games” (Gonzalez et al, 2011, p. 180). The stories can be

picked by the teacher or with collaboration and discussion with the group. This strategy is

easy to differentiate from different age groups and levelled readers.

As this strategy is aimed to engage cultural and linguistic diversity, the groups are

created to represent different backgrounds. Gonzalez et al (2011) noted that “Many CLD

students, especially newcomers from other countries, have feelings of self-consciousness and

inadequacy about their accents, grammatical errors, limited vocabulary..” (p.180). Therefore,

by creating linguistic and culturally diverse backgrounds, CLD students are more likely to

feel more comfort and less anxious in engaging in reading and discussing activities. It is

crucial for “educators can ease students’ anxiety, make them feel more welcome, and thereby

engage them better in the learning process by making a point of celebrating cultural and

linguistic differences in the classroom” (Gonzalez et, 2011, p. 180).

There are many advantages to using book studies as a strategy to explore narratives,

language structures and ideologies. Books can be a great tool to explore different cultures,

global issues and emotions. For instance, the book I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O'Brien is

a story about three immigrant students from Guatemala, Korea, and Somalia and have

trouble speaking, writing, and sharing ideas in English. The book explores the roles of

students and teachers in the process of the new students becoming more comfortable and

confident, whilst celebrating their culture, languages and personal identities. Another

example of a book that could be explored to explore different narratives and ideologies for

CLD learners is ’The Boy at the back of the class’ by Onjali Rauf which is a book that is

written in the first person of a young Syrian boy and how we cope with life in London.

Moreover, the structure and approach promote discussions. Students can discuss the topics

and issues presented in the book, discuss their own personal experiences, compare it to their

own cultures and traditions, students can explore the linguistic language used and this can be

connected to the languages that students speak. “Classrooms filled with teachers and students

who openly share their lives, their cultural identities, and their experiences build trust and
EXPLORING NARRATIVES AND IDEOLOGIES OF CLD STUDENTS ​ 4

foster stronger relationships. This climate leads to student engagement and excitement about

learning together” (Gonzalez et al, 2011, p. 180).

As students explore books in such a way, they are also developing vocabulary,

learning linguistic skills and gaining more confidence through the process. “In addition, the

discourses that emerge in the book club illustrate that the CLD students are keenly aware of

their identities” (Wang, 2016, p.viii). The strategy also uses activities to reinforce and follow

up with creative activities in which students can express their opinions and thoughts about the

books. For example, students could be asked to create artworks to express their feelings

towards the themes of the book, write a short poem or create a drama.

In conclusion, Brisk et al (2002) wrote, “As the diversity of the grade-level classroom

has increased, the instructional practices to address this diversity have, for many teachers,

remained unchanged. They use curricula and materials that do not adequately serve the needs

of their CLD learners” (p. 4). Book studies can be used over a long period of time, yet,

continuously engage learners. In order for it to have a continued impact on students' learning,

the topics and issues addressed in books as well as activities are constantly revised, in order

to continuously engage students.

References

Brisk, M. E., Barnhardt, R., Herrera, S., & Rochon, R. (2002). Educators' preparation for

cultural and linguistic diversity: A call to action. Washington, DC: American

Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction

Service No. ED477737). Retrieved from

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED477737.pdf

Gozalez, J.R., Pagan, M., Wendell, L., Love, C. (2011). Supporting ELL/Culturally and

Linguistically Diverse Students for Academic Achievement.

https://www.brown.edu/academics/education-alliance/teaching-diverse-learners/sites/

brown.edu.academics.education-alliance.teaching-diverse-learners/files/uploads/ELL

%20Strategies%20Kit_Intl%20Ctr%20for%20Leadership%20in%20Educ%202011.p

df

Wang, Y. (2016). Exploring culturally and linguistically diverse students’ identities in an

afterschool book club.

https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7153&context=etd