Creating a Multiliterate Learning Community: A Reflective Plan

This essay provides a comprehensive plan for creating a multiliterate learning community, emphasizing the importance of native-language literacy and cultural diversity. It explores strategies such as involving families and elders, utilizing cultural community programs, and fostering a classroom environment that values linguistic pluralism. The plan addresses potential challenges, including language shift issues and negative perceptions of bilingualism, and proposes pedagogical approaches to promote inclusivity and respect for diverse cultures. By integrating multicultural signs, bilingual books, and culturally relevant activities, educators can create a supportive learning environment where students feel recognized and empowered to contribute their unique linguistic and cultural knowledge. The essay concludes that valuing children's home culture and language is essential for enhancing their overall educational experience and fostering a socially just and democratic society. Desklib provides access to this assignment and many other resources for students.

1
PLAN FOR CREATING A MULTILITERATE LEARNING COMMUNITY
Student Name:
Student Number:
Date:

2
Introduction
Native-language literacy can act as a resource for students and teachers in a multicultural
literacy environment. Multi-cultural environment also provides social justice and providing
children with rigorous and relevant education. Role of educators includes appreciation and
understanding of diversity is integral for developing culturally responsive pedagogy. In this
current reflection research in regards to linguistic diversity along with learning, a plan of
action for creating a multiliterate print environment in my classroom consisting of all black
school with 32% white people and 2% Asian, is undertaken. Ways in which literature of
students’ native language can play a role, learning some key words in different cultural
students’ first language and creating recording of greetings, songs, simple conversations as
well as stories in students’ first language contributes to students’ learning environment is
analysed.
Plan of Action
Taking contribution from families and elders
Role of families and elder’s involvement has distinct forms for different communities and
has a distinct role in linguistic (Kolano & King, 2015). Home involvement with children’s
schools supports their achievement. Decades of research depicts the socio-affective and
powerful academic benefits associated with strong home language base. Research affirms that
home language and culture acts as a valuable resource as per Soto (Premier & Miller, 2010).
Families and elders can be called upon to provide their input relevant to their cultures and
communities such as multiliterate print and literatures. This provides an effective approach
for diverse student teaching. Teacher’s can utilise the concepts that children have learned at

3
home in their first language, then they can easily transfer this knowledge to second language.
As a teacher I will ask for input from diverse cultural texts and literatures similar to the
curriculum topics. These texts can be used as multiliterate text. It will enable students to
connect easily with the concept and also adopt English language words identified with these
texts. Then through dialogues and advocacy work about language and cultures,
communication can be strengthened to identify specific needs of young children.
Within an education environment where practices is anchored in a monolingual system,
accommodating diversified cultures and linguistic might emerge as a challenge. As a teacher
I feel that a child who leaves back his home language outside the classroom, cannot
understand why the language cannot be used in the classroom. This might lead the child to
think that his/ her language might create some kind of problem at the school. Negative
representation of bilingualism in children of diversified communities impact their language
skills altogether (Blanchet-Cohen & Reilly, 2013). Creating a heterogeneity environment
might imply broader and more positive capability amongst students to consider the plurality
of languages and cultures. As a part of this plan, I will try and adopt pedagogical strategies
that avoids language and cultural discrimination amongst children and also encourage
considering diversity as being a learning resource.
In case teachers and families of diversified learners can work together for addressing
combined issues of language shift. By way of continuing the dialogue and implementing a
curriculum in a unique community of cultures and languages (Rosario‐Ramos & Nieto,
2012). Linguistically and culturally diverse families often struggles with language shift issues
and lack of respect for home families. In case such families are given advice in English-only
then it can have tragic outcomes for such diverse families as per Wong Fillmore. Home
cultures and home languages is the basis of the communicative process for families; hence it

4
is important to maintain a strong language base for facilitation of children’s second language
learning (del Villar, 2012). It is in the best interests to share knowledge across communities
for implementation of collaborative approach and preserving and respecting the environment.
By engaging with family members and elders of children, I can build relationship with
students from culturally diverse communities. Children will also feel recognized and be able
to response to system where they can have an open mind that can contribute to their success
and help with struggles in the classroom. Parental involvement in project contributes
tremendously to the development of global vision of cultures and languages amongst
educators (Parrish & Linder-VanBerschot, 2010). As an educator I will allow moving from
monolingual to a plurilingual space by using of multicultural signs in classroom. I will use
these signs in decorating walls, creating greeting messages, including bilingual books in the
library and so on.
Cultural community programs supporting linguistic diversity and
learning
Educators can make use of cultural community programs which supports linguistic
diversity and learning. Linguistic diversity needs to treated as a wealth by accounting for the
variety of spoken languages and multiplicity of cultural affiliation. Home-language literacy
fosters a number of educational advantages to bilingual children. I as an Educators will set-up
cultural community programs that supports linguistically diverse children and provides
learning opportunity. There can be one program set-up each month from different cultural
background. These programs can provide some keywords from students’ first language
(Nieto, 2017). Through such program’s greetings, simple conversations, stories and songs in
students’ first language insight can be gained. It allows establishing effective collaborative

5
relationship through sharing and flexibility to build and sustain communication and
understanding.
The notion of variety in linguistics needs emphasis and a child experiences this even
before entering school. A child from birth hears monolingual language but later upon entering
school, he/ she will hear different way of speaking. As an educator, I will first try and inform
children that language is always pluralistic in nature. It has been studied that the greater the
student’s competence in English language, the less developed will be his/ her dominance in
native language. The cultural programs will act as a means by which the transmission of
knowledge and know-how to students within the institutional framework of the school
(Keengwe, 2010). The program will ensure that the students’ feel comfortable at school by
implementing a climate of trust where exchange is facilitated. It will help recognise the
students’ own linguistic and cultural knowledge for understanding identity.
These community engagement programs provide confidence to children such that they can
provide particular keywords which can be used for teaching in English. For example,
knowledge of greetings message in Asian language can assist in teaching the various
greetings used in English language. The topic for instance provides a channel for
communicating which can be used in exploring cultural characteristics, which might be
different from the teachers and other students (Pérez, Holmes, Miller & Fanning, 2012).
Through complementing and not interfering, the child’s full participation can be achieved in
the learning community. I will aim at providing information that is readily understood by
family members with presence of translators and interpreters. This communication will
promote participation of the members of the family and students will feel more encouraged.
As an educator, I can pick up stories, songs from the cultural program for creation of
multicultural text which students can relate to (Manning, Baruth & Lee, 2017). I will also

6
recognise several opportunities that might appear from such cultural programs. These
opportunities will work for diverse learners and enable selection of appropriate methods for
planning and valuing their family’s or cultural identity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, home language provides basis for development of English language in a
better manner. Policymakers across America continue to eliminate diverse languages and
cultures through their proposal of including English as the only language of instruction.
Political challenges offers substantial opportunities for the development of socially competent
communities that are responsive to a system of social justice. Educators needs to view
children’s home culture and language as an important resource for enhancing the nation’s
mission for a democratic society.

7
References
Blanchet-Cohen, N., & Reilly, R. C. (2013). Teachers' perspectives on environmental
education in multicultural contexts: Towards culturally-responsive environmental
education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 36, 12-22. Doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2013.07.001
del Villar, G. (2012). Review of Educating Latino Boys: An Asset-Based Approach. The
Journal of Language & Literacy Education (JoLLE, ISSN# 1559-9035) is a peer-
reviewed, open access journal housed in the Department of Language & Literacy
Education in the College of Education at The University of Georgia. Since its inception in
2004, JoLLE has provided a space for scholars to engage readers in a broad spectrum of
issues related to the field., 149. Accessed from
<http://jolle.coe.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Review-of-Educating-Latino-Boys-
an-asset-based-approach.pdf>
Keengwe, J. (2010). Fostering cross cultural competence in preservice teachers through
multicultural education experiences. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(3), 197-204.
doi:10.1007/s10643-010-0401-5.
Kolano, L. Q., & King, E. T. (2015). Preservice Teachers' Perceived Beliefs towards English
Language Learners: Can a Single Course Change Attitudes?. Issues in Teacher
Education, 24(2), 3-21.

8
Manning, M. L., Baruth, L. G., & Lee, G. L. (2017). Multicultural education of children and
adolescents. Routledge. Doi: 10.4324/9781315186542
Nieto, S. (2017). Re-imagining multicultural education: New visions, new
possibilities. Multicultural Education Review, 9(1), 1-10. Doi:
10.1080/2005615X.2016.1276671
Parrish, P., & Linder-VanBerschot, J. (2010). Cultural dimensions of learning: Addressing
the challenges of multicultural instruction. The International Review of Research in Open
and Distributed Learning, 11(2), 1-19. DOI: 10.19173/irrodl.v11i2.809
Pérez, D., Holmes, M., Miller, S., & Fanning, C. A. (2012). Biography-driven strategies as
the great equalizer: Universal conditions that promote K-12 culturally responsive
teaching. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 6(1), 25-42.
Premier, J. A., & Miller, J. (2010). Preparing pre-service teachers for multicultural
classrooms. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(2), 3. DOI:
10.14221/ajte.2010v35n2.3.
Rosario‐Ramos, E. M., & Nieto, S. (2012). Literacy and Multicultural Education. The
Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Doi: 10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0731