The author’s main idea is that understanding the deep roots of culture and recognizing different cultural archetypes as well as the sociopolitical context is key to creating culturally responsive teachers. The author’s main argument is persuasive because it identifies the factors that cause inequitable educational outcomes then suggests tapping into the culture as the solution to closing the learning gap. Awareness and building background knowledge about dimensions of culture is the first step towards helping dependent learners (Hammond, 2014). In addition to awareness, the author notes that teachers must understand the impact of social, political, and economic forces on learning in order to become culturally responsive.
The author’s main purpose in writing this text is to provide a framework to help teachers offer support and social-emotional needs to dependent learners. As Hammond (2014) notes, many linguistically and culturally diverse students struggle with higher-order thinking, low fluency, problems with reading, and independent learning. Getting these categories of students ready and helping them become independent learners, according to the author, starts with acknowledging the current reality and our past racial history. The framework emphasizes that understanding the various cultural archetypes can make a culturally responsive teacher better manage a diverse classroom. Further to this, any teacher who wishes to effectively attend to the different cultures in a classroom must first identify the cultural archetype that dominates: individualism or collectivism.
The interests served in the author’s chief argument are the dependent learners who need attention to build their intellective capacity. With a proper framework to support the dependent students of color, as the author suggests, they can bridge their own learning gaps (Hammond, 2014). Structural racialization in areas such as stuffing in education only widens the gap between the dependent and independent learners. For example, unlike in other professions, the urban schools that are often under-resourced are staffed with less effective teachers while the high-performing ones are gifted with effective teachers. The plight of dependent learners will not be addressed unless we address how identity, location, and geography affect someone’s access to education, jobs, and other quality-of-life opportunities.
The author’s chief argument is based on several underlying assumptions. For example, the author assumes that there is a significant difference between a culture of poverty and the sociopolitical context. The author further assumes that poverty is not a culture given that it does not have deep cultural roots. On the contrary, poverty is a condition or simply a symptom of the widespread inequalities within the social and economic system (Hammond, 2014). Another assumption is that coping skills are mistaken for beliefs and norms. Coping skills only help individuals navigate through racial economic systems, while norms and beliefs are passed over from one generation to the other. Finally, the author assumes that poor people do not glorify or normalize the negative aspects of living in poverty.
One of the potential drawbacks of the author’s chief argument is that it considers culture and sociopolitical context as the only factors to be considered for building culturally responsive teaching. In reality, however, there are other factors that other culturally responsive teaching practices such as building relationships. Restructuring class materials to include authors from diverse cultures and encouraging students to tap into their prior knowledge are other strategies to be considered when planning for culturally responsive learning.
Overall, the author skillfully identifies the learning gaps that exist among culturally and linguistically students. He then suggests awareness and understanding the sociopolitical context as solutions to creating a culturally responsive education. With this kind of understanding, providing social-emotional support for dependent learners becomes a whole easier.
References
Hammond, Z. ed. (2014). Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. USA: Corwin Press.
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