This thesis capstone project focuses on the impact of integrating students’ cultural backgrounds into ELL curriculum while promoting culturally sustaining pedagogies in multilingual classrooms. The study examines how integrating this supports their academic achievement, engagement, and motivation for the English Language Learners. This writing focuses on how culturally responsive teaching practices improve students’ literacy, class participation, and engagement. The findings convey that involving students' cultures strengthens their academic and social outcomes. This research advocates for the students to have their cultural background and knowledge to be more involved in the classroom to create an inclusive educational environment. In conclusion, these findings have shown to have a substantial impact on the students inside and outside of the classroom by incorporating their backgrounds. The Professional Development Plan is designed for middle and high school teachers (grades 6-12) working with multilingual learners across subject areas, including English Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and Math. The growing cultural and linguistic diversity in today's classrooms presents both challenges and opportunities for educators. This professional development (PD) aims to address these challenges by equipping educators with strategies rooted in Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP), emphasizing the integration of students’ cultural backgrounds, prior knowledge, and personal experiences into instruction. The goal is to support ELLs not only in acquiring English, but also in preserving and valuing their cultural and linguistic identities.
multilingual learners, pedagogy, responsive teaching, culture, professional development
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SUNY Brockport Department of Education and Human Development