ABSTRACT

Cultural responsiveness is a construct that emerges from the intersections of three related areas of research in literacy. First, for some time, researchers have been interested in the integration of multicultural texts in the classroom and the ways in which multicultural curriculum supports learners (Bollin, 2007; Boyle-Baise, 2005; Moore-Hart, 2002; Shamai and Paul-Binyamin, 2004). In addition, researchers have more recently taken into consideration the ways education allows space for students to develop the dispositions or knowledge to cross borders in a globalized world and society (Deng, 2004; Luke, 2004). Finally, researchers have considered the ‘responsiveness’ dimension, thinking about diversity and how teachers respond to students in culturally sensitive ways in cross-cultural settings towards greater understanding and increased student achievement (Kambutu and Nganga, 2008; Kidd et al., 2008; Lenski et al., 2005). Being culturally responsive, then, includes developing notions of what culture is, what culture looks like in the curriculum, the dispositions and language practices associated with cultural sensitivity, and how culturally responsive curriculum prepares students for a globalized society.