How should teachers treat students' cultural and linguistic experiences?

• A. They ignore them
• B. They draw on students' cultural and linguistic experiences as resources for enhancing their communication skills
• C. They replace home language with English only
• D. They use standardized tests only

Answer: (B)

The main idea is to treat students’ cultural and linguistic experiences as valuable resources that enhance communication and learning. When teachers draw on what students bring from home—languages, stories, problem-solving approaches, and cultural practices—they validate students’ identities and connect new content to concepts they already understand. This culturally responsive approach helps students participate more fully, builds on their strengths, and supports both language development and academic growth in middle childhood. For example, teachers can invite students to share expressions or ways of explaining ideas from their backgrounds and then weave those into vocabulary, discussions, and writing tasks, all while supporting English language development and preserving home languages.

Options that ignore or replace students’ languages and experiences miss a major opportunity for connection and learning. Relying only on standardized tests also narrows assessment to what can be measured in tests and misses how students use language in real classroom contexts.