Chapter 3: The ABCs of Cultural Understanding and Communication: Teacher Assistants Learn to Respect, Appreciate, and Apply Differences in Literacy Instruction

The purpose of this chapter is to help present and future teachers understand and value diversity in their classrooms and schools. I describe how teacher assistants used the model of the ABCs of Cultural Understanding and Communication, known as the ABCs Model (Schmidt, 1998a, 1998b, 1999), in their classrooms to promote their own awareness of cultural values and to enhance a connection of their knowledge about students and literacy instruction. While using the ABCs Model in conjunction with case studies of individual students in their classrooms, teacher assistants developed enhanced understandings of their own cultural values and experiences and became more knowledgeable of their students’ cultural and academic backgrounds. Teacher assistants made efforts to connect their knowledge about students to literacy instruction, that is, they built literacy lessons on students’ prior knowledge and cultural experiences. I provide one example of literacy lesson teaching to illustrate such a connection. At the conclusion of the chapter, I share teacher assistants’ reflections on using the ABCs Model. I also offer two additional examples to illustrate how present and future teachers can use the ABCs Model in literacy instruction and literacy across curriculum.