HED4807
ASSIGNMENT 5 PORT
DUE DATE: 14 JAN 2026
,HED4807 ASSIGNMENT 5 PORTFOLIO 2026
DUE 14 JANUARY 2026
Write about 350 -400 words critically reflecting on the role of the language teacher
in applying culturally sustaining pedagogy. Use the table below to guide your
writing and refer to specific language teaching practices and approaches.
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Language Teaching: Brainstorm and Plan
In Assessment 2, I explained how culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) can be applied
in language teaching to value learners’ linguistic and cultural resources. Critically
reflecting on this, it becomes clear that the role of the language teacher is central to
ensuring that CSP is meaningfully implemented in everyday classroom practice. The
language teacher is not only a facilitator of language learning but also a mediator of
culture, identity, and equity.
Culturally sustaining pedagogy originates from the idea of teaching to and through
cultural diversity. This places responsibility on the language teacher to build a
classroom ecology where multilingual learners can make meaning while their home
languages are legitimised. In practice, this means selecting culturally relevant texts,
encouraging storytelling from learners’ communities, and using examples that reflect
learners’ lived experiences. And doing so, the teacher makes the teaching process
compatible with learners’ sociocultural contexts and frames of reference rather than
forcing assimilation into a single dominant language or culture.
A key language teaching approach that supports CSP is translanguaging. Rooted in
multilingual education and everyday language practices, translanguaging allows
learners to draw on all their linguistic resources to maximise understanding and
, achievement. The language teacher plays an important role in building bridges between
home and school language practices by allowing learners to discuss concepts in their
home language before producing work in the language of learning and teaching.
Practices such as bilingual word walls, group discussions using multiple languages, and
multilingual glossaries promote meaning-making, agency, and confidence among
language-minoritised learners.
A
pplying CSP requires the language teacher to engage in continuous self-reflection.
Teachers must examine their own beliefs about language, multilingualism, culture, and
difference. This includes recognising that teachers do not need to know all the
languages or cultures represented in the classroom. Instead, their role is to honour,
explore, and leverage learners’ existing communicative practices while acting as cultural
mediators. Such reflection helps challenge deficit views of multilingual learners and
supports more equitable language learning environments.
The role of the language teacher in applying culturally sustaining pedagogy is
multifaceted and demanding. It involves sustaining linguistic and cultural diversity,
implementing translanguaging practices, mediating between home and school contexts,
and critically examining personal beliefs. When carried through thoughtfully, CSP
empowers learners, liberates marginalised voices, and promotes inclusive and
meaningful language learning.
ASSIGNMENT 5 PORT
DUE DATE: 14 JAN 2026
,HED4807 ASSIGNMENT 5 PORTFOLIO 2026
DUE 14 JANUARY 2026
Write about 350 -400 words critically reflecting on the role of the language teacher
in applying culturally sustaining pedagogy. Use the table below to guide your
writing and refer to specific language teaching practices and approaches.
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Language Teaching: Brainstorm and Plan
In Assessment 2, I explained how culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) can be applied
in language teaching to value learners’ linguistic and cultural resources. Critically
reflecting on this, it becomes clear that the role of the language teacher is central to
ensuring that CSP is meaningfully implemented in everyday classroom practice. The
language teacher is not only a facilitator of language learning but also a mediator of
culture, identity, and equity.
Culturally sustaining pedagogy originates from the idea of teaching to and through
cultural diversity. This places responsibility on the language teacher to build a
classroom ecology where multilingual learners can make meaning while their home
languages are legitimised. In practice, this means selecting culturally relevant texts,
encouraging storytelling from learners’ communities, and using examples that reflect
learners’ lived experiences. And doing so, the teacher makes the teaching process
compatible with learners’ sociocultural contexts and frames of reference rather than
forcing assimilation into a single dominant language or culture.
A key language teaching approach that supports CSP is translanguaging. Rooted in
multilingual education and everyday language practices, translanguaging allows
learners to draw on all their linguistic resources to maximise understanding and
, achievement. The language teacher plays an important role in building bridges between
home and school language practices by allowing learners to discuss concepts in their
home language before producing work in the language of learning and teaching.
Practices such as bilingual word walls, group discussions using multiple languages, and
multilingual glossaries promote meaning-making, agency, and confidence among
language-minoritised learners.
A
pplying CSP requires the language teacher to engage in continuous self-reflection.
Teachers must examine their own beliefs about language, multilingualism, culture, and
difference. This includes recognising that teachers do not need to know all the
languages or cultures represented in the classroom. Instead, their role is to honour,
explore, and leverage learners’ existing communicative practices while acting as cultural
mediators. Such reflection helps challenge deficit views of multilingual learners and
supports more equitable language learning environments.
The role of the language teacher in applying culturally sustaining pedagogy is
multifaceted and demanding. It involves sustaining linguistic and cultural diversity,
implementing translanguaging practices, mediating between home and school contexts,
and critically examining personal beliefs. When carried through thoughtfully, CSP
empowers learners, liberates marginalised voices, and promotes inclusive and
meaningful language learning.
