The Paradigm Pivot: The Role of Community Cultural Wealth in Shifting Pedagogical Practices

Abstract

This paper explores the adaptation of a Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) pedagogical framework from mathematics to English Language Arts (ELA) education, focusing on secondary schools in the U.S. Utilizing a qualitative case study, four high school ELA teachers participated in workshops to integrate CCW principles into their teaching. The study probes teacher self-reports to investigate the translation of mathematics-derived CCW pedagogical practices into ELA contexts and their impact on teachers' perceptions and methods. Findings indicate a pedagogical shift from teacher-centered to student and community-directed approaches, emphasizing collaborative learning and leveraging students' cultural capital. This shift suggests CCW's potential in fostering asset-rich learning environments across diverse academic disciplines. Opportunities for further empirical research on CCW pedagogies in K-12 are discussed.