Toward a humanizing pedagogy: Leveling the cultural and linguistic capital in a fifth-grade writing classroom

The increasing number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in the United States has created a priority for examining the perspectives, dispositions, and attitudes that best support these learners’ writing. This study explores the link between a teacher’s developing pedagogical language knowledge and humanizing practices and her teaching of persuasive writing to CLD fifth-grade students. Utilizing case study methodology, the study found that a teacher’s knowledge of language and use of humanizing pedagogy facilitated students’ writing development while preserving their CLD identities. This study contributes to research on asset-based, humanizing pedagogies that build on interrelationships among language, culture, and writing.