9/3/2024

S3E2 Connection Across Culture and Language With Daniella Bass

“It's really important for you to first build relationships with your students and their families. And that could mean going out in the community, going to different events.”

—Daniella Bass

49 minutes

“You have to be really strategic about learning more about your students, their educational background, their culture, and their interests,” Daniella Bass says about her experience as an educator in the most culturally and linguistically diverse district in the country.

An English Learners coordinator at DeKalb County School District in Georgia, Bass joined All For Literacy host Dr. Liz Brooke for Season 3, Episode 2. After working with refugees through various nonprofits and AmeriCorps, Bass earned her Masters of Arts in Teaching and has dedicated her career to supporting this population as they learn English.

Gain actionable insight into how to:

Build a sense of connection across a range of diverse backgrounds, and why this connection supports student success
Use content knowledge and background knowledge to increase student learning
Include content-area teachers in literacy programs
Honor students’ first languages and leverage what they already know
Engage specifically with the parent population
Identify useful resources

Listen to Season 3, Episode 2 today to gain a better understanding of how to approach language and literacy in multilingual and multicultural classrooms.

Episode Breakdown

(00:47) – What sparked Bass’s interest in education

(03:23) – How diversity in the DeKalb County School District shapes the learning community

(05:06) – How to build connection and shared experience in a diverse classroom

(07:42) – Using content and background knowledge to increase learning

(12:14) – Including content-area teachers in literacy programs

(15:42) – Recommended resources for diverse student populations

(19:19) – How to engage with the parent population

(21:53) – Leverage first languages and what they already know to drive success

(24:32) – Recommended resources for cultural awareness

(26:53) – What makes Bass hopeful for the future of literacy and these students

About the Guest

Daniella Bass is an English Learners coordinator at DeKalb County School District in Georgia. The DeKalb School District is the most culturally and linguistically diverse district in the country, and includes students from 167 different countries who speak more than 174 languages and dialects. After working with refugees through various nonprofits and AmeriCorps, Bass earned her Masters of Arts in Teaching and has dedicated her career to supporting this population as they learn English.