To be an effective teacher, you must first understand the language of your students. It is important NOT to say "you're saying that wrong, THIS is the right way of saying it..."; however, the situation should be approached by saying "that is right, and the way we say that in Standard English is like this...". It's about the way you approach it as to not turn students against you or learning and to get them to understand that they (and their parents) are not wrong the way they talk, but there is another way they can communicate in a more standard way that's more universal.
Literacy is most strongly developed when it can be related to something familiar. As I previously stated, a teacher could relate how the students speak in their native dialect to the Standard English way of saying it. Students better understand when subject matter is approached in a language they already know and teaching them how to tweak it for different results outside of their dialect.
It is OK to allow yourself and students to talk, and sometimes write, in the local dialect. Writing how you talk isn't typically done in the classroom and this would be a great way to understand how students think and how they see their own language on paper. It might also be beneficial to have them write the same thing in Standard English so they can see the similarities and differences between Appalachian English and Standard English. Neither is right or wrong, they are simply different. This method of teaching certainly helps to build bridges between home and school.
When the teacher understands every student's individuality, the class as a whole becomes more united and less intimidating. Being able to freely speak the way that comes naturally is a huge relief for kids in a learning environment. Talking and writing in Appalachian English and being able to "code switch" is a huge feat to accomplish. To achieve this "code switch" you must teach students to know and praise their own and each others' cultural heritage. This reminds me of a famous quote I grew up hearing "before you can love another, you must first love yourself". Likewise, before you can learn another dialect/language, you must first understand and appreciate your own.
In my own schooling, I don't remember having distinct culturally diverse lessons. West Virginia History class stands out the most to me because it was a whole class dedicated to where I am from and things I know and see every day. We even did a leaf collection and identified them. Nothing else specific stands out in my mind. We learned about other cultures, but it wasn't part of a thematic unit or anything, it was what we learned in Social Studies class and that was about it.
The following is a video about a couple strategies for teaching diverse students. It touches on making connections between home and school and using different ways to have students illustrate what they have learned besides writing; this encompasses teaching different learning styles as well.
Resources
Epstein P., H. (2011, September 15). Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3655somewhatfunny. (2009). Strategies for teaching diverse learners edpsych 154 [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZvrPSdxU9w&feature=related
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