I have not found that language students place that much importance on
whether the teacher has an understanding of the learner's own culture or
language. On the other hand the enthusiasm and friendliness of the teacher
are very important.

As Manfred Spitzer points out in Learning , The Human Brain and the School
of Life<http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Learning/Manfred-Spitzer/e/9780080446981>the
brain only needs the right kind of input, meaningful, relevant,
interesting, and the brain can work out its own rules and categories.The
role of the school or teacher should be to motivate, or at lest not
demotivate the learner, encourage a positive attitude and find ways to
maintain the learner's attentiveness. If these conditions are met, learning
will take place, not so much in the classroom as outside it.

I think much of the concern about dialectical structures of the learners'
languages is not all that important to the task of encouraging learning
success. At least that is my experience.
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