Sean S.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Culturally Responsive Teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning (Ladson-Billings, 1994). This approach to teaching encompasses how knowledge is both communicated and perceived by the students. The teacher must have a good relationship with the parents, have high expectations, learn about their students culture, have culturally mediated student-centered instruction, willing to reshape the curriculum, and be a facilitator in order to accomplish this method of teaching. These are key points a teacher must be willing to do if they intend to be an effective teacher especially in a highly culturally diverse area like central
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Enforcing the belief that every student should set high standards in their school work is a must because the quality of their work is based off of their own standards. Effective and consistent communication of high expectation helps students develop a healthy self-concept (Rist, 1970). These expectations must be very clear in a classroom full of students from different cultures. A page on class work expectations should be included in the first day take home syllabus. It should explain how students should complete their work and the quality of it by using simple yet detailed words so every family can understand it. The most important part the teacher must do is be very clear and detailed on directions. If a student does not understand an assignment then the teacher most likely did not explain it well. This situation is commonly misinterpreted as if the student was just not paying attention. Clear directions will almost eliminate any confusion on an assignment due to cultural differences.
Teachers must learn about their student’s cultures if they want to educate them to the best of their ability. Many of the students in culturally diverse classrooms will want to learn in different ways. Some will want to learn in pairs, groups, as a class, or just alone. If the teacher is educated in their culture then lessons can be adjusted to appeal to every student as much as possible instead of forcing some to forget about their culture and learn like others. Students from
America now is a very culturally diverse nation; most of the minority and immigrant population lives in cities, which indicates that the public school classrooms in urban areas are full of versatile cultural identities. According to the 2000 Census record, minority and immigrant populations has grown in increasing numbers, and most of those people live in urban areas and attend public high schools; also, the level of residential segregation still remains as high as in 1990, which proposes new problems for immigrants and minorities. Monocultural schools are very rare and the global society is very multicultural; it is very logical to prepare students in schools to enter this diverse society (Le Roux 48). Teachers are largely responsible
In Chapter 1. of ‘Culturally Responsive Instruction’ teachers have to identify ways to make everyone feel comfortable as much as necessary to have them concentrate on the learning. In chapter 1, illustrates that we have to teach not by culture but by ways that everyone can relate to (Kadhir, 2017, p. 2). It is important that we identify their visual, auditory,
This first chapter has quick insights of how Cultural Competence could be so effectively with children. What this chapter made me recognized is that it’s essential to building a relationship with students. As the text points that students may be more comfortable with a teacher of their own background, regardless of the teachers background the true success of having a learning environment is based on a sensitive, caring and committed teacher. Having teachers getting to know their students would be encouraging for a teacher-student relationship student might discovery acceptance and comfort in having someone who provides stability and structure by getting to know them. Additionally, teachers should not be scared to permit themselves to be taught
Culturally Responsive Teaching is an emerging field that focuses on student cultural backgrounds and experiences in the development of pedagogy. According to Kea (2013) cultural difference is the single largest difference in U.S. schools and also the most neglected. The goal of Culturally Responsive Teaching is to provide an equal opportunity for all students to learn in school, regardless of their gender, social class, ethnic, racial or cultural characteristics (Banks 2005). Ladson-Billings (1994) suggest that the historic failings of educators in educating non-white students is that educators attempt to insert culture into education rather than insert education into the culture. In other words, educators are not providing an equal multi-culturally relevant education by bringing tokens of culture such as food, national flags, or maps from around the world into the classroom alone. Although these actions promote a sense of multiculturalism, an education that is relative to a diversity of cultures is not necessarily being provided. Culturally Responsive Teaching attempts to bring the various experiences of the student’s cultural home life into the classroom. Schmidt (2005) identifies seven characteristics that must be incorporated into curriculum in order to provide culturally responsive instruction. These characteristics are high expectations,
Culturally responsive classrooms are important in our schools because we are a culturally diverse society. There is a relationship between culturally responsive classrooms, inclusive education, and specialized instruction. When teachers provide a culturally responsive classroom, this in turn creates an inclusive environment for students of all cultures. Additionally, being culturally sensitive, responsive, and inclusive within the classroom will help teachers provide specialized instruction for culturally diverse students. Culture plays a large role in a student’s behavior and academic performance (Lerner & Johns, 2015). Ignoring one’s culture, and essentially their identity, could cause problems with students who are from a different culture
Gaining learning and experience about other cultures background will enrich my multicultural knowledge. Therefore, as an educator I must learn about others culture. As I begin to learn about others cultures I will understand how values influence the ways families interpret the instruction that feels right to them. A close study on Figure 3.1 implies that a teacher’s point view or the way the students are treaty can affect their learning. It keeps narrating the story of a teacher that had to learn her students’ roots, their culture values, to get to know them in order to reach them in an academically level. The cultural values are very important and cannot be overlooked, they shape our intrinsic motivation. Many families try to keep their values and belief intact at home, so their children when they step in a classroom. Monica Brown, is the Department editor of Diversity Dispatch, argues in her article, Educating All Students: Creating Culturally Responsive Teachers, Classrooms, and Schools, that nowadays it is noticeable the diversity growths in schools, however, this is not the problem. The problem is the way teachers have responded to the diversity growth. (Brown, M. 2007). Therefore, this will affect the students learning. Brown cross with a strong point in regarding the lack of sensitivity some educators show towards their students’ culture. As educator I don’t want to be one of many teachers Monica Brown speaks on her article. I will understand that I must respect my
I always try to teach my student with a culturally responsive pedagogy. I want my students to learn. So, I try to teach them to the best of my abilities. Part of that is responsive teaching. Since culture plays a significant role in the way we think and learn. After all, It’s our way of life. So, it’s imperative that I teach my students from their perspectives (Rychly and Graves, 2012).
Educators must focus on creating culturally responsive learning environments and practices to prepare all students for success in the 21st century. This responsibility requires teachers to recognize the cultural, linguistic, and gender differences among students in order to promote effective communication, build collaborative relationships, and tailor instruction that supports learning. To accomplish this goal, one must examine his or her personal values or belief systems in an effort to eliminate any bias that may be aimed towards any specific group (Dray, & Wisneski,). This self-examination is critical because it can impede one’s ability to understand students who behave differently as a result of his or her cultural and linguistic backgrounds. For example, educators may make inappropriate placement
Overcoming stereotyping is a challenge educators can encounter when it comes to ensuring that teaching strategies are appropriate for culturally diverse children. Some educators may compare one child to another child that comes from the same cultural background and use the same teaching strategy. One way to overcome this is to make sure that educators know each of the students individually instead of comparing one to another or relying on stereotyping. “To truly engage students, we must reach out to them in ways that are culturally and linguistically responsive and appropriate, and we must examine the cultural assumptions and stereotypes we bring into the classroom that may hinder interconnectedness.” (Teaching Tolerance, 1991) Once they know more about each of the students then they can avoid stereotyping and adjust their teaching strategy to meet the individual needs of the students in the classroom.
After reading Geneva Gay’s article Preparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching I realized my pedagogy is culturally responsive in many ways. For one, I always
The identification of a culturally responsive classroom is based on the observation that the pedagogy and methodology of the learning process is student centered, teacher facilitated, and multi-cultural. The art of cultural responsive teaching is that it recognizes and validates the importance of including student’s culture into the total learning process (Landson-Billings, 1994). Brown University’s Education Alliance (2017) goes on to add that this methodology of teaching is constructed around key characteristics such as: learning takes place with the context of cultural being present, student-centered/ teacher facilitated, and curriculum is redesigned to be culturally balanced. With the redesign of the forth coming activities being centered around the previous components and thoughts, I believe the practice of culturally responsive education will be fulfilled.
Culturally responsive teaching is a systematic approach to modern day teaching by taking into consideration the aspects of culture and its values.
The first step for me to become a culturally responsive teacher is to learn not to judge others. Working with students from diverse backgrounds requires us to question our reactions to families and students. We need to stop judging different as “abnormal” and embrace what the differences can teach us (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2011). Embracing the differences
It is important to create a culturally relevant classroom and school that embraces and celebrates diversity and acceptance of all students. As teachers, we are going to encounter students from various backgrounds and cultures. They may have different beliefs, traditions, and languages, but it is important for them to feel they are also part of the classroom and school just like all of their peers. I plan to teach social studies so it is important that I choose texts and materials that offer multiple perspectives and acknowledge the figures and accomplishments of various individuals from different cultures around the world. The textbook lists a problem that often occurs in social studies classroom. This problem includes teachers only using textbooks
Another characteristic of culturally sensitive teacher is to “learn as much as possible about the students, their families, and the community and use it in their teaching” (Glickman et al., 2014, p.375). Under