Culturally Inclusive Classroom Assessment

I was in the Navy a long time ago, but I still remember that every time a new captain came on board a new set of cultures came with it. I have been in a school district for the past sixteen years, and the same is true, having around 10 principals each new person having ideas to make everyone feel welcome in our culture.We all want to feel as your state of belonging.

After reviewing my self evaluation and working with both groups of fifth graders, I have determined a need to provide a wider range of differentiated instruction. I have worked in the past to try groupings that benefited the students, but I am seeing that this is not working as well with this group. These students communicate and respond well to each other and are willing to help each other but some of the learning gaps between them are significant.

In the article, “What is a Culturally Responsive Educator?” the author makes a point that students at the age of eight already have a decreased desire to learn and low self-esteem. School is to blame for damaging their language, culture, and identity. The demographics of the population is changing. In the future, individuals that are born will be in the minority based on their ethnicity and race. This is not just happening in the cities, but especially in the rural communities. Teachers need to remember culture is not left at the door; it follows everyone into the classroom.

I’ve always I thought I was a pretty good teacher. I’ve been selected as a STAR teacher and Teacher of the Year. But after reading Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, I had to seriously self-reflect, and I came to the realization that if I had read and implemented the suggestions in the book perhaps I would have touched student’s lives on a deeper level, a long-term neurological life-changing level. My heart and intent were pure, but did I reach as many students as I could have? I have always been focused on getting my students to be interested in their studies and to give it their all. I’ve been told many times by them, “You do too much.” I took that as a compliment because I have always tried to motivate them to want to excel, not just in school, but in life. After reading Hammond’s book, I see that I must overhaul my thinking and my methods. By following the techniques suggested in Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain I can grow in my individual approach to each student and grow more confident that they can each reach and achieve their best.

Differentiation can be guided by a teaching assistant. The teacher will plan guided reading sessions

of certain cultures that are represented and if that affects their way of learning, will allow for

The use of formal and informal reading assessments provide important data that allow educators to identify at risk students (Tompkins, 2010). The data collected from the assessments address any factors that may prohibit the development of students’ reading and writing skills. In addition to the assessments, the more an educator can learn about students’ backgrounds and their past reading, language development, and writing experiences the more instructional strategies can be designed to specifically meet the needs of diverse learners in the classroom.

To build a culturally responsive pedagogy in response to the advancing technological era, educators can promote individuals through curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. Likewise, it can close the gap for low income families and students of color (Beerer, n.d.). Additionally, as students utilize digital resources, they are being prepared for success in life.

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

Ladson-Billings (1994) describes the culturally responsive classroom as “a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” I’m in total agreement with their definition because I’ve personally witnessed the power of embedding relatable aspects of students’ daily lives into the curriculum. Four years ago, I moved from Memphis, TN to the Bronx, New York for the sole purpose of diversifying my teaching career and expanding my repertoire as an educator. I had very knowledge about the community of students I served. As a matter of fact, I had never seen a Dominican, Haitian, or Puerto Rican in my whole life. I had a complete culture

Educators in today’s school systems are encouraged to incorporate various aspects of cultural diversity into daily classroom routines and lesson content in order to develop students respect for various cultures within their community. The article reviewed, Promoting Respect for Cultural Diversity in the Classroom, written by Matthew Lynch, discusses the need for educators to encourage as well as promote respect for various cultures within the classroom that students may encounter or associate with. Additionally, educators must educate students on the importance of their own culture or heritage, as well as on the importance of cultures their peers or individuals have within the community.

Pam: What is Culturally Responsive Teaching? Culturally responsive teaching is an educational theory that emphasizes the critical role that culture plays in the learning process. Below introduces this important and innovative pedagogical theory that is changing classroom curriculums and teaching styles.

Differentiation is the tool used by educators who recognize that all students come to them with different readiness levels and learning styles. It allows us to meet the needs of each individual student while meeting the standards developed by state and national education associations. Additionally, there are many different types of differentiation that can be used in a classroom: teachers can create learning centers, use differentiated assessments, and develop anchor activities, etc. Currently, I utilize differentiated assessments, but my goal for the upcoming school year is to utilize more learning centers and to incorporate anchor activities into my daily classroom routine.

I would identify myself as White, although my ethnicity is Irish, English, German, and Native American. I was born and raised on the island of Hawaii, which has allowed me to be immersed in a culturally diverse mix of people and practices. This has given me the opportunity to appreciate and value others’ views, values, and beliefs. Other parts of my culture include that I am an only child and I was brought up in a middle-class family that was not religious.

When differentiating instruction, there is a five-step process that should be followed. The first step is to determine the need for differentiation (Smith et al., 2012, p. 112). The teacher needs to examine the class and see exactly who would benefit from differentiated instruction, based on the problems of the individual student. Teachers can also look at a student’s IEP or 504 plan to see who can best benefit from these accommodations. Once this has been identified, the teacher needs to think about what the student needs to be successful (Smith et al., 2012, p. 112). This change could be something related to the content, process, product, learning environment, or any combination of these.