Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

A culturally responsive teacher should have learning styles that integrate the cultural context of teaching and learning into the curriculum by using the prior learning of students and including students’ own personal cultural perceptions.  The teacher should also utilize the affect in building interpersonal relationships with their students and fine-tune teaching methods that conflict with the student learning styles.

Most teacher should have field experience working with culturally diverse populations in communities with K-12 schools.  Unfortunately, I did not have that opportunity here in rural Kansas.  To be a culturally responsive teacher you are up-to-date about your subject matter and will regularly discovery information that can increase the multicultural perspective of your teaching discipline.  Students are also a great source of information during your daily instruction. 

It is important for teachers to know how to generate assignments that permit small groups of students to collaborate on academic projects founded on problem-solving skills; that in the end give students their voice in an engaged classroom.

Culturally responsive teachers embrace diversity as a value to the school and encourage the cultural backgrounds of students, and have faith in the high achievement goals for all students regardless of their race, ethnicity, or class.  

By being a cultural responsive teacher, it helps to bridge the different ways of knowledge and will engage the student from a non-dominate culture by indicating if they are capable of language usage, grammar or math knowledge and any tools they might use to circumnavigate their everyday lives.   

Culturally responsive teachers need to use intrinsic motivation.  This will help to be respectful of different cultures in your classroom.  When a teacher is in harmony with her students, the more likely he / she is to evoke, encourage and sustain intrinsic motivation.  Teachers can do this by making sure all students are included; the classroom is an inviting atmosphere where both the students and the teacher respect one another.  Attitude is important.  From the first day of class there needs to be a favorable outlook toward learning through personal significance and choice.  You, as a teacher need to create challenging and thoughtful experiences that make the students think, and encourage discussion.  And lastly, students in your classroom need to feel they are learning something of value.  Remember, students are aware of their cultural differences, so make them feel welcome, and they will feel welcome.

Here is something to ponder. All teachers care for their students.  But there is caring about your student and caring for you student, and this is not just about feeling, but also about doing something about the feelings for helping someone.  I gave my entire class this year mittens and stocking caps, because I had them.  Another teacher in my school did the same thing.  Being considerate for students is a major element of culturally responsive pedagogy and results when teachers advocate for students.  We do this at our Title 1 school in rural Kansas because of our diversity of poor students, who cannot afford stocking caps or mittens on their own. 

How do you become a culturally responsive teacher?  As a teacher, you need to reflect on your actions and interactions with your students.  Keep a journal so you can look back and see what you might have done differently.  At parent / teacher conferences, get to know your students’ parents.  Find out about their beliefs, their experiences with the school or the community, so you teach their child better.  Become a member in various groups that may help you understand the community better.  You can also become a member to a teacher organization.  Study the history and experiences of the students in your room.  Have your students help with this.  If it helps, ask your students if you can visit their home and learn more about their lifestyle.  Research other teachers who were successful teaching in diverse settings.  Take a day off school and go visit a larger school that has a diverse classroom. 

When you have a student in your classroom from a different culture, it is important to acknowledge it.  Have a ‘share day’ where they invite their family and show off their traditions. Maybe bring in special food, pictures, and what not.  Make a big deal out of it.  Have the students work together to make a bulletin board over the students’ culture.  That way all the students are researching where the student is from.  Do a report on “diversity around the world” and see how the students feel about the word, then have a learning day over diversity.  More than anything, it is imperative that all your students feel they are treated fairly and with respect, no matter where they are from. 

All students have the same opportunities to achieve to the best of their ability.  This is the teacher’s responsibility to every one of her students.  A teacher cannot teach to just one group, or the rest of the students are being unfairly taught. 

“Diversity is not a characteristic of life; it is a condition necessary for life…like air and water.”

                                                                                                                                    Barry Lopez