Lindsey, R.B., Robins, K.N., & Terrell, R.D. (2010). Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders.…
The content in chapter four, Culturally Responsive Care and Education, introduced culture and cultural characteristics as it relates to young learners inside the classroom. The chapter outlined the importance of being a culturally responsive educator. York (2003) stated that "teachers must make their work culturally responsive-the program must represent and support the home cultures of the family whose children attend," (p. 59). Culture consist of many entities besides morals, values, cuisines, and…
With our classrooms demographics becoming more and more diverse, the need for a culturally responsive management approach has increased. The Culturally Responsive Classroom Management (CRCM) approach takes into consideration the cultural differences of the classroom’s students and teacher. Weinstein, Tomlinson-Clarke, and Curran (as cited in p. 455) consider five elements of the CRCM approach to be of great relevance to teachers: recognition of ethnocentrism, knowledge of students’ culture, understanding the broader context, use of culturally appropriate management strategies, and commitment to caring classrooms.…
Mr. Joshua Hoppe’s perspective is very interesting and useful. I can certainly appreciate his expertise working in a multiracial school. One very important point that he makes is similar to Miss Washington which is communication and team work. Mrs. Joshua explains very well the value in communicating and working as a team with the pupil’s family. The most important message is to build rapport and embrace my student’s cultures. I will use my ear to listen to my students needs and use my eyes to appreciate difference.…
She profusely discusses culturally relevant teaching and demonstrates how this style of teaching does not rely on race, gender, or teaching style. The greatest indicator of culturally relevant teaching is the teacher’s effort and desire to work with and not around the distinctive strengths and weaknesses a child brings to the classroom. By reflecting on her own experiences, observations, and personal views while including empirical data, Ladson-Billings confers the idea of culturally relevant teaching and how it intrinsically relates to the teacher, classroom social interactions, literacy and mathematics teaching, and knowledge itself. She further examines the significance culturally relevant teaching holds for African American students in education and teacher education as a…
The important of cultural diversity in Maryland is on the rise. Attending a school with a diverse student body can help prepare your child for citizenship in a multicultural democracy. As the United States become a more culturally and ethnically diverse nation, public schools are becoming more diverse, too. According to an article “Cultural Diversity” the article states that “The Census Bureau project that by the year 2100, the United States minority population will become the majority with non-Hispanic whites making up only 40% of the United States population” (Cultural Diversity, 2012.) There is no doubt that students will need to learn how to interact in a diverse environment. Jean Snell, is the clinical professor of teacher education at the University of Maryland, believes cultural diversity enhances the school experience. He states that “There is a richness that comes from students working side by side with others who are not of the same cookie-cutter mode” (Cultural Diversity, 2012.)…
By looking at our strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats, teachers can gain insightful information into how they may best serve their diverse students’ needs and administrators can find solutions to helping these students achieve an optimal learning experience at school. This creates an opportunity for teachers and administrators to work together to improve student achievement. By understanding our diverse students’ needs, teachers and administrators can see the big picture and find viable solutions to problems that arise at their school. This year we have added a resource room to help struggling students with special needs get help from an ESE teacher. Curriculums are modified to accommodate student’s needs based on any language or learning barriers. The dominant culture of the nation-state should incorporate aspects of their experiences, cultures, and languages, which will enrich the mainstream culture as well as help marginalized groups to experience civic equality and recognition (Gutmann, 2004). Teachers have professional development sessions and team meetings to assess proven methodologies and research to help students learn. “When teachers support students by treating them with respect and caring about their futures, and encourage students by helping them to…
Teaching cultural diversity in a classroom can be very difficult, but not impossible. One of the key areas that sometimes go without notice is working with families and developing curriculum together so that their culture becomes a learning forum as well. This will not only teach, but bring about a sense of pride and comfort so that collaboration will continue throughout the school year and beyond. With that being said it is not always easy. Unfortunately there is a lot of concern about whether or not many teachers have the proper knowledge or experience working in or living in diverse environments (Robinson & Clardy, 2011). One way of dealing with this is to integrate ways to approach cultural diversity throughout the teaching program. Once teachers are given the proper techniques then dealing with and approaching diversity will be much easier.…
Milner, H. (2011). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in a Diverse Urban Classroom. Urban Review: Issues And Ideas In Public Education, 43(1), 66-89.…
Booza, J. C., Cutsinger, J., & Galster, G. (2006). Where did they go? The decline of middle-income neighborhoods in metropolitan America. The Brookings Institution: Living Cities Census Series, 1-23.…
Differentiated instruction and culturally responsive teaching as seen on the case study improves overall student achievement.…
“Gay (2000) defines culturally responsive teaching as using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and performance styles of diverse students to make learning more appropriate and effective for them: it teaches to and through the strengths of these students.” I found this definition to be very effective and a great summary of the overall topic being covered. It hit on many of the different points and aspects of having a culturally responsive classroom and also how to be a culturally responsive teacher. This is very important in culturally diverse classrooms and all other classrooms no matter what sort of diversity is present.…
According to Geneva Gays, “developing a knowledge base about cultural diversity, including ethnic and cultural diversity content in the curriculum, demonstrating caring and building learning communities, communicating with ethnically diverse students, and responding to ethnic diversity in the delivery of instructions,” are all solutions for educators. This includes culturally responsive learning in the curriculum. I believe that this goes much deeper than just a generalized idea about a culture from preconceived ideas. There needs to be research and information on a culture in every classroom. Talking to a child’s parents and understanding their concerns and suggestions for the student is a great place to…
The important goal of cultural responsive education is to assist all the students to become more respectful of multitude of cultures and people that student interact in educational setting. Hence, applying the cultural experience, characteristic and the importance of language, race, and cultural ethnicities diverse students as conduits for teaching the students more effectively, which students will experience in school and outside of school. This can be a difficult task for teacher to giving the world large everlasting complex diverse microcosmic environment which students will be inhabits. Also, in typical educational and social setting there is an evident tendency for students to display their cultural in group/out group behaviors because…
I have learned to understand that children of different cultures, with different languages, who are treated unfairly, have difficulty as they transition in their classroom environment. Dr. Grace stated that in order to have truly inclusive, school districts should reflect many different nationalities and cultures as well as family relationship. Yet, these have to be measured, when we talk about school reform, curriculum alignment as well as parent engagement (Laureate Inc., 2011). I agree with this statement because teachers have to prepare and adapt in order to meet the needs to inclusive environment.…